Dubrovnik : Welcome to the King’s Landing
A sharp tap on my shoulder and a stern voice of an officer asking for my passport woke me up. Tousled hair and sleepy eyed I looked around. “Your passport please” inquired the smartly dressed police officer again.
I looked at my watch – ‘4:30 AM! We must be entering Bosnia and he needs my passport for the border control’ – I thought to myself. I hastily handed my passport to the officer, who returned it to me after a few minutes. After completing the security check for all the passengers, the bus continued its journey towards Dubrovnik.
It had been a long journey for me; a train ride from Zagreb to Split, a 6 hour wait at the bus station, followed by a seemingly unending bus journey. Only a couple of hours more before I reached this beautiful town – I consoled myself.
Dubrovnik
I reached the Dubrovnik bus station around 7:30 AM. After freshening up and booking my return tickets, I started walking towards the town. The first stretch of 2 kms is a part of the Dubrovnik New Town; I could see a few vegetable and fish vendors setting up their shops early in the morning. After a 20 minute walk I reached the Old Town, the major attraction of Dubrovnik!
Dubrovnik Old Town
The Old Town of Dubrovnik is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The best way to experience the various flavours of the Old Town is to walk the maze of streets and enjoy a scrumptious meal at one of the many restaurants in the area. If you are a sea food lover then you are in for a treat! Try some street food at Barba, especially the Octopus Burger.
Historically, Dubrovnik was known as a famous trade centre due to its location on the coast. It used to be one of the main competitors of Venice back in the day. Today Dubrovnik is synonymous to King’s Landing, from Game of Thrones, the capital of the seven kingdoms. Thanks to Game of Thrones, Dubrovnik’s popularity has reached stratospheric levels. You would find plenty of GoT theme walking tours. Infact there is a life size iron throne where one can click a picture!
Dubrovnik Panorama
The cable car ride up to Mount Srd gives you a panoramic view of the azure waters of Dubrovnik. The view of the walled town with terracotta roofs and the blue Adriatic Sea is simply breathtaking.
After an hour of clicking some amazing pictures of the beautiful panorama, I decided to take the cable car back to the town. I was about to purchase the tickets when I saw a zigzag path going towards the Old Town. It’s an interesting walk that not only provides stunning views of the Old and the New town but also has 14 reliefs of Jesus Christ depicting his journey on the day of crucifixion. It takes around 45 mins – 1 hour to reach Old Town via this path.
SINCERA TIP
- Make sure you have a multiple entry Schengen Visa if you plan to reach Dubrovnik via Bosnia and Herzegovina. A multiple entry visa will ensure that you can re-enter Croatia after leaving its boundaries.
- I would highly recommend walking down from the panoramic view point to the town. It will not only save you money but also offer some really beautiful views of the town. Make sure you walk down the path carefully and wear good shoes since the path is not a well-made trail and has a lot of loose rocks.