Walking the Dubrovnik City Walls

Forever topping my list of places I want to visit was Croatia and it was with great joy that I finally stepped off the plane into Dubrovnik airport. Currently best known for one of the filming locations for Game of Thrones, the Old Town in Dubrovnik is one of the best preserved medieval cities in the world and a UNESCO world heritage site.Myself and two friends arrived in the city two days before we were due to begin sailing through the islands of Croatia towards Split and decided to tackle the walking Dubrovnik city walls one morning, in spite of the crazy heat that was already beating down on us.These stairs alone were thigh burners, requiring a quick pit stop at the peak for a drink. Already, the views were spectacular with Fort Lovrijenac rising up right in front of us. This is often seen in the background of Game of Thrones in King’s Landing scenes! Every time I spot it on the show, it makes me remember this amazing trip.The heat left a haze hanging over the city, giving the distinctive orange rooves a fairytale feel to them. The water below looked so clear and beautiful that we could have happily stripped off and jumped in right then and there.The city walls had been bombarded with attacks over the centuries – most recently, the Siege of Dubrovnik in the Croatian War of Independence in 1991 where over 50% of the buildings in the Old Town were damaged – however, they have proved incredibly resilient and still stand proud and strong today.The views were truly spectacular and while we didn’t quite complete the walk, we made it around halfway where we passed the harbour and gazed over to the Revelin fortress. Today, a nightclub exists nearby and if you enjoy deep house (not for me but what a venue!), it’s defeinitely one to hit up.Eventually, the lure of ice cream in a shady spot got too much for us but it was a pretty darn impressive way to start our first full day in Croatia. You pay around 100 kuna for a ticket (£10) but this grants you access all day so you can take as many breaks as you need – or even revisit later in the day for a sunset view. Well worth it: Dubrovnik, you are beautiful.

Laura x