OFF THE BEATEN PATH IN DUBROVNIK

I didn’t know what to expect from Dubrovnik. We needed to select a city to fly out of Croatia and Dubrovnik was the other affordable city after Zagreb and Split (both of which we had already visited). All I knew about Dubrovnik was that it is the set of the popular tv show “Game of Thrones” (I’ve only watched two seasons!), that the old town is an incredible UNESCO site and it’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Mediterranean sea. But tourist hotspot = expensive. And after struggling to find any kind of affordable accommodation, I resorted to doing some googling and reading a few travel blogs. The pictures were gorgeous of course, but the opinions seemed to be forming a pattern – expensive, over-run by tourists, very busy and very hot. One blog even recommended only entering the famous Old Town after 5pm, when hopefully half the tourists will have needed to lie down after so much sun and exploring.

I really wanted us to enjoy Dubrovnik, and so I hatched a plan.

 

Our final ferry ride from Korcula to Dubrovnik was two hours, very hot and all the toilets were broken and emitting a pretty awful smell. Not the best start to our Dubrovnik experience but I didn’t let it taint my view of the ferries in Croatia. They are so affordable and efficient. As we approached the city I was glued to the window. I could see the fortress walls in the distance and it was so beautiful. An ancient city, something straight from the set of the medieval movies.

In the end I found us a little, traditional BNB a thirty minute walk from the old town, which conviently for us was quite close to the ferry port. Within ‘walking distance’ I said to Martin happily. But let me tell you… Dubrovnik is built on some seriously big hills… and so after climbing about one million stairs and sweating more than I have in my life… we finally arrived at our accommodation. It was so sweet, the woman who ran the BNB welcomed us so happily, showed us our room and talked to us with her limited english. She was excited to see a couple our age travelling the world, telling us her son was also doing the same. She brought us ice-cold cordial and a bowl of fruit and we quickly forgot our mountainous hike and stressful ferry ride. The people of Croatia are incredible kind and welcoming.

It was still early in the afternoon and there was no way we were heading to see the city yet. So what else do you do on a really hot day in Croatia? Ummm swim! Martin picked us a beach on the map, we packed cool drinks and towels and set our into the streets. It was a hike to the beach but luckily down hill this time. And we were rewarded with the most incredible pebble bay, with the clearest waters yet and a cave that you could swim all the way inside of and get out to explore the rocks inside. The water was refreshingly cold, the sun hot on our skin and I felt like the luckiest girl alive.

We swam, we rested and at 6pm we set off to explore the Old Town of Dubrovnik. The walk was long and the evening still holding warmth from such a scorching day, but as we cleared the final hill and saw the fortress stretched out towards the bay I was so glad I got to see it from this viewpoint for the first time. It truly is an ancient city encased in towering stonewalls making it seem untouchable.

As soon as we made it down the steps and into the streets our bellies were protesting so loudly that we just couldn’t ignore our need for dinner. Food first, exploring later. Luckily I’d spent some time looking up ‘cheap eats dubrovnik’ on the internet beforehand (ignoring all the time-out websites as they are dishonest and rubbish) and reading trip advisor reviews of eateries. I managed to find a burger bar with good reviews, cheap burgers, veggie options and in the heart of town. At Presa we both got burgers (mine had grilled veggies!) and a fries to share for under $15 and we were happy. Plus it was totally delicious, the servings were huge and we got to sit outside in a tiny ancient alleyway.

We stayed two nights in Dubrovnik but both days were mostly the same, swimming in that gorgeous cove, siesta in the afternoon and entering the Old Town at 6pm. On our second evening we were greeted by soft, summer rain. The streets glistened and the lights shone. We made our way to the port and jumped from rock to rock as lightning strikes hit the ocean on the horizon. It will forever be some of the most beautiful imagery I hold in my mind from this trip. I hope my pictures can do it some justice.

 

Dubrovnik was incredible. It is what you make it. You can visit during the peak tourist months, join the hoards of tourists at mid-day in the Old Town, pay a fortune to walk the fortress walls and spend hundreds of dollars on accommodation right in the crowded heart. Or you can do what we did, which is find a sweet BnB for $40 a night a short stroll from town, see an equally magnificent view than the one you pay for just by walking from the accommodation, skip the crowds by spending your day at the most incredible beaches and then enjoy the relaxed vibe and mysterious alleyways when walking the old town streets at dusk. It was the perfect end to our time in Croatia.

❤