I recently visited Dubrovnik in Croatia for the first time and if you’ve been thinking about travelling there or you’re trying to find next year’s summer holiday destination, hearing my experience might help you out.
I love travelling and visiting new places so I was really excited to visit Dubrovnik and it didn’t disappoint.
From Birmingham Airport, the flight was scheduled to take three hours but we managed to do it in around 2.5 hours on the way out there.
Dubrovnik has plenty to see and do and this is why I’d recommend the location to anyone wanting to book their next trip.
Why Croatia is worth travelling to from the UK
For me, Dubrovnik was a really good location for a holiday and there are plenty of reasons why.
I visited at the end of September for 10 nights with the holiday starting on Saturday, September 30 and ending on Tuesday, October 10.
Weather
The weather was hot the whole time I was there with temperatures in the mid-twenties for the majority of the holiday.
Some days, the start of the day was a little cloudy to begin with but within no time, it was pleasantly hot and definitely sun bed kind of weather.
However, the week we were leaving was forecast to turn cooler with less sun so it’s worth bearing this in mind.
To stay in the Old Town or out of the Old Town
I stayed in a hotel outside of the Old Town and this didn’t hinder my experience at all.
Dubrovnik has a good bus network and it was easy and cheap to get around using the buses.
I travelled to and from the Old Town using the buses and it was a really useful way to get around.
They were very regular – I often waited less than 10 minutes for the next bus – and so for this reason, I’d say you don’t need to stay in the Old Town when you visit.
The Dubrovnik Pass is worth looking into as this meant I didn’t have to worry about paying for several bus tickets when I wanted to go somewhere.
It’s available as a day pass, three-day pass or seven-day pass and although it took me a while to figure it out – there isn’t much information online about it – it came in handy.
I opted for the seven-day pass as it cost €35 and included all bus travel that I needed plus access to the City Walls and Rector’s Palace – two very interesting things to do.
Since the price to walk the City Walls is €35 by itself, it was a no-brainer for me.
What I got up to in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik had plenty of things available to see and do during my time there.
I particularly enjoyed walking the City Walls because the views were amazing but I’d recommend trying to go when it’s not very hot if you can.
I went at about 10am and the sun was already beating down and when you’re doing lots of walking and going up and down steps, it can be a bit difficult. For this reason, make sure to pack plenty of water with you to keep you hydrated – this really helped me.
Tour guides are available to book if you’d like to hear more about the City Walls and the history behind them.
On another day, I went on the cable car to the top of the cliff which overlooks the Old Town and the views were incredible.
I’d recommend going up there just before sunset – this made for some lovely views and photos.
There’s a restaurant you can go to while you’re up on the cliff but it’s very popular so I’d advise booking ahead – I didn’t go there but you could if you fancied it.
One thing about Dubrovnik that was really beneficial was how easy it is to book a boat trip or road trip to another place.
I took a boat trip to Lokrum Island where the official Game Of Thrones Iron Throne is located (it was gifted to Dubrovnik) – you can find it in the Visitor Centre on the island and you're allowed to sit on it and take pictures.
Some scenes included in the TV series were filmed in Dubrovnik.
Peacocks roam freely on the island so look out for them if you visit – I was a little nervous as I’m not a big fan of them but they were very pretty and some even had babies with them.
If you’re heading over to Lokrum Island and fancy cooling off in the water, make sure to take your swimwear and towel because it is so refreshing after walking around the island in the sun.
I stopped at this spot and although it was cold, it was very much needed that day.
Another boat trip I did was a Blue Caves tour where you can jump off the boat into the sea and go and explore four different caves. Snorkels were available so you could get a better look at all the small fish below you.
The first one had bright blue water as the sun got through and reflected off the water, hence the name of the tour. You can swim from one end to the other and the water is quite deep.
The other three were on our second stop of the tour and the first of those three was the easiest in terms of fear factor for me. There’s a big tree branch in there so you can stand and catch your breath after swimming. It’s light in there so you can see well.
The other two were darker so I avoided those and enjoyed swimming in the sea outside the entrance to the caves for a bit instead.
The third one of those three is pitch black and you have to feel your way around – not for me!
On another day, I took a road trip to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina which was a really good day out.
A tour guide talked us through sights we saw on the journey there and back and then when we arrived in Mostar another tour guide helped us understand the history of the city.
On our way back to Croatia, we stopped at Kravica Waterfall where we saw several waterfalls and paddled in the water which was freezing and although it was a hot day, it was so cold you could still feel the water on your feet after drying off and getting your shoes back on!
As someone who loves travelling and visiting new places, I thought it was really cool that I got to visit another country for a day while on holiday and I’d recommend this trip to anyone wanting to explore.
Overall thoughts on Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik is definitely a place I’ll be recommending to people as it has so much on offer.
For me, 10 nights was a good amount of time to visit although I really didn’t want to come home and could’ve stayed a lot longer.
I felt that I managed to fit in everything I wanted to do while I was there and even got to enjoy a few days around the pool with a cocktail in hand.
There are plenty of places to eat and drink in the Old Town and it’s stunning - the pictures are amazing but it's even better in real life.
I’d say Dubrovnik is the perfect place for a summer holiday but also for a city break and if you can combine the two like I did, then I really recommend it.
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