The Best of Dubrovnik, Croatia

The Pearl of the Adriatic

Dubrovnik is fortified with buildings and views that shouldn’t be missed, this walled city is on the shore of the Adriatic Sea, in Croatia. This beautiful city has many things to see and do in one day, from walking along the top of the Old Town wall or checking out the oldest pharmacy, you can stroll the narrow streets and admire the beautiful buildings or take a boat trip around Lokrum Island. I had heard a lot about Dubrovnik and was really looking forward to seeing this amazing place (yes there is a but coming) but it didn’t have the WOW factor I was expecting. Hey, it is still worth seeing and I had a great day, just not my favourite place.

Where is Dubrovnik?

Pile Gate the Old Town Entrance

I arrived at Port Gruz on a cruise ship and I took a shuttle bus (provided by Princess Cruises) to the Pile Gate entrance, for the Old Town. The bus trip was about 30 minutes with congested traffic. The Old Town is a pedestrian only zone and the main attraction in Dubrovnik. The Pile Gate entrance is the meeting point for most tourist buses and guided tours, and the tourist information centre is here. At the tourist info centre you can pick up a map of the Old Town (free of charge- yeah!) the map includes the route of four sightseeing tours and lists the attractions along the way. You can also purchase the Dubrovnik Card, a one day special tourist discount card for 250.00 HRK ( Kuna is the currency of Croatia) and it gives you entry to nine attractions, mostly museums and galleries plus 24 hours of public bus transport throughout the city. I only had to use my card twice and it covered the cost of the card (well worth it especially if you want to walk the walls.. more about that later). For more info see www.dubrovnikcard.com You don’t have to purchase a ticket in enter the Old Town, there is no charge, just follow the ramp down.

Stradun Placa

The Stradun Placa is the main street through the Old Town (a UNESCO World Heritage site) starting at the Pile Gate entrance and finishing at the Old Port. Along the Stradun Placa you will find lots of cafes, restaurants, bars, shops and crowds of people (it is very popular for tourists and locals), but the narrow laneways leading off in all directions are not as crowded and I didn’t have any trouble finding a seat in a lovely café.

Old Port- Scenic Pirate Boat Tour

See Dubrovnik from the coast

After exploring the Stradun Placa you will arrive at the Old Port and it’s here you can go on a scenic boat trip to see Lokrum Island and Fort Lovrijenac from the sea. There are many different boat operators all selling tickets for the same tour and the tickets are all 10 Euros, so I just got a ticket for the next boat leaving, a traditional Pirate Ship (Ahoy me Hearties!) . The tour took 50 minutes and there was no commentary, but the guy spoke English and was happy to answer any questions.

A Pirate Ship ? I don’t think so… though I did enjoy being out on the water.

Fort Lovrijenic

Fort Lovijenac sits on top of a 37 metre high sheer rock and was used to protect Dubrovnik from land and sea attacks from the 11th century. Today it is used as a theater for Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet and Midsummer Nights Dream, plus lots of movie scenes are shot here and the Game of Thrones, King’s Landing… apparently (I have never seen Game of Thrones and know nothing about it, but it is every where in Dubrovnik). It costs 30 Kuna to enter the fort or if you purchase a walk the wall ticket entry is included, though the fort is outside the walls of the Old Town.

Lokrum Island

The Island is only a10 minute boat ride from the Old Port and boats leave every 30 minutes. Lokrum Island is a nature reserve with botanical gardens, ruins of historical buildings, peacocks and rabbits walking around free and cafes. You can kayak out to the island and explore the rocky caves, snorkle, or sunbathe on the rocks.

Arriving back at the Old Port I am ready to tackle the city walls after a relaxing cruise, away from the crowds. Bring on the steps.. soooo many steep steps, but soooo worth it.

Walk the City Walls for stunning views.

What a view!

From the Old Port, I headed back towards the Stradun Placa and turned first right, passing toilets and following the north sightseeing tour on the map (orange line) until reaching the City wall entrance. Here is where your Dubrovnik card comes in handy ( I mentioned this earlier) because they don’t take Euros or credit cards just Kuna, but if you have a Dubrovnik card, that will get you entry onto the wall. It costs 210 Kuna if you don’t have a Dubrovnik card (expensive! yes, but the best thing to do in Dubrovnik).

The wall is 1940 metres long and has 1080 steps (you are continuously climbing up and down stairs) with everyone moving in the same direction (anti-clockwise). There are three entry / exit places and a fort at each corner on the Pile Gate side. The highest point is 25 metres, I don’t usually do heights, but this was ok, I felt a bit nervous a couple of times though I was more worried about my lack of fitness and having a heart attack, so I stopped often to take photos when really I was having a rest and I wasn’t the only one. The views were very different, looking out over the rooftops, would I do it again? Absolutely!

After that excitement it’s time to slow things done and head back to Port Gruz for a relaxing Tuk -Tuk ride to Srdj Hill.

Dubrovnik by tuk-tuk.

A tuk-tuk is an electric powered, ecofriendly, auto rickshaw which only seats four to six people and is open to the elements, so you can get great photos (looks like a big golf cart with two bench seats instead of one). The driver was very knowledgeable and flexible with the time. See http://ecotuktoursdu.hr for more info.

First Stop- Dubrovnik Bridge and Port Gruz.

The Dubrovnik bridge was built in 2002, is 518 metres long and 50 metres high. In 2004 the bridge was renamed Bridge of Franjo Tudman, after the first Croatian president, with some controversy as not everyone liked that name. That’s the Port of Gruz where cruise ships dock.

Next stop- Srdj Hill

We drove up a zig-zag road to Srdj Hill with incredible views of the Old Town along the way. The hill is 412 metres high with a large white cross on the top. A popular way to reach the top Is by cable car from just outside the Old Town. The cable car looked very crowded with everyone standing up shoulder to shoulder and if you are not standing in front of a window I don’t think you would see much.. The cost of a round trip is 22.50 Euros. I would recommend a tuk-tuk.

At the top, the cable car station has two observation decks with awesome views, a restaurant and souvenir shop. There is also a fort, Fort Imperial, which Napolean started building (in 1806) before the Austrians took power and finished the fort (in 1815). In 1990, Fort Imperial was used again during the attacks on Dubrovnik from Serbia-Montenegrin forces and played an important part in the Croatian defence. There is a museum in the fort with exhibits about this war and it is 30 Kuna to enter.

On the way back down to the cruise ship, we had to wait for a traffic jam to be cleared, as the zig-zag road is very narrow and two tourist buses couldn’t pass, then one got bogged in the sand. All the drivers got out of their vehicles and were standing on the edge looking down the hill, then along came a farmer herding his sheep and goats down the hill. Just what happens in Dubrovnik I guess!

Travel Tips

Get a Dubrovnik Tourist card, especially if you are going to walk the wall and see Fort Lovrijenac.
Wear extremely comfortable shoes, there are 4343 steps in the Old Town.
Get a map of the Old Town from the Tourist info centre at Pile Gate.
Check out the narrow laneways away from the crowds of people.

Dubrovnik is a fortified city with buildings and views.