Dubrovnik - Pearl of the Adriatic

There are places in this world that make you believe in fairy tales - Dubrovnik is one of them.

This beautiful walled city is also the filming location for “King’s Landing” in the famous “Game of Throne” series – Lovrijenac Fortess has been used as the “Red Keep”, A small museum used as Rector’s Palace (city of Qarth), certain scenes have been shot at the nearby Lokrum islands, the famous “walk of shame” being shot in the old town of Dubrovnik.

But there is so much more to this city than Game of Thrones..

The beautiful walled city of Dubrovnik ringed in the Azure blue waters of Adriatic

We reached Dubrovnik around 11 at night; we were completely exhausted and decided to retire to our beds. Next morning, I opened the windows of my room (still half asleep) to get some fresh air - the sight that greeted me made my heart jump with joy! Glistening turquoise waters stretched as far as my eyes could see...sound of the waves soothed my soul...the calmness, the happiness I felt at that moment is something I cannot describe in words. I stood there, gazing at the azure blue waters, with cool breeze caressing my face; I felt rejuvenated.

Before I knew, it was time for us to get ready and explore the magical town of Dubrovnik...

The 100 odd stairs from our Apartment to the Old town were good exercise after all the margharitas(pizza) we had!

We crossed the gate and stepped into the old town – as we walked through the narrow alleys discovering the hidden corners and cafes, a mystical charm gripped us all. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the streets of the old town. 

First view of the Old city

Wandering in the narrow alleys..

Stradun Street

In the evening, we took a cable car to Mt. Srd to get a view of the city from top...And what a spectacular view it was! The best part was that we were able to reach Mt Srd just before the sunset enabling us to feast our eyes with varied views of the city – the vast sea around the city changing colours as the last rays of the sun fell on it; the city coming alive with bright lights as the night set in, shining like a pearl in the vast Adriatic..

We just stood there, dazzled, as the city transformed itself...

View of Old city from Mt.Srd just before the sunset

The Perfect sunset

No wonder it is called the Pearl of the Adriatic!

We were forced to tear ourselves apart from that splendid view as the winds started getting chillier up there. We, then, went back to the old town – trying to choose a place for dinner from amongst the innumerable cafes that lined the brightly lit streets of the town. The city, with all the lights around looked even prettier!

Brightly lit Stradun Street

With these lights..it looked even prettier!

Just outside the walls of the old town

Next day, we started early as we wanted to spend a good amount of time walking around the city walls...This “Walk” was one of the best parts of our trip to Dubrovnik. It provided stunning views of the old town – the bright orange rooftops - with the backdrop of the ocean. It is difficult for me to find words that justify the magnificent views from the city walls...So, I will let pictures do the talking here –

View from the walls with Lokrum islands in the background

The distinctive bright orange rooftops..

Picture Perfect!

Sun shining bright over the city

A large part second half of the day was spent lazing around at the Lokrum islands nearby – walking around in the island and sitting by the sea doing absolutely nothing.

Swimming hole in the Lokrum islands famously called as "Dead Sea"

One of the shooting locations of  "city of Qarth"

Queen of the seven kingdoms..;)

We returned to the town of Dubrovnik in the evening, and headed directly for Fort Lovrijenac. However, we could spend only about 20 mins there as the fort shuts down for tourists at 6 pm. Nevertheless, we were treated by some amazing views from the fort.

View from Fort Lovrijenac

We spent the night, once again, walking through the streets of the old town – charmed by it, yet again! Soon, it was time for us to say good-bye to this magical old town of Dubrovnik as we were to leave early next morning...

Charmed..yet again!

We left Dubrovnik, early next morning, with the hope of going back to this fairy tale town someday..

Hopefully..we will come back someday!

Tips:

• Rent an Apartment in the Ploce region of the town..Although this would mean climbing up and down a flight of stairs..one shall be rewarded with some stunning views. Also, it is a short walk away from the old town.
• City walls tour is a MUST!But, it is better to do it as early as possible in the morning to avoid the crowds
• Tour to Dubrovnik is incomplete without visiting Mt Srd to get some amazing views of the city. It is advisable to visit Mt Srd around sunset.