Dubrovnik: Game of Thrones and City of Many Steps
The last leg on our journey through Croatia was Dubrovnik, located on the south-east coast of Croatia and known as the Pearl of the Adriatic.
It is a four-hour drive from Split to Dubrovnik along the coast and the drive is an experience in itself, offering spectacular views of the coast. Moreover, you pass through Bosnia and Herzegovina during the drive as 20kms of the coastline is part of Bosnia and Herzegovina (you actually pass border controls two times and have your passport carefully checked – more carefully than at many of the other border crossings we have passed so far on our trip!).
Dubrovnik is one of Croatia’s most famous cities, attracting more than 1 million tourists a year. While long a popular city to visit, its fame boomed following the filming of Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik (it was the filming location for King’s Landing in the TV series).
Dubrovnik is built on a narrow stretch of land with the coast on one side and mountains on the other side and as such buildings and houses are in many different levels which are bridged through an unbelievable number of steps. Just the Old Town and its City Wall have been counted to have 5423 steps (and it is not a big city!). We stayed in an apartment close to the port in Dubrovnik which gave us easy access to the Old Town as well as the popular area of Lapad.
Dubrovnik Old Town and City Wall
The Old Town of Dubrovnik was first on our to-do list and proved to be truly impressive. Walking through the gates of the stoned city wall, it felt like entering a fairytale town with its 300 meters limestone-paved main street, the Stradun, where almost all houses are built to the same pattern and with identical red rooftops.
A number of narrow and twisting alleys spread out from the main street, making the Old Town feel like a maze where you always end up back at the city gate or the Stradun. At first sight, it is difficult to imagine that the Old Town is still an active town where people also live, but as we walked the City Wall we could glimpse into some of the residential houses and it was funny to see the contrast of the historical buildings combined with modern day posters, furniture and groceries – and not least the laundry which often hung from the windows.
The City Wall is a 2kms stone wall surrounding the Old City and you can walk the entire tour. We were a bit hesitant at first as it costs 200 Kuna (~28EUR) per person which we found a bit expensive. However, the walk on the wall paid off – you get amazing views of the Old Town and the ocean and a very good feeling for the size of the Old Town. Moreover, the kids had a lot of fun imagining they were guards protecting the Old Town and walked the full stretch (including more than 1000 steps😊) without any complaints!
Cable Car & Museum about the Croatian War of Independence
Another highlight in Dubrovnik is a trip with the cable car to Hill Srd, where you have a magnificent view of Dubrovnik Old Town and the bay area. In addition to enjoying the view, we also visited the Imperial Fort located on top of Hill Srd. Built by Napoleon in 1812, the Fort has played an important role in the defense of Dubrovnik through the centuries – including during the Siege of Dubrovnik in 1991-1992, where big parts of Dubrovnik were damaged. Today, the Fort is a museum about the Croatian War of Independence and well worth a visit.
Dubrovnik was a great and impressive last stop on our trip through Croatia. A country which was originally not on our bucket list – but which we are very happy we included as it has been three weeks of amazing nature, beautiful towns and very friendly, pragmatic and helpful people.
