What to see in Dubrovnik, plus my tip for an island and beach day trip

For me, Dubrovnik is a great choice, above all for history lovers. And you’ll enjoy it even if you’ve never seen Game of Thrones. Expect a lot of walking. I’d do the circuit of the city walls, ride the cable car up and take a trip over to Lokrum island. If you have time, you can also fit in a day trip to Montenegro.

Quick factsby Milan Bez Mapy

From the airport to the centre

White buses from outside the arrivals hall take 35 minutes; departures are timed to flight arrivals and you buy your ticket in the terminal

Cable car to Srđ

My main stop, with a view over the whole city; give yourself extra time at the top

Lokrum island

Just 15 minutes by boat from the harbour; a monastery, a botanical garden, the ‘Dead Sea’ lake and the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones

Food

Pizzerias dominate; I enjoyed the seafood at Lanii restaurant, and I recommend the cuttlefish risotto and the mussels

Buza Bar

A drink overlooking the sea and a rocky beach; cash only

Day trip

By car to Kotor in Montenegro or to Mostar, both about two hours away

So what is there to see in Dubrovnik? Mention Dubrovnik and die-hard Game of Thrones fans prick up their ears. It’s one of the places where the hugely popular series was filmed, but that’s not the only reason to visit. Personally, I’ve never seen it, which puts me in a tiny minority of people on this planet, I know.

Tip from Milan If you’re driving to Dubrovnik, it’s worth stopping in the capital on the way. I’ve written about what to see in Zagreb and what to see in Varaždin.

Dubrovnik: history, getting there, where to stay and where to eat

Dubrovnik is a summer seaside destination, but it has so much more to offer that you won’t get bored. I certainly didn’t. I added plenty of lovely places to my collection, and in this article I’ll pass them on to you. Be ready for a lot of walking through old streets, because there’s no other way to see the city.

The Pearl of the Adriatic, as Dubrovnik is known, is full of remarkable historic sites and even better views. Honestly, I didn’t know where to start. There’s something worth seeing on every corner, and I wanted to see it all at once.

A short history of Dubrovnik, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

So let’s start with a short history. Dubrovnik, on the Dalmatian coast, was founded as early as the 7th century, but its heyday came in the 15th and 16th centuries. Visitors fall for the sea air and the architecture, so no wonder it’s on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city also hosts festivals and other cultural events on a regular basis. It won me over the moment I stepped off the plane.

Flights to Dubrovnik

I flew in from Košice, with a change in Vienna. Dubrovnik was the fourth and last destination (after Amsterdam, Liverpool and Istanbul) of my collaboration with Košice Airport. It was part of the airport’s ‘Z Košíc do sveta’ (From Košice to the World) campaign. The idea is to show Slovaks that you can get anywhere in the world from Košice too, and in comfort.

Getting from Dubrovnik Airport to the city centre and back

The quickest and most comfortable way from Dubrovnik Airport to the city centre is, of course, a taxi, and Bolt operates here as usual. I recommend the white buses, though. They wait outside the arrivals terminal and take you from the airport to the centre in 35 minutes. Their departures are timed to match flight arrivals.

Tickets are sold at a kiosk in the terminal, right next to the cash machines. On the way back to the airport, the bus stops in several parts of the city, though not at the Old Town gate. I got on at the stop right next to the cable car.

Where to stay in Dubrovnik

Anywhere in the centre. I don’t have a specific tip here, because there’s an unbelievable amount of accommodation. I’d go by the reviews on Booking or Airbnb. I stayed at Lanii Apartments.

Where to eat in Dubrovnik, and a bar with a sea view

I can’t honestly call Dubrovnik a foodie paradise. I was surprised to find a pizzeria on every corner, when I’d expected good Croatian seafood. There are restaurants like that too, of course, but this is one thing I hold against the city: pizzerias rule here.

As I mentioned, I stayed at Lanii Apartments. They have their own restaurant too, where I had very good seafood. I’d order the cuttlefish risotto, with mussels (the black ones) as a starter. When you’ve finished them, dip your bread in the juices left in the bowl. It was nothing short of a seafood orgasm.

For a drink, head to Buza Bar. It takes a bit of finding, but you’ll get there. It’s cash only, no cards, but the view of the rocky beach below really is worth the trip to the cash machine.

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Things to do in Dubrovnik: my picks

1. The city walls and the Old Town
2. The Dubrovnik cable car
3. The city beaches
4. A full-day trip to Lokrum island and its naturist beach
5. A trip to Montenegro or Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dubrovnik’s city walls, Game of Thrones and other sights

These are the very walls you know from Game of Thrones, and they’re probably the most visited sight in Dubrovnik. Almost 2 km long, they were built mainly between the 13th and 17th centuries to keep enemies out. In places they’re up to 25 metres high and 6 metres thick. They give you beautiful views of the city centre and the Adriatic.

You can walk the whole circuit, but the main places worth a stop are Bokar Tower (Tvrđava Bokar) and the impregnable Lovrjenac fortress. Lovrjenac sits high on a rock, reminds me a little of Gibraltar and is reached across drawbridges. Revelin Fortress is good too, and so is Minčeta Tower (Tvrđava Minčeta), where Daenerys searched for her lost dragons. It’s worth climbing the tower, because you’ll get great photos of Dubrovnik’s orange roofs for your album.

Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik

If you’re a truly devoted fan of the series, you can book a Game of Thrones tour, with a guide who takes you round more of the filming locations. The series also has a prequel, House of the Dragon. Or you could read all the books. The genre just doesn’t appeal to me. These are the other sights in Dubrovnik I wouldn’t miss:

• The cathedral and its treasury: Dubrovnik Cathedral has a beautifully decorated interior, and its real treasure is the treasury (Riznica Katedrale). It holds various important relics, reportedly including a piece of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The head, leg and arm of St Blaise, the city’s patron saint, are kept here too, though I’d probably rather not see those.
• St John’s Fortress: The upper part houses an excellent maritime museum, and the lower part the Dubrovnik Aquarium, with local and exotic fish and seahorses.
• The Franciscan church and monastery: Home to one of the most valuable libraries in Croatia. It also has one of the oldest pharmacies in the world, dating back to the Middle Ages and complete with all its medieval instruments.

The Dubrovnik cable car

Where there’s a cable car, you’ll find me. In Dubrovnik it was my main stop. The cable car takes you up Mount Srđ, where the view over the whole city is so good that I found it hard to leave. Better to allow more time up there.

I’m still under its spell as I write this. Simply perfect. If you’re not a cable car person, you can also walk all the way to the top. I’d have done that too, but I was short of time and, above all, it was too hot.

The best beaches in Dubrovnik

When the hot Croatian sun wears you out, the best thing to do is drop anchor on a beach. Dubrovnik has Banje beach, which is said to be one of the most beautiful in the country. And I can tell you, they’re not wrong. As well as cooling off and working on your tan, you can try sea kayaking or windsurfing.

Stradun and Loggia Square

There are even more people in King’s Landing than on the beach. I hope you’ll forgive me for all these comparisons with the world-famous series, but they’ll help you picture the place. From here it’s a short walk to the ‘square’ of Stradun. It’s really a pedestrian street, long, wide and full of restaurants, cafés and little shops. Above all, it’s a favourite meeting place for Croatians and tourists alike. Curiously, the paving dates from the 15th century, while the houses around it are from the 17th century. That’s because of an earthquake that hit Dubrovnik at that time. When you’re here, notice how symmetrical the windows and doors are. Even Monk, the obsessive TV detective, would approve.

Another meeting place is a real square, Loggia Square (Luža), which used to be the city market.

A full-day trip to Lokrum island: the monastery and the naturist beach

Rather than the city beaches, though, I’d head over to Lokrum island, which you can see clearly from the harbour. The boat takes just 15 minutes. Here’s what I wouldn’t miss:

• The monastery
• The botanical garden
• Fort Royal
• The ‘Dead Sea’ lake
• The naturist (FKK) beach

The first written mention of Lokrum dates from 1023, in connection with the founding of a Benedictine abbey and monastery. Legend has it that Richard the Lionheart was washed ashore here after a shipwreck in 1192. He vowed to build a church where he came ashore, and he at least partly kept his word. Although he landed on Lokrum, the people of Dubrovnik asked him to build the church in the city itself, and he agreed.

The monastery on the island is first mentioned in 1023, as the first of many Benedictine monasteries in the Republic of Ragusa (the Dubrovnik Republic). The whole island belonged to the monastery, and until the mid-15th century the abbey also served as a hospital and a poorhouse. In 1149 the Roman Curia granted the abbot of Lokrum the right to wear a mitre. Since then, the abbots of the monastery have ranked as the first prelates of the Dubrovnik church after the archbishop.

Where is the Game of Thrones Iron Throne? On Lokrum island

It’s worth stopping here for a photo of yourself on the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones. You’ll find it inside the monastery. While you’re on Lokrum, also head up to the fort on the hill and to the ‘Dead Sea’. Just follow the arrows around the island. Don’t be alarmed by the peacocks: the island keeps them as a matter of historical tradition.

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A day trip from Dubrovnik to Montenegro or Bosnia and Herzegovina

Once you’ve criss-crossed Dubrovnik and still have plenty of time, I’d hire a car for a day trip. The options are Mostar in Bosnia or the Montenegrin port of Kotor, which reminds me a lot of Dubrovnik. Both are about two hours’ drive away, but in different directions, of course, so you probably won’t manage both in one go. Either way, there’s your tip for another trip.

Dubrovnik is a great choice for history lovers. They’ll be in their element here and won’t know where to start. Then again, I think anyone would enjoy it. This summer, swap Zadar for Dubrovnik. You won’t regret it.

Milan