Traveling the Coast of Croatia (Dubrovnik)
So here is what happens when two siblings who know absolutely nothing about Croatia start researching and decide to travel along the coast of Croatia in a rental car.. and….. BEST TRIP EVER. let me start from the beginning…
We decided to go in early May, where the weather is nice and tourist season is beginning but not overwhelming. (spoiler alert: Croatia is sadly not the hidden gem of Europe that it used to be.. but it 100p lives up to the hype.) I was able to wear summer clothes throughout, and the water was warm enough to swim in! 10/10 recommend traveling Croatia in May.
First day: We begun our trip by flying into Dubrovnik, Croatia from a layover in Athens. We then checked into our Airbnb (about a 1 mile walk from the main center of Dubrovnik) and enjoyed a Pivo (‘beer’) looking out at our view. There are so many hotels becoming more popular in Dubrovnik, but I would still recommend an Airbnb experience because the city is so intriguing that you’re not going to spend time in the hotel at all. We then walked into Old Town Dubrovnik. Now, hold back your SMH, I have never seen Game of Thrones .. but holy SH**^%T because after walking through this fortress like space I perfectly understood why all GOT fans were so mesmerized by the location. Clay and I wandered the streets (our favorite free travel activity) and bought a street stand mojito as we stared into the little shops. We then found ourselves at a ferry where, without any research, we hopped on a ferry that took us to the island of Lokrum. I also highly recommend stopping at this island. We went on a short hike and saw about 185385638 peacocks that were straight chillers on the island as if that was completely normal (my snapchat story saw it first) then found a rocky beach were we were able to sunbathe, jump in the water, and stare at the amazing view. After a couple hours we went back to Dubrovnik and were ready for dinner. PRO TIP on meals anywhere in Croatia - but especially Dubrovnik and Split - except for some famously known exceptions.. a lot of the restaurants on the water / great views are tourist traps and the food isn’t great. If its a perfect little patio next to a souvenir shop.. don’t bother. Instead, walk farther away from the water and into the little alleyways where you can find many local restaurants and bars. Here it is squid & various other seafood heaven and everything feels like a mix between Mediterranean and Italian food and is incredible.
Day 2: We woke up early to walk the walls of Dubrovnik (which is a muuuuuuust to wake up early for, it ruins the experience when the crowds are too big on the walls.. you really want to take your time.) While we were on the walls we noticed the cable car spot was nearby that took us to even more dank views, so we walked over after and waited in line. The line was pretty long for us (worth it though) but keep in mind there is also a trail you can take to hike up to the view as well. The cable car takes you up to a lookout spot which overlooks all of Croatia. There is a huge cross and croatian flag and even though I’m not too religious…. being in that view next to the symbol made me feel some typa WAY. Naturally, off the life high of the view we had to stop to get a drink as well. Restaurant Panorama is nooooot for ‘ballers on a budget’ (our self proclaimed name) but we decided it was worth it… it was. Clay got the girliest drink of all time, so make sure to make fun of him for it. We then went back into Old Town, because trust me you’ll never want to leave, and secretly followed a Game of Thrones tour around where I was happily able to yell SHAME SHAME SHAME! as Clay walked up the famous GOT steps. This led us to my personal favorite spot of Dubrovnik, Buza Bar, which was literally a bar on the side of the cliff… naturally, amazing views. We then went to another spot for dinner where clay got even more squid (chill bro!) and we settled into our airbnb, ready to hit the road again in the morning to head to the island of Hvar.
My final joke of the trip was that yo boy Donald Trump would love this city.. walls on walls on walls (the only time his name will ever be mentioned in this blog ya heard)
