No Trick Dubrovnik is Sick.

I mean “sick” like the kids say it.

After a wild and fast paced three weeks travelling with Alex and Mal, John and I were so relieved to settle down in this small Croatian town and relax on the Adriatic Sea. Dubrovnik has perfected the “easy livin’ lifestyle” that I am so fond of.

We conveniently arrived at the end of October which is the last of their tourist season. So, we got to experience the jam packed streets full of cruise ship passengers and then also experience the vacant streets and shops. The only drawback was that the museums and shops had more limited open hours, but I’d still highly recommend Dubrovnik in the off season. It was a bit rainy and grey some days, but over we still had beautiful weather for walking around and exploring.

Dubrovnik is a magical place. Time stands still for an incredible place like Dubrovnik with its ancient city walls made of white stone.

We stayed just outside the city walls in a beautiful apartment on the slopes of the mountain Srđ for a very enjoyable month. I’d like to share some of my very favourite things about Dubrovnik.

The tiny winding walking streets.

The old city of Dubrovnik is made up of these tiny walking streets with high walls around making it perfect for pedestrians since cars can’t make it into most of these streets. Just watch out for the odd scooter!

The Old Town Centre.

Dubrovnik old town (inside the city walls) has incredible courtyards, shops, water fountains, and architecture. Dubrovnik is rather hilly, but we would walk down to the city centre most days to enjoy a beverage or just explore the maze of streets.

The bloody gorgeous Adriatic Sea and the various harbours of Dubrovnik.

Despite growing up in the prairies of Canada I feel the most calm and … well… just the happiest when I can be near large bodies of water. An ocean can make me feel small and push me to think beyond myself, the power an ocean has is humbling and the Adriatic is hella pretty.

(click here for the panorama if the embedded one doesn’t work, or to see it full screen)

Note: These pastries were everywhere in sweet or savoury varieties and they are the best.

(click here for the panorama if the embedded one doesn’t work, or to see it full screen)

Various parks and other nooks/crannies.

While walking through Dubrovnik it’s super easy to just stumble upon amazing sights like parks, churches, shops, and graveyards.

(click here for the panorama if the embedded one doesn’t work, or to see it full screen)

Note: This lil’ shop was full of really unique locally made things from jewellery and clothes to coffee and beers. A couple of Canadians work at the shop and were wonderful to talk to about Croatia and reminisce about Canadian things.

The medieval wall.

For a small fee you can go up on the original city wall which dates back to the 7th Century. It completely encases the old town which makes for a really cool way to see the city.

(click here for the panorama if the embedded one doesn’t work, or to see it full screen)

Mountain climb.

OK, so I didn’t actually climb the mountain, but we took a gondola to the top and then climbed down. Our climb down ended up more treacherous than I was expecting due to rocky narrow paths on a steep cliff side at sundown, but hey we survived! At the top is spectacular views of the city, a little restaurant, and a museum of the Croatian War of Independence and Siege of Dubrovnik. Super interesting war history and devastatingly recent.