A week in Croatia: Dubrovnik

My work travel in 2019 and Covid in 2020 & 2021 didn't allow me to experience Europe after May 2018. In 2021, my Schengen visa expired and the long wait times dissuaded me from planning a trip to Europe. Finally in 2023, when a friend informed me that they got their Schengen visa appointment easily through France, I applied for it and planned a trip for Sep 2023. 

For the purpose of visa I had to book tickets first and had to show port of entry as Paris. But we stayed in Paris only for 3 nights and did our usual museum hopping before taking a flight to Dubrovnik. 

I had been planning Croatia trip since 2019 but Covid kept coming in the way - it was truly a much awaited trip for me. We landed in Dubrovnik around 2:30 in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day and a lovely cab ride from airport to our Hotel in Srebreno (10 km before Dubrovnik)

Night view of the Srebreno waters

We chose to stay in quiet Srebreno over crowded Dubrovnik and it was the best decision of our trip. It is a Sheraton property on the beach with two pools (indoor & outdoor), decent gym and huge rooms with lovely balconies. After the tiny Parisian hotel room of Le Meridian, this was bliss. First night we didn't leave Srebreno - just explored the area, walked by the beach and enjoyed a leisurely dinner at one of the restaurants on the marina. 

One thing I wasn't prepared for was the high temperatures in Sep. It was blistering hot during the day (even Paris was crazy hot) - so I needed more dresses as it was impossible to wear denim. Thankfully there was a mall near our hotel and I was able to procure exactly what I needed. 

Dubrovnik as seen from Fort Imperial

Next day, post a lovely breakfast at our hotel, we took an uber to Fort Imperial - it is the highest view point in Dubrovnik. One can take a cable car to and from Dubrovnik old town but I didn't feel like waiting in long queues and paying 27 Euros for a 3 min ride. It was a very sunny day and would have been unbearably hot if not for the lovely sea breeze. We stayed there for a hour, just taking in the beautiful views, before taking another uber to Old town. 

Old Town

Old town is really charming and home to many key locations used in Game of Thrones. One of the key attractions is the walls of old town -  The walls run an uninterrupted course of approximately 2 km in length, encircling most of the old city, and reach a maximum height of about 25 m. Other key attraction is Fort Lovrijenac just next to Old Town. But mostly its a mecca for GoT fans with many many GoT tours happening throughout the day. 

We chose to keep the key attractions for the next day because the one-day Dubrovnik pass costs 35 Euros and covers all key attractions and they can all be done in half a day. Today we just walked around the old town and spent a significant time by the lovely clear waters of Adriatic Sea. Evening was again spent in one of  the restaurants on Srebreno beach over cocktails. 

View from Fort Lovrijenac

Last day, we again ubered to old town and started with Fort Lovrijenac.  It is a hilltop medieval fortress sits that perched outside the old city walls, on a promontory overhanging the Adriatic Sea. GoT fans recognize this as the Red Keep in King's Landing. It provides breathtaking views of Dubrovnik’s Old Town and West Harbor. 

After spending an hour and a half wandering through stone corridors and patios of Fort Lovrijenac, we entered the old city walls and visited a few other attractions included in Day pass. However none are worth mentioning honestly. We were just whiling away our time so that we could start walking the city walls when the afternoon sun would calm down a bit. We decided to start the walk at 5 pm so  that we get done in time for when the walls close (6:30 pm). 

Some views from the walls

Hence fortified with some lovely local ciders, we started walking the walls of Dubrovnik at 5 pm. Sun was still strong and the first steep set of stairs had us drenched in sweat. But as we got higher the views made it totally worth the effort. These walls are probably 1000 years old but Dubrovnik has retained these walls so perfectly that Dubrovnik is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979.

Some views from the walls

The 2 km long wall took as 90 min to walk thanks to lovely views and the many many steps one has to climb. One can gain entry to walls at 3-4 different points but the walk is unidirectional and as long as you remember your entry point, you won't miss any portion of it. There are some gelato shops which provided a welcome break from walking in the hot sun but overall this was indeed the best attraction of the old town of Dubrovnik.

We ended the day enjoying the sights of old town before taking a uber to our car rental place. Yes we had planned it to be driving holiday across Croatia and fun was just about to begin