Sitting enjoying the sunset is how we started our first few hours in Dubrovnik. We had drinks at a tiny bar which is actually chiselled into the side of a big rock cliff. The setting was incredibly beautiful and yes, romantic ❤️. We lucked out with the weather, it was warm and we were able to stay there long enough to admire the sunset. 🌅

You absolutely need to go to this little bar if you come to Dubrovnik. It’s called the Buza bar. Its location is a bit hard to find. If you didn’t know it was there, you’d easily miss it. The entrance is literally a hole in the wall but follow this sign below, “cold drinks…” and it will get you there.

If you look closely in the photo below, we were sitting where you see the outlined black square. Awesome evening!

The fortification walls of this historic city-

We actually only stayed two days in Dubrovnik and we would have to say that one of our main enjoyment during our time there was walking the fortified walls. It completely surrounds this historic city and takes about two hours to complete. In 1979 the city which includes a substantial portion of the walls made it on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites. We actually debated at first as to whether or not we would do the walk, as the entrance fee was $40.00 per ticket. Even though we thoroughly enjoyed this experience we do question if this is actually a reasonable fee to charge tourists.

This city has long been a popular tourist destination, but it has seen its popularity soar since HBO launched the Game of Thrones in 2011. Naturally, tour guides have capitalized on this interest and now offer themed walks around the city. Even though we have followed this series we chose not to do any of those tours. We knew before coming here that the “Hollywood ” side of Dubrovnik would likely not be what we would most appreciate in this city. We were right!

Here are a few pics taken during our 2-hour walk around the walls.

From atop the wall, we had the perfect 360-degree vantage point.  Below is a view overlooking the Stradun, a pedestrian street that runs through the city.

As we walked along we kept coming up to some incredible views.

As you walk these walls and see all the new tiled red rooftops you can’t help but reflect on the most recent war that took place here, in 1991.

After all that walking, yes finally, ice cream! So yummy🍦Back on the ground we roamed the streets and marvelled at the beauty of this historic city.

We stayed in one of the studio Apartments Minerva. These apartments are set within the walls of the historic center. (see our review at the end of this post). What is interesting in getting to most apartments in the old town, is the amount of stairs you have to climb to get to them. It’s a good thing we’ve been somewhat keeping up with our fitness program on this trip.🏋️‍♀️ 🏃‍♂️ Of course, our place was at the top of all these stairs!!!! 😡

It’s orange picking time here in Croatia!🍊

Below is a statute of Marin Držić.  He was well known for writing tragic comedies and was often called Dubrovnik’s Shakespeare. Since this statue arrived in the old City the legend is that if you rub his nose it brings you good luck. Bernard couldn’t resist but appears a bit leery of him!😊

On our last evening, we spent it at  D’vino wine bar, doing this amusing wine workout!🤣

So now what we enjoyed about Dubrovnik –

1. Our two hour walk around the fortified walls with the beautiful Adriatic sea as the backdrop. As well, we found Dubrovnik’s beautiful historical buildings so incredibly well preserved.  

2. Our amazing sunset evening at Buza bar.

What we missed –

So this part is more difficult for us to write about, as in all fairness to Dubrovnik we only stayed here for two days. This is a quick first impression and our final thoughts as we leave the city.

We actually found Dubrovnik to be somewhat soulless. However, we feel people like us made it that way.  We suspect that the flood of travellers here have probably driven locals out of the old city. As a result, Dubrovnik residents and community life is pretty much non-existent here. It’s almost like visiting a museum, you walk around, look around,  and you think about, what life must have been like here,  even just 20 years ago.

Food scene – Sadly, food was exorbitantly expensive so we really didn’t get to enjoy any eating out.

We’ve learned that the city is looking at possibly limiting the number of tourists in order to provide a more authentic and cultural experience to its visitors. Who knows maybe this can be part of the solution.

Apartment review – We booked Minerva apartment through booking.com. We would absolutely recommend this small studio apartment for a short stay. It’s incredibly clean and in a quiet location. You also have a separate bedroom with a very comfortable queen size bed. You have as well for your use a small kitchen area and fridge. The only drawback is that you need to climb many street stairs to get to it, so take that into consideration.

Next bus stop, Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. (an 8 1/2 hour bus ride away 😩)