We rented a car in Split so we could drive along the coast to make our way to Dubrovnik, one of the most well known cities of the Dalmatian Coast (thanks in large part to Game of Thrones). After our short detour to Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, we made our way straight to the Old City.
There is some street parking if you are wiling to search for it but we just payed (a lot) to use the main parking garage in the city (it’s the only one within walking distance of the Old City). We were expecting rain the next day so we used the first night to wander the old streets and hit some of the more obvious (and free) Game of Thrones (GOT) filming locations.
The city is nice at night because a lot of the tour bus crowds have left, which lets you wander without having to feel like herded cattle. We were told to leave the Old City in order to find meals at non-tourist prices but honestly it is just so pretty that it was worth it to sit on a terrace and take it all in with an overpriced glass of wine and bowl of pasta.
Walk the City Walls
We knew we needed to head back to the city early in the morning to beat the crowds again (and to beat the rain) so we set our sights at 9am to start the city-wall walk. You can probably book a tour for this but we just bought the tickets right at the entrance of the city (just through the Pile Gate) and walked it on our own. This isn’t for the feint of heart, there are a lot of stairs and a lot of walking, but there are conveniently located cafes and gelato spots along the way as well. You can make it take as long as you would like.
There are no better ways to get views of the city and Fort Lovrijenac than this walk so I definitely recommend this as a must-do in Dubrovnik. I especially enjoyed doing it after we had already walked the city a bit the night before so I was more oriented to what I was seeing.
Fort Lovrijenac
Just outside the walls of the old city is Fort Lovrijenac (or the Red Keep for you GOT fans). This fort was built in only 3 months to keep the Venetians from taking over back in the 11th century! No matter where you go in the city you will see this fortress, The ticket is actually included in your city-wall walk so I recommend hitting this after the walls as it really doesn’t take too much time. There were lots of GOT walking tours here when were visited so if you are already booking one of those, you will definitely be seeing this.
Lokrum Island
Our first full day in the city the winds and rains kept all the boats docked but our last day we were able to take the 10 minute ferry to Lokrum Island for a peaceful change of scenery. A national preserve (and a filming location for Qarth in GOT) this island is the perfect way to get some sun, relax, and escape the crazy crowds. Same rules, early bird gets the worm here so try and get one of the earlier ferries over to relax before it starts to get packed.
Local Wineries
There are a couple of local wineries that you can visit to try and break out from the crowds and take in a different scene. On our way to the airport we headed to Brajkovic Winery, a small, family run spot off the beaten path that was more than perfect. They offered wine and olive oil tastings as well as charcuterie they make themselves from the local farms pigs and candied orange peels. Since we went a little off season we had the entire place to ourselves which was amazing.
Dubrovnik is a great city but certainly recommend hitting it with other locations like Split, Mostar, Hvar, or Brac because it is a small city and the tourist crew can get overwhelming!
Happy Travels
Xx
Kali