Dubrovnik, Croatia
View from the city walls.
Home to Game of Thrones.
Dubrovnik, home to game of thrones, was stunning. Like truly, utterly stunning. Because it is pretty touristy, prices can be on the more expensive end but it is home to some of the tastiest restaurants.
Wander around and get lost in the little alleyways and pathways. Make sure to walk the wall as you will get some of the most stunning views, as well as feel like you are a part of history. It’s amazing to think that this city on the water would hunker down in times of war and hope that this great wall would protect it’s people. It felt very Lord of the Rings but even if you aren’t into all of that, it was pretty cool to experience.
The beach was gorgeous. Just be aware that if you want to sit at the beach, you will have to pay probably around 50 euro, possibly more if it is a crowded day. We got lucky one time and the owner did not come over to us and ask us to pay but we saw him ask many others.
If you want to see a lot of the sites, including museums and walk the walls, getting a Dubrovnik card would be ideal. It’s a pass that can be used for 7 days and gives you access to many of the attractions in Dubrovnik. We did this and loved it. There was one art gallery that I don’t think was included but we saw some amazing contemporary works: MOMAD – Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik. If you’re into art at all, I highly recommend you go. It was also air conditioned so a nice reprieve from the summer heat.
This city was perfect for a leisurely summer vacation; we experienced different culture and art, ate AMAZING foods, in addition to some beach time.
Stay
We stayed at a wonderful airbnb right outside of the city walls, which we really liked. We could easily get to places outside the walls, as well as within and we could easily get to our uber drivers when heading back to the airport. We traveled in August so it was HOT in Croatia. Luckily our airbnb had air conditioning so it was a nice reprieve. Definitely check out airbnb for affordable but also very nice options for stay. 7 days was more than enough time to experience Dubrovnik.
Food
Pizzeria Tomato. Great, delicious pizza just outside the walls to the city. Really chill vibes.
Pepino’s Gelato. There were so many gelato places and you probably wouldn’t go wrong with choosing any of them but we liked to get Pepino’s right at the entrance/exit to the city on our way in or out and then we would stand on the bridge and look out at the boats while enjoying our gelato, hopefully under a beautiful sunset.
Café Royal. We went here for breakfast and had a great first meal of the day. Often in Europe it can be hard to find bigger breakfasts and this place we were very satisfied, had avocado toast with a poached egg and fresh fruit.
Poco Loco. This place was called Poco Loco when we were there but I believe it is now called Bura Bistro Wine & Cocktails. We went here for cocktails multiple times because they were that good and the vibes were even better. Sitting outside it felt like we were with locals; people were gathered around, chatting, watching the sports again, and while we called it a night pretty early, this place was popping into late in the night.
Taj Mahal. Hands down the best food we had this whole trip. I still dream about the dishes we had here. The food is Bosnian cuisine and I did not know what that might look or taste like before this meal but I do know that if you go here, you won’t regret it. It was packed both times we went so I highly recommend getting reservations if you can depending on when you are going.
Trattoria Carmen. Another amazing meal, this time the cuisine was Italian. Amazing pasta and Carmen, the owner came out and chatted with us. Definitely get reservations here before showing up. We were lucky and probably got the last time without reservations, after that we watched the host turn couple after couple away.
Portun. This was a great place to stop for small bites and drinks. I had aperol spritz’s constantly and this place was no different. I am allergic to fish but my husband said his tuna dish was great.
Panorama Views. An experience that was fun was riding an airlift thingy up the mountain and dining at the restaurant there. The food was good, not spectacular. But the views were. It was a fun experience so if you have the time, definitely try to squeeze it in and make reservations to ensure you get in.
