Dubrovnik

Unlike France and Italy – where the well-oiled train system made hopping about the country a breeze – it’s a little trickier to roam about the Balkans. The train system in Croatia doesn’t extend further south than Split, and even where there are rail lines the trains don’t run regularly. The route from Split to Dubrovnik crosses two country borders: one into Bosnia and Herzegovina and then back into Croatia to access the southern part of the country. We had the choice of renting a one way car to get from Split to Dubrovnik or hopping on a bus down the coast, opting for the latter given the steep cost of a one way car rental.

Get Directions

From

To

Add Waypoint

For Driving Walking Transit Bicycling

show options hide options

Avoid Tolls Avoid Highways Avoid Ferries

Print directions Reset directions

Fetching directions......

Reset directions
Print directions

It was a very scenic drive down the coast, the mountains along the shoreline extending beyond 3000 feet/900 meters in some spots with the endless chain of Croatian islands visible offshore. Beach town after beach town dotted the coastline as we drove, Omiš was a particularly picturesque spot where I think we could have killed some time exploring the village and nearby beaches. The Makarska Riviera was also an exceptionally beautiful part of the drive, although the crawling traffic the bus hit trying to get through Makarska itself turned our four-and-a-half hour bus ride into six-and-a-quarter. Luckily we didn’t have anywhere to be at the other end of the trip! The border crossings intoBosnia and Herzegovina and back into Croatia were uneventful affairs, the guards at theBosnia and Herzegovina crossing didn’t even check our passports. We passed through the Bosnian oceanside resort town of Neum in the blink of an eye – the second-shortest stretch of coastline in the world behind Monaco’s – and were then back in Croatia, enjoying views of orchards and farmland as far as the eye could see at the base of Pelješac. I later discovered that we’d somehow got ourselves booked on the milk run bus from Split to Dubrovnik, rather than the express bus which traveled on the motorway instead of the coast road. I’ll chalk that up to not being able to decipher a lick of Serbo-Croatian, which we all struggled to pick up on – even basic phrases – during our time in Croatia.

We based ourselves in the neighborhood of Lapad, a hilly section of Dubrovnik close enough to the walled portion of the city to make it easily accessible on foot and also in the middle of a handful of city beaches. In hindsight, it was an ideal spot for us: the apartment we rented was exceptionally renovated, and we could walk to the beach within 15 minutes, the walled city within 25 and Port Gruž within 20. And there was a soccer field directly below our building where Max and Lilia had a blast kicking the ball with the local kids on most evenings. Youngens in Croatia seem to live and breathe sport, when they initially heard Max speaking English they assumed he was British and some gave him a cold shoulder due to the soccer rivalry between Croatian and England. But when they realized he was from California and on his way to Australia they all warmed up and welcomed him to the group, teaching him how to showboat when he scored a goal and enjoying the opportunity to practice their English with him. It was great for both Lilia and Max to have some time to enjoy the company of some kids their own age.

The jagged cliffs rolling into the ocean around Dubrovnik provided some excellent swimming spots for our few days in town. After our long day on the bus from Split we ventured a short walk east of our apartment to take a dip in front of the palatial Rixos Hotel, so nice in Croatia where by law the coastline must be accessible to all members of the public. We also enjoyed a dip at Uvala Lapad, as well as picturesque Plaža Bellevue with its towering cliffs and limestone caves. The kids unanimously voted Plaža Bellevue as their number one spot, so much to explore around the beach’s cove and exhilarating to swim into the depths of the giant cave on the northern edge of the beach (visible in a couple of the photos below).

Dubrovnik was decidedly more highbrow than Split: we absolutely loved Split, but compared to Dubrovnik’s ornate villas, fine dining and beautiful old town, Split felt a little bit like a backpacker destination where one goes to get a tattoo and pop a few disco biscuits at the nightclubs. Dubrovnik’s old town really was an incredible example of Middle Ages architecture, the sprawling walled city a source of pride for Croatians as it’s one of the few examples of Middles Ages fortressed that were never breached. The walls run an uninterrupted course of approximately 1940 meters/6360 feet, encircling most of the old city, and reach a maximum height of about 25 meters/82 feet. Most of the walls visible today were painstakingly constructed during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Inside the walls the stone buildings and streets were impeccably preserved, a journey back in time strolling down the grand promenades and narrow alleyways. We lost count of the number of buildings we recognized from Game of Thrones, the popularity of the show spawning an entire Game of Thrones tourism sector with specialized tours visiting buildings and sets from the series as well as stores hawking everything from t-shirts to full-sized replicas of Tyrion Lannister.

The kids did enjoy exploring Dubrovnik’s old town on foot, but without a doubt their favorite portion of the day was exiting the fortress through a small gate in the southern wall and climbing down the cliffs to hoist themselves off the rocks into the Adriatic below the towering city walls. There was an Irish fellow taking a dip with us who commented that Max and Lilia were obviously not afraid of the ocean as they were boosting themselves off the limestone into the ocean 15 feet/five meters below. His wife asked me if there was anything they are afraid of (I didn’t tell her Max’s core fear is losing sight of his parents)! Quite the memorable spot for a swim.

Cuisine in Croatia hasn’t been on par with the scrumptious offerings in Italy and France, although the seafood deserves a note. I read an article from a Croatian-American chef who was born in Dubrovnik and sought out a seafood eatery he mentioned in the old town called Barba. Scrumptious, fresh catch from local fisherman, we all enjoyed our lunch sitting on the steps of Onofrio’s Fountain. The octopus and marscapone sandwich I shared with Lisa is something I’m going to try to replicate when I have the chance.

The best views of the old town and its walls were those from the neighboring fortress of Lovrijenac in the mid-afternoon sun. Lovrijenac was very impressive in its own right, perched atop sheer cliffs with cannons encircling its walls. The walls of Lovrijenac exposed to enemy fire are an astonishing 12 meters/39 feet thick! In Game of Thrones, Lovrijenac served as the Red Keep in King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. Lots of the scenes were filmed at the fortress including the tournament thrown in honor of King Joffrey’s name day in season two.

Continuing on our tour of Croatia’s craft breweries that began in Split, we ventured to Port Gruž one afternoon for a few brews at the Dubrovnik Beer Company. During our time in Dubrovnik we actually had to keep an eye on on the horizon when venturing outside, as each day at some point or another an absolutely torrential downpour would encroach on the city. I’ve only ever experienced downpours of similar intensity in Minnesota: purple-colored thunderheads would roll in from the Adriatic and unleash an incredible amount of water for 10-20 minutes, turning the city streets to rivers and completely drenching anyone stranded outside. On our way to Dubrovnik Beer Company we spent a good 20 minutes in the door of a restaurant and then a fish market as we watched the skies open and drench everything in sight. Once we eventually made it to the brewery, DBC was a polished little operation tucked into an old building beside the docks. Some great beers on offer – especially the hazy IPA – and some really interesting takes on classic European brews, like their version of a traditional Czech lager. The kids were also pretty amped with the spot after they hunted down a bakery next door where Max found a lamington, of all things. We would have definitely taken a few of DBC’s offerings with us had we not needed to carry them to our next destination after Dubrovnik.

We’ve all loved our time in Croatia thus far, and Dubrovnik was no exception. It’s such a great country to travel with kids, as every adventure is easily mixed with a stop at a beach or two. We tossed up whether to keep continuing south from Dubrovnik into Albania, but there’s so much more we want to see in Western Europe that Dubrovnik is going to mark our furthest point south in the Balkans. Next stop: the island of Vis.