From Split To Dubrovnik: Amazing Adriatic Pearl
Continuing our series of articles about Croatian cities: from Split to Dubrovnik, the amazing ‘Adriatic Pearl’.
After showing you the best things to do in Pula and the coolest day-trips from Split, we're now giving you the 'Adriatic pearl'.
Getting there alone was quite of an adventure – that is, if you’re road tripping like we were.
To know what I mean, you’ll have to read on 🙂
And don't forget to check out our full itinerary for a road trip in Croatia!
Driving from Split to Dubrovnik:
A trip from Dubrovnik to Spit and vice-versa is generally advertised as being an easy day-trip. But this was in pre-Covid19-times!
So there are a few things you have to know:
Three different routes:
There are actually three different possibilities to get from Split to Dubrovnik.
Two of them leading you through the 'Neum-corridor' which is that very small part of Bosnia-Herzegovina that crosses through mainland Croatia.
It's actually kind of a tiny land tongue that Bosnia didn't want to let go as it is they're only access to the sea.
The third one involves a ferry-ride which obviously will take way more time. Read on to know why this one is very important in current Covid19-times!!
1. The direct road via the E65
2. The scenic route along the coast
3. Avoiding Bosnia-Herzegovina: ferry from Ploce to Trpanj
To enjoy more of the scenery AND because we were travelling on a budget, we didn't take the slightly faster route via the highway.
We decided to drive down along the coast. That way, we would have beautiful views all the way down and no traffic jam at the borders!
Good to know:
If you don't cross the borders Cro-Bosnia/Bosnia-Cro on the highway, chances are that you will have no traffic jam at all!
To cross the famous Neum-corridor in Bosnia-Herzegovina, there would be absolutely no problem whatsoever in normal times as both countries have an agreement on border-crossings.
BUT Corona currently influences our freedom of travelling through Europe.
The Neum-Corridor and Corona
No staying in Bosnia-Herzegovina
So the first question that arose was this: will they let us cross borders twice without any troubles?
As the Coronavirus was still very active, new rules were applying for each country.
We had heard from friends in Dubrovnik that they needed proof at the borders that we were indeed just quickly crossing the corridor, not staying in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Which means we needed a paper that stated that we stayed IN Croatia (in this case: Split) until the day we were passing through Neum.
So far, so good. Our host in Split made that paper.
And indeed, there was no problem whatsoever at both border-crossings. But we don't know for sure if they are as obliging at the main border-crossings on the highway.
No stopping (even for a coffee) in Bosnia-Herzegovina
So this meant: crossing that corridor, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes on this route to complete.
The general rule was: get through it in less than an hour, don't stop for coffee or even for a toilet-visit!
Planning on continuing from Dubrovnik to Italy? Avoid the Neum-corridor altogether!
This is SUPER important!!
It's something we did not know when driving from Split to Dubrovnik!
The day we arrived in Dubrovnik, there had been a new anti-Covid19-rule issued by the Italian government if you wanted to take the ferries from Dubrovnik to Bari or Brindisi, both in Italy: NO PASSING THROUGH THE NEUM-CORRIDOR AT ALL!!
Otherwise you would be denied entry to Italy.
On one hand, it's absolutely understandable: Bosnia-Herzegovina was on Italy's no-go-zone at the time.
And so knowing that people could stop in that country despite of everything, even for just a coffee, that would put at risk all the efforts to contain the virus.
On the other hand, we literally crossed it in 15 minutes. No stopping, nothing. And if they had put a time-stamp on the passports, we could have proven it.
But they hadn't.
So we got on the ferry to Bari (as we were still on our road trip through Europe) and took the risk of getting sent back to Croatia immediately.
Luckily, they barely checked what we wrote on the entry-papers and let us pass. But we didn't sleep well on the ferry, worrying we might be doing the trip for nothing.
What's the alternative to the Neum-corridor?
So this is actually what the Italians would have expected us (and so many others who didn't know) to do:
Drive down from Split to Ploce, hop on the ferry to Trpanji and continue by land from here to Dubrovnik.
This is the route nr 3 showed above.
Good to know:
The route 3, meaning taking the ferry from Plotce to Trpanj, is the only one not passing through Bosnia-Herzegovina
Meaning a much longer route, way more expensive (the ferry costs more than the toll) and with waiting times as boarding a car-ferry is slooooow.
But this is what you'll have to do if you don't want to take the risk to be turned down at the Italian entry-ports.
Moving on to why you're here (if you were only here to know HOW to get from Split to Dubrovnik, that's fine too!).
Our travel-guide for the 'Pearl of the Adriatic': the magnificent city of Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik: The Pearl of the Adriatic
Introducing the city
So you made it from Split to Dubrovnik: congratulations!
Then you get this Dubrovnik guide for free!
Just kidding.
If you don't know how long to stay, we would recommend 2 or better 3 days in Dubrovnik.
Anything from 2 days in Dubrovnik lets you explore the old town and Lovrijenac fort at ease.
But 3 days in Dubrovnik allows you to check out the magnificent views on Mount Srd and even get to the island Lokrum right outside of the city.
Just to be clear: one day in Dubrovnik isn't enough. People would recommend doing a day-trip from Split (for other day-trips from Split, click here) but that's just non-sense.
Dubrovnik in a nutshell
I had the luck of visiting Dubrovnik twice already.
The first time, I was sent by the Luxembourgish government (my employer) to attend an archaeological congress at one of the Universities.
At that time, cruise-ships were still very active (see the Instagram-post below on that subject) and during the day, the old town was OVERCROWDED!
Luckily, those cruise-tourists tended to disappear and I could enjoy the beauty of the city in the evenings.
In Covid19-times, things are different, though: no cruise-ships at the moment (July 2020), hence far less tourists!
Follow @themarveloustravelers for our current Euro adventure 
. We don’t like them. At all. I mean, Sebi doesn’t feel as strongly about this but he would never do one. . And I REALLY dislike them, sorry 
Talking about the big fat ones with thousands of people on them 
. And I strongly dislike this "ticking off countries" when doing cruises going from one place to another where you hop off to see a whole city in a few hours just to get back on the ship in time for dinner.. 
. In my honest opinion, this has NOTHING to do with travelling and experiencing a country and its people 
. Why am I saying this? I went to Dubrovnik for an archaeological congress in September 2017. And it was AWFUL!! 
. I stayed in the old town and I was so glad that I was at the university during the day. I forgot something in my room one day and went down there in the afternoon - urggghhh!!! People packed like sardines in a tin, pushing each other, being impolite and leaving nothing but garbage behind 
. I don't want to attack anyone personally and I hate generalising and putting people in boxes but they ALL wore these little stickers of their ship!! 
. Anyways: we went back a few weeks ago and I got a whole new image of Dubrovnik! It was SO calm and I really enjoyed every single second of strolling through that magnificent city 
_________________ 
Again: don't want to step on anyone's toes but this is my honest opinion. What are your thoughts? Maybe some cruise-ship-people can tell me that I've got the wrong idea?Where to stay in Dubrovnik?
If you're coming down from Split to Dubrovnik, you will definitely notice a drastic jump in accommodation prizes...
Accommodation in Dubrovnik, especially the old town, is far from cheap!
But it is possible to find something decent and reasonably priced if you take your time to search. Take a look at the deals below*:
*this is an affiliate-link, which means we earn a tiny commission to know extra cost for you if you book through our link
In the Old Town
The first time I went, I stayed right in the old town, in one of the side-streets at the Cinema View House.
It was a little bit difficult to get there with my luggage as it involved steep and narrow stairs but otherwise the location was perfect: super close to the city-center, yet far enough to not be bothered by the street-noises.
Another place I would recommend in terms of accommodation in old town Dubrovnik are the 'La vita e bella - villas' which will give you a bit more luxury right in the historic center. There are four different ones, one more beautifully arranged than the other!
The view from the 'Cinema View House'
Alternatives: Lapad or Gruz
This year, we stayed in the 'Lapad' area of Dubrovnik, in an AirBnB. This area is slightly up the hill to the North-West of the old town.
It's a perfect location if you're travelling on a budget as you can get a lot more value for a smaller price than in the old town!
And it is still easily reachable on foot.
Also, staying in this area means that you're close to one of the best beaches in Dubrovnik: the Bellevue-beach!
It's not very big but so beautiful and if you love jumping off cliffs (Sebi does), then you'll have some nice challenges here!
Dubrovnik beaches are generally known for being quite beautiful but I'd say this is really one of the best.
Another recommendable area in terms of accommodation in Dubrovnik but with even better prizes and still not too far from the highlights is the area called 'Gruz'.
Take a look at those areas on the map below, you will certainly find something suitable:
The beautiful Bellevue-Beach
Sebi is somewhere on that cliff, ready to jump
What to do in Dubrovnik?
Walk on the city walls
Dubrovnik's iconic red roofs
This is probably THE main thing everyone recommends to do when visiting Dubrovnik: do the wall-walk (haha).
Touristy or not, it is the best way to really appreciate the way the old town is built and structured and admire the beauty of the red roofs.
Sure, 70% of these roofs are not original anymore. As I said in the summary, during the Croatian War of Independence, several attacks had been conducted on the city between 1991-1995.
And this while the city was already under protection from the UNESCO! They even put up giant official signs stating that certain monuments had to be protected and thus not bombed.
But it was useless, the Serbian army attacked nonethelesse.
In any case, they managed to restore the city to its former beauty and luckily the main buildings survived for the most part.
Why going early is key
The walls are accessible from 8 am until 7.30 pm and the walk gets you aaaalll around the city with beautiful views of the latter but also the port and the sea.
Get there as early as you can: in non-Covid times and high season, they have to stop people from getting up the walls during the day as it gets too crowded.
The majority of the people getting up there are cruise-tourists, in town for a few hours and therefore super stressed to do this main highlight..
So get up there at 8 sharp, the big cruise ships mostly arriving at about 9 or 10 am.
Also, those stones heat up pretty fast in summer. It won’t take long at you’ll be baking on those walls with hardly any shadow.
Again: GET. THERE. EARLY. This is one of THE most important Dubrovnik tips you'll get.
But it is worth it, trust me!
The best views are from the Minčeta Fort (GOT-fans will recognize this as the exterior of the House of Undying in Qarth) - read below for more viewpoint-tips!
The views you get from around the Minčeta Fort with Lovrijenac castle on the right
Getting all around the city
Wide views into the sea
The Stradun walk
The Stradun or Placa is basically the main street in Dubrovnik.
After the 1667 earthquake that destroyed lots of the old city, the Stradun got rebuild with the look it has today.
You'd think that these row houses with shops in the lower part have been set there only for touristy purposed in a modern era.
But no, this was actually part of the whole rebuilding in the 17th century, aiming at promoting trade activities.
And the street itself, between the Pile (the main entrance to the old town) and the Ploce gate, had been the city's main thoroughfare since the 13th century.
Walk down the whole thing until you get to the archives and turn right. There’s a little market square with a few restaurants and, if you are a Game of Thrones-fan, the famous "FOR SHAME!!!!"-stairs 🙂
The almost empty Stradun in the morning from the wall
The 15th century Onofrio's fountain
The Stradun late afternoon from the other side
The 'for shame!'-stairs from GOT and the market place
Iconic buildings and must-sees
Dubrovnik's Cathedral
The seat of the Diocese of Dubrovnik, an 18th century baroque church that's nice and cool inside.
Dubrovnik's majestic cathedral
The Franciscan Monastery
A monastery from the 14th century with two cloisters and a 17th century library.
And there's the Old Pharmacy you can visit. It dates back to 1317, making it the oldest still functioning pharmacy in Europe!
So in case you'll need it, you can still buy things at this pharmacy.
The Franciscan Monastery with bell tower from above
One of the cloisters right next to the Old (and new) Pharmacy
The Dominican Monastery
The Dominicans have established the monastery in the 13th century but the building with church are from the 14th.
The cloister was added in the 15th century.
The Dominican Monastery and its bell tower seen from above; Lovrijenac castle in the back on the right
Church of St Ignatius of Loyola
A baroque church from the 18th century with a 14th century bell tower (which you see a lot in GOT, too)
Inside of the St Ignatius of Loyola
Rector's Palace
You'll find the Rector's Palace at the end of the Stradun slightly to the right.
It is a Gothic and Renaissance styled building from the 15th century and it used to be the seat of the Rector of the Republic of Ragusa.
Rector's Palace on the right, the archives in the back
Get lost in Dubrovnik's side-streets
Cute little streets, lots of stairs, plenty of restaurants and shops.
One of the numerous little streets with stairs
Another cute street, Mount Srd in the back
The cable car - not absolutely necessary
Okay this is something we personally didn't no.
I wanted to when I came for the congress in 2017 but the queues were always SO long that I ended up not getting up..
This year, we had our own car so we actually just drove up to Mount Srđ - way cheaper!
Mount Srđ - incredible views and sad history
If you have a car or love hiking, get up that hill!
The views are incredible!!
We went up there the first time at around 7 pm to watch the sunset.
We were definitely not alone but as we went there quite early, we ended up having a cute little picnic spot to ourselves. This was magic!
On top of it lies the Fort Imperial, built during the Napoleonic Wars in 1810.
This Fort was super important during the Croatian War of Independence and you can visit a fascinating yet saddening exhibition around that subject inside.
One of our favourite lookouts on Mount Srđ (see below)
Us getting ready for our picnic
Isn't this the best picnic-spot you've ever seen??
The sad images of the attacks at the exhibition
Very intersting and moving exhibition inside the Fort Imperial
Fort Lovrijenac or St Lawrence Fortress
This fort, also called 'Dubrovnik's Gibraltar' played an important role in the resistance against the Venetians in the 12th century when it was built.
The views you get on the Old Town and the West Harbour from up the walls of this castle are incredible.
Maybe that's why lots of movies chose this as a setting. Yes, Game of Thrones too.
Lovrijenac Fort inside
Couldn't resist putting a comparison photo from GOT 🙂
Chillin' here.. ain't that view goals??
Where to eat or have a drink?
In the Old Town
- Bistro Tavulin: here I had my first dinner when I came in 2017. The food was amazing and the service so nice. It's located on the side-street right in front of the Rector's Palace.
- D'Vino Wine Bar: the third side-street on the left after the Franciscan Monastery on the Stradun (when coming from the main entrance). You basically eat on the stairs (there's tables and chairs, don't worry) and that food is incredible. And try their wines too!
- Azur Dubrovnik: 'Mediterranean cuisine with an Asian twist', that's how they advertise it themselves. It was amazingly tasty back in 2017 and it still is now.
- Bard Dubrovnik: walk to the end of the Stradun, turn right, walk towards the outer wall and follow the sign that says "cold drinks with the most beautiful view in town". That sign doesn't lie. Super hot during the day but incredible at sunset.
Outside of the Old Town
- Restaurant Sesame: located on the main street going up to Lapad, this little restaurant with beautiful decoration offers great food at various prizes. Depends if you want a light lunch (super tasty sandwiches) or a full dinner. Read below to find out what else is in that area!
- Restaurant Mimoza: this is where we had our final dinner after the congress back in 2017. So I don't know what the food is like now, three years later, but back then it was really tasty and I loved the setting
Where to enjoy the best views
Srđ Viewpoint 1: Driving up Mount Srđ, before getting to the cable car
Srđ Viewpoint 2: Again Mount Srđ, this time further up, on the right of the Fort Imperial (picnic-spot for sunsets)
Minčeta Fort: On the walls of the Old Town, the most northern point
Fort Lovrijenac: on top of the walls but already on the way up from the little park
Gradac Viewpoint: Next to the Sesame Restaurant previously mentioned, walk up the stairs to the little parking lot, there's a great view on Lovrijenac Castle from this side
Bard Viewpoint: See 'Bard Dubrovnik' I mentioned earlier
Here's a little recap of all the viewpoints, made you a special map on Google for that - you're welcome 🙂
And here we go: how to get from Split to Dubrovnik and what to do and see in this incredibly picturesque city!
I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to comment, pin and share it!
As ever
xx
Cyn
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