Living in Germany, I’ve been to Croatia quite often but this summer was the first time I’ve ever been to the city of Dubrovnik and it was absolutely beautiful. Dubrovnik is a wonderful city in the south of Croatia and the old town area has become particularly well known in the last decade for being one of the film locations for the Game of Thrones series. As the title indicates, we only spent a day there which meant we were a bit limited time wise. However, there’s a lot you can do in a day in Dubrovnik, so I thought I’d give you a bit of an insight into what we managed to do.

As a bit of a disclaimer to start off with, we stayed in a guest house which was a walkable distance from the old town area and we spent our day mainly in the old town area. This just means that we didn’t really explore the beachy areas or the part of Dubrovnik that’s further along the coast than the old town.

General info and tips for Croatia and Dubrovnik

Before I get into the actual sights, here are a couple of helpful pieces of information to make your trip go a little smoother.
The currency used in Croatia is Kuna. Even though the country is part of the European Union you can’t use Euros here in most places. As with most European countries, it is very much recommended to always have a bit of cash on you, as not everywhere will take credit cards. Ubers are generally the cheapest and most efficient way to get around, but Taxis can be ok too, depending on when and how far you want to go. 

Dubrovnik is not the cheapest place to visit but it is also not too expensive for a popular holiday destination. An average meal out for dinner costs about 90 – 150 HRK for food and then another 20 – 50 HRK or more depending on what you’d like to drink. We booked our guest house on booking.com and tried to make sure it was walking distance from the old town which I can highly recommend. 

Filling a day in the old town is a pretty easy thing to do. The area is not too big but big enough that you’ll want to plan some time simply to wonder around and explore a bit. We didn’t use a map or our phones for the first few hours and just sort of tried to find our own way around and see what there is. If you’re visiting in the warmer season, so from about May to September, I’d highly recommend bringing some water with you and putting on a decent amount of sun cream as a lot of the areas in the old town aren’t covered and it gets really hot. A little secret tip at this point: As in most European cities, the water coming out of any fountain that is not a “spraying” fountain, is drinkable. Most fountains with non-drinkable water have a sign on or near them. There are quite a few of these fountains located all across town, so don’t throw away your empty bottle straight away, as you may want to fill it up later on.

Game of Thrones

At this point I am now going to have to admit that I’ve never actually watched Game of Thrones, so I can’t really tell you much about that aspect of the city. (Don’t judge, I’ve read the first couple of books and want to read the next one too before I watch the series. This plan was recommended to me by a few people and so far I am totally hooked on the books and can’t complain.) What I can tell you though, is that I know that a lot of people really enjoy doing the Game of Thrones walking tours that the city offers. The tourist information in the old town can tell you what you need to know about them. When my parents visited the city a few years ago, they were even able to see some on location filming taking place! Obviously, with the series having finished now, that won’t really be possible anymore, but I personally always love visiting film sets and being able to relate to the scenes even more after having seen the actual location. 

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, I’d definitely recommend having a look at what these walking tours offer and maybe even reading up a bit on some the locations and scenes beforehand. Something you won’t be able to miss – GoT fan or not – is the fact that there are GoT merchandise stores everywhere! Even the normal souvenir stores almost all had an entire section dedicated to the series. If there was ever a place to buy a Stark flagon or a shot glass with a GoT family emblem on it, Dubrovnik is that place.

Old Town

Walking around the old town and getting a feel for the whole place, you can certainly understand why they would want to film a powerful series like GoT in Dubrovnik. The buildings and squares are beautiful, and the walls are majestic. You can enter some of the churches for free and see some of the wonderful art and architecture from the inside. I really think it’s worth just taking the time to walk around the old town a bit and take in the beauty of your surroundings – both natural and man-made.

I would definitely recommend exploring the smaller walkways and the restaurants within them. There are a lot of Italian restaurants in Dubrovnik but I personally prefer trying local cuisine. If you do too, then you may have to do the same as I did which is wondering around a bit longer until you can find something suitable. Most of the seafood on offer will be fresh but if you’re not sure, feel free to ask the staff because if it is, then you won’t regret ordering some as it is delicious! We enjoyed lunch outside a lovely little restaurant on the old market square. 

A must see in Dubrovnik for me is the beautiful little dock/harbour area of the old town. The dock itself is quite small but the view is great. On the one side you have the old town with its beautiful stone walls and on the other side there is the coast line and the green hills with lovely looking houses sprinkled along the side giving the green and golden area more colours. Between all this you can also just look down at the clear blue – almost turquoise water and be amazed. 

Cable Car

Something I would highly suggest doing in Dubrovnik is going up the cable car. This costs about 180 HRK per person (usually even a little less) for a round trip and is certainly worth it in my opinion. The start of the cable car is just outside the old town. The trips are pretty regular and usually not too full which means that you don’t have to book in advance. At the top of the cable car there is a lovely restaurant where you can either sit for some drinks or even enjoy a full meal. There is also a viewpoint that gives you a phenomenal view of all of Dubrovnik, including the old town and also the island of Lokrum just off the shore of the old town. 

We took a trip up the cable car in the late afternoon and spent between one and two hours at the top. The viewpoint is a great photo spot and we had a great table outside at the restaurant for a couple of drinks. If you would like to eat dinner there, I’d recommend booking in advance, as even when we arrived in the afternoon a lot of tables were already booked. Especially if you’d like the best seat for the best dinner view, I think reserving in advance is a good idea. 

Nightlife

Dubrovnik’s old town has certainly been given a modern touch which you can very much notice in its nightlife. The popularity of the bars is particularly noticeable at the weekend and the Irish pubs spread out in the town are hard to miss. Once the sun goes down, you can certainly tell that the town is hustling and bustling with people dressed and ready to go out. For a calmer night, the restaurants have lovely outside areas and many places do some lovely cocktails. If you’re looking for something a bit more active, then there are some larger bars with a bit more going on. I’d recommend looking into the popular bars in advance because if you’d like to spend your evening at one of them, then you’d best book in advance. I’m not sure if this was just because of Corona while we were there but places seemed to fill up quickly and were only letting people in with reserved seats after about 9pm. 

Dubrovnik is a beautiful and interesting place to visit. It’s certainly more of a city trip destination but it also offers beach areas for those looking to relax by the waves for a bit as well. It’s not particularly cheap but also not unaffordable and I’d say it’s worth the extra buck. To prepare for your trip, I think it could be a good idea to brush up on some of your favourite Game of Thrones scenes and charge your phone or camera as around each corner, a new photo opportunity awaits.

If you’re interested in more destinations, packing tips or general travel advice, check out some of the other articles and stay tuned for more! In case your questions aren’t answered here, or you have any comments or personal experiences you’d like to share, don’t be afraid to get in touch, comment and let me know. 

You can also follow @megsplaces on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for regular updates, pictures, story polls and video clips!