There are numerous things to see and do in Dubrovnik. This is one of Croatia’s – and all of Europe’s – most scenic old towns. In this article, I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about travelling to this beautiful walled city so that you can make the most of a visit here.
Porque ir?
Entering the walls of the fortified old town of Dubrovnik is like walking into a movie set, and understandably so. This is King’s Landing! The actual city where much of the popular HBO series, game of Thrones was filmed. Its fairytale castle setting, with walls dominating the craggy Adriatic coastline, is a sight that travellers have flocked to for centuries.
Visiting Dubrovnik is an absolute must on any Croatian itinerary, but knowing how to travel it properly is also important. There is a lot to see and do in Dubrovnik, with many hidden corners, surprisingly entertaining tours and brilliant walks that everyone who visits this city shouldn’t miss!
Quando ir
March – may or September – November
(July & August are extreme peak season, winter is cold and rainy)
As one of Eastern Europe’s most visited cities, it’s important that you plan your trip to Dubrovnik for the right time. When we visited at the end of February of 2016, the weather was pretty rainy and cold, many restaurants were closed, the sea was unswimmable and the place was pretty much empty.
Come March 1st, Dubrovnik started to transform, almost as though tourism and climate was working on a schedule with a simple on and off switch. shops and restaurants started opening, the air warmed and the entire city began to wake from a long, cold slumber.
If you’re going to visit Dubrovnik, I highly recommend visiting from March to the end of May, or even better, September to November when the sea is warmer. during the peak season of July and August, the place becomes crammed with visitors, and the winter can be cold, quiet and closed down.
We’ve talked to people who visited during the peak season and said they felt claustrophobic within the city walls because there were so many tourists. This isn’t to say that you should avoid Dubrovnik if you have no choice but to arrive in the peak or off-season, but you should be aware of the inherent crowds and the potentially dreary weather.
Onde ficar
We stayed at Celenga Apartments
€67 / night in the off-season, €91 in shoulder and €161 in the high season
Picking a hotel or apartment in Dubrovnik is essential to making the most of your visit. Por quê? because you have two distinct options for the area you will stay, inside or outside of the walls. While we loved the city both within and away from the city walls, we definitely recommend staying inside the fortress itself.
Waking up to the sound of birds chirping outside your 500-year-old windowsill and looking outside to see a cobblestone alleyway with laundry blowing in the warm breeze is an remarkable experience. By staying in the walls, you’ll have a better feeling of the fairytale world that is Dubrovnik.
Every single road within the fortress walls is pedestrian only, meaning that when you step into the gates, you effectively step back in time.
If you stay outside of the walls, you’ll still find nice old hotels and lovely back lanes, but the charm is somewhat lost amongst the loud traffic and bustling street life.
We stayed in Celenga Apartments, which is right in the center of the old town. The rooms were large, modern, bright and extremely comfortable. the best part was that there was a kitchenette in the suite so we could cook breakfast and coffee for ourselves, saving money.
The rooms there start at €67 / night in the off-season, €91 in shoulder and €161 in the high season. This is another reason why it’s wise to avoid July & August if possible. They also offer a 10% – 15% discount if you book and pre-pay directly on their website.
These rates may sound a bit expensive, but all accommodation in the old town is pricey compared to other Balkan cities. The cheapest hostels in town will still run you €40 – €60 / night for a private room in high season, but they don’t typically have a private bathroom or kitchen and won’t be nearly as luxurious.
We found that the money we saved from cooking the odd meal for ourselves and brewing our own coffee with our Handpresso machine really made the cost of an apartment rental comparable.
What To See & do in Dubrovnik
There is actually a lot to see and do in Dubrovnik. many people only spend a day here and claim it’s enough, but I think that there’s plenty of sights to occupy travellers for 5 nights, or even a week. here are some of the top things to see and do inDubrovnik:
The Stradun: Although the entire old town of Dubrovnik is pedestrian only, the Stradun St. is the town’s main thoroughfare. many shops, restaurants and cafes line this street and there is some gorgeous architecture. There are also some aggressive touts here as well (avoid them).
Walk The City Walls: This is a definite must-do for anyone visiting Dubrovnik. walking the city walls will give you a good idea of the town’s size, layout and breathtaking setting, but it is also one of the most beautiful strolls you can take.
Walking the entire circle of the walls will take around 2 hours (including some stops for photos) and it will cost you 120KN ($17.50). It’s an expensive ticket for sure, but definitely worth it.
Game of Thrones Tour: This is a definite must for any fans of the HBO series and was a highlight of the trip for us! check out ToursByLocals.com and see if they can set you up with Tom. He’s the guy who invented this now famous and often-duplicated tour. He’s a game Of Thrones nut who’s super passionate about the show, the filming locations and his hometown of Dubrovnik.
Lovrijenac (St. Lawrence) Fortress: Outside of the walls of Dubrovnik, there is another castle-like fortress that dominates a large rocky outlet adjacent to the western gate. This place was originally a church, but over time was secretly turned into a commanding fortress that was used to defend the city from attacks by sea.
If you take the game of Thrones Tour, you’ll spend a lot of time here as many scenes were filmed at the fortress.
Get Lost: While the old town of Dubrovnik isn’t very large and most of the main sights can be seen within a day, there are dozens of back lanes and hidden corners that you might completely miss if you only stick to the tourist trail.
Consider spending a day trying to go down every street that you’ve missed. You’ll find beautiful old homes with rod-iron balconies, secret churches and even a few lesser known restaurants.
St. Blaize’s Church: The ornate facade of this 18th century church dominates the southern end of Dubrovnik’s most scenic plaza. Head inside to see ornate baroque columns and an elegant chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Dubrovnik Cathedral: Behind St.Blaize and up an iconic 17th century staircase, this Boroque-style cathedral has striking examples of art and frescos inside.
Do as the Locals Do: While you’re wandering around the cobblestone lanes and gazing up at the stunning facades of Dubrovnik, consider popping into a cafe for a coffee (or 10) at some point throughout the day. Croatians are coffee fiends and they love to sit in plazas and drink espresso all day. Você deveria fazer o mesmo!
Gradac Park: Just outside of the western gate and behind the St.Lawrence Fortress, this sensational park makes up for the lack of green-space within the city walls themselves. The views over the Adriatic are stunning from here and there’s a few lovely trails that you can take.
To see the whole park will only take an hour or so, but you can return again and again to escape the hustle of town.
Where to eat in Dubrovnik (And Where Not To)
There are lots of charming little restaurants hidden in back streets all around the old town, but before I get into the ones that you should definitely try, I have to warn you about a scam that’s running on the Stradun.
Aggressive touts will try to con you into visiting their restaurant, Gusti. This restaurant is a well-known scam in the town, it’s all over trip Advisor and the locals will never tell you to go there. They entice unsuspecting tourists into the restaurant and then add a bunch of false charges to the bill, often doubling the cost of the already mediocre food.
We fell for this (because we didn’t have data to check TripAdvisor first!), but luckily we were only over-charged the fake “Couvert” fee of 40 kuna ($6), but others have been taken for much more. We complained to the owner who basically told us that he’s happy to rip of tourists because so many don’t check online reviews and he gets to much street traffic that he’s making good money from it.
Avoid these touts and the Gusti restaurant at all costs.
Now for some remarkable places to eat in Dubrovnik!
Vegetarian restaurant Nishta: This quaint little place up the stairs on the north end of the Stradun was our favourite place to eat in town. The menu is fully vegetarian, the dishes are well prepared, fresh and very flavourful.
Cafe Buza: This place probably has the best setting in all of Dubrovnik. hugging a cliff on the edge of the walls anD Olhando diretamente sobre o mar Adriático, você realmente não pode superar as vistas daqui. É certo que este não é um “lugar para comer”, pois é tecnicamente apenas um bar, mas definitivamente vem aqui para alguns pré-bebidas (ou pós-bebidas) no início da noite.
Restaurante Dubravka: Do lado de fora do portão principal (oeste), este restaurante é o lugar perfeito para desfrutar de um risoto de frutos do mar frescos enquanto olhava para as paredes da cidade velha.
Pub irlandês Karaka: Provavelmente o bar mais animado da cidade (especialmente no período de entressafra, quando apenas os expatriados estão aqui), este pequeno bar pitoresco está bem no centro da cidade murada e tem ótimos preços.
Tecnicamente, não há comida aqui, mas a equipe de garçons pode lhe dar um menu e eles até trazem refeições no estilo de pub de uma junta de fast food nas proximidades. Vale a pena notar que há outro pub irlandês Kitty Corner para Karaka, mas, em nossa experiência, a comida e o ambiente estavam faltando em comparação.
Chegando lá e longe
Carro de aluguel: se você planeja retornar ao local de onde sai (evitando assim a “taxa de entrega”), sua melhor aposta é contratar um carro, pois é mais barato que o ônibus. Você pode alugar um carro barato a partir de dividir e dirigir para Dubrovnik em cerca de 3 horas e depois devolvê -lo quando terminar de visitar Dubrovnik.
A estrada costeira é cênica e os carros podem ser apanhados por apenas US $ 15 / dia (se você reservar uma semana) ou US $ 22 / dia ao reservar um dia de cada vez.
Ônibus: se você não voltará à mesma cidade após sua visita a Dubrovnik, você deseja pegar um ônibus. Há muitos ônibus saindo de Split, Sarajevo (Bósnia e Herzegovina) e Kotor (Montenegro). As principais rotas de ônibus estão listadas abaixo.
Dubrovnik-Split: 4-6 horas (cerca de 125 kN / $ 18)
Dubrovnik – Zagreb: 10 horas (cerca de 220 kN / $ 32)
Dubrovnik – Kotor (Montenegro): mais de 2 horas (cerca de 135 kN / $ 20)
Dubrovnik – Belgrado (Sérvia): 15 horas (cerca de 330 kN / $ 48)
Dubrovnik – Sarajevo (Bósnia): 7 horas (cerca de 150 kN / $ 22)
Fly: Uma das experiências mais legais que você pode ter na Croácia está voando em um avião flutuante sobre o mar Adriático! Antes de começar a pensar que esses voos quebrarão o orçamento, você pode realmente ir de Split a Dubrovnik por menos de US $ 45! Vale a pena apenas para a experiência incrível.
Confira nosso vídeo do nosso voo de Split, Croácia para Pescara, Itália?
Perigos e aborrecimentos
Como mencionado anteriormente, o único perigo e aborrecimento real em Dubrovnik está sendo enganado pelos preços turísticos. Evite o restaurante Gusti e verifique o menu para obter cobranças extras como “Couvert”.
As cobranças de Couvert nem sempre são um roubo. Essa é uma prática comum na Itália e em partes da França, mas deve ser claramente afirmado que você será cobrado extra e essa deve ser a única cobrança extra na conta.
Prepare-se!
Acho que cobrimos praticamente tudo o que você precisa saber sobre viajar para a fascinante cidade velha de Dubrovnik, Croácia. Agora é hora de arrumar suas malas e chegar lá! Se você já está planejando uma viagem à Croácia ou em um país próximo nos Bálcãs, definitivamente não perca Dubrovnik.
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