Beautiful Dubrovnik….or for some of you ‘Kings Landing’ (from the TV hit show Game of Thrones) has become one of the hottest European destinations over the last couple of years, partly due to the popularity of GOT, however don’t believe that this is the only reason to visit this Croatian coastline area. Beautiful clear waters, islands and great food are all in abundance when visiting.
BTR actually chose to stay just outside of Dubrovnik in Lozica, however it was just a 5-10 minute drive to Dubrovnik (depending on your exact destination) and the apartment we chose had a beautiful view of Dubrovnik and the many boats and cruise ships passing through the waters.
Visiting for 4 days was just the right amount of time we felt for this trip, it provided a couple of days to relax and enjoy the view from the pool with two other days to explore the Old Town and near by island of Lokrum. We didn’t opt to complete a boat trip, but am aware of the many options and had we stayed longer or visited the region (possibly Split or Hvar) again we would consider a boat trip to see some of the beautiful islands.
Old Town Dubrovnik:
So clearly one of the main attractions to visiting Dubrovnik is the Old Town, where some scenes were filmed for GOT and was a significant influence for the creation of Kings Landing. We opted to start our walk of Old Town from Ploče Gate which is near the harbour side of the town. This is in contrast to where the majority of people start the visit to Old Town, Pile Gate. I would highly recommend starting from Ploče Gate as the crowds of people are smaller than Pile Gate, and if you decide to walk the route of the city walls you complete the steeper ascends first and enjoy the panoramic views of Old Town towards the sea all the way around. As you enter from Ploče Gate you enjoy the view of the marina and city walls closest to the sea before finding a small entrance opposite the market stalls where you pay the entrance fee for the city walls.
As you complete the walk of the city walls you are met with the beautiful view of red rooftops, very few of which are original now due to militant attacks that took place in 1991, and therefore able to see the contrast in colour between original and replacement red roofs.
Starting from Ploče Gate provides the opportunity to have a constant view towards the city and sea, whilst not having to look back all the time if you were coming in the other direction from Pile Gate (similar to making sure you walk towards Manhattan when walking the Brooklyn bridge). As you pass Pile Gate on the city walls you really understand the inspiration for scenes from GOT including the Battle of Blackwater and other scenes where characters shared dialogue on the city walls. As you start to enjoy the sea views from the wall there are a couple of bars to quench your thirst at and enjoy the sea views, kayakers and ships passing.
After completing the walk of the city walls BTR entered Old Town near the harbour where there are a couple of restaurants that overlook the harbour and view towards the hillside. One of these is ‘Gradska Kavana’ Arsenal, you will pay a premium here due to its location with tables positioned between high arches looking towards the harbour, and if you are keen to dine here you should reserve before arriving – we were unable to get a table here as they were full for the next 4 days.
One of the meals we did enjoy in Old Town was at ‘Nicos Pizzeria’ which was one of the best pizzas I have had, freshly baked, fluffy crusts and great toppings. Located in one of the many back streets of old town we were actually en route to its neighbouring pizzeria (Mia’s) but Nico’s looked irresistible!
Old Town Dubrovnik was actually far smaller than BTR realised and within one day you can easily cover the whole area and walk from one side to the other in just 15 minutes. One of the highlights whilst in Old Town is seeing set locations from GOT including Jesuit staircase where Cersei Lannister started her walk of atonement, St. Dominic Street (just inside Ploče Gate) where market scenes were shot and Pile Gate. Other than set locations the Old Town is a pleasant place to walk around, explore the range of shops situated within the beautiful architecture.
As you finish your day of exploring in Old Town Dubrovnik, head up the stairs of Jesuit staircase and towards the left of the church, follow the path as it goes right until you come across a small doorway, leading to the cliff side bar, 'Buza Bar'. We were lucky enough to get here about 6ish and before the rush of people craving a drink whilst enjoying the sunset view. Casual, small, nothing fancy, but it was the perfect location to rest our feet after a day of walking, enjoy a refreshing drink and the sunset whilst tourists also jumped from the cliffs into the water.
Dubrovnik and Lokrum:
Another evening we chose to visit a different area of Dubrovnik for an drink and explore the area for dinner. We chose to get dropped off at ‘More Hotel” on the north side of Dubrovnik for a drink at their poolside bar. The location was ok and service good, but whilst having the serious munchies BTR caved and ordered some nachos to keep us going until dinner – DON’T!! It was a school boy error to give in to temptation, but also take the risk on nachos – no melted cheese, no sour cream, literally a bag of crisps with some salsa……which cost approximately £10!!! Additionally, BTR would recommend not having a drink at More Hotel as when we left we found some far prettier places to enjoy a drink right at the waters edge after walking along the boardwalk that went across the front of the hotel and all the way to Uvala Lapad (man made) Beach.
It was here that we came across two establishments, ‘Restaurant Casa’ and ‘Sunset Beach Bar’. We almost opted for Casa, but opted for Sunset…..second error of the evening. If you are in the area or fancy dinner by the waters edge I would highly recommend ‘Restaurant Casa’ – from what I saw, it looked really good. However, I would not suggest visiting Sunset, although the seafood platter for 2 was good, sea bass delicious they was barely enough to feed one person. The rest of the menu was quite limited and the service was not great.
If you are then seeking a taxi / uber after dinner in the area walk to the left up the main street of tourists and it will take you to a main road where you can easily meet your uber or taxi. During this walk there were plenty of options to get ice cream also….in case you foolishly chose ‘Casa Beach Bar’ and needed a little something else.
The uber drivers were very friendly and it was thanks to one of them that we were lucky enough to experience a really good local produce dinner one evening at the top of the mountain. He informed us about ‘Konoba Dubrava’ (where he has taken his Wife for their anniversary the week before) where they use all fresh produce and have a range of items that must be pre-ordered due to being cooked for 3 hours in a clay kettle. Mrs BTR was quick to research about the restaurant when we got home and quickly booking a table for the next evening and asking for my dinner choices. Anyway, the drive up the hill is winding and steep but worth it! We ordered the 3 hour cooked pork, veal and lamb – served together with potatoes that are also cooked in the clay kettle. The meat fell from the bone and was incredibly soft and additionally staff showed us the kitchen and chef explained the process of how the meat was cooked, with the meat being rotated from above and below the potato’s and providing a wonderful flavour. The service from our waiter was Vojo was excellent.
Our final full day in Dubrovnik was spent visiting the near by island of Lokrum, a beautiful island of greenery and clear waters to swim in just a 15 minute ferry away from Old Town harbour. During the summer months (June-Sept) the ferry leaves on the hour and half hour from 9am. There are small café’s and opportunities to buy food and drink there, but feel free to take a picnic – there are some lovely grass and rocky beach areas to set yourself up and enjoy the day from. Once we docked the island we explore for a bit and walked to the highest point where the ruins of a castle remain, providing a panoramic view back towards the main land and Old Town Dubrovnik.
After walking back down we explored the monastery remains, which also featured in scenes from GOT and also has a replica iron throne for guests to have a photo sat in. After all that walking in the August heat (it was not that bad to be honest) which was warm but not unbearable we headed to one of the many rocky areas and platforms where you can cool down in the water. The sea water was incredibly clear and probably the clearest BTR has experienced in Europe – amazing.
During our visit the water was refreshing, but not too cold and really nice to swim and jump in. There are also opportunities to kayak around Lokrum and I believe some of the longer kayak tours from Dubrovnik also include this. We did not opt for a kayak tour but there were so many kayaks in the bay and clearly very popular.
BTR Overview:
BTR booked this trip to Duborvnik as it was recently added to destinations flying from Southend airport for a quick city trip to break up our summer at home in the UK….and it didn’t disappoint. Essentially you can grab a cheap flight from Southend, visit for 4/5 days and just use hand luggage whilst seeing a beautiful old city and enjoy some great food.
Once your there Uber’s are pretty cheap, food and drink seemed very reasonable (although anything seems reasonable compared to Dubai prices) and you can mix your trip up between some relaxation and exploration. The sea water is beautifully clear if you want to swim, there are lots of boat trip opportunities and jet ski’s if you want to explore by yourself and get the adrenaline going.
Whatever you do, don’t change up your money the day before in a rush and get Euros…..its Croatian Kuna!