Dubrovnik, Croatia
I’ve been dreaming of going to Dubrovnik ever since I’ve learned that it was THE filming location for King’s Landing from Game of Thrones. As we were driving into the small town, seeing the walls of Dubrovnik was definitely a pinch-me moment. So many stores, if not most of them, sell GOT merchandise. Yet, Dubrovnik is much more than that. The old town charm, that clear blue water, those terracotta rooftops and those magnificent medieval walls that were preserved in its original form are just some of the reasons that make this town one of my favorite destinations.
After driving down from Split through Bosnia, we arrived at Dubrovnik just before sunset. We wanted to stay inside the Old Town walls to experience it in the early morning and at night after all the daytripper tourists are gone. Our mornings start with bells ringing from the Catholic Church just a few streets down our apartment, then bells of the Clock Tower follow. We walk down to Stradun to get freshly baked pastries and see children in their uniforms rushing to get to school on time. On earlier mornings, the almost empty streets will make you feel like you went back in time. Springtime evenings were nice and cool, and restaurants light up the beautiful nights. Street musicians playing the violin will set the tone for a lovely stroll.
Our days were filled wandering around the town, walking the wall itself, day tripping to nearby towns, shopping, and looking for that next ice cream stand. Dubrovnik Old Town is small and easy to navigate and tours are not necessary, although helpful if you wanna learn about the history of the sites. Just outside the wall, we walked to the cable car station and went up Mount Srd to view the city from a higher perspective. One of the best places to view the sunset, I must say.
Just 600 meters and 15-minute ferry ride from the city of Dubrovnik is the lovely island of Lokrum. It’s that Island you always see in the background when you view Dubrovnik from a higher perspective. As soon as the ferry docks, just following the trail you’ll see ruins of the Benedictine Monastery from the 11th century. What really caught our attention were the beautiful wild peacocks walking around, seemed to be unfazed by all the tourists taking photos of them.
Despite all the massive amount of cruise ship tourists and Game of Thrones frenzy, Dubrovnik is one of those places that lives up to your expectations.
Disclaimer: Part of our trip to Dubrovnik was hosted by Dubrovnik Tourist Board. As always, all photographs and opinions are my own.
Follow Sky Envy: Bloglovin' / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest
