3 Little Plums Travel; Croatia itinerary
I know this is not a travel substack but since so many of you have asked for my itinerary and recommendations, I am sharing What my son and I did during our Wonderful, recent trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia.
At the end, I added an extra section on what I would do ( Or in some cases what I wouldn’t do ) next time that I go!
Of note: This was a trip that I did with my 15 year old son. The itinerary would look different if I had traveled with my toddler or if I had just traveled with my husband lol
Day 1 ( arrival day)
Late lunch:
We arrived mid afternoon and my son went to eat a hamburger at Otto which is a little ( cute) hole in the wall with “ street food” ( hamburgers, and the like ). This is right next to our hotel so it was very convenient
Afternoon
From there, we headed over to enter the Old Town of Dubrovnik and walk the famous Dubrovnik walls. If you purchase the Dubrovnik pass, the cost to enter the walls and basically every other museum or location that requires an entry free in the city, is €40. If you just buy the tickets for the wall it’s €40. So it definitely makes sense to purchase the Dubrovnik pass. For children ( ages 18 and under) the cost is significantly less so I purchased a separate ticket for my son .
The walls are a must do, it takes anywhere between an hour and an hour and a half to go around the entire city. The views are stunning… beyond stunning. There are sections that have steep stairs, but most of them are optional sections you can skip ( but if you are able-bodied, I would do). I highly recommend going early morning or as late as possible in the day ( after 5:30 PM, but the later the better ) to avoid crowds and heat during the summer.
Dinner:
Taj Mahal for traditional Bosnian food. They have a restaurant inside the old town and another one near the Bellevue Hotel
Day 2: Exploring the Old City
Morning:
Quick stop at Franciscan Monastery & Pharmacy (one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe) , walk down the Strodum ( main street), Rectors place museum and the cathedral
Lunch:
Marco Polo restaurant. Located in a small quiet alley, when you eat at this restaurant, you somehow are able to forget that you’re in the middle of an incredibly busy city filled with tourist. The food is wonderfully tasty, we had the octopus carpaccio, the carrots salad ( this one blew my mind and was everything. I did not expect it to be. More than a salad. It’s like a raw food platter with a delicious peanut sauce) and the beef ragout pasta. This restaurant is on the recommended restaurant list published by the Michelin guide.
Afternoon:
Headed to the Jesuit stairs and Saint Ignatius Church. Most days, at least during summer, the plaza at the base of the stairs has a farmers market where you can buy fresh fruit and veggies as well as local sweets ( fake, sugar, coated, almonds, and sugar coated dried orange peels, and lemon peels)
Snack: if you’re feeling like gelato, Pepino’s gelato factory has hands-down, the best gelato in the city. We went every day.There are two locations, one near the stairs and the other near the Ploce Gate
You can spend the rest of the afternoon walking around the little streets of the old city. I highly recommend staying away from the main street and checking out the smaller streets. If you have kids the basketball court is really cool. It’s a lot of stairs up to get to the basketball court but once you’re there, it has the best views and plenty of space to play
Dinner: Vapor at the Bellevue. We were staying at the Bellevue so it was very convenient to go to this Michelin recommended restaurant and the views from the terrace are spectacular and the food was great. If you’re not staying on this side of town, you could probably find something else.
COFFEE & more
Cogito Coffee Shop / Dubrovnik Old Town NEAR HARBOR- located near the Maritime Museum, this little hole in the wall, probably makes the best espresso drinks in the city. Just before arriving here about a block prior, there is a cute little store that sells local liquor and also local honey. You can Have a tasting experience and taste over 15 different types of honey ( Or liquor if you’re into that!)
DAY 3: Day trip to Lokrum Island
• Lokrum is a small island that is literally a 10-min ferry from Old Port. You can buy tickets right at the ports, or buy them online. The ferries leave the Old Town Harbor every hour on the hour after 9 AM ( Again, these are summer hours, so check if you’re not traveling during the summer) The return ferry leaves Lokrum 15 minutes after the hour every hour
• Visit the Monastery, and GoT Iron Throne ( we skipped this)
• Swim in the Dead Sea lagoon (calm and safe but definitely bring water shoes as it is very rocky. I would only recommend this if you arrive early or maybe end of day otherwise it gets too crowded.
• enjoy the views and climbing over rocks In the area located just beyond the “ Dead Sea” . Careful with little kids or avoid with little kids. Alternately, if you do have little kids right next to the lagoon on the other side of the lagoon, there is a great playground and a large field. The field has a soccer pitch, although that is usually full of peacocks.
Short hike to Fort Royal for views. It’s pretty steep, but most people are going to be able to walk up. A nice thing is that a lot of people skip this and miss out on these beautiful views. You can also go up the remains of the fort which is pretty cool.
From the Royal Fort walk towards SKALIKA its prob the prettiest little rocky beach and has spectacular views of Dubrovnik’s Old Town ( and we found it was rather empty compared to the other beaches in the island)
• Lots of peacocks everywhere
Afternoon: you can have a lunch on the island ( There are a few snack shops, but also a proper restaurant near that soccer pitch and playground/ monastery ) We chose to return back to old town and ate a lunch jn Old Town
The Maritime Museum explores all of this fascinating history and pays homage to the republic's extraordinary craftsmanship and maritime prowess. Housed within the imposing Fort St John, which has protected the harbour since 1346, the collection of artefacts spans ship models, nautical charts, old coins, tools and ceremonial flags. To reach the museum, walk up the steps behind the old harbour, as though heading to the old city walls, then turn right at the top.
Address: Maritime Museum, Dubrovačke Gradske Zidine, Ul. kneza Damjana Jude 12, 20000, Dubrovnik
Dinner: Restaurant Dubrovnik . This Michelin recommended restaurants was our favorite in the entire trip. You do have to pick between a 3 or 4 or seven course menu. We chose the three course menu and it was plenty and delicious. It is located on a lovely rooftop right in the heart of the Old Town.
We went on the first day of Dubrovnik summer festival, and so after dinner were treated to a fabulous display of fireworks. Regardless, if you’re there for the festival or not, I do recommend walking around the old town at night as the lighting and the old buildings look very pretty.
DAY 4: boat, rental, and tour of the Elephite islands
Lunch
DOWA AND HANG BY BEACH. You must pre-book and there is a sitting at 12 PM or 3 PM. You can stay and eat and then use their beach which is really really pretty. I would definitely recommend water shoes as it is rocky. You can reserve beach chairs or beach cabanas but if you don’t, you can bring your own towels and still use the beach and their area After or before lunch.
Before settling at Dowa , our boat captain took us around different islands and parts of the coast to enjoy the gorgeous crystal Clearwater. We did skip some of the more famous spots because they were just way too crowded.
I would personally add a full day at Sipan Island as there are plenty of hiking trails, biking trails, and a fair amount of places to see on the island.
What I would like to do when I go back
Schedule an overnight stay in Montenegro. It is about a 2 Hours Dr. to Montenegro but you have to cross two borders and during the summer this can add another one to three or even four hours to your trip
Schedule a full day in Sipan Island
Take water shoes to Lukrum ( and all “beaches”)
Hotels
Bellevue: this is why I stayed with my son. The reason I chose it was that it was walking distance to the old town, but it actually has Access to its own little beach. The beach is small, can be crowded, but is super gorgeous. I think the hotel is overpriced for what it is,to be completely honest, but it was more than fine and the restaurants is actually very delicious. I really enjoyed our walks to and from the city, but it is about 15 minutes so this might not be ideal if you Our travel traveling with very young children or very old family members
Villa Dubrovnik: this is a luxury resort that looks fabulous. Also a short walk to the old town but very luxurious and gorgeous
Seven Oaks Noble House: if you want to stay inside the old town, this is a small boutique hotel that can be a good alternative. No cars are allowed inside the old town so you might wanna travel with carry-on luggage, but either way the hotel usually has someone that can meet you at the gate with your taxi drops you off and bring you in so that you don’t have to carry all the bags yourself