Dubrovnik, the magnificent walled city on the Adriatic. As Christiaan and I were spending our holiday in Montenegro, we obviously wanted to explore this medieval town. Eventually, we visited Croatia’s most upmarket destination twice last summer. In this guide, I will share my top tips for when you’re visiting the city of Dubrovnik.
The second we entered the city ancient walls, we noticed the pedestrian-only old town is packed with (Game of Thrones!) tourists. Luckily, we also immediately noticed how beautiful it is and definitely worth visiting. Dubrovnik consists of aristocratic palazzi, medieval fortifications, Baroque churches and is topped with terracotta rooftops. The city has so many beautiful sightings. Something I must advise you to do is just to wander around the limestone paved streets and alleys and just see wherever it takes you!
City Walls
We actually didn’t walk them – it was too hot and honestly, we thought the entrance passes were a little bit pricey with €30 per person – but his city guide is not complete without the impressive 13th-century City Walls. It will take about 1,5 hours to walk them, and it will give you versatile scenes of the old town and over the Adriatic Sea. Tip: Check the Cruiseship Schedule to beat the crowds!
Breakfast
We wanted to get some pictures without all the tourists on them. So the second time we were visiting we decided to go very early in the morning. We arrived around 08:15 AM and before we filled up our stomachs with some goodies, we decided to walk around ancient Dubrovnik to get the greatest shots. Afterward, we decided to get breakfast at the Gradska Kavana Arsenal, it is located in the heart of the old town. It has two terraces, on one side, the Adriatic Sea is glittering in the harbor, on the other, you can see the historical medieval buildings and city streets. Both views are entertaining and alluring. The service is outstanding and their cuisine is delightful.
Open-air market
If you want to pick up some local seasonal produce, head over to Gundulićeva Poljana (Gundulić Square) in the morning to stroll by the stallholders.
Dinner
Going out to dinner in a foreign country is definitely one of my favorite things to do! But sometimes also one of the hardest decisions to make. I always want to find a place with an intimate ambiance, in a nice location, but most importantly: a place that has a great quality of service and food. We ended up at Restaurant Forty Four and it was the greatest experience I had in a long time. It is an oasis of tranquility, the food is excellent and the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Something we learned afterward: it is (partially) owned by NBA-player Bojan Bogdanović. He plays in jersey #44 for the Brooklyn Nets, hence the name.
Parking
Well, this could become a pretty expensive pain in the *ss. The city is ancient and therefore not built for cars or parking spaces. It does have some parking garages outside the city walls. We parked our car in such a garage the first time we were there, we only stayed for a couple of hours and our parking bill was about €40. Seriously outrageous if you ask me! On our next visit, we wanted to stay even longer so we were determined to find a better solution for our parking situation. Eventually, we arranged a pre-paid parking spot outside the city walls – just a 650m walk downtown with a great view – at Dubrovnik Daily Parking.
Drinks
While we were getting ourselves lost in the narrow alleys of Dubrovnik, we suddenly stumbled upon a hole in the city wall. We decided to take the leap and enter the hole. To our surprise, we ended up at Buža bar. There are two of them, just a bit separated from each other, but both on the same side of the city walls. Buža and Mala Buža are cliff bars, which are hidden under the ancient city walls. It is the perfect spot to escape the city heat and enjoy a cold drink, watch the cliff jumping, a beautiful sundowner, combined with soothing ocean views. Just keep in mind it’s not fancy, it’s cash only, you’ll probably get your drinks served in a plastic cup and you should definitely find a different place to go to the bathroom after you had some brews.
I hope I gave you some insightful tips with this guide when you’re visiting the magnificent city of Dubrovnik. Have you ever been there or would you love to go?
Xx Layla
