As we prepare for summer season to get here, I am sure most of you are thinking about a trip to Europe. Although May-August time frame is the most expensive to travel to this pretty continent yet millions of tourists decide that the best way to beat the heat is by enjoying a beer in Germany, gelato in Italy, or just “chilling” in the Swiss or French Alps. So, what should you do if you want to visit in Europe in Summer without burning a hole in your pocket, if that’s even possible? Yes, it’s possible to do so by visiting Eastern Europe which is equally pretty like their western counterpart but significantly cheaper. My favorite countries in Eastern Europe are Croatia, Czech Republic and Hungary and I would highly recommend visiting those any time of the year.

Sorry to disappoint everyone, but my obsession with Croatia began much before Game of Thrones (in fact, I don’t even watch that show) premiered. One of my friend has Croatian ancestors and I saw her Instagram posts about her multiple trips to Croatia every Summer and Winter break and I knew I had to visit this beautiful country. I was lucky enough to visit this gorgeous country during a 3 weeks long Europe trip I took this winter. Having spent a lot of money in expensive Switzerland, followed by Christmas markets in Germany, I was more than happy and relieved to visit Croatia for Christmas. I started my journey in this country from Zagreb and then made my way down to Zadar, Split and ending it up in Dubrovnik.

How long to stay

Since I had a crazy itinerary that covered 6 countries in over 3 weeks, I spent a day and a half in Dubrovnik. I was mostly interested in seeing a lot of attractions in Old Town and also enjoying some quiet time before heading to Spain. I think 2 days is more than enough for Dubrovnik if you are city/country hopping and if you are super-efficient you can manage to do a lot in just 1 day itself.

Getting there and getting around

If you are planning to fly, Dubrovnik airport will be your best option. Dubrovnik doesn’t have any train network. If you are traveling from other Croatian cities to Dubrovnik, you have the option of taking a bus. Since, I was traveling from Split I ended up taking Autotrans bus which costed me 100 Kuna (HRK) and took 4.5 hours. I chose to buy the tickets online but you can buy them in person and the ticket agent will give you any bus company’s ticket. Also, another interesting thing to keep in mind (which I didn’t even realize until it actually happened) is that when you go from Split to Dubrovnik or vice-versa, you go through border checks since you cross the Neum corridor which belongs to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Police officers may board the bus and you may be asked for a valid travel document so make sure you carry your passport with relevant visas.  Once you get to Dubrovnik, there is a bus that takes you to main bus station and Old town from the airport and vice-versa. I couldn’t find the information about the bus on Google Maps and it was very late at night when I got to Dubrovnik and left early in the morning for the airport so I ended up taking an Uber from the old city both the times. It costed me kn 55 from the bus station to the old town and kn 180 from the old town to the airport.

If you are staying in the old city and will be primarily sightseeing there, you can easily walk to all the places. In fact, there is no transportation allowed inside the old town. I learnt it the hard way when I had to drag my luggage from the Pile gate all the way to my Airbnb. In case you decide not to stay in the old town, you can take the public buses to get there.

Where to stay

I would highly recommend staying in the old town area since all the attractions are all located there. You can find a lot of hotels in the old town but I chose to stay at an Airbnb instead. My Airbnb costed me $40 per night. If you want to stay at a resort kind of place, you will find may places that will cater to your needs just outside the old town.

What to buy

There is a lot of local crafts that is worth buying from the domestic artisans. You can find unique handmade Adriatic coral, pearls, gems, jewelry, and textiles such as handmade tablecloths, linens and napkins. The most interesting local specialty is a doll dressed in local garb. Croatian wine is also pretty unique to take back home. My favorite thing to buy was Kras chocolates sold at many stores in old town.

Dubrovnik houses one of the oldest pharmacy in Europe which is located at the Franciscan monastery. You can decide to buy thing from the pharmacy which creates hand creams and other toiletries based on ancient recipes.

What to see or do

Since I just explored the old town, I am only going to cover the attractions available there:

• Pile Gate 

  Chances are you entered the old town this through this gate. Situated on the western end of the old town, this is a convenient place to start your tour of the old town. 

• Stradun

  One of the main streets in the old town. It’s hard to miss it. Go for a stroll and enjoy a drink at a café. Go grab an ice cream and explore the perpendicular streets and alleys on its side. It also serves as the shopping center and venue of major events. This is where the old town comes to life. 

• Franciscan Monastery

  This beautiful monastery with Baroque church houses a Romanesque cloister and also one of the oldest pharmacies in the world. There is also a museum that contains artifacts from the pharmacy.

• Big Onofrio’s Fountain 

  If you enter the old town from the Pile gate entrance, you will see this fountain where pigeons and tourists take rest and refresh themselves with cool water. The fountain stairs are a pretty popular place for people to meet or tour groups to start their tour.

• Sponza Palace Museum

  This is the museum of the State Archives.

• The Cathedral

  The cathedral also houses a treasury that has 183 reliquaries.

• Rector’s Palace and the Museum

  Formerly, used as a palace of the major council, it now serves as a museum that is open to public. The museum contains artifacts, paintings and furniture that dates back from the time of Dubrovnik Republic.

• Church of Saint Blaise

  A baroque church dedicated to the city’s patron saint.

• Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

  This impressive building dates from the 18^th century and is definitely worth a visit.

• Church of St. Ignatius and the Jesuit College

  Located in the southern edge of the old town, this ornate church situated on an elevated square can be reached by climbing up a romantic baroque staircase. I have to say that these steps reminded me of Spanish steps in Rome. Go in for daily English masses during the summer if the timings work out for you or just visit the church to see the beautiful interiors.

• City Walls

  It’s a must visit attraction in Dubrovnik. Go for a nice walk on the walk on the walls around the old town and soak in all the great views. To avoid the crowd and hot weather, I would recommend visiting either earlier in the morning or late afternoon. It takes almost an hour to walk the entire wall and you can start your journey from Strandun by the Pile gate. If you are a student or have your student ID card, make sure to carry it and claim your discount when buying tickets for the walls.

• Old Port

  Located in the eastern part of the old town, this old port is still used by some cruise ships today. If you have been to Marseilles, France, you will have a Deja vu moment, except it’s way smaller than the one in France.

• Sponza Palace 

  Located north of the bell tower, this Gothic renaissance palace hosts historic archives and memorial room of defenders. Also, the original ‘Zelenci’ bronze statues from the Bell Tower are placed on display at the atrium.

• Bell Tower

  The bronze statues at the top of the tower strike the gigantic bell every hour.

• Roland’s Column/Orlando’s Column 

  Located in the front of the Bell Tower, this is a slender stone flag staff of the legendary night.

What to eat

Dubrovnik is very big on good quality and fresh seafood and some meat dishes. The local cuisine is not very spicy. There is a lot of influence from Italian food because of Dubrovnik’s close proximity to Italy. There are quite a few wood-fired pizzerias in the old town which are quite decent. You will find a wide range of restaurants ranging from cheap eats to fancy gastronomic delights. Keep in mind though that if you visit Dubrovnik during off-season (November – March) like me, you will find a lot of restaurants closed.

Here are a couple of local delicacies that I got to try during my visit:

• Fritule

  These are festive Croatian pastry made particularly for Christmas. They look and taste like donut balls. They are flavored with run and citrus zest, containing raisins and are dusted with powdered sugar on the top.

• Traditional Dubrovnik cake

  I want to say it tastes like eating almond and coconut cake.

I have to say that Dubrovnik not only met my expectations but exceeded it. Even though I visited Croatia during off season, I couldn’t help but fall in love with this beautiful country. I am sure it will be even more fun in the Summer.

Have you been to Croatia ? What were your favorite things to eat and see/do in this beautiful country ? How did you manage to save money while traveling to Dubrovnik?