Breakfast at the Berkeley and the walk into the Old Town

There are some cities where a day simply isn’t enough. Dubrovnik is definitely one of them, but a single day is all we had on this trip, so we had to make the most of it. I think we managed to pack in an extraordinary amount, but still left a few gems to come back to on a future visit. If you’ve only got a day, there’s still plenty you can see – but don’t try to do it all. 

Our day began at the Berkeley Hotel in Gruž, which proved a very convenient base for exploring the city. We’d chosen this location because it was near the new port and our jumping off point for a kayak trip round the islands earlier in the week (look out for our blog on that adventure). We had stayed here on our way out, as the hotel offers an airport pick up service and is convenient for the ferry, so we knew the breakfast was good, and they serve decaf coffee, which was something of a bonus too. We’d returned on the early ferry from Lopud, arriving back at The Berkeley at breakfast time. 

Fuelled up, we set off from the hotel on foot towards the Old Town. The route is easy to follow: down towards Gruž Harbour, then along the coast, with lovely views across the Adriatic. Eventually the distinctive walls of Dubrovnik Old Town come into view and we entered through Pile Gate, the main western entrance to the historic city. Just before the gate is the impressive Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik, which looked like another very good option for a stay, particularly if you want to be within easy walking distance of the Old Town. I think we might choose that hotel next time. 

Walking through the Old Town is one of those experiences where progress becomes rather slow. It isn’t because the route is difficult, but because there is something to look at in virtually every direction, and everyone stops to look. Marble streets, ornate stone buildings, churches, palaces and narrow lanes all compete for your attention. It was also very busy when we arrived, with thousands of tourists all wandering around, gazing up in awe and stopping to take photographs. If you want a quieter experience, try to time your visit to avoid the cruise ships or come at a quieter time of year.

A boat trip to Lokrum

We made our way through the old walled city and down to the Old Harbour, or Stara Luka, which is at the other end of the city. We wanted to head over to Lokrum Island, part of Dubrovnik’s UNESCO World Heritage zone, so queued up to buy our tickets at the kiosk at the old harbour. You can buy these online in advance, but there was only a short queue so we just bought them in person.  The official Lokrum ticket currently costs €30 per person and includes entry to the nature reserve and the return boat trip. The crossing only takes about 15 minutes, but it feels like a proper little adventure as Dubrovnik slips behind you. It’s worth checking the weather before you go, I don’t think this would be such good fun in bad weather, and there’s always the risk that the boats won’t run anyway if it gets too windy. If you have more time, you can combine this with a visit to the botanical gardens at Trsteno, further up the Croatian coast. We had actually kayaked there from Lopud earlier in the week and had time to wander through the gardens, it’s well worth the visit and ticks off some other Game of Thrones filming locations.

After landing at the small Lokrum pier, we headed first towards the southern tip of the island, where there is a bathing area designated for naturists, although we didn’t realise that at the time – so if that is your thing, you have found your spot! No swimsuit required! If that’s not your thing (and it’s not ours either, just saying…!), remember to pack your swimsuit on this visit because there are plenty of other spots for a dip. From the southern tip of the island we headed inland to find the Dead Sea, a small saltwater lake connected to the Adriatic through underwater channels. It is a lovely, sheltered place for a swim and, surrounded by the island’s vegetation and steep cliffs, feels considerably more remote than its proximity to Dubrovnik would suggest. We stopped for a drink at the café before continuing and were accompanied by a number of peacocks which roam free on the island and are particularly attracted to the café areas, looking for snacks.

Monks, a Crusader king and the Iron Throne

Lokrum has a surprisingly long history. Benedictine monks were established here around the 10th century, with the monastery first recorded in 1023. The monastery became an important religious centre, while the monks cultivated vineyards, orchards, olive groves and ornamental gardens. The last Benedictines left in 1798, forced out by the landowners. There is a haunting display of the monks chanting ceremoniously as they marched round the island three times on their last night, laying a trail of wax with their dripping candles and setting a curse on anyone who took ownership of the land. 

There is also a wonderful legend connecting Lokrum with King Richard the Lionheart. According to the story, Richard was returning from the Crusades in 1192 when his ship was caught in a storm. Lokrum supposedly provided shelter, and the story says he vowed to build churches in gratitude for his survival, one in his homeland and one in the land that provided him refuge. He was persuaded by the nobles of Dubrovnik to contribute to the building of the grand cathedral in the city of Dubrovnik rather than on Lokrum, however, while locals paid to build the Church of the Annunciation on Lokrum instead.  

The upper floor of the monastery now houses a more modern history, with displays and anecdotes about the filming of Game of Thrones. Lokrum was used as the backdrop for the fictional city of Qarth in season 2 of the drama. It is also a good location to take photos sitting on the Iron Throne, if you’re a fan of the series. Bend the knee, peasants!

After that we wandered through the botanical gardens before catching the 13:15 boat back to Dubrovnik.

Welcome to King’s Landing

Our afternoon was devoted to a Game of Thrones city tour, led by Jelena, from Dubrovnik Storytellers, who turned out to be an excellent guide. We booked through TripAdvisor.

What made the tour particularly interesting was that Jelena had been working as a historical guide in Dubrovnik before Game of Thrones came along. She was therefore one of the first guides in the city to start incorporating the filming locations into her tours. She didn’t just show us places because they appeared on television; we were learning about the real history of Dubrovnik at the same time.

The tour lasted around 2 hours 45 minutes, with a break in the middle for toilets and refreshments, and was packed with fascinating detail.

We saw the famous Jesuit Steps, better known to Game of Thrones fans as the setting for Cersei Lannister’s Walk of Shame. We also learned how much of what appears on screen is actually Dubrovnik, and how much was created in studios or enhanced digitally. CGI was used to extend Dubrovnik’s skyline and add features such as the Red Keep.

Then we headed towards the western side of the city and Fort Lovrjenac, perched dramatically on its rock above the sea. This was the real-life setting that became the Red Keep. Below it lies Dubrovnik’s West Harbour, another important filming location representing parts of King’s Landing and Blackwater Bay.

Seeing it with Jelena brought the scenes to life in a way that just wandering around with a map couldn’t. She was incredibly knowledgeable and clearly passionate about both Dubrovnik’s history and the way the city had been transformed for the series. Interestingly, she had been here during the filming, and her tour incorporated some of her own ‘behind the scenes’ photos of the filming locations. 

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, I would highly recommend doing a guided tour rather than simply ticking off the locations yourself. You get so much more from understanding what you are looking at. Ideally take one that combines the modern filming locations with some historical context, as Jelena’s did. It really is a fascinating city. 

The tour finished at the Lovrjenac Fort. Entry to this fort is not included with the tour, but you can purchase it as an add-on for €15 per person (but if you want to do the City Walls as well you can get a ticket for €40 which allows access to both within 72 hours), or you get in free if you have the Dubrovnik City Pass. We didn’t have time to explore the fort or the city walls on this visit, but there is still so much of Dubrovnik to explore, we will definitely be back again and on that occasion we will look into the city pass as that gives access to the walls, forts and some of the other museums, plus some of the buses. Not all the online reviews are positive, so I guess it depends what you want to see as to whether it represents good value or not. 

Dinner and a sailing ship from another age

By now we had definitely earned dinner.

There are plenty of restaurants and bars tucked away in the streets above the main Stradun. Nick thought he’d found his spiritual home with a bar called ‘Fat Bastards’ (), but we couldn’t actually find the place, so ended up in a cocktail bar instead for an apéritif. Dubrovnik is built into the hillside, with many steep sets of stairs and small streets running parallel to the main Stradun. We explored the menus at many of the small, informal cafés and restaurants lining the street until we found something we fancied. We ate at one called Lunii (I think!), which served authentic Croatian dishes and a nice bottle of wine.

There are plenty of places where you can simply turn up without a reservation, but if you want something more special, consider booking Panorama Restaurant, at the top of the cable car on Mount Srđ, for spectacular views over Dubrovnik and the Adriatic. Alternatively, Arsenal, overlooking the Old Harbour, would make a lovely setting for dinner.

And then there had to be ice cream, with a visit to Peppino’s Gelato Garden, to be precise. I had a delicious mix of tiramisu with pistachio and a scoop of chocolate on the top. Yum. 

Then we had to get back to our hotel. We found an interesting way to travel for this, as we’d seen the replica 16^th century Karaka merchant ship in the harbour at Gruž when we were exploring that area on our way out to the islands a week previously. Dubrovnik was particularly famous for its seafaring trading ships from medieval times and, having visited El Galeon Andalucia in Ayr just a couple of weeks ago, and seen the Karaka sailing around the islands earlier in the week, we thought it would be rather fun to sail on it. A bit of research found that at the end of the evening sunset tour there is actually an opportunity to join the ship as it sails back to Gruž where the ship berths overnight. So, for €25 each, our final treat was to sail with just eight other guests round the Croatian coastline, leaving the city lights of Dubrovnik harbour behind, and enjoy the breeze in our hair and as we pitched and rolled our way through the waves around Lapad to Gruž harbour. The journey took about 40 minutes; I was a bit green round the gills by the time I got off (my seasickness is still there, but not as bad as it used to be since I started sea kayaking more regularly), but it really was a magical experience even so. 

Many people want to visit Dubrovnik because of Game of Thrones. Visitors contribute approximately 20% of Croatia’s GDP per annum, so don’t be surprised to find that it is busy with everyone else wanting to take that iconic photo while you’re here. Scratch the surface a little though, and you’ll find a city shaped by religion, trade, war, natural phenomena, as well as the modern film and tourist industry.  

Top Tips

• Lokrum: the official ticket includes the return boat trip and entrance to everything on the island;  check the current sailing timetable before travelling, as services are seasonal and weather-dependent.
• Allow plenty of time for Lokrum if you want to walk, swim, visit the monastery and botanical gardens rather than just seeing the Iron Throne.
• A guided Game of Thrones tour adds considerably more context than following a map of filming locations. Pick one that includes the actual history of Dubrovnik, not just the fictional one. 
• For dinner, Dubrovnik has plenty of informal options, but book ahead for a special occasion or a restaurant with a prime view.
• If you have more time, the Dubrovnik City Pass offers the best value to visit museums, forts, art galleries and the City Walls.