Arriving in the old city of Dubrovnik at night is magical. Ours was the last flight in and we decided to opt for the shuttle bus into the old town. We bought our tickets at a small vending machine just outside the airport exit and waited at the deserted bus stop next to a sign that told us that a bus leaves after each flight arrival. We waited about 40 minutes as other hopeful passengers ambled up and then finally the bus-driver-in-hiding finally appeared and whisked us off to the old Pile city Gate.
Entering the old city you feel like you’ve stepped from the 21st century into a time long past. It’s a fairytale city in beautiful white stone. We were lucky enough to be staying in an apartment in a very quiet part of the old town, close to the city walls.
Day 1
We spent our first day exploring the city, which is very achievable. We started with breakfast at a small cafe in front of St Ignatius Church as it was just around the corner from our apartment and then spent the rest of the day exploring all the notable sights using our 3-day Dubrovnik Card which turned out to be a very good purchase with the included bus fares.
Visiting Dubrovnik is really all about just taking your time ambling around the city and climbing lots of stairs. Highlights were the old port area, St John’s Fortress, the Maritime Museum and Rector’s Palace. A word of warning though – Dubrovnik is not a cheap town – which became even more apparent when we later visited Split. But it’s very beautiful and despite the crowds, it’s a very laid back and casual place to visit. At night, it becomes even more enchanting as many of the tourists go back to their ships or to their accomodation outside the city walls.
Day 2
We started the day at 8am with a walk around the city walls, starting at the Ploce Gate so as to get the steepest climb out of the way first – a good recommendation by the Lonely Planet given how hot it quickly became. There are a few breakfast spots along the wall with views to die for – wish we had known!
After a leisurely breakfast back in town, we decided to head off on an excursion to the nearby town of Cavtat. Had we known better, we would have caught the Number 10 bus outside the cable car station above the walled city. But we didn’t – so we headed off north to the main bus station and waited for the bus there which added about 45minutes to the trip. A trap for young players…
Cavtat is located south of the old city and is a much smaller and more relaxed version of Dubrovnik. It’s also a tourist town but of more modest proportions and can be easily visited in a few hours on a free afternoon.
Our first stop on arriving was to have lunch at one of the many waterfront restaurants, and then we started our tour with a visit to the house of a famous Croatian artist – Vlaho Bukovac. It was also an opportunity to see his preserved family home, which he decorated himself for his father and mother when he was a young man. The house, with its vividly painted walls and small rooms, was charming. His art was eclectic, but there were some very interesting individual works.
We then headed for the Racic Family mausoleum, walking around the base of the wooded hill with wonderful views out to sea, and then up to the cemetery at the top. The shipbuilding family’s story was tragic. While visiting Rome, the father and the two children – a young man and woman – all died in the Spanish Flu Epidemic within a short time of each other in 1918. The mother returned to Cavtat with their bodies and planned the building of the Mausoleum, but also died a year later. Before her death, she pledged all the family’s wealth to the town of Cavtat on condition that the town complete the Mausoleum and inter all four members of the family in the tomb. The Mausoleum, with works by the sculptor, Ivan Meštrović in the beautiful white Brac stone is an ethereal space and well worth the price of entry even though it’s a very small space – we enjoyed it all on our own for about 15 minutes. It’s a peaceful and contemplative place as is the small cemetery looking out to sea.
Once we had finished looking around, we headed back down the hill and headed back to Dubrovnik, for the evening. We started with an early drink at The Bar – a fabulous outdoor bar on the rocks facing the sea nestled up against the outside walls of the old city – definitely a must-do. We followed this up with dinner at Kopun – a great traditional restaurant set in the gravel courtyard in front of St Ignatius Church – wonderful ambience. Then wandered around the buzzing town for a while and finally joined the locals in front of the big screen to watch Croatia win its quarter final in the World Cup – such a great opportunity to interact with the Dubrovnik locals – how lucky were we!!!!
Day 3 (Half Day)
We had a final morning in Dubrovnik before heading off on the ferry to Split and we decided to use it by taking a cable car up to Srd Hill. We had fabulous views of the walled town, and picking our way past the many goats eventually made our way back down to town, enjoying the breathtaking views along the way.
