The Beautiful City of Zagreb, Croatia.

Zagreb, Croatia is not your average capital city. It flies below most tourists’ radars, which means you’ll encounter fewer crowds, lower prices, and might have a more authentic experience than other made-for-tourist towns like Dubrovnik or Trogir. If you take a walk down the pedestrian-only Restaurant Row street, where you’d normally expect to encounter hoards of tourists, you’ll be surprised to hear almost everyone speaking Croatian!

But fewer tourists also means fewer attractions and activities. Zagreb has a good Museum scene, if that’s your thing, but it’s really just a very livable city that’s a lot of fun to explore. A visit here will undoubtedly be low-key, relaxing, and inexpensive. For some, that’s a great reason to visit Zagreb. For others, it’s a reason to avoid it. If you’re passing through anyway, it’s definitely worth spending a few nights here. We certainly enjoyed ourselves!

So what should you do while you’re in Zagreb?

Visit the Dolac Market

One of the best ways to experience a town or city is to visit their produce market! Looking back on all of the places we’ve called “home” over the last year, some of our favorite people were local folks who had booths at the fresh markets where we bought our groceries. It’s SO MUCH FUN to become a regular at the market while you’re in town! Everywhere we go, we end up with a “fruit guy”, a “veggie lady”, an “egg gal”, and a “baker”. It’s such a fun feeling when they start to recognize you and greet you with a huge grin!

Zagreb has one of the biggest fresh market’s we’ve ever visited. If you’re ever in town, visiting the Dolac Market is an absolute must.

The outdoor area of the Dolac Market in Zagreb.

Look how packed the place is!

There are dozens of produce vendors, a huge section devoted solely to soft cheeses, countless meat booths, flower vendors, and bakers, and there is more sauerkraut than you’ll know what to do with.

Cured meats, anyone?

A bakery booth in the cavernous indoor area of the market.

There are even booths selling hand-made wooden kid’s toys and wooden kitchen utensils! I could spend a whole morning just walking around at the market taking in the sights and smells.

Dozens of flower vendors selling beautiful bouquets.

Don’t want a bouquet? Buy flowers for your garden!

Visit the Museum of Broken Relationships

I’m not really a museum person, but when it comes to completely offbeat museums that feature something totally out of the norm, I am 100% in for a visit. Zagreb has one of the weirdest museums I’ve ever heard of, the Museum of Broken Relationships. This museum was actually created by a couple who had just broken up, with the idea being that it can be therapeutic to “overcome an emotional collapse through creation” by donating an item to the Museum’s collection.

The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb.

Each item on display was donated to the museum by someone who recently ended a relationship. Each exhibit is accompanied by a story sent in with the item about the relationship or the breakup, and many of them show how long the couple was together.

The museum is at times extremely depressing (think multi-decade marriages ended in cheating and divorce, or others ending in suicide), but the overwhelming majority of the stories were hilarious and witty or just plain heartwarming.

A few of our favorite exhibits:

An Ex Axe from Berlin, Germany. No, this isn’t a murder weapon. A man sent this in after his girlfriend left him for another woman. She had recently moved in with him before she found someone new and ran off on a 2-week vacation with this new girlfriend. Every day of his ex-girlfriend’s 14-day holiday, the Axe man chopped up a piece of her furniture. When she returned from her holiday and came to retrieve her belongings, all she found was a pile of hacked up wood!

A Linksys Router, from a 7-month relationship in San Francisco. The sender’s note reads “We tried. Not Compatible.”

A champagne cork from a 2.5-year relationship in London. The sender’s note reads: “I was due to get married on 6th August 2011, but discovered 6 months ago that my fiancé was cheating on me. This is the cork from the champagne I used to celebrate my lucky escape.”

And finally, my favorite, the Toaster of Vindication. This one came from Denver, Colorado after a 4-year relationship ended. The note reads “When I moved out, and across the country, I took the toaster. That’ll show you. How are you going to toast anything now?”

The Museum also has a sassy gift shop and a cute little cafe. They have some creative souvenirs, my favorite being their chocolate selection:

Chocolates in the Museum of Broken Relationships Gift Shop.

Hit the Pivnica Medvedgrad Happy Hour

This won’t surprise readers who know us well… We found THE BEST BARGAIN in Zagreb. A local microbrewery called Pivnica Medvedgrad and a pizzeria named Mali Medo have joined forces to become a delicious, wonderful, behemoth presence in one of Zagreb’s best pedestrian zones. They have something like four different storefronts (all located around here), all offering the same food and beer.

Enjoying beers at Pivnica Medvedgrad!

For a magical 1-hour window each day, their beer and pizza Happy Hours overlap. It. Is. Amazing. Each day from 4-6pm, the Pizza of the Day is half off. And everyday from 5-7pm, they offer at least one half-liter beer for just 9 Kuna (that’s about $1.25!). So, obviously, the hour between 5 and 6pm became a big deal to us. We were in Zagreb for 4 nights, and had dinner at Pivnica Medvedgrad Mali Medo THREE TIMES.

Delicious Mali Medo pizzas for a mere $3.50 apiece during Happy Hour.

As an added bonus, their beer is actually pretty delicious! We especially loved their Wheat Beer. Kevin brews his own beer at home, so we are a bit spoiled by usually having beer around to drink that is made to our exact specifications, so this was nice to find on our travels.

Tasty beers at Pivnica Medvedgrad. Our fave, the Wheat Beer, on the right.

Eat Brownies a la Mode

A Fudge Brownie with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

It should be clear by now that Kevin and I are incapable of visiting a city without seeking out at least one dessert, especially if a city we’re visiting has a cafe called The Cookie Factory.

If you’re in town, be sure to stop by for their 18 Kuna ($2.50) Brownie a la Mode. Pick any brownie from their huge menu:

The Cookie Factory’s Brownie Menu.

In our opinion, the optimal combination is a Fudge Brownie with Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream. We almost went back a 2nd day in a row, before we realized we’re adults and can’t behave like that anymore.

A Cream Cheese brownie with Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream. SO SO GOOD.

Visit Maksimir Park

One of the recurring challenges we’ve had in new cities we’ve traveled to is where to go running. I’m training for a Marathon in June, so I had a big 18-miler to tackle in Zagreb. Luckily, they have a wonderful outdoor area called Maksimir Park that’s just a couple of miles East of Zagreb’s main tourist area.

I’m the runner off in the distance there.

It’s great for running if you have a Fitbit to track your mileage, but it’s tricky to map a run here with online tools like Map My Run because the trails aren’t super well-defined on Google Maps. But you can’t beat the scenery, and there are free bathrooms! (Never thought I’d see any of those in Europe, anywhere, ever…)

Maksimir Park has a seemingly endless amount of trails to choose from.

Even if you’re not there to run, it can be a great place to stroll on a sunny day. They even have a zoo.

Beautiful Maksimir Park.

Walk Around… A Lot

Zagreb is a city of fun pedestrian-only zones, huge busy piazzas, and gardens and flowers galore. Seriously, someone in the Parks Department has the gift of a green thumb. Spring has sprung here in Zagreb, and there’s no better way to experience it than on foot. The area of interest to Tourists is all within a fairly compact neighborhood, so most sights are within a 25-minute stroll.

To give you a taste of Zagreb, here are a few photos we snapped on our 4-night stay:

Jelačić Square, the heart of Zagreb.

A Beautiful park in Zagreb.

Zagreb is home to the shortest Funicular in the world. It takes just 55 seconds and costs about $0.50 to use the Funicular. (The stairs are an easy option, too, and free.)

The view out over gorgeous Zagreb from the top of the Funicular.

Following Rick Steves’ Walking Tour around town. Because I cannot resist one of Rick’s walking tours. Because I am an old lady at heart…

Zagreb’s Church of St. Mark. What a cool roof, right? On the left is the North-Central Croatia coat of arms, and on the right is the Seal of Zagreb.

The Croatian Prime Minister’s office building. This building was targeted in the war in the 1990s, and was damaged by air raids by the Yugoslav forces in 1991. You can see the bright orange tiles that replaced the ones damaged in the war.

Did you know that Nikola Tesla was born in Croatia? This plaque honors him. Also, notice that the streetlight by the door is an old fashioned gaslight! In fact, Zagreb has 217 functioning gas lights around the city, and all of them have to be lit and put out each day by a couple of city employees.

This used to be Zagreb’s red light district! (Prostitution is now illegal in Zagreb) Locals are quick to point out that the front balconies of these houses have great views of the town’s Cathedral. Oh, the irony…

The main pedestrian drag in Zagreb. Tons of fun bars, great restaurants, and cute shops.

Be sure to duck inside to see the chandeliers that came from Las Vegas in the 1970s. Gaudy, right?

Church Building 101: Why you should not use limestone for elaborate buildings in a cold climate. The spire on the left is made of limestone and was worn down from years of harsh winters in Zagreb.

When you walk out of the train station, this is what greets you. Not bad!

Beautiful Magnolia trees in Zagreb.

Someone here has a green thumb.

More parks and green spaces in Zagreb.

If all that walking wears you out, stop by Eli’s Caffe for a good Latte. We told the barista we were from Seattle, and he wanted to talk our ears off about Vivace Coffee. (Vivace is a great spot for coffee if you’re ever in Seattle, by the way.)

Lattes at Eli’s Caffe.

Celebrate “America Day”

We accidentally had an “America Day” celebration in Zagreb. After having Brownies a la Mode (a classic American dessert, in my opinion), we decided to try Zagreb’s best Burger. We’ve been jonesing for a good burger, especially after going nearly 8 months in Thailand without beef (pork is a lot cheaper and tastier than beef in Thailand). We haven’t even LOOKED at a gas or charcoal grill since leaving Seattle in April 2014, so it was high time we remedied the problem.

A delicious American Pale Ale, brewed at a tiny microbrewery here in Zagreb. Tasted just like what you might order back home in Seattle!

Enter Rocket Burger, allegedly the best burger available in Croatia. They use an indoor griddle to cook up their burgers, but we’ll take what we can get.

A delicious Cheddar Bacon Supreme at Rocket Burger. A beef patty, slice of cheddar, beer-caramelized onions, a couple pieces of bacon, ketchup, tomato, lettuce, and a secret sauce. YUM.

We ordered up a couple Cheddar Bacon Supremes with fries and American Pale Ales. Nothing says America like Bacon and Cheddar on a delicious slab of ground beef, AMIRITE? To top it all off, AC/DC was playing on the radio. We miss home!

How to Get from Split to Zagreb

If you talk to any local in Split, they’ll tell you to take the bus to get from Split to Zagreb. It can take anywhere from 4.5 to 8 hours, with a one-way ticket costing between 90 and 175 Kuna (or about $12.60 to $24.50). However, we learned in Spain that not all buses have an onboard bathroom, and a reconnaissance mission to Split’s bus station confirmed our fears. I’m neurotic about drinking SO MUCH WATER everyday, so I’m not super fond of being trapped anywhere without a bathroom.

That’s where trains come in. I love trains in Europe! In general they’ve been impressively clean and pretty darn comfortable. We lucked out and got in on a half-price sale on our tickets from Split to Zagreb, so we paid only 112 Kuna/person (about $15.70).

Split’s tiny, sunny train station. Off we go to Zagreb!

The train journey is scheduled to take 6 hours, but is frequently late. We arrived about 40-minutes behind schedule. Part of that delay was due to a 20-minute smoke break halfway through the trip:

Talk about a mass exodus from the train. Smoking is a lot more common here, and almost everyone got out at this stop.

The scenery train ride to Zagreb is beautiful (and impossible to capture from inside of a moving train). We wound our way past dramatic limestone cliffs, had beautiful views of the Adriatic sea, and even climbed through a snowy mountain range!

Snow on our train ride to Zagreb.

We started to get cabin fever before we arrived in Zagreb. Do as the locals do and bring a bunch of snacks and entertainment:

Folks on the train playing cards!

We Want to Hear From You!

Have you visited any towns that fly below the average tourist’s radar like Zagreb does? We’d love to hear about them. Please leave us a comment and let us know!

Beautiful Krka National Park

In the last couple weeks, I’ve been posting about the day trips we went on during our month when we were based in Split, Croatia. I wrote about our wonderful trip to Dubrovnik and about our foray into Bosnia, but I’ve saved the best for last.

Kevin and I in front of the falls!

We were so surprised at what we found on our day trip to Krka National Park in Croatia. During our drive to Krka, we started wondering how there could possibly be waterfalls in this area; all we could see were rolling hills and not even a hint that there were any lakes around. Lo and Behold, a few minutes after we got off the expressway, we found the enormous lakes that are part of Krka National Park:

Lakes near the Krka entrance in Skradin, Croatia

Krka National Park is often overshadowed by Plitvice National Park, a bigger park with more waterfalls located further North in Croatia (about a 3-hour drive from Split). Most people will tell you that Plitvice has the best waterfalls in Croatia, which means they also have more crowds. We were planning to visit on our way up to Zagreb, but got discouraged based on the park’s lack of services in the Winter time.

A Fun little platform for viewing the falls.

The climate at Plitvice is much colder than Krka’s, so there was reportedly still snow on the ground when we were in Croatia in March. Also, only half of Plitvice is accessible in the Winter because park boats and buses aren’t running, so we decided to add it to our later-in-life travel list and visit Krka this time.

Beautiful Skradinski Buk Falls inside Krka National Park

Luckily for us, Krka is the perfect place to visit on a sunny day in March! It wasn’t warm enough to swim (many people visit Krka specifically for the swimming), but we had the park almost completely to ourselves. We saw only SEVEN other tourists in our 3-4 hours in the park! SEVEN. Plus a dog.

We visited Krka in the Spring, on March 17th. The trees are starting to bloom in the park!

This blog post will be filled mostly with photos (which totally don’t do the park justice, by the way) and some helpful hints for tourists.

Krka’s Main Attraction: Skradinski Buk Waterfall

The Breathtaking Skradinski Buk Waterfall

The Skradinski Buk Waterfall is THE reason people visit Krka. It’s a huge, impressive, multi-tiered waterfall with a “rustic” swimming area at the very bottom. Even Kevin was impressed with the waterfall, which is saying something since he grew up in the Pacific Northwest (home of tons of beautiful waterfalls).

Skradinski Buk Waterfalls. Notice how there are NO other people on the bridge. Hooray!

A fantastic 1.5-mile boardwalk path makes a loop around the whole Skradinski Buk area. I loved the boardwalk so much we almost walked it twice!

The Boardwalk is amazing.

Loving the Boardwalk.

Check out how empty the park is! Jackpot.

Krka. :-)

The water was running really high when we visited – almost over the top of the boardwalk!

So beautiful!

Visit Krka, it’s the best!

Last boardwalk photo, I promise.

The park is dotted with a few restaurants and shops, or you can find a great little spot for a picnic:

We sat on these cute little tree stumps and ate a picnic lunch. Not a soul was around – we had the falls all to ourselves!

If you get tired of the falls, there are also plenty of exhibits there are part of the park’s “ethno village” that explains some of Croatia’s history:

The Boardwalk loop feeds you right into the Ethno Village exhibits.

Hitting on a mannequin at the weaving exhibit in Krka’s Ethno Village. Not weird at all.

Using water to power lots of Croatian contraptions.

One such contraption – this is used to soften fabric for wearing. The water powers the legs, which basically beat the fabric to soften it.

The diagram helps make a little more sense of it.

The washing area in the Ethno Exhibit. We learned that up until the 1970s, people still used the Krka river to wash clothing!

Grain mills at Krka National Park.

And here is Kevin with a plastic donkey…

There’s even a blacksmith exhibit.

The Ethno Village exhibits are all built right into the Krka river. At the very least, it’s fun to look at.

Krka National Park Entrances

Skradinski Buk Waterfall

Krka National Park covers over 42 square miles, so you want to be sure you know where you’re going. If you’re mainly interested in the Skradinski Buk Falls like we were, you want to use either the Lozovac or Skradin entrances.

Krka National Park is well worth the drive from Split.

To get to Lozovac, you take the “Šibenik” exit from the A-1 expressway and drive 7 miles to the entrance. It’s pretty well-signed and easy to find. From about April through October, a shuttle bus runs from the free Lozovac parking lots down to the waterfall. During Winter months, you can just drive your own car down to the falls, which is what we did.

The pictures will never do Krka justice. It is so beautiful.

To enter in the park in the town of Skradin, take the “Skradin” exit from the A-1 expressway, then drive just 3-miles following signs to the park. From Skradin, you board a boat by foot to get to the Skradinski Buk falls. During summer months, the boat runs hourly. In the winter months, I don’t think boats run. In spring/fall (roughly October, March and April), the boat only runs every 2 hours. Like everything in Croatia, there isn’t much concrete info online regarding the boat. When we arrived at 11:30am in Skradin, we found we had just missed the 11am boat. In 2015, Spring/Fall boats run at 9am, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm. If you have your own car and just barely miss the boat, you can easily drive over to the Lozovac entrance and enter there instead of waiting two hours for the next departure.

If you miss the boat in Skradin, the views on the short drive to Lozovac are amazing!

No matter where you enter, you pay the same entrance fee. The price changes depending on the season, and includes the boat ride if you choose to enter at Skradin. Nov-Feb costs 30 Kuna ($4.30), March-May and October is 90 Kuna ($13), and June-Sep is 110 Kuna ($16).

A not-to-be-missed day trip from Split.

For the latest Krka National Park information, visit their website.

For Pete’s Sake, Rent a Car

Kevin finds his second calling as a Park Ranger.

I’m going to reiterate what I wrote in my post about our day trip to Mostar. If you’re staying in Split and want to do day trips, you just need to rent a car. It takes only an hour to drive yourself to Krka National Park, while using public transportation takes about 4 hours and involves taking two different buses. It’s especially nice to have a car in the low season, because buses run on a reduced schedule, as does the Krka Park ferry.

A Stopover in Trogir

If you’re driving to Krka, you might as well make a pit stop in Trogir on your way home! When you leave Krka, head towards Šibenik, and hop on Highway 8 to drive the beautiful winding road down the coast to get to Trogir. The views on the drive are worth taking the road less traveled, but Trogir is a big bonus.

Trogir’s fun little “Boardwalk” area.

The Historic City of Trogir is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List, which means so darn cute and historic that you won’t want to leave. (Disclaimer: I’m pretty sure UNESCO has more stringent requirements than being “cute”, but hey, work with me here.) Trogir is a town soaked in medieval architecture, surrounded by water, and full of tourist traps. They even have a sexy shop, because obviously every medieval town needs its own Sexy Shop?

Trogir’s “Sexy Shop”.

In spite of the tourist traps, it’s just a fun little town to meander through. All of the cute little lanes inside the old wall are pedestrian-only spaces, so it’s nice to just wander around and see what you find.

A Beautiful church in Trogir, Croatia.

Trogir’s Fortress, now primarily used for musical performances.

Trogir’s Fortress

Walking along the water in Trogir.

The Trogir Cathedral

If you’re tired of seeing old-ass buildings, you can sit yourself down at a park and watch a group of gentlemen gamble on Bocce Ball and Chess games.

High Stakes Bocce Ball. Money changed hands after every game!

Crazy chess games happening over there right now.

At the very least, stop by Trogir to enjoy its slow pace and take in the beautiful views:

Beautiful views from Trogir.

We Want to Hear From You!

Have you visited any National Parks abroad? How have they compared to our awesome National and State parks in the States?

Breathtaking Dubrovnik

If there is one place in all of Croatia that you absolutely must visit, it’s Dubrovnik. Hailed as the “Pearl of the Adriatic Sea”, it lives up to that nickname and more. The old city is so cute that it’ll make your chest ache. It has everything you could ask for in an adorable European town: a wonderfully intact medieval wall surrounding the old city, beautiful sea views of water that’s bluer than you could ever imagine, and a hilltop viewpoint perfect for taking in a sunset over the Croatian islands. Dubrovnik also has an unforgettable backstory – this beautiful city was shelled relentlessly for a time during the war of the 1990s.

Our quick day trip to Dubrovnik will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of our month in Croatia, so we put together a Guide to Dubrovnik to help others enjoy the city as much as we did!

Dubrovnik’s Incredible History

Dubrovnik is a city full of total badasses. Reading about its history made me realize that these scrappy people have grit, soul, and a deep desire to protect their wonderful town. As a major sea-port, Dubrovnik was a very wealthy city, but the city’s most valued commodity throughout its history has always been “Libertas”. During the Middle Ages, they worked hard to maintain their independence, paying off whatever empire was most powerful at any given time. The shrewd folks running the city even went so far as to avoid ostentatious architecture and decoration in an attempt to downplay the city’s wealth. If they had adopted a more ornate style of the city, it likely would’ve cost them a lot more in bribes to the Ottoman empire.

Dubrovnik is a resilient city, repeatedly rising from the ashes of two disasters. The first was a huge earthquake in 1667, which destroyed almost all of the buildings in the Old Town. A fire raged in the town for three weeks after the quake, burning down much of the city. In fact, there’s still some damage visible today:

The ruined buildings in these photos were destroyed in the 1667 Earthquake and just never repaired. Crazy.

The second devastating event in Dubrovnik was the fighting that followed Croatia’s declaration of Independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Many Croatians fled to Dubrovnik, thinking it was safe because it’s located so far South on the Adriatic coast. However, Yugoslav Forces began attacking the city in October, 1991. At first, only military outposts and communications infrastructure were targeted. Soon, however, the Yugoslav troops started bombing residential areas and even the historic old city.

City residents hid wherever they could, hoping their cellars would be enough to protect them from the shelling. Some even hid in the medieval wall’s forts and bunkers – this was the only time in all of Dubrovnik’s history when the walls were actually used as defense against military attack!

The most amazing thing to me, though, is that the city did not fall. A scrappy Croatian army sprung up to defend their beloved town. Fathers, brothers, and husbands who weren’t trained for war dusted off their hunting rifles to protect their loved ones. The townspeople were able to keep control of a fortress high on the hill overlooking the city, surprising the Yugoslav army with their determination and strength. A group of only 25-30 newly-minted Croatian soldiers were able to “hold down the fort”, so to speak, keeping Dubrovnik from falling under the control of the Yugoslav forces. Finally, eight months after the siege on Dubrovnik started, the Croatian army liberated Dubrovnik by driving down from the North, pushing back Yugoslav forces once and for all.

A map of Old Town Dubrovnik, showing damage from the 1991-1992 Siege. Orange marks buildings that burned down completely. Black triangles are direct hits on buildings, while black circles show direct hits on the pavement. Empty triangles and circles show shrapnel damage on buildings and pavement, respectively.

In the eight months Dubrovnik was under siege, 100 civilians lost their lives, along with more than 420 Dubrovnik citizens who were actively fighting against the Yugoslav military. More than two-thirds of the buildings in Dubrovnik were damaged in the war, and over 30,000 people were forced to flee their homes during the fighting. Ironically, the siege on Dubrovnik is said to be what turned the public opinion against Yugoslavia. Locals say that “When Yugoslavia attacked Dubrovnik, they lost the war” because the world hated to see such a beautiful and historic city being destroyed.

Dubrovnik has really bounced back since the was in the 90s. The only real marks you can see leftover from the war are the new, bright orange tiles on the roofs of so many buildings. In the photos of Dubrovnik that follow, it’s easy to see which tiles are old and which are new in the sea of orange roofs.

When to Visit Dubrovnik

There’s a reason this city was chosen as the set for King’s Landing in HBO’s Game of Thrones Series. It’s such a charming town with winding streets and tons of character. But with that charm and character also comes mobs of tourists. We visited in February and really lucked out with the weather. I’ve read that in the peak tourist season in July and August, Dubrovnik is practically unbearable because it gets mobbed by hordes of people visiting on passing Cruise Ships. For that reason, we highly recommend avoiding Dubrovnik in July and August. If you must come during high season, stay the night so you can enjoy the city early in the morning and late in the day without being constantly poked in the face by selfie sticks and umbrellas.

If you’re in Croatia off-season and are based in Split, it’s a long but worthwhile day trip if you have a rental car. The long, twisting drive down the coast can take up to 3.5 hours, but you’re rewarded with awesome views! You’ll even pass through a tiny strip of Bosnia & Herzegovina on the way. If you have the time, we recommend spending a night in Dubrovnik, then doing a day trip to Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina the next day before driving back up to Split for the night.

Some of the awesome views on the drive down to Dubrovnik.

We were also treated to this sunset view on our drive home. There are no words. And yet, here I am, describing it. With my words.

If you don’t have a car, there are several busses per day to Dubrovnik from Split. However, the trip take up to 6 hours and I wouldn’t make this drive on a bus without stocking up first on Dramamine.

Dubrovnik’s Best Sight: The Medieval Wall!

Easily the most awesome sight in Dubrovnik is its city walls surrounding the old city! It costs a hefty 100 Kuna (about $14) to go up, but the views you get during the fun 1.25-mile walk are worth every penny. Since we were in Dubrovnik in the low season, we shared the walls with less than a dozen other tourists. It was glorious! If you’re there during the Summer, it’s reportedly less busy in the heat of the afternoon – just bring lots of water, sunscreen, and a hat. I was toasty even though it was only in the upper 50s!

Walking around the walls, you get views of the cute city. Peek down into people’s yards and see what laundry they have hanging outside today. Chuckle at the kids playing basketball or soccer on the rooftop courts. Climb up to the top of the towers and pretend you’re manning a cannon. But most importantly, just soak in the beautiful scenery! The photos below really don’t do the city justice – you’ll just have to visit to see everything for yourself.

Amazing views from Dubrovnik’s Wall.

The Adriatic Sea behind Dubrovnik.

St. Lawrence Fortress, next to Dubrovnik. Lots of scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed on the thin walkway jutting out into the water below the fortress!

Christmas Card 2015 Candidate. :-)

Dubrovnik is a sea of orange rooftops.

Can you believe a place like this exists?

I would LOVE to have this spot for a garden.

One of the newer parts of the wall, and Mount Srd in the background.

Dubrovnik has no shortage of church towers.

This is the Stradun, the main pedestrian drag down the center of Dubrovnik.

The oldest, hilliest part of the wall.

My favorite part of the wall. Yay for low season – can you imagine this part packed with tourists?

Kevin’s boss Greg was visiting us after a business trip in London. Wave, guys!

LOOK at that water around St. Lawrence Fortress! So blue, so beautiful.

Oh you know, just a cannon hanging out on top of the wall.

A rooftop soccer field / basketball court in the Old City.

A gun turret in front of the beautiful Adriatic Sea.

I

TOURIST TIP: The wall closes waaaaaaay before sunset, earlier than you’d ever guess, which really surprised us. We barely had enough time on the wall and felt a little rushed. Be sure you visit with plenty of time to explore. This website usually keeps up to date opening and closing times.

Stroll Around the Old City

It’s fun to just get lost in the old city. With so many tiny lanes packed with cute shops and restaurants, I could wander around here for hours. It’s the perfect city to have an ice cream, sit and enjoy a slow coffee, and do a little people watching.

Walk through the city’s Pile Gate, its main entrance which used to have a moat underneath it.

Dubrovnik’s Pile Gate. The moat underneath is now a kids playground.

Be sure to stop and look at Dubrovnik’s clock tower, which has one of the most interesting war stories we read.

Dubrovnik’s Clock Tower. The golden circle below the main clock face shows the current phase of the moon. There’s also a digital readout lower, showing the time, 3:30pm. First it has “III”, roman numerals for 3, then 30 for the minutes.

To this day, the clock has to be wound every two days to keep ticking. For hundreds of years (1877-2005), the people responsible for winding the clock was the Krasovac family. Their house sustained a direct hit and was completely destroyed in the Siege on Dubrovnik in the 1990s, and everyone feared the keys (which were inside at the time) were lost forever. For days the clock went without winding and the bell didn’t chime. Then by some miracle, the keys were found in the street! People from all over Dubrovnik gathered around the clock tower and cheered while the clock was wound and the bell started ringing! It was a symbolic gesture, showing the Yugoslav forces all around the city that Dubrovnik would not fall. Can you imagine being one of the 25 or 30 soldiers defending Dubrovnik from the fortress on the hilltop, hearing the clock tower ring again after being silent for several days?

Enjoy the Views from Mount Srd

Mount Srd (pronounced Surge) is a fortress that sits way up on a hill above Dubrovnik. It was built by Napoleon way back in 1810, and was the crucial point from which locals defended Dubrovnik in the siege in 1991-1992. Before the siege, Dubrovnik was a popular tourist destination and a cable car to the top of the mountain was one of the top tourist attractions in the city. The cable car was destroyed in the war, and the hillside was left covered with unexploded landmines. The cable car has since been rebuilt, and all of the landmines have been removed. (Though locals will still tell you not to stray too far off the beaten path here!)

The view up towards Mount Srd, as seen from the Old City Wall.

Views from the top of Mount Srd. This cross replaced the one that was destroyed in the Siege on Dubrovnik in the 90s.

The view of Dubrovnik’s walled Old City from Mount Srd.

It costs 100 Kuna (about $14) for a round-trip ticket on the cable car. It’s a nice ride if you don’t mind being stuck on a fixed schedule, crammed into a car with dozens of other tourists, and hanging from a surprisingly thin cable (crossing your fingers that they did their math correctly!). We think the best way to go up is to drive – there’s parking at the top and it takes 20 minutes to drive. Plus if you drive up, you can stay until sunset! The last cable car ride departs from the top JUST as sunset is at its best, which is a total bummer.

The cable car station. Here’s hoping these cables hold!

Sunset views from the top of Mount Srd.

However you decide to get up there, be sure you go. The views are amazing.

We Want to Hear From You!

Have you visited Dubrovnik? When did you go? Did you enjoy it as much as we did?!