Yes it is touristy, but I could not believe how beautiful Dubrovnik was. I cannot wait to return.
After a long day of travel, we slept in and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast the Hilton Imperial. This was not a travel day and we wanted to explore Dubrovnik, but also take it easy.
Read more of my classic trip report through the Balkans
Introduction: Road Trip Through The Balkans
Review: US Airways A330-300 Business Class Philadelphia To Munich
Balkans Day 1: Sick In Belgrade
Balkans Day 2: Belgrade – Sarajevo
Balkans Day 3: Sarajevo – Dubrovnik
You can see the view from our room was nothing great:
But the room was more inviting with natural light.
And I must stress overall that this was a nice hotel. I’m not doing a separate review because too much time has passed and I never bothered to visit the pool, fitness center, or spa. But the breakfast was tasty and the hotel itself beautiful. If I return (and I would not hesitate to), I certainly want to stay in the main building.
The location of the hotel is also ideal to explore the city by foot–and that’s exactly what we did.
The old town is full of medieval architecture, beautiful houses of worship, and an impressive wall. We spent a good 90 minutes just wandering around.
Beautiful, isn’t it?
Don’t Miss The Cable Car Up Srd Hill
But the real beauty came when we took a cable car to the top of Srd Hill, giving us stunning views of the walled city, Elaphiti Islands, and Adriatic Sea below.
Dinner? Mexican of course. For those of you who know about my Mexican food fetish, I love seeking out Mexican food in foreign countries. Across Europe, it usually turns out badly, but it was worth a try. We found a place called Chihuahua Cantina Mexicana. Why would I eat there when I could have delicious Croatian food? In retrospect, that is a good question, but the you have to appreciate that whether it is Uzbekistan or Australia, Japan or Armenia, I have fun trying out Mexican food. And the nachos and burrito were tasty.
After dinner, we walked down the Stradun (also called Placa), the main street of Dubrovnik. It was so crowded, but had a delightful vibe. Sad to think that Dubrovnik may permanently change due to COVID-19. It just wouldn’t be the same without crowded cafes.
If we had an extra day, we would have visited Lokrum, a lush island that also houses a monastery. I’m sorry to report we also did not try any great coffee, since this was before my coffee addiction appreciation began.
CONCLUSION
What a great town Dubrovnik is. Beautiful people, beautiful architecture, and beautiful scenery. I look forward to taking my family back and spending some quality time here.
Tomorrow: we head for Montenegro.
What’s the price for a trip? Is it a package deal?
Nope, we mostly just winged it each day, planning it all ourselves.
Everything is very expensive, because Game of thrones was filmed there
Looks fantastic, definetley on my ‘to visit’ list. Great urbanism and very walkable!
Get ready that Dubrovnik is very expensive because of Game of thrones. Cant find parking spot and if you do it is so expensive will cost you for 24 hours as much a cheap motel cost. Even the hostels are over priced. But it is one place to must see. Dont forget the blue laggon. Take some heavy duty rain coat with you. Really hard to seat in salt to seat after so many hours
Did you get to check out the bars at the city walls that open right onto the water? Those are spectacular! Have a drink and a quick dive into the water – or vice versa.
I did. More on that in a separate post.
This is a beautiful place! I was just there. You have to see that.