Wow, how do so many people fit into such a small space?  We visited Dubrovnik in the shoulder-season, and could barely see the city through the throngs of people, I can’t imagine what it would be like in the height of tourist season.  It was a bit of a shock coming from the blissful peace of Lopud and the Croatian islands, but once settled in we began to fall in love with this city.

Our week in Dubrovnik began with a ferry trip from our last island stay, the beautiful Lopud.  On the way we passed Eclipse, Roman Abramovich’s boat, which manages to make our ferry look small it is so large.  A little googling later on notes it is the second largest super yacht in the world (163 metres) and cost a cool $500M USD!  It turns out Abramovich has a place around here and the boat is often seen around the shores of Croatia and Montenegro.

Arriving at the port it was a 2KM walk to the old town, which was a bit of a struggle as it turned out to be 1KM up a hill, and thankfully 1KM down the hill in the mid-day sun, but there were many incredible views to stop and look at.  And then we were at the Pile Gate, the main entrance to Dubrovnik (along with what seemed like a million other tourists and equal amounts of tour guides touting their wares!).  I can only say, get through the gate as quickly as possible, and come back early morning or late at night to view it properly.

We really struck gold on our AirBNB here.  Apparently most people opt to stay in hotels outside of the Old Town, but our accommodation was at the heart of Dubrovnik mid-way down the Stradun, the main street.  And to top it off we had massive  windows to look down and watch the chaos below.  Although a little noisy at night, I can’t recommend staying in the Old Town highly enough – popping out to get a drink, browsing the shops, or just take photos at all hours of the day was great.

The highlight of our trip to Dubrovnik was without a doubt walking along the walls of the city.  The walls stretch for approximately 2KM around the city, and it is possible to walk right the way around.  There are A LOT of steps, and there’s not a lot of shade – I can’t even imagine trying this in the heat of summer.  We were lucky to have a spectacular day, sunny and clear, but not too hot.  Everywhere you look there is another photo opportunity!

The low light of the week here was something I had really been looking forward to – the Game of Thrones tour.  Being a recent convert to the show, and with Dubrovnik being perhaps the most well known site for shooting (King’s Landing!) I was expecting great things.  But unfortunately not.  It wasn’t a terrible tour, but unfortunately felt like they didn’t need to try – a half-hearted guide and an hour and a half tour – and it was one of the more expensive walking tours we’ve done.  Save yourself the money and watch an episode, then walk around on your own.  On the plus side we did go to Fort Lovrijenac on the tour which had some great views.

We were lucky to have great weather for most of our stay, with a giant storm thrown in for amusement – at least it was amusing for us from our perch on the Stradun.  The skies opened, the streets flooded and everyone rushed for cover, emptying the streets in seconds.  Lightening and thunder cracked througout the day providing a great show.  In one of the breaks we hustled to a pub, then got stuck there (shame) as the skies opened again – at one point a river a few inches deep was running past the door!

Montenegro

Unfortunately being ‘stuck’ at the pub meant a few more drinks than planned, and we woke more than a little rusty – for our day trip to Montenegro.  Sitting on a bus did not sound like fun.  We boarded the bus and thankfully the weather started to clear on the drive.  A beautiful drive along the coast and the bay of Kotor and a few stops for photos.

The day included two stops – Kotor and Budva, then a short ferry ride back across the bay and drive back to Dubrovnik.

Kotor

Not sure what I was expecting, but Kotor is even more touristy than Dubrovnik.  Cruise boats stop here regularly and on the day we visited there were two in town – to say it was crowded was an understatement.   It’s a cute little town, and if we were here longer it would have been great to walk up the stairs along the city walls to the fort above the city, but unfortunately we didn’t have time.  Kotor is a cute old town with pretty buildings, and many nice shops – but an hour was enough.

Budva

Further along the coast we arrived at Budva.  Entering the town it doesn’t impress with loads of ugly buildings (which was explained as ‘corruption is sadly rife here – money talks’).  However, further in we reached the promenade and the old town.  Compared to Kotor the Old Town was so quiet, and much nicer to walk around. Many restaurants and bars and a pleasant spot for a few hours.

All-in-all, Montenegro was nice for a day trip – but not something I would recommend as a ‘must-do’.

Back in Dubrovnik we spent our last day climbing to the top of Mount Srd for an amazing view, and a little exercise.  The walking path is a bit hard to find the start of, and then it is seemingly endless switchbacks but good fun.  You can also take the cable car up.  The views are actually best from along the switch-backs rather than at the top – so definitely recommend walking at least one direction,  From up here is where the Dubrovnik was attacked by the Serbs in their fight for independence.