Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful European cities I have seen and its name as the Pearl of the Adriatic is apt. The orange roof tops and the Adriatic sea on one side and impressive forts and its awesome Mediterranean vibe, no wonder tourists are flocking to it now. They seem to have recovered well from the war in the 90s and now being part of the European Union, the roads and infrastructure are great. The old town of Dubrovnik is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was a thriving city through the years. Dubrovnik was also called Ragusa and has a rich maritime history. It is of course one of the former Yugoslavian states. While I have not seen the Game of Thrones (too gory I hear for my taste), as you walk around town you will see many tours being advertised as several scenes from the show have been filmed around Dubrovnik.
Arriving at Dubrovnik airport around noon we used Uber to get to our hotel the Royal Princess in the Lapad area. The Royal princess hotel is beautiful and the room we had was a sea facing suite with 2 rooms, a balcony and stunning views of the bay. This hotel was our splurge for the trip and it was worth it after a long tiring stressful journey from the States. The resort has a lovely promenade by the sea and if you walk down you come across shops, a beach, some lovely restaurants and the area from where you can catch an Uber or taxi. Croatian beaches are rocky and not the sandy ones we are used to. We skipped beach time as when visiting Europe that really is not what we are interested in. You can also use the public bus to reach old town or Stari Grad and just a short walk away from the resort complex is the bus stop.
Once we were settled in we took an Uber to the old town where we visited the Dubrovnik Cathedral and strolled around Dubrovnik’s magnificent old town. We also found the TI and purchased the ‘1 day Dubrovnik card’. This gives you one visit to the wall walk and also free entrance to several attractions in town and a 24 hour local bus pass which is really useful. It becomes active the first time you use it so we saved it for the next morning so we could use the bus a whole day.
The next day morning we wanted to do the wall walk from the Ploce gate at old town. The Dubrovnik wall walk is the highlight of your visit to Dubrovnik but it is strenuous and not for the mobility challenged people. There are hundreds of steps and it is a very long walk and can take more than 2 hours at a minimum. It stretches across 1.2 miles or so and we walked the entire circuit. Also there is no shade on the wall so in the heat this can be exhausting but the views are to die for and is an absolutely must do in Dubrovnik. I was glad we visited end of May when heat was bearable. You can start from the Ploce or Pile gates. We decided to start at the Ploce gate as it has 37 steps (It sure felt like a lot more) versus the 87 or so from Pile. Also the steepest part of the walk is around Ploce so it is nice to get it over first and also some of the nicest views are as soon as you start the walk at Ploce. We also visited the small maritime museum at St.John’s fortress and the old pharmacy in the Franciscan monastery. The Rector’s Palace was closed for renovation so we could not visit it.
After the wall walk, we were so tired we headed back to the hotel to rest. Lunch was at Zoe one of the restaurants in the resort we stayed at and it was just okay. My legs were hurting for a couple of days after the wall walk with all the steps that I normally do not do.
In the evening we headed back to the old town. The old town has a lovely atmosphere at night. Dubrovnik old town is magical at night and is definitely worth visiting for dinner. Once the cruise shippers and day trippers have gone, and it is all lit up, there is a romantic feel. And of course, the heat is no longer an issue so it is very pleasant to stroll. You will find musicians and costume artists around at times.
About transportation and Currency:
The public bus system in Dubrovnik is good and maps are posted around town and online. But with 4 people when the Dubrovnik card was not active it was actually more economical to use Uber.
Bus nbr.6 takes you from the Lapad area to the old town or Stari Grad. From the Royal Princess Hotel to Pile gate on bus nbr 6 usually took around 15 to 20 minutes.
Bus nbr 5 takes you from the Lapad area to the Ploce gate in old town. This is a longer journey with many stops. It took around 40 minutes.
The currency used in Croatia is the Kuna and many shops and restaurants will not take cards or so having Kuna with you is essential.
Dubrovnik restaurants
There are many restaurants in the old town area and prices vary widely, the closer it is to the Stari Grad main street the higher the prices. If the restaurant has people canvassing to get you in to theirs, the prices are probably higher. A reasonable price in Dubrovnik is around 65 to 85 Kuna for pasta but you do have to search for those few well priced restaurants in Dubrovnik.
Lunch day 1 was to Konoba Ribar down a hidden side alley past the old port in old town. It was reasonably priced and food was decent but the Risotto was a little dry.
Dinner day 1 was at Taj Mahal with Bosnian cuisine. The beef stew was good with great flavor, the grilled meats were good but could have used more spices. The restaurant has 2 locations, one in the old town, we visited the one near to our hotel and it was enjoyable.
Lunch day 2 was at Zoe in the resort, only good for the convenience as we were too tired after the wall walk to go elsewhere. The food at the More Hotel was better as we found out later.
Day 2 dinner at Kamenice back in old town was excellent. There was actually a long line at night for dinner and we waited around 30 minutes or so to get our table. The place had a lovely ambiance in a square in old town and the food was delicious. The Tagliatelle pasta with shrimp was great. Other folks were ordering the giant plate of mussels to eat but it looked like too much work.
Lunch on the day we were leaving was at the restaurant More in Hotel More on our promenade. This hotel has a cave bar which is really cool and inside a real cave. We visited it but chose to have our lunch upstairs in the restaurant. Lunch at the ‘More’ was actually excellent, the light lunch options included warm salad with salmon, a beef strip type tortilla sandwich and spaghetti. With the lovely sea view, generous portions and very reasonable prices this is a great option if you are in the area.
In the old town, we had great gelato from Sladoledarna for 10 Kuna a scoop, this one was near the fountain inside Pile gate.
Other Notes:
If possible when visiting avoid the red cruise ship days in Dubrovnik when thousands descend and the crowd is impossible. On a red cruise ship day, I hear it is impossible even to move around old town so it really pays to do your research ahead of time and plan your visit.
Fortunately, the Dubrovnik Port Authority publishes a monthly schedule of cruise ship arrivals and departures, listing the cruise ships and the exact number of passengers they can carry. The schedule is color-coded with the busiest days highlighted in red. I looked at the schedule and worked it out so we were in town on green cruise ship days. In fact one day was just a small ship so we did not face much of a problem.
You can also catch a boat from Dubrovnik old town to Cavtat (40 mins), a lovely fishing town with beautiful walks and views, however we did not have time for it.
With more days in Dubrovnik you can also do day trips to Bay of Kotor, Montenegro and Bosnia. But since these involve border crossings they do require patience as crossings can take 1 to 3 hours depending on the day.
Dubrovnik Old town has such a medieval feel that it almost feels like a movie set. Its beauty is beguiling and we can see why the city is being inundated with visitors now.
