Croatia – Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Just think Game of Thrones (hopefully you have seen that TV series and know what I mean!) and you have an image of an ancient city of mediaeval buildings, towers and magnificent city and sea walls. In fact much of GoT was filmed here!. Bring good walking shoes as the city is situated on the slopes of a sea facing mountain side and you will be ascending and descending stairways and steps galore. Do not miss walking the city walls, the views are out of this world over the sea and rooftops…… but give yourself plenty of time as they are extensive.

I visited here as part of my 3 week road trip I did to see as parts of Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina by hire car from Podgorica, Montenegro.

This was combined with crossing the border into Croatia and also Bosnia Herzegovina, eventually returning to where it all started.

See below for the other destinations on this trip. Travelling by car between these places was actually one of the best car trips I have done and so easy. Road conditions were good, traffic light but do remember to get the necessary car insurance upgrade from the hire company to take it across the borders.

Check beforehand if they permit it, tell them and get the stamps etc put on the documents as all border police in the Balkans do check these documents.

Montenegro – Balkans car trip info

Podgorica, Montenegro

Budva, Montenegro

Kotor city, Montenegro

Kotor bay area, Montenegro

Herceg Novi, Montenegro

Adriatic coastline, Croatia

Trebinje, Bosnia Herzegovina

Bosnia/Montenegro mountain crossing and Niksic, Montenegro

What to see in Dubrovnik

My first real view of the city was not on arrival but on approach from the top of a mountain. I had hired a car in Podgorica, Montenegro (see here for Podgorica post) and driven through that country to the border with Croatia. My last stop had been Herceg Novi In Montenegro (see that post here) and now I was in Croatia. My route took me past the mountain turn off for the famous Mount Srd viewpoint that overlooks the city. I drove up the well maintained but narrow road (some laybys to pull into to let pass a vehicle coming in the opposite direction) and kept thinking “watch the road not the views down” as heights are sometimes not my thing.

Mount Srd

I eventually arrived at Fort Imperial and the lookout point which contain the cable car station, (see info here) – you can travel up/down by cable car for 150 Krona from the road just up from the city walls facing the mountain. I have heard many times about the long queues however in Summer so be prepared. Check their website if you want to use it as although they advertise as it running all year round it was closed for 2 months (as is usual Feb – March every year) for maintenance when I arrived.

There is a small museum in the Fort next door dedicated the 1991 war of Independence against Montenegro there with military memorabilia, artefacts and photos of the events. However I was here to see the view down. There is a restaurant with an extensive seated area for guests to eat/drink and admire the view but it was closed as it was off season so luckily I could walk into its grounds and get some good (and safer) views down.

Where to go in Dubrovnik

So I eventually came down the Mount and into the city itself to explore what was here. The city has a lovely old walled town area, like stepping back in time and so perfectly restored and maintained. Narrow lanes and wide boulevards all totally pedestrianised. It is built into a huge mountainside, surrounded by fortified walls, overlooking the sea and is so picturesque. It reminded me of a cross between Valetta in Malta and Venice without the canals.

It’s a wonderfully, atmospherically preserved city, a true gem of a place. However this means that walking around you are constantly going up or down huge flights of steps and it is exhausting, Just remember to leave the stiletto heels and flip flops at home and take comfy, stout walking shoes as you are often walking up and down stairs on uneven flagstones and walkways. Just to give you an idea here are a few pics of the types of inclining steps you will have to negotiate at many points in your walk around the city.

Fortified City Walls, Dubrovnik

So, the most famous site here is actually the fortified city walls, (see ticket info here) and are the most complete city walls I have ever seen. The views out to sea are amazing and then suddenly you can look down onto the buildings in the town that you are about to visit next and it gives you a totally different aspect to that building from the street level. I’ll post here quite a few pics that I took and you can see the multitudinous views you get at each turn and point on the walls, either across the sea, down into the city, into courtyards and streets and across the roofs and adjourning fortified turrets. Let the pics speak the volumes of words that I could write down here.

You look across the roof tops of the complete old town and can see for miles out to sea. They have been so completely and sympathetically restored it feels like something out of Game of Thrones (where funnily enough many scenes were shot!). Knees and feet were so sore after the walkabout as I reckon it is a few kilometres in total to walk the complete circuit of the walls! It is the thing you must do in Dubrovnik to get that true sense of the shape and feel of this city.

Fort Lovrijenac

Part of the city walls is also Fort Lovrijenac just across the small bay inlet from the massive Pila Gate entrance. It is not physically connected to the city walls but formed an essential part of the city’s defences. Just remember that your entrance ticket to the city walls includes this part as well as it is not clearly pointed out when you buy it by the vendors or on the ticket itself and you will incur another entrance fee otherwise.

The site is famous as Kings Landing in the famous Game of Thrones (yep I am a fan so just had to go there!). Walkway to it is down a few narrow lanes, past a small pretty fisherman’s church and then through the harbour with the clear waters lapping the shore wall. There are a few restaurants around this area – a bit touristy and busy, but just further past some seaward lower doors in the cliff are the stairs up to the Fort. Its another long steep climb so I hope you have taken my advice and worn those stout walking shoes !

From the Fort you get the most majestic sea view and across the bay over the roof tops of the old walled city and a good views of the sea defence walls. As you go higher up the levels the view of Dubrovnik gets bigger and more widespread.

The Fort has been restored and almost looks new in many areas from the remodelling but it gives you the sense of how impenetrable it was with its lofty defence view across the water.

Franciscan Monastery and Church

The Monastery was originally built in 1360 and reconstructed several times, especially after the big earthquake of 1667, the present interior dates from 1713. It is traditionally ornate but has an interesting modern side chapel.

It is also famous for holding ancient manuscripts and medieval cloisters and houses one of the oldest still functioning Pharmacy/apothecarys in the world. Unfortunately in off season they were closed but the church interior was impressive enough for my visit.

Stradun Street

Stradun street is the main thoroughfare in the city’s walled city area. It is a wide pedestrianised avenue full of up market restaurants, coffee shops, stores, jewellery shops and general tourist trinkets. It is immaculately maintained, as is all the walled city area, and has imposing buildings that feel almost warehouse style. It runs from the Pila Gate to the clocktower and then a short walk through the Sponza Palace alley to the Arsenal in the Old Port. It has many of the most important sites at either end and a stroll along this avenue is captivating and not to be missed!

Ok, so now is the part where you just go random. The whole central area is just full of architecturally interesting buildings. Just wander the streets, up and down the steps and heights and stop off at any bar, café etc you see as there are so many enticing and atmospheric places to rest here. I recognised several buildings and areas as being in scenes from Games of Thrones but as Dubrovnik is so ancient, any of these street could easily become a set for the show at any time! Just get lost in the atmos, you won’t get lost and it is pretty much a grid pattern. You will end up somewhere you recognise and then re-orientate yourself …. if not take a map !

Orthodox Church of the Holy Annunciation

I did not intend to visit this Church built in 1877 but stumbled across it as I wandered the Old Town. I went inside for a look and was met with this wonderfully restored interior and beautiful golden altar piece. Above the altar was a colourful depiction of The Last Supper – my instinct to have a look paid off and it is worth a stop to see it.

Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

This church sits at the top of the huge flight of steps made famous in Game of Thrones (there’s the name of that show again!) and gave a fantastic view down towards the Old Town. Outside is somewhat ornate but small and belies the much bigger interior . Inside Baroque frescoes depict scenes of the life of St. Ignatius de Loyola, who is also the city’s Patron Saint. It has several painted side chapels and an elaborately decorated altar and ceiling.

The church was designed by a Jesuit architect and painter and was completed in 1725. Just inside the door, in a corner, is a small area set aside depicting a cave scene from the Our Lady of Lourdes. It was eerily quiet when I visited which meant I had the whole place virtually to myself.

This is just a snippet of my visit to Dubrovnik, this historic and unique city. It is one of the most perfectly restored cities I have ever seen and surpassed it’s high reputation it already had with me before I had even set foot on its flagstoned streets. To visit Dubrovnik is to be thrown back in time a few centuries and to soak up the atmosphere of an ancient and mediaeval walled city ….. to miss it would be a travesty!

Feb 2018.

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