DUBROVNIK - Is it for real ?
Post which I booked my self for a 2 way cable car ride to the top of Mount Srdj to enjoy the amazing views of Dubrovnik and nearby islands. There is a restaurant at the top – just like any other hill top viewing place around the world.
Basically all tours I did in the city were about viewing it from different angles – city walls , sea & then the hills . However , every experience is different and worth a while .
Attraction Info
The cable car tickets can be booked online for 120 HR per adult or again purchased at the start of the cable car station .
More info : http://www.dubrovnikcablecar.com
It was around 8 pm by the time I wound up from here.
Night-Life
There is this famous club – Cultural Club Revelin besides many other night –life options in the city. Frankly I saw just a lot of teenage crowd going in & out of the place, so it didn’t really excite me much. Moreover, I had landed straight from Tomorrowland Belgium into the city, so in any case my standards were set at very high: P
Other Touring Options:
I wasted quite a bit of day 1 in recovering from my tiredness from my previous trip.
For those who want to explore further:
• For Game of Throne Fans – you will see a lot of kiosks selling the the game of thrones shooting locations tour.
• There is a nearby Beach you can spend time at or you can take a day tour to one of the many neighboring islands.
• There is a pub-crawl to enjoy the night-life
• If you like museums – there are a few you can visit.
Hotels booked during stay :
Day 1: Apartments Superb View through Booking.com http://www.booking.com/hotel/hr/apartments-superb-view.html
Day 2 : Hilton Imperial direct through Hilton Site : http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/croatia/hilton-imperial-dubrovnik-DBVHIHI/index.html
From Belgium to Croatia
I landed from India in Belgium & from there on headed to Croatia .
A super early morning 6 am flight – Croatian Airways, landed me at this small airport of Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik Airport + Rental Car Pick-up
A airport just big enough to land a few flights , have a few baggage belts , necessary customs check , tourist information booth & a coffee place to satisfy the bare essential morning hunger pangs .
No wifi access , no option to purchase a tourist sim – it can be a mean landing , in case you plan on doing some last minute bookings or planning on having a prepaid sim to cater to your GPS needs of getting into the city . I got stuck in both those aspects , so make sure you are a little pro-active before you arrive .
The rental cars are outside the arrival terminal , across from the parking . After wasting my time in figuring out how to manage without internet , I finally headed to the Europcar desk , to pick up my thankfully prebooked car .
The person manning it was nice enough to give me a free GPS and his wifi password to help make my first night apartment booking for the city of Dubrovnik.
Tip : Car rental prices can be pretty steep and availability scarce or none at all in peak season , so its advisable to book in advance .
Where to Stay
Depends on how many days you have in hand and what kind of a traveller you are , there are a number of areas to choose from , to make your base in the city .
I will personally recommend – The Old Town - the part of the city which is a must see and also has a lot for one to explore. The 2 limitations of this area are however - scarce & expensive parking and limited number of Hotels ( in case you specifically looking to stay in a hotel hotel per se) .
But having said that , the old town & the immediate neighborhood ( like Brgatska where I Stayed ) is flooded with apartments of various sizes with excellent ratings and even more amazing views of the Adriatic , owned usually by locals .
However keep in mind if you want a view , you will have to be ready to hike up to your apartment , with quite a distance to be covered essentially on foot . In case you are not a bag packer , you will basically be screwed like me ☺ .
Drive to the City
The drive from the airport to the city was simply breathtaking –spanned by mountains on one side and the ocean on the other . The roads are pretty decent , yet typical of any mountain-island drive .
After a 30min maneuver , I was there at my apartment parking , greeted by the owner , guided & familiarized with the apartment , with a balcony opening up to the view of what lay ahead .
From here on began my unforgettable trip of Croatia.
DAY 1 Touring : Half- day
After a long afternoon nap and my car parked for good for the period of my stay , I headed down some hundred of steps to enter through one of the gates into the walled city of Dubrovnik –Old Town . After a quick bite at one of the many bakeries/eateries and fixing my phone with unlimited internet access for 7 days ( T-Mobile ) , I was all set to explore the city .
The old town is bound to leave one awe-struck . The walled city has 3 entry/exit gates ( Gate of Pile , Gate of Ploče & Gate of Buža ) & houses the main street Stradun – with a number of restaurants , pubs , souvenir & lifestyle shops along with a church .
City Walls
The first thing I did was buy the tickets for the City-wall , which covers a distance of almost 2 kms surrounding the city. A decent hike , it gives you the best views of the old town , surrounding city harbor , the Fort Lovrijenac , the famous roof-tops , the bell-tower , hidden restaurants and pathways along with of course the Mediterranean sea . I would say almost a perfect 2 hours of discovering & overviewing the city’s offerings .
Attraction Info
During July the walls are open for public from 8am to 7:30 pm .
The adult entrance fee costs 120 HRK (visit to Fort Lovrijenac is included in the price) . I started out late , but was informed that I could cover the fort which was on the other side of the city walls the next day on the same ticket .
The tickets can be purchased at the entrance or online .
Walk the main street-Stradun
Post N number of clicks & selfies ,I finished my self-guided tour. I spent the rest of the day walking the Stradun , shopping for tit-bits and soaking in the oh-so-lively ambience , culminating the day with a sumptuous dinner at one of the street restaurants – enjoying the music from the numerous surrounding bars . You will see People walking around usually all dressed up and chic to enjoy their night out . For me however it was the end of a long day ending with a 20 min uphill walk to my apartment .
DAY 2 Touring – Full day
Since I had booked the apartment only for a day , after a early check-out , I parked my car for my next day stay at Hilton Imperial , one of the well known hotels in the area , and right next to the Pile Gate. The best part – no more hike to get back home :D
Kayaking & Snorkeling
Having booked myself on a half day Kayak tour ( another highly recommended way to explore the city from yet another angle ) for 9 am – I was all set to enjoy the alluring crystal blue waters of the Adriatic Sea. The tour is great fun . Takes around 3-4 hours , including various site seeing and swim stops- with the guides narrating interesting stories , showing you the shooting locations of Game of Thrones & making sure you are comfortably enjoying the whole experience . The final stop is at a small cave beach for included light snacks , snorkelling & swimming .It was my first time kayaking , and I realized you really need quite a bit of stamina and arm strength to paddle the kayak for that long. Thankfully kayaking was in Tandem .
The tour starts & ends at the same location - from very near to the Pile Gate . So getting back to the hotel was a charm .
Tour Booking
I booked my tour on Viator for some 34 USD .
Website : https://www.viator.com/tours/Dubrovnik/Sea-kayaking-and-snorkeling-tour-Dubrovnik/d904-8645P9
Fort Lovrijenac
Post lunch and a short rest , I headed back to the street to complete my pending tour of Fort Lovrijenac from the previous day .
