Dubrovnik, Croatia
In recent years, 45.10ºN, 15.20ºE, aka Croatia, has blossomed into a one of the most adored destinations, with the city of Dubrovnik leading the way. Some may attribute its fame to Game of Thrones (Westeros, anyone?), but once you see this UNESCO Heritage site for yourself, you’ll realize this place is even more fantastic in real life. Read on for our handpicked recommendations* for the beautiful Adriatic sea city.
*Most recommendations are in Old Town unless otherwise specified.
Quick tip:
- Since the region enjoys mild Mediterranean climate year-round, you can visit Dubrovnik any time. Tourist season peaks in the summer (no surprise there), so try visiting on the shoulder season.
- The local currency is called the Croatian Kuna.
- Native Dubrovnikers are referred to as Ragusans.
Eat
Restaurant 360º
Dine like royalty here. Dubrovnik’s fanciest restaurant offers local, sea-oriented flavors at its finest. The delicate plates of food are as scrumptious as they are beautiful. The setting is unmatched, on top of the city walls with tables positioned so you can peer through the battlements over the harbor.
Quick tip: This place isn’t cheap. However, if you can’t justify a splurge, it’s still worth calling in for a drink.
Nautika (or Proto)
Once voted ‘the seventh most romantic restaurant in the world’. The food and the service are superb (and over-publicized, quite honestly), and the restaurant offers two terraces, both of which are wonderful places to sit in the cool of the evening. The food is pricey, but what you’re really paying for is the view.
Quick tip: If you don’t care for the view or the prices, try Proto, Dubrovnik’s lesser known restaurant that actually has better food.
Pantural
Where you go for an unpretentious but unassumingly delicious meal. A small and humble local eatery with housemade pasta and bread. The wine list is local and creative. Their food “lives with the seasons, as they like to put it.
pantarul.com
Drink
D’Vino Wine Bar
Dubrovnik’s first real wine bar stocks more than 100 varieties of wine, 76 available by the glass (!). The house wine, which you really must try, starts at 25kn ($3.70). Savoury meat-and-cheese platters are tailor-made to complement the wine. The space is intimate and comfortable.
Quick tip: They offer wine tours in the local area so be sure to ask the staff about them. This is best done in person as the trips are uber personalized.
Matuško (wine bar & restaurant)
The local family who owns and operates this joint is known for producing some of the finest wines from Potomje, a village located in the Peljašac region. Their wine bar, which is set in cozy brick and stone located in the Old City, is a wonderful place to unwind from a busy day.
Quick tip: You must try a glass of their Royal Dingač or Pošip. They are also, currently, the only place in Dubrovnik where you can smoke shisha.
Located in the ever-so-chic five-star Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, Maslina serves up delicious “contemporary Dalmatian” dishes as well as some intricate wines. The view is spectacular, so drink it in.
Quick tip: The theme of the restaurant is loosely nautical, so a sundress and sandals will do. Be sure to try their signature dish: the Fisherman’s Pot.
See
Kotor*
*Kotor is in Montenegro, a small Balkan country about 3.5 hours away from Dubrovnik.
By far the most picturesque town in neighboring-city Montenegro is Kotor, an ancient coastal town. In fact, some prefer visiting it to Dubrovnik for its sleepy yet off-the-beaten path feel, and there are far fewer tourists. Keep an eye out for Prince’s Palace and Napoleon’s Theater.
Quick tip: It’s also a stray-cat stomping ground, with countless kitties posing photogenically around the old town and its Unesco-listed medieval attractions. Cats came to overrun the town back when it had a serious rat infestation problem. They are so ubiquitous that they’ve become the unofficial mascot of Kotor.
Elafiti Islands (by boat)
Explore the three most beautiful islands of the Elafiti archipelago: Koločep, Lopud and Šipan by sail boat — a replica of a historical galleon — and experience stunning views of the Dubrovnik region. Elafiti is Greek for “deer” — the ancient Greeks would hunt them on these very islands.
Quick tip: Certain cruises offer a traditional Croatian lunch with live folk music performed by live musicians onboard. Be sure to book ahead. This is a full day activity.
Do
Game of Thrones Walking Tour
This is a bit cliche but worth every minute. The guided tour takes you through the filming sites. It lasts anywhere between 3–5 hours. Try this tour.
Quick tip: We highly recommend you upgrade your tour (if possible) to include a trip to Trsteno Arboretum, the site used as the King’s Landing palace gardens. Book the tour ahead of time.
Lokrum (aka Peacock Island)
The island is a 10-minute ferry ride away. Richard the Lionheart is said to have been shipwrecked here on his way back from the Crusades. It’s incredibly quiet and peaceful, overrun by peacocks, and at one end of the island is a small salt-filled lake call the Mrtvo More, the Dead Sea (not the actual one of course). The island’s botanical gardens ought not to be missed.
Quick tip: In the summer, the ferry leaves every half hour, and costs about 40 Kuna (about $6) each way.
Peljesac Wine Tour
Peljesac is Croatia’s second longest peninsula, and is famous for its red wine (Dingac and Postup). Delightful oysters and mussels are harvested from the brackish waters of Mali Ston bay. The city of Ston, where the tour begins, is only an hour drive from Dubrovnik. And yes, there is plenty of wine tasting to be had by all.
Quick tip: We recommend taking this tour. The lovely tour guides will take you up to the Dingac Hills, where Croatia’s most famous type of wine (Dingac) grows on 60 degree inclined slopes.
Shop
Croata
As it turns out, ties were invented in Croatia. In the 17th-century, Croatian military uniforms featured patterned scarves knotted around the neck. French soldiers liked them so much that they introduced them to the rest of France calling them “cravats,” a play on the word ‘Croat’. You can pick up a lovely “original Croatian tie” from this chain boutique near the Rector’s Palace.
Croata.hr
Dubrovačka Kuća
Take a little taste of Dubrovnik home with you. This elegant and well-decorated shop stocks high-quality treats like local wines and sweets, rakija, olive oil, bath salts, and handmade jewelry. Local art pieces can be found on the top two levels.
Quick tip: Be sure to ask about all the unique sweets like the kotonjata (quince dessert).
Coffee Break
Soul Caffe & Rakhija Bar
A calm oasis hidden away in an alley. They serve up some delicious java drinks as well as local wines, liquors, and craft drinks. The wait staff are amazing sources for local travel advice and tips. Service is superb, which is rare for the area.
Quick tip: Show on the weekends for live music. Also, there’s free wifi.
Stay
St. Joseph’s
In a beautifully restored 16th-century stone building in Dubrovnik’s pedestrian-only old town. Perfect boutique hotel for couples on a romantic city break. It’s chic but unpretentious, charming but not cliche. Suites come with kitchenettes.
Average night per stay: $350
Villa Dubrovnik Hotel
A sophisticated yet relaxed five-star retreat with a spa and indoor pool that looks out onto the crystal blue-turquoise Adriatic. Built into a cliff and nestled among orange and lemon trees, the views of the sea are breathtaking. Rooms include private terraces and a Mediterranean breakfast (made-to-order). There’s terrific rooftop bar.
Average stay per night: $460
Dubrovnik Palace Hotel
Good for families and couples alike. The hotel offers sea bathing, water sports, and excursions including its own scuba diving centre. There are outdoor and indoor swimming pools, a beach bar, and private members beach, tennis court, jogging tracks and fitness club. All of the rooms face the sea.
Average stay per night: $303
The Obvious
Cable cars
Dubrovnik’s cable cars take you from just north of the city walls to Mt Srđ in under four minutes. There’s an amazing view of the city from a lofty 405m wall at the end of the line, which gives you the perfect opportunity to glimpse the terracotta-tiled rooftops of the old town and the island of Lokrum, with the Adriatic and other distant islands color-in the horizon.
Quick tip: We recommend bringing a telescope along with you so that you can catch more details of the landscape.
City Walls & Forts
No visit to Dubrovnik would be complete without a walk around the spectacular city walls, the finest in the world and the city’s main claim to fame. From the top, the view over the old town and the blue-turquoise Adriatic is sublime.
Quick tip: There are entrances to the walls from near the Pile Gate, the Ploče Gate and the Maritime Museum. The Pile Gate entrance is the busiest, but if you enter from the Ploče side, you can get the steepest climbs out of the way first — you’re required to walk in an counterclockwise direction.
Sveti Stefan (now ‘Aman Sveti Stefan’)
Formerly an island, now it’s a resort-destination that includes the islet of Sveti Stefan and part of the mainland, where the Villa Miločer part of the resort is located. Sveti Stefan is now connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. The five-star resort contains 50 rooms, cottages and suites on the island and 8 grand suites at the Villa Miločer. This is a must-see place as well as a decadent resort.
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