Dubrovnik

Short trip to Debrovnik (September 2019)

My first visit to Croatia was to the lovely city of Dubrovnik, which I have to admit I did not know much about. As I research the destination beforehand I was excited to find out that Dubrovnik’s old city was the main filming sites for Kings Landing from the epic series Games of Thrones

A brief History

The history of Dubrovnik began in the 7th century, aorund the year of 614. A group of refugies from Epidaurus (present-day Cavtat), while fleeing from the Avars who devasteted and distroyed their town, established a settlement on the small islet called Laus (which in Greek means rock).

– Absolut Dubrovnik

Trip details

Arrival Friday evening, depart Monday lunch time.

September to me seemed like a perfect time to visit the city as is towards the end of the season and it would not be packed with tourists, but temperatures would still be in the mid 20’s. As I arrived the weather did not disappoint as it was still a lovely 26 degrees Celsius and a water temperature of 24 degrees. But to my surprise the city was still full of tourists. Two cruise ships was moored in the bay and they shipped in busloads to the old city. Speaking to one of my tour guides, she told me at the height of the season there can be 6 ships every day. This means that walking through the old city (or King’s landing) was not as pleasurable as I was hoping as large groups of tours blocked almost every street.

Day two of the visit was spent on a boat and exploring the beautiful Croatian archipelago and it is truly stunning. I can understand why it is so popular to sail around in this part of the Adriatic Sea.

Visited:

Old town
Forest Park Velika and Mala Petka (absolutely stunning views)
Islands, Koločep and Lupud

Summary

That Dubrovnik is a very beautiful city there is no doubt about. The coastline is stunning and the water crystal clear, I would recommend bringing your snorkeling equipment!

What I loved
Weather and water temperature. Stunning coast. The old city is amazing

What I thought was less good
Dubrovnik is a rather small place and it gets crowded with tourists, especially the old city. Can’t even imagine what it is like at the hight of the season.

Dubrovnik is not that cheap (a beer costs around 45 Kuna / €6)
Service is not great, They are definitely not rude, the opposite! But it can be very laid back and my longest wait for a beer was over 20 minutes in a pretty empty restaurant.