Dubrovnik is a beautiful city! The Old City, enclosed by defensive walls, is a delight for the eyes. It doesn’t matter if you have already been there: it’s always good to come back every once in a while.
From Hvar City – our prior destination – we started a quite long trip of about 5 hours to reach Dubrovnik:
- We crossed Hvar island.
- Waited about 1 hour to board the ferry from Sućuraj to Drvenik: there was such a long queue… By the way, at the end of the queue where the ferry anchors, there is a supermarket and a cafè to get some food and water in case you don’t have them with you already.
- Completed the route by ferry.
- Drove from Drvenik to Dubrovnik, also making one stop after Klek and then one after Neum to cross the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
What to do in Dubrovnik
#1 Visit the Old City of Dubrovnik
Raise your hand if you watched Game Of Thrones! If you are not currently raising your hand, please click here to discover a new and unforgettable TV series, which happened to be shot (among the others) within the walls of Dubrovnik.
Get Your Guide – which we refer to a lot when planning our excursions – offers several tours of the city, including those dedicated to Game Of Thrones’ sets. In this case, we opted for a more traditional tour of the Old City: if you are a fan, consider that the guide will cite and show some of the locations anyways.
On top of the tour with Get Your Guide, we also spent some time wandering around the Old City. Here are the stops that you shouldn’t miss when planning your walk:
- Gradac Park: for a beautiful view of the Lovrijenac Fortress
- Lovrijenac Fortress: the interior is not very interesting. But the view from the top is great! You’ll enjoy one of the best views of the Old City
- Dubrovnik West Harbour: nice setting. Plus kayak activities start from here (see below)
- Pile Gate: the entrance to the old city
- Large Onofrio’s Fountain
- Stradun: the main street in the Old City
- Orlando’s Column: in the past, the knight’s forearm was chosen as the linear unit of measurement in Dubrovnik
- Porat: the port
- Rector’s Palace
- Historic Stairs
#2 A walk on the Walls
One last recommendation when visiting the Old Town is to do the tour of the Walls. There are 3 access points to start the visit and buy tickets. I suggest you choose the one next to Pile Gate.
I really loved the walk on the Walls. You get to see hidden spots of the city fro the above, you enjoy the view from a different perspective, and the panorama is superb!
Please consider that it can get very hot in summertime, so don’t forget to bring a hat and some water during the stroll. The shaded areas are scarce and the very few cafès along the way are very expensive and nothing special.
#3 Kayak at the sunset
Another great activity to do when visiting Dubrovnik is the kayak at sunset. There are several companies offering kayak tours: we choose Adventure Dalmatia, booked via Get Your Guide (as we usually do).
The tour starts from the harbour just outside the Pile Gate (looking at Pile Gate, before crossing the bridge, you’ll see a very small gate on the left, take those stairs down and go through the garden on your right to reach the harbour). There will be several companies, each with a different stand; find yours and get ready with the equipment.
Kayak is double, so you get to go with your partner: consider it can get a bit strenuous since you have to paddle for about 3 hours… However the guides know it well, and they try to go slow as it is also a time to enjoy and not to run. Plus, there will be a break at Betina Cave to have a swim and take some rest. What to bring with you? Sunglasses and a waterproof phone case. Last thing: it could get a bit cold at the end, as the sun sets and you just had a swim. But that’s not a big issue.
#4 Relax at the beach (poorly recommended)
We spent two days in Dubrovnik. The first day we relaxed at Copacabana Beach. The location is very nice and welcoming. Sunbeds and parasols are quite far apart and there is a nice restaurant for a light lunch. However, the sea is not super appealing. I mean, after visiting the best islands in Croatia, this portion of land doesn’t appear superb. Maybe other coves that we couldn’t visit are better than this area… Anyway, I personally think that the best part of Dubrovnik is the Old City.
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