【Travelogue】Stepping into the Pearl of the Adriatic @ Croatia

After a nerve-wracking experience in Mostar, we drove for three hours to one of the highlights of this trip: Dubrovnik.

Facing the eastern coast of Italy, Dubrovnik is one of Croatia’s most renowned tourist cities and is hailed as the Pearl of the Adriatic . The ancient city within Dubrovnik is a must-visit for travelers. Blending Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance architectural styles, coupled with the natural beauty of the Adriatic Sea, the Old Town of Dubrovnik has earned the reputation of being an open-air museum. In 1979, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Plitvice Lakes National Park. Its unique scenery also attracted the filming of the hit TV series Game of Thrones.

We stayed in Dubrovnik for a total of three days and nights. By the time we arrived by car from Mostar, it was already past 10 p.m. For these two nights, we stayed at the Guesthouse Maja, located halfway up the mountain. The host, Maja, was incredibly warm and welcoming, and the accommodation was excellent—the rooms were spacious, and the beds and sofas were very comfortable. Most importantly, the house offers a view of the entire Old Town of Dubrovnik. Imagine sipping coffee while admiring the ancient city and sea view from your own home... how amazing is that?

Lobby

Bedroom

The next morning, opening the door revealed this breathtaking view

I could sit here all day

Aside from us, we had an unexpected visitor that day... Maja’s little cat

It was the first time I’d seen such a friendly cat. It kept jumping onto me while I was editing photos—so adorable...

We picked this restaurant by the Old Port

Restaurant exterior

I really liked the decor of this restaurant

Enjoying the view of the Old Port while dining

The prices were surprisingly reasonable—I remember meals in several Eastern European countries weren’t too expensive

Both the presentation and taste were great

The queen eating salad “with class”

The streets of the Old Town, lined with various souvenir and craft shops

Since our hotel was halfway up the mountain, we had to climb a fairly long flight of stairs to and from the Old Town. If you don’t want to walk, you can also take a bus that runs every half hour.

By the time we returned to the hotel, it was almost sunset. I couldn’t resist taking a few more photos—the Old Town and sea view are truly stunning...

In Hong Kong, it’s really hard to see such a clear horizon due to air pollution

The hotel isn’t very large, with a duplex design—the bedroom is upstairs

The view is different from Guesthouse Maja, but personally, I still prefer the Old Town view...

A view perfect for daydreaming. The queen preferred the vibe of this hotel

Took a photo of the cruise ship in the distance with my phone

Lovrijenac Fortress is located on a cliff outside the Old Town. There’s an hourly ferry that takes you there, or you can walk for about 20 minutes. For 8 kn, you can take a funicular to see the western view of the Old Town. Other than that, there’s nothing particularly special—if you’re short on time, you can skip it...

Next comes the highlight of the experience: walking around the city walls. The entrance is located next to the large Onofrio's Fountain, as shown in the picture, and the fee is 100 kn per person. By the way, the fountain originally had two levels, but the elaborately carved upper level was destroyed in the major earthquake of 1667 and has never been restored, leaving a large hole behind...

The entire walk is about 4–6 kilometers, and if you take your time, it will take roughly 1–2 hours. Along the way, you can enjoy the beautiful views of the Adriatic Sea.

Gazing toward Lovrijenac, which we visited earlier.???

Viewing the old town from atop the city walls offers a completely different feeling.

The uncle selling paintings on the wall.

A densely packed composition of orange rooftops.

With the sun beginning to set, I quickly used the gradually yellowing light along with the orange rooftops to snap a photo of the queen.

After completing the loop around the walls, the sun was almost down. Before dusk fell, we hurried to queue up for the cable car to the mountaintop. The fare was 108 kn per person, and luckily there wasn’t too long a line — we boarded in about 20 minutes.

From the mountaintop, you can get a complete view of the entire Old Town of Dubrovnik.

We also took a photo of the sunset.

The night view of the old town is also quite stunning.

After nightfall, the old town becomes quite lively, with many street performances.

There were also large-scale performances that drew huge crowds, and the bright lights emitted from the show could be clearly seen even from the mountaintop earlier.

I was lucky to have successfully completed all the planned activities for the day, though I was also pretty exhausted. Back at the hotel, I went to bed and fell fast asleep not long after...

On the last day in Dubrovnik, I got up in the morning, packed my luggage, and headed to Dubrovnik Airport. Along the way, I stopped to take one last photo of the Old Town of Dubrovnik. With this shot, we’ve captured images of the old town from the left, center, and right — I’d say our Dubrovnik photo collection is now complete. All our activities in Croatia have now come to a perfect end. Next stop: Mykonos, Greece — I’m sure it’s going to be even more amazing!!

More travel stories can be found here: http://minglingworldtour.blogspot.hk/

More Dubrovnik travel and photography information