The holy grail of GOT, the land of Games of Thrones! It is just Seeing The World In Steps, the 185th unique city worldwide! Let’s see where number 200 takes me! I am so honoured for Dubrovnik to be the number 185th on my list. This is also the first time I am here in Croatia. My 37th unique country! I have been wanting to visit this city for a long time and it is not because of GOT! I have never watched it before. I am very appreciative of the Dubrovnik Travel Board or Turistička zajednica grada Dubrovnika for showing me around their city when they heard that I am coming over! I will also share some places that I dine at while touring Dubrovnik. Let’s check out the Crown Jewel of Croatia, Dubrovnik!

City Tour with Dubrovnik Travel Board

Dubrovnik City Walls – 400 years of history! This is the most famous attraction in the city! The renowned city walls come with 4 forts and 16 towers to be used for defence.

This and the nearby Fort Lovrijenac are crucial for the defence!

There are currently three entrances to the historical city! Pile Gate, Ploce Gate and Buza Gate were built by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1908. Originally there were only two gates opposite the city! I stayed near Pile Gate at the Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik. At the top of Pile Gate, you will notice the statue of St. Blaise, the patron saint of the city.

Ploce Gate is on the other side and nearer to the harbour.

Buza Gate is near the cable car to ascend to Mount Srd.

As we enter Pile Gate, you will notice the historical Onofrio’s water fountain. This is a sign and product of Dubrovnik’s 15th-century-old water system. In 1667 the city was destroyed by one of the largest earthquakes ever. This fountain survive the earthquake and only the top is destroyed.

You will then be at Stradum. A famous street or avenue in the old town. This is the busiest street now in Dubrovnik with 17th century buildings flanking the cobbled path. My tour guide Lidijia stayed right at the corner.

At the end of the Stradum is Luza Square. Dubrovnik was founded in the 6th century as Rausa, or Ragusium, by Roman refugees. It was a swamp and it was filled up with settlements and buildings till the end of 800. Croatians came in the 7th century. Dubrovnik was a trading port and very important. The name Dubrovnik means Oak City.

We also check out the Franciscan Monastery which housed the oldest pharmacy which has been around since 1372. It is still a working pharmacy today. They are very famous for their rose cream.

We then learned about the war and went into a local book store Arthur. You will be surprised that this only happened in 1995, a mere 29 years ago. There was fighting and all. It is drastically different from the glamorous sun-kissed historical city by the water or the GOT city. The owners were nice to offer me a book about the war written by a local.

We also stopped by Gundulićeva Poljana, the local market in Gundulić Square and tried some local delights. Those dried figs and candied oranges are amazing. I particularly love the candied orange.

We then went back to Rector Palace. In 1358, the Republic of Ragusa was created. They want to limit the power of the leader, the Rector to prevent issues like corruption which caused the downfall of Venice, a similar settlement. As such, the Rector will be elected and serve for a term of 1 month. There will be 12 different Rector in a year. Only after 24 cycles can they be the rector again. This is to prevent the leader from being too powerful.

Since being added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. The organization have helped with the restoration and excavation since the 1979 earthquake and it is at this point where they discover additional artefacts that show the place started in the 6th century rather than the 7th century.

Dubrovnik

Banje Beach

Mount Srd

Old Harbour

West Harbour

Random Shots around Dubrovnik

Eating in Dubrovnik

Lady Pi-Pi

Gradska kavana Arsenal Restaurant

Gelateria Dubrovnik

Conclusion

Much appreciation to Sandra from the Tourism Board for extending this and my tour guide, Lidijia. I am glad to receive more detailed information about the history and culture of the place and the city. I enjoyed the tour and learning about every little bit of the place. Dubrovnik is an amazing place, even for a non-Games of Thrones place. It is one of the nicest cities that I have been to in Europe. This is the gem of Croatia. You really can’t miss it. It had gorgeous agriculture, a huge history, plenty of good food and the best waters I have ever swum in! It is so clean and clear.

This post is brought to you in collaboration with Turistička zajednica grada Dubrovnik