A Weekend in Dubrovnik, Croatia

I find that sometimes the short breaks or the spontaneous weekend getaways turn out to be my best holidays. Four short breaks spread across the year can be better than just one long holiday in a year. If you are that someone who is constantly busy, who haven’t taken a break in while and in need to break out from your regular routine, you deserve a short getaway. If you would like a little inspiration to where your next destination should be, keep reading…

A photo taken from the City Walls

Personally, I love going on short city breaks; as it is easy and hassle-free, making it a great way to visit a city, and allows you to be spontaneous for the weekend. The feeling after will just leave you wanting more. This blog post will focus on my most recent city break and my thoughts of this holiday experience…

Destination: Dubrovnik, Croatia

If you are looking for a destination that provides you with the experience of sun and sea, adventure, scenic wonders, history, overall great weather and wide range of restaurants, then Dubrovnik is the perfect place for you. Croatia is the most recent destination that I visited, which was in the summer and is probably my favourite destination yet. Although this city can be viewed to be overly touristy, it is still amazing, which explains why Dubrovnik is one of the top tourist destinations. I especially love the diversity of Croatia and the infinite amounts that this city has to offer. There is something to do and see every day, making it the perfect and ideal holiday destination for everyone to visit any time of the season.

What to see and do?

Stroll down the main street of the Old Town

From strolling on the streets of Stradun (or Placa – the main street in the Old City) today, I could not believe or have guessed that only 20 years ago, a war was going on here in this city, and I must say that the reconstructions looks immaculate and frankly the restorations are quite impressive. A myriad of small narrow streets provides a wide range of shops, restaurants and bars awaiting for you to explore.

City Walls of Dubrovnik

If you want impressive views of the Old Town, the City Walls is where you should definitely visit when you are in Dubrovnik. The wall surrounds the whole town, and from the ramparts you can view the spectacular views of the contrasting colours of orange terracotta roofs with the crystallising blue Adriatic Sea in the background, which is absolutely breathtaking. This was probably the first place I truly fell in love with the city of Dubrovnik. Although on the day that I visited, the weather was not particular great, it still didn’t affect how beautiful this city is.

Islands, Sea kayaking – Island of Lokrum

There are over 1600 islands in Croatia and if you love a bit of an adventure and would love to explore some islands, the Island of Lokrum (also known as the Island of Love) would be the closest to visit whilst you’re here in Dubrovnik. For some adventure, why not join a Sea Kayaking excursion tour which will take you to the Island of Lokrum. Or rent your own kayaks for a short paddle and experience Dubrovnik differently. This experience will provide you with a different perspective of the city from the sea.

What to eat?

I arrived Dubrovnik quite late at night, therefore most of the restaurants were closed, however, there were still various options like fast food and bars with great food. These fast food restaurants consist of pizzas, kebabs, gelato and much more. Although pizza was not what I exactly wanted at 11pm, but it was probably one of the best pizzas I have had in a while. Although Italy and Croatia are just separated by the Adriatic Sea, Croatia’s cuisine have are heavily influenced on Italian cuisine.

You can definitely not leave Dubrovnik without having any sort of seafood. My favourite restaurant was definitely Lokanda Peskerija which is located in the Old Town. The restaurant offers great, affordable seafood and has a great view of the seafront, great overall atmosphere and good service. Mussels, grilled octopus and squid ink seafood risotto are just some of the amazing dishes Lokanda Peskerija has to offer. Plus, the portions come in generous portions and freshness and taste of the food is incredible.

Grilled Squid – Delicious meal in Lokanda Peskerija, not to be missed, located in Old Town

What not to miss?

Walking around the Walls of Dubrovnik is in no doubt a must-go tourist spot. However, taking a cable car (which is situated just 5 minutes outside of the Old Town), to the top of Mount Srđ is something that should not to be missed. I would recommend going up to the mountain before sunset and enjoy the beautiful panoramic views of the “Pearl of Adriatic”.

This photo is taken from the observatory on the top of Mount Srđ, also, the far island shown in the photo is Lokrum.

What next?

Croatia is definitely not a place to be missed, especially Dubrovnik. It is also a holiday that you never want to end (whilst you’re there). It is a place where, every photograph you take looks amazing, even if you don’t have professional photography skills.

In just four days, I have fallen deep in love for this city. Now that it is October, I’m still constantly dreaming about my trip to Dubrovnik in July, and to this day I still desperately want to go back and explore more of what Croatia has to offer.

If you are interested and want to book a holiday straight away, there are plenty of different options we have on Mail Travel for many hassle free City Breaks.

Remember, Dubrovnik is just the start of Croatia, there are over 1,000 islands to explore. Other popular destinations like Split, Hvar, Zagreb and the famous Plitvice Lakes are just some of the places that are waiting for you to explore. If you’re interested, Croatian Islands Cruise, is a perfect holiday package for those of you who want to explore more of Croatia in a small ship cruise in 8 days. Also, if you are interested in total hassle free holidays, Escorted tours in Croatia would probably suit you.