The city of Dubrovnik lies in the most southern part of Croatia. Magnificent walled city immediately captures your attention with it’s red-tiled rooftops, narrow alleys, and imposing protective walls, all surrounded by turquoise waters.
The beginning of the city starts back in the 7th century, and few centuries later the city became the capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa (from 1358 till 1808). Very powerful and culturally developed Republic, that was conquered by Napoleon's French Empire in 1808. A magnificent city that faced few severe damages (like a devastating earthquake in 1667, the WW1 and WW2 and the Croatian War of Independence in 1991) but was always repaired and restored.
The city maps show damaged roofs and burned buildings during the Croatian War of Independence 1991-1992
Today it is a lovely pedestrian zone that attracts visitors from all over the world. Many famous persons chose Dubrovnik as their holiday location and enjoyed one of the 5* hotels in the area or on a private yacht in the clear waters around the city. But Dubrovnik is a great destination also for us, non- so-famous peoples, all year round. Whether it be for a longer vacation or just for a few days break, Dubrovnik will always attract you with its charm.
If you want to see Dubrovnik in all its beauty, you must walk on the city walls. A walk will take approximately one hour and will allow you to see the rooftops, the narrow streets, and the main city landmarks from a different perspective. The walls were built between the 11th and 13 centuries, are 1.3 miles long and connect cities forts, bastions, walkways….
The streets in Dubrovnik are all limestone-paved and the stone has become very smooth over centuries. If you walk through the city on a rainy day, it will be very slippery. In very rare occasion, during winter, there can be a light snow in Dubrovnik as well and in those occasions walking on the smooths stones is very difficult.
The main and the widest street that connects two of the city gates (Pile and Ploce) is called Stradun. Originally this was a sea channel that was filled in during the 12th century. Stradun, wider streets and other squares are filled in with small souvenir shops, restaurants, and cafes. It is just charming to wander around and enter also in the narrow streets, especially in the northern part of the cities, where the streets will be uphill and with stairs (since the town is nestled at the feet of Mount Srd). And ff you're lucky, you might also meet city guard 😮
If you pass by Gundulic Square in the morning you will see a lively open-air market. I love open-air markets and I stop by in all the cities where I go. It is nice to see and buy local products, genuine and fresh, to buy some local souvenirs, but also to talk with local people. In Dubrovnik open-air market you will find a lot of fresh fruits, like peaches in the summer, and lemons and oranges in late autumn. But also a lot of lavender products (like dried flowers, essential oils, cosmetic products,…), some sweet treats like the “arancini” – dried and sweated orange peels or sweet toasted almonds – two of the treats that in our family disappear very quickly.
The old city offers many cultural and historical sites that you can visit: the Rector's palace, the Franciscan monastery with the oldest Pharmacy in the word, The Cathedral, the Onfrio’s fountain, museum, … A part of the series Game of Thrones was filmed in Dubrovnik, and if you are a fan of it you will immediately noticed some of the locations or you can even decide for A Fame of thrones themes city tour.
One of the super fortresses is the 13-th century Lovrijenac Fortress, lying outside the old town and built on the top of a rock. You have to climb 175 steps to reach the highest level with cannons and a small chapel.
As mentioned, Dubrovnik has many nice cafes, but Buza is “the one” due to its location. To reach it you must walk through Dubrovnik city walls. Buza translates to “a hole-in-the-wall,” is a small bar located on the rocks outside the city walls. When you sit there for a drink, the imposing city walls will be right behind your back, but in front of you there will be the infinity of the blue Adriatic sea. Absolutely amazing!
One of my favourite locations in Dubrovnik is the old port with small fishing boats.
Besides being a cultural and historical gem, Dubrovnik is surrounded by clear water and nice beaches. Some of the best beaches lie on Lapad peninsular, three kilometres west of town. There is also a beach just outside the city walls, called Banje beach.
If you are looking for more swimming opportunities or just want to go for a trip you can take a boat and visit the small island of Lokrum. Only a 15-minute boat ride from the old town, the island offers pristine nature with its botanical gardens and olive groves. If you are interested in a longer trip don't miss the pine-scented Elaphiti islands (ferry from Gruz port). The Lopud and Sipan islands are really nice locations for swimming and all other summer activities.
Entering Dubrovnik from the west side, you can pass the Franjo Tudjman bridge. 518 meters long and 14 meters wide bridge was constructed in 2002. The bridge offers a nice view on the »new« port of Dubrovnik called Gruz.
Sunsets, without doubt, create the most romantic atmosphere, and the same goes with Dubrovnik. Admiring the view of the city, having a drink in Buza bar, taking an evening boat ride along city walls, candle dinner in elegant restaurants. There are many opportunities to enjoy warm evenings in Dubrovnik with your loved ones. And if you're Game of Thrones fan, you can take a walk through King's Landing 😲😲😲
Thanks for reading,
feel free to leave a comment, I will be glad to reply to.
Best regards, @miljo76
Whoa! Ive never been to Croatia but it looks like my kind of place. I love old cities that are surrounded by ramparts.
Those boats look incredible as well. Great post and great photos!
Thank you for your compliments. The old town of Dubrovnik is really beautiful. And the surrounding area itself offers plenty of opportunities for daily trips (including on the wonderful small boats) or lounging on the beach in the summer months. Thanks for stopping by!
Croatia is an amazing country, it has lots of resorts and Dubrovnik is famous for its summer season.
Yes, you are right. Croatia is a wonderful destination to travel to. It has accommodation options all along the coast, islands,.... Dubrovnik has a year-round tourist season... but, of course, you can swimming in the sea only during the summer months. Thanks for stopping by!
I went there many years ago and have very fond memories. Thanks for the write up!
!PIZZA
It's my pleasure,.....thanks for stopping by!
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Hiya, @lizanomadsoul here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Daily Travel Digest #1493.
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Another place on my want-to-go-there list now. Thanks.
If you spend some time in Croatia, you won't regret it, for sure. Thanks for stopping by!
Another place on my want-to-go-there list now. Thanks.
Ta ti je pa uspel, boš pršu na Trending page. Sva bla z Andrejo, ko še ni bilo otrok. Najbolj nama je bil všeč otok Lokrum ki je zraven ...
pa razsuta žičnica nad Dubrovnikom
no, stare fotke, mislim da iz l.2002 al 2003 ...
Hvala, sem imel 10 dni časa za pisanje 😉 Ja, vsi okoliški otoki so nam bili super, je za ponovit,....žičnica pa je nova sedaj,.... je že bil čas,... lp
It's such a beautiful place it feels so magical and cultural.
I also felt quite enchanted and full of impressions wandering around in the old town. Thanks for reading my post!
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This is beautiful, awesome pictures... I'm including this to my bucket list.
Thanks for your comment and for stopping by!
I love this alley, it must have been nice to have a walk on it.
I totally agree with you. Walking down these narrow streets, you can really feel the local life. You meet the locals doing their daily chores and smell the freshly washed laundry. If you're lucky, you can even smell the fresh fish from the grill and get instantly hungry 😄
Wow, that is a lot of photos! Some unbelievably scenic and some just capturing candid life passing by which I liked also. I am lucky enough to have visited Dubrovnik twice in my life and it is such a magical and charming City.
Thank you for your nice comment. In this post I have tried to summarise what I experienced in Dubrovnik, but of course, it is certainly no substitute for a personal experience. Thanks for stopping by!
Indeed, you did a great job and those who may never get there can appreciate the beauty and the banal through your excellent post - looking forward to your next one.
I wish to visit other parts of the world too..i hope someday, I could land in there
I hope your wish to travel around comes true as soon as possible. Thanks for stopping by!
it's really cool that you can walk on the city wall for so long... even if it's probably a bit hot in the summer. the red roofs that are all so uniform look great. it's great that the city wall is still so well preserved!
It's true, summer in Dubrovnik can be very hot ☀️, so it's a good idea to arm yourself with plenty of water and sunscreen 💦🍉. Dubrovnik is a world-famous destination, which is also why the old town is very well maintained. Regards
Wow, what great pictures! This glittering sea, I'm really looking forward to the summer there! I will definitely remember the Buza Bar. Thank you for giving me this great taste :)
Thank you for your nice comment. We'll have to wait a little longer until summer 😫,.... make your reservations soon, because it's already quite booked up.
Yes unfortunately, I can hardly wait. For Dubrovnik I have already booked, better said my friends have booked for me, we are 10 people, that will certainly cool:)
Great, I'm sure you'll have a great time 👍