I loved Dubrovnik – it was impossibly beautiful, really safe, a perfect destination for a solo traveller and anyone creative will love it!
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION
I stayed right in the middle of Dubrovnik Old Town which has no car access (except for early morning deliveries). This meant that everything I needed was on my doorstep. The old walls, the harbour, the restaurants and cafes I could see from my window. All the galleries and museums where within a few minutes walk, the coach pick up point and taxi rank was just outside the gate that was two minutes away, and it was only another five minutes up the hill to the bus stop. Walking around in Dubrovnik involves many many steps wherever you stay, but staying in the centre means you are not always going up and down before or after every trip into town! It was noisy - some of the bars stay open until 2am - but on balance, for a short stay, it was worth it for me as it was so convenient. A better choice might have been to find one of the apartments tucked into the edge of the walls.
TIMING
I travelled just as the season was getting underway in late April. I had a mixture of cool rain showers and lovely sunshine. It was possible to find quiet spots and the temperature was fine. For me this was perfect and I would probably only want to visit this kind of destination early or late in the season. Croatia is very hot in the summer!
Cruise ships stop here. So the Old Town suddenly gets flooded with loads of people, but mainly only between about 10 and 4pm. I looked up when they were in and planned my out of town visits accordingly. Check here.
GETTING AROUND
For a short trip you really don’t need a car. I booked a taxi from the airport as I arrived at night. I booked the airport shuttle bus back which was only 10 Euros. For public transport use the LibertasApp and you can check times and destinations easily.
There are all sorts of other boat trips leaving from the Harbour regularly. Its great to see the city from the water and as the Old Town is so compact you’ll notice there are not many parks etc – so if you need a bit of nature go island hopping.
If you like art and history this is a no brainer. Buy it before you go and you activate it the first time you use it. It includes entry to the walls walk which costs 35 Euros anyway and the pass is not much more than that for a few days. (55 for 7 days.) It also includes entry to a long list of excellent museums and galleries, discount on a trip to Lokrum island and free local bus travel.
HIGHLIGHTS OF MY TRIP
Walking the walls. They open early and its quiet then – they are a great starting point to orient yourself and appreciate the beauty of this most resilient city. Every time it has been destroyed by earthquake, fire or war they have rebuilt it with the most amazing determination to preserve their heritage. Don’t flinch over the fee – you’ll get in as part of your Durvonik pass (see above).
Lokrum Island. I got the first boat and hiked all the way around. Lovely walks, plenty of history, a few nice cafes and loads of peacocks – they are very friendly because they want some food! There’s a Game of Thrones exhibition for those into that and lots of great spots for swimming and picnics.
The Museum of Modern Art is just up the hill outside the old town in a stunning building. I thought the curation was excellent and on my visit there it was deserted. It covers excellent work from mainly local artists from the last 150 years. Don’t miss the garden, which it is not obvious is part of your visit, but is home to some lovely sculptures and a great view across to Lokrum and back over the Old Town. I can't list all the places I visited but I would also recommend the Rector's Palace and the Ethnographic Museum.
Catvat. A lovely fishing village south of Dubrovnik. It took about half an hour to get there by bus but you can also take a water taxi. (Bus ticket 4 Euros each way - card or cash.) Catvat is a nice place for wandering around and I really enjoyed Kuca Bocovac (home of local artist Vlaho Bukovac) which is included in your Dubrovnik pass. I asked some local guys for a recommendation on where to eat and I had an excellent lunch at Ivan’s which is just opposite the bus terminal. I had the menu of the day which was a thin fish soup followed by the most amazing fresh squid and chard.
Neighbouring countries. Both Bosnia- Hertgovia and Montenegro are on your doorstep so you may want to dig out your passport and go exploring. I took a coach trip to Bosnia which I enjoyed – we had an interesting guide and the Kravika waterfalls were lovely. However its a lot of time in the coach and our ultimate destination – Mostar - was disappointing. Despite its historical importance, it is really a tourist trap now with loads of coaches and tacky souvenir shops. It seemed like day trips to Montenegro might have been a better bet, but it was certainly a good experience and I learnt a lot. (Interestingly my card did not work in Bosnia due to some UK sanctions. Cash was fine though and even though the official currency is the Bosnian Convertible Mark, Euros are widely accepted at an easy conversion rate. Prices are a lot cheaper than in Dubrovnik so this is a good time to buy some souvenirs. My favourite breakfast on this whole trip was buying fresh strawberries, kumquats and walnuts from the street vendors at Pocitelj. Here a coffee cost 1.50 Euros btw, whereas 4.50 was the norm in Dubrovnik.)
I had a lovely evening out listening to the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra in a local church. There were other classical concerts on offer around the Old Town. I missed the folk dancing nights but will definitely check those out if I go again.
FOOD
Was good and service was friendly. I never once had a problem getting a nice table to myself. I enjoyed the black ink risotto at Dalmatino and a lovely sunny brunch at Rudjer – (find the part of the restaurant that is inside the courtyard), although my favourite was the seafood in Catvat (see above). Expect capital city prices inside the Old Town but the atmosphere is so good its worth it! Note – there are no supermarkets inside the Old Town itself but plenty of little mini markets just outside where you can pick up supplies for a picnic. Tips are not added to bills by the way, so if you pay by card you need to have a little cash to leave for the staff.
