Dubrovnik what to see?

Dubrovnik - Croatia's number one tourist attraction

What is Dubrovnik really?) It's first of all a region of the country, secondly an old city, well and of course - it's a place for fans of the movie "Game of Thrones". It is in Dubrovnik where this movie was shot, I won't even say what it is about, but it is second only to Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings in terms of fan club)

In the Dubrovnik region the nature is beautiful enough, but the infrastructure is poorly developed:

•     The only gym "Teretana Top Fitness" at Put Don Antuna Kriletića 10, 20207, Čelopeci
•     supermarket and mini mall K Centar Sub City (Konzum) at Šetalište Franje Tuđmana 2a, 20207, Srebreno
•     A cluster of supermarkets, including Lidl - Ulica Tomislava Macana 7, 20000, Dubrovnik
•     Dentists are recommended to avoid in this region. Zupa clinic certainly not. There is no orthodontist. Teeth cleaning with ultrasound is done without any indicator, at random! About the sandblast teeth cleaning and dentist gnathologist not heard here at all. On the black crown they say it's normal!!!
•     Biochemical tests are possible at General Hospital Dubrovnik and polyclinic Glavic. One facility is "better" than the other. The people are nice and pleasant! You can take tests for a fee, or you can go to the doctor and on his appointment they will be free for Ukrainians in 2022. But here is the level of development... About two analyses, usual for Sinevo in Ukraine, here it is not even heard. After taking blood from a vein, they cover the absorbent cotton with paper tape!!! I wanted to take such a picture)))) Also on the Internet we found a private clinic Poliklinika Marin Med Dubrovnik, maybe the service is better there)
•     Car wash SPOT - 20207, Kupari, next to the gas station INA Kupari. You need cash in kuna, change for coins is in the machine. We asked one of the visitors to change 5 euros, he kindly agreed.
•     Dubrovnik market - "Gruž Market" at Obala Stjepana Radića 21, 20000. Right behind the market there is a parking lot for 20 kuna/hour, and there are three ATMs nearby. But the market is tiny! It's open until 12, but in fact at 11 there's almost nobody and nothing. There's a fish pavilion, with two vendors... "Gunduliceva Poljana Market - don't believe in this market, it is in the old city of Dubrovnik, that is, you won't find a parking lot here, well, for reasonable money) And from the photo, it is even smaller than the first one.

Where to rent accommodation in Dubrovnik?

To visit the old town and the surrounding area, you can settle in the "big" neighboring villages of Mlina and Cavtat. In these villages there is no sense to look for sights, but leisurely evening walks are delightful. Both villages, to a greater or lesser extent, have promenade and beaches. In Dubrovnik itself there is neither a promenade nor normal beaches. But Dubrovnik has expensive accommodation and super expensive parking.

Cavtat what to see:

•     Cavtat promenade
•     Lookout Gray Falcon

On the promenade itself there is a paid large parking lot 1 hour - 10 kuna (1.3 euros). But along the road that leads to the promenade there are chaotic pockets of free parking and you can almost always find a spot. On the map below, long arrows indicate the road along which there are free parking spaces, and the dashed line shows the stairs leading to the waterfront in the center.

The promenade is indicated by long arrows - this is the main path, if you go by the shrich point, you will need to go through the hotel, climbing on the rocks ... It is easier to go to the turn and turn back, as indicated on the map below, the second "finger" bypass all and there the footpath ends, if you go to the right (toward Mlina), then there will have to go on the road and the views are not remarkable.

The main promenade with all the cafes is between the first and second "fingers". There are boats and expensive yachts, lots of benches for relaxing and of course a beautiful view of the bay! There is not much to do here and the beaches are small, some of them are concrete or even cobblestones. But Cavtat is a must visit. Walking time on the promenade is at least 2 hours and that's if you run with a photo. Here you have to sit on a bench, listen to birds singing and enjoy the scent of pine trees, which grow everywhere!

Mlýny / Srebreno what to see:

•     Mlina Promenade - Srebreno
•     The ruins of Kupari (in the past a closed camp for the rest of the military and VIPs, it was totally destroyed during the Yugoslav war).

The Mlina promenade passes smoothly into the Srebreno promenade. It is less spectacular than Cavtat, but no less beautiful. There are cafes, beaches, but the boats are already cheap.) As in the whole Dubrovnik region, there are pine trees all around. Time to visit the promenade is about 1 hour. The promenade Srebreno smoothly passes into the trail leading to Kupari. It takes at least 2 hours to visit the former military recreation center. That is, of course, if you like abandonment) But in fact, the sight so touches the soul that involuntarily you get on the Internet and read the history of this region and the Yugoslav war in general. This place is like a memorial that the war is a colossal destruction(

On the map below, long arrows indicate the hiking trails on the civilian paths, and the dashed lines indicate the paths "through the bushes".

Parking Srebreno is the underground parking lot of the K Centar Sub City shopping complex at Šetalište Franje Tuđmana 2a, 20207, Srebreno. Free parking is possible here for 2 hours, then there is an hourly tariff. Entry by Tiket with a barrier.

The beginning of the trail to Kupari is at the end of Srebreno beach. Just before the lighthouse, the road goes to the right, the trail leads to Kupari beach. To this beach you can drive straight to the beach and there are plenty of places, including free parking. You walk along the beach and walk along the water's edge further to the right. Around the bend, the road turns into a mix of rocks and concrete paths, so we come to the place where the path ends and climb up to the top to the freeway. It reaches the active military base, so the road goes only to the right, as indicated by the arrows. The way winds between the abandoned hotels of the closed village, between the turns in one place it is necessary to pass through a building, but nothing difficult. We come out eventually to the beach and climb up to the observation deck, then go back up the upper road to Srebreno to the area of the Sheraton Hotel. There is a lot of greenery, especially conifers. People are walking, cars are driving, and all against a backdrop of about 7 war-torn hotels! Especially do not go here, only lovers of abandonment, or if you're nearby you can walk in the evening to see the scale of destruction ...

Earlier Kupari - it was a fenced area with VIP class hotels, where it was not just a road, but to rest there could only the military and dignitaries. It was compared to Monaco in France, in terms of the level of expensive. In 1991, the Montenegrins and Serbs bombed and looted Kupari. The time has passed, but the cars with Montenegrin license plates in Croatia, although the countries are separated only by a line. But tourists in Montenegro are regularly taken by bus to Dubrovnik.

Parking Kupari is free everywhere, there are no restrictions and there are always places. On the beach you can drive up to the water.

What to see in Dubrovnik

•     old town ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     the old port (Stara luka) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Dubrovnik fortress walls ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Lovrjenac fortress ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     viewpoints of the old town "Dubrovnik" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Pasjača Beach ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     "Vidikovac Lozica" - Franjo Tudjman Bridge - view of the new Dubrovnik and the bay ⭐⭐
•     the modern port and the promenade "Promenada Dubrovnik Port" ⭐
•     Dubrovnik parks: Velika and Mala Petka Forest Park, Gradac Park ⭐

Dubrovnik sightseeing time starts from 4-5 hours. Bear in mind that you should visit Dubrovnik after 17-18 hours in summer time, so that it won't be too hot. In the end, it turns out either several days of visiting or not to see everything, if you want to invest in 1 day, more precisely, in the evening)

It is most logical to begin the exploration of Dubrovnik with the fortress walls. There are 3 climbs along the entire perimeter, but the central one is just behind the Pila Gate (Vrata od Pila) on the left. Entrance tickets are purchased directly in front of the stairs leading to the top. Entrance tickets should be kept for two reasons. The first is that they will be scanned twice on the route along the walls (at the points of ascent from the old town), and the second is that they also involve entering the Lovrjenac fortress, which is a 15-minute walk from the Pila Gate. Moreover, you can visit the fortress on any other day with the same tickets, if you suddenly do not have time to visit in 1 day. The walk along the walls of Dubrovnik takes 1.5 hours and that's only with stops for photos. And if you want, you can sit at the top with views in several cafes. The entrance fee is 34 euros (2022). This is not a small amount, but the views are frankly beautiful) The uniqueness is that you can see all the streets of the city, all the rooftops at a distance! With the track and the panoramic point Srđ views are a bit different, from there all the small, and here as a toy seems) The movement on the walls is counterclockwise. All go back to back... That's why you don't want to be there in the season...  You can pay for the entrance by card or kunas, euros are not accepted. If you want to go up the walls in summer, you have to wait until 6 pm! There is a total sunburn on the walls. After the walls it is logical to go down to the old town and walk its streets, at least the main ones. Below on the map is the route of the walk around Dubrovnik. After the walk along the walls, we again find ourselves at the Pilski Gate, walk along the main street to the old Dubrovnik pier, walk there, then go back along a parallel street. Then you can visit the fortress of Lovrijenac. WARNING: the tickets to the fortress of Lovrijenac, after the walls of Dubrovnik, are valid only for 3 days!!! Although it is written on the tickets - really a year... By "really a year" - they meant: buy a ticket and go to the walls + fortress at any time of the year. But if you visit one attraction, you have to visit the other within 3 days!!! No one and nowhere notifies you about this. They wouldn't let us in after a week.

After the fortress we go up to the panoramic point Srđ.  There is no point in visiting the new port, the promenade and the Franjo Tudjman bridge. We've been everywhere, nothing interesting) The promenade is depressing, the port is "working", not walking. You can see the bridge when you go to the Makarska region.

Parking Dubrovnik - costs the more expensive the closer to the old town. That said, there are still not enough spaces. There are places where only locals are allowed to park at all. But there are secret streets with free parking, for example Ul. Ivana Matijaševića - landmark Mazda service center. The map below shows where the street with free parking in Dubrovnik is located.

Dubrovnik parks: Velika and Mala Petka Forest Park, Gradac Park are forested areas, with trails. Not equipped and completely uncivilized (suitable only for walks with dogs. There are no good viewing platforms.

Dubrovnik viewpoints

•     The funicular from the old town, walking trail or by car from the highway - "Srđ" is a guide to where to go. There is no point in taking the funicular - the price is about 30 euros per person, and it takes 5 minutes by car...
•     A bench with a panoramic view (42° 38' 33.37" N, 18° 7' 32.25" E). Before sunset, it's interesting to watch the trail and the ascent of Srđ here. When the sun sets behind the mountain, you should move to the next panoramic point) (on the map point 12)
•     view of the old town of Dubrovnik (exactly at sunset) - 42 ° 38' 40.87" N, 18 ° 7' 15.34" E. This is essentially a rock, not reaching the end point of the funicular ride 100-200 meters. (on the map at point 13) the best view of Dubrovnik from the mountain
•     The next panoramic point is behind the cable car ride. You should come here when the sun is almost touching the horizon. View of the new part of the city of Dubrovnik - 42° 39' 3.84" N, 18° 6' 32.00" E (on the map at 14)

On the map, the three main panoramic points look like this in relation to each other:

Viewpoint to Dubrovnik from the road - coordinates 42° 38' 0.81" N, 18° 8' 12.43" E. It is also a beautiful sunset. Free parking is available here.

What can I see on the outskirts of Dubrovnik?

The main places to visit are Cavtat, Mlina / Srebreno (Kupari - as a reminder that any war is evil!), Veliki Zaton, Trsteno, Slano, Ston, Orebic, Mljet, Korcula. But this is a 100% exhaustive list and there is nothing to do here for more than 1-2 weeks, well, nothing at all) And we settled for a month...

•     Great Zaton - a cozy village for lunch or dinner

In Zaton you can go just for a leisurely meal in the institution, which is located immediately at the entrance to the bay konoba Ankora (indicated on the map). After the meal, you can walk around the bay when the road ends, a path through the woods along the water begins. It is convenient to walk along the path for about 1 km in one direction, then it turns into a wilderness. Walking and lunch/dinner time is 2-3 hours. This is exactly the relaxation, as in the whole of Croatia)))

Pasjača Beach - the beach is amazing!

It's just like in Asia) Visiting this beach, however, is limited by the peculiarities:

•     To get to it is not so close, even by car. Parking is free, the landmark is "soccer field", from there and to the beginning of the steps and there is parking.
•     To the beach itself you will have to walk up the path and steps. There is downhill, and back uphill))))
•     The "beach" is a big name for this place. There eevery little place and no where to lie down for sure. Water floods almost the entire coast. And the number of people is off the charts. Here everybody mostly bought and left. The view is beautiful from the water - the rocks overhang. The time to visit the beach depends directly on how much you like to swim)
•     With dogs on this beach it is impossible, as well as on many beaches of Croatia in general.

But it is necessary to visit this beach!

Punta Oštro and Prevlaka peninsula - Croatian abandonment

This is the return to the border with Montenegro) It's not less than 1 hour drive from Dubrovnik, but it's worth it. For people who like to climb of course) Turn to the peninsula is located 50 meters from the checkpoint in Montenegro. Before you reach the checkpoint, you turn right. You can drive here by highway, or you can go on the road through local Croatian villages and it's much more interesting, although even slower. On Prevlaka is an abandoned fortress. Punta Oštro - it's gorgeous! Several floors, labyrinths and all the atmosphere from my childhood while watching TV game "Keys to Fort Boyard". If you don't climb the fortress, and just enjoy the views of Herceg Novi and stop at the "Sun set beach" at the beginning of the peninsula, the time to visit Prevlaka will not exceed 40 minutes. But the road through the Croatian villages, the view of the fortress itself will make your evening) You can come here if you have a lot of free time. On the way back, you can stop at Sokol grad (Sokol Castle) fortress and from there go also country road to Zvekovica (Cavtat). Do not wait much of course. Entrance to the fortress like 10 euros and views from it, as from the road - to the valley. The valley is beautiful! But to pay money for 5 minutes in the fortress is not worth it... And it does not work until the evening. It's not worth going especially, only if you're walking)

•     The Arboretum Trsteno is pure PR!

The Arboretum itself costs 70 kuna (about 10 euros), but it's not worth the fee to visit it! More interesting is the observation deck in the free part of the park with a view of the promenade and the promenade itself. More about this in a separate article "Arboretum Trsteno".

•     Slano - beautiful bay + panorama of Lookout Elaphites (Vidikovac Elafiti Gajina-Majkovi)

After Tersteno we drive to Slano. As indicated on the map, because there are one-way roads. From the highway to the left at the sign of Centar Slano, and follow the water along the bay until the village of Bania. Then we go back along the same road to the center of Slano and now go to the right, to a dead end - the barrier. Then, as indicated on the map, turn back and take the mountain road, crossing the highway. There will be 3 places with beautiful views along the way. The first places are not indicated on the maps because - these are just views along the road - a bird's eye view of Slano) The third place is equipped observation deck with parking - Lookout Elaphites (Vidikovac Elafiti Gajina-Majkovi).

•     Ston - Koruna Fortress and City Wall - Ston Wall in Croatia - the second "Chinese Wall

On the way to the ferry to the island of Mljet, we pass the towns of Ston and Mali Ston. They are connected by a fortress wall - the longest in Europe and the second largest, after the Chinese Wall, in the world! Especially go here, to be honest, is not worth it. Climbing the walls is not interesting - you see only steps upwards, downwards - a small village and of course all the time under the scorching sun. And for the entrance of course you have to pay. By the way, the entrance seems to be till 15 o'clock... We came and took a picture at the foot of the walls, walked for 5 minutes through the ruined old town and that was all) Its length is about 5 km and it connects two villages. Along the walls you can walk from Ston to Maliy Ston and back along the path. But more often, people walk along the central part in the village of Ston - you can walk up and then come down. It is a 40-50 minute drive from Dubrovnik.

•     Mljet Island and National Park - another "trap" for tourists

It takes a whole day to visit Mljet National Park and not a comparable amount of money to the views! We do not recommend even a visit at all.

•     Lokrum - the island opposite Dubrovnik or the "piggy bank" of tourist investments

After visiting the park of Mljet, we read the reviews about the island of Lokrum... The situation is the same as with the island of Mljet. The visit to Lokrum costs about 30 euros per person - the boat and the entrance. In fact, one gets just an ordinary island, with no attractions. Where a stay of more than 30 minutes leads to thoughts of "what did I pay for. In general, we gave up our visit to this island. From Dubrovnik regularly sail boats, travel time about 10 minutes.

•     Korcula Island - the most beautiful island in Croatia)

To get to the island of Korcula from Dubrovnik, you will need the ferry Orebic - Korcula. Thus, you will visit another beautiful city - Orebic!

Croatia - what to try?

Croatia is one of the 20 most environmentally friendly countries in the world! The full season starts on July 1, not June like in Montenegro. In general, in Croatia there is no big influx of people, even in July and August. Even Dubrovnik in high season can't be compared with Saranda in Albania or Budva in Montenegro) Internet in Croatia is good enough if you buy a sim card of mobile operator Telemach - 20 GB approx. 10 euros. You can buy a SIM card in Dubrovnik with your passport - the address is: Tele2 Centar Dubrovnik, Ul. Dr. Ante Starčevića 45, 20000

•     The water in the taps in Croatia is potable, it's spring water! Note, no need to buy or filter it from the tap.
•     Truffles are the specialty of Croatia. Here they are harvested and as a result, store shelves are flooded with truffles and the prices do not bite! Here in the usual supermarket Conzum you can buy truffles sliced in olive oil! Homeland is the peninsula of Istria. There white and black truffles grow in the usual forests) Istria is also famous for almost the best olive oil in the world.
•     Croatian cucumbers are bigger than zucchini! The local cucumbers are certainly not juicy, but they're not completely dry either. They have a cucumber flavor without being bitter. The fragrance is faint. The skins are peeled for sure, otherwise they are oaky. But why do the Croats grow them to this size? Option - to sell more expensive?) Our gherkins and spring cucumbers will obviously not understand them) The photo is the smallest that I was able to choose at the market ... Most cucumbers are 2-3 times the size of those in the photo below!!! By the way, figs are also gigantic in size. The taste isn't great either, almost not sweet and certainly not honeyed.

Peljesac Bridge - the opening of the century in Croatia

The bridge will allow driving through Croatia, bypassing the customs with Bosnia-Herzegovina in Neum. The bridge is expected to open in June-July 2022. The bridge will be free. Customs can now be bypassed using the Trapanj - Ploce ferry.

The ferry Trpanj - Ploce - or how to get from Dubrovnik to Makarska, bypassing Bosnia-Herzegovina!

To get to the ferry you will need to cross the peninsula of Peljesac, which is about 1 hour drive. The ferry is big and has two floors for cars, so it fits everybody! The schedule is available in Jadrolinija app, and the tickets should be bought when you get there - there's no point buying them in advance. The cost of a car + 2 people = 234 kuna. Travel time is about 1 hour. This way you can get from Dubrovnik region to Makarska region without going through customs checkpoint in Neum (Bosnia Herzegovina).