I’m going to be honest. I didn’t have high expectations (or any expectations for that matter!) for this trip. I booked it on a whim (the kid was in Barbados visiting family for the summer and the hubby had to work) and didn’t really know much about the country, other than it seemed to be the new hot spot for European summer travel (for Americans at least) and there were a bunch of countries nearby that would make for easy day trips. Although I originally booked this as a solo trip (time waits for no one!), I was thoroughly excited when two of my favorite travel companions decided to join me on my exploration of the Dalmatian coast.
Before we touched down in Dubrovnik, we had a layover in Helsinki, Finland. Since I am always one to make the best out of a long layover, I planned a jam packed day for our short visit to Helsinki. Like many other European cities, it was relatively easy getting from the airport into the city center. There are actually three options: train, bus, taxi. After learning an expensive lesson taking a taxi from the airport in Norway (during which it cost us $120 for a thirty minute ride), I knew better than to take a taxi from the airport in another Nordic country!
The train was only about 5 euros and we were in the city center in about 20 minutes (note: you have to purchase the ticket from a machine BEFORE you board the train). I had a physical copy of a map of the town to help navigate (always one of my must haves when I travel since I’m directionally challenged!) but also downloaded an app before I left NY called maps.me that my sister told me about which provided turn by turn directions to all of the sights we wanted to see (note: it totally killed my battery in like 20 minutes though so still ended up using my old school map!).
Let me be honest…Helsinki is a cute city but there really isn’t THAT much to do. Our first stop was the Helsinki cathedral. Originally built from 1830-1852 as a tribute to the Grand Duke of Finland, the beautiful white building sort of reminded me of the White House in the U.S. (sort of…)
Next on our self-directed Helsinki city tour was the Uspenski cathedral, an Eastern Orthodox church built from 1862–1868 with a clear Russian influence (e.g., red bricks, green and gold domes, etc.).
We then walked another few feet to the the Skywheel that provides fantastic views of the city. While there is some variation of a “Ferris wheel” in nearly every big city (e.g., the London Eye, the Cape Wheel, etc.), this one was unique because there was a “SkySauna” available that allows you to experience a sauna in the sky! Although that sounded right up my alley, it came with a hefty price tag so we settled for a regular one.
Taking in some sights along the way, it wasn’t long before we arrived at the Old Market Square with vendors selling souvenirs and Finnish food. Forgoing a proper lunch, we had a delicious fruit and ice cream crepe while people watching in the square. Actually, make that seagull watching…they love swooping down and snatching snacks from unsuspecting tourists in this area!
We were going to head to Old Market Hall and then to the Ateljee Bar at the Sokos Hotel (THE place for really amazing views of the city) but since we already got a pretty good view of the city at the top of the Skywheel, it didn’t make sense to pay 20 euros (the price of a single cocktail at the Ateljee Bar) for the same view that we just saw.
Instead, we took a 10-minute taxi ride to Loyly, a Finnish sauna. I know, I know….I was trying to avoid taxis at all cost (pun intended) but I couldn’t go to Finland without experiencing an authentic sauna!! (Side note: after the fact, we realized there was actually a sauna right next to the Skywheel but I had already pre-booked Loyly so we still went there). It was 19 euros for a two-hour booking for the sauna and included a bath towel, “seat cover” (which was just a little towel to sit on in the sauna), soap, and shampoo. We were able to book the first reservation at 1pm (when they opened) since we had to get back to catch our flight. There were two saunas: a regular sauna and a smoke sauna (a sauna without a chimney). As many Finns see it as a place for physical and mental cleansing, inside the sauna was as quiet as a church mouse (no talking for me!).
And there was actually a process to the Finnish sauna experience: put on swimsuit, take shower, go in sauna for a few minutes, then go into the COLD, COLD sea water. See illustration below.
Ummm yea, hell no! I dipped my pinky toe in that cold water and Lord knows that was enough for me. I saw some people jump in the sea and all I thought was God bless their souls. There was even a little boy that couldn’t have been any older than six who was doing it as well!
All saunas have a basket of rocks heated by the stove on which to throw water to increase the humidity. Well I guess it was too “cold” for one bather because soon after I entered, he threw water on the hot stones to produce steam (and give a sensation of increased heat) and I literally felt like I was in hell with the devil blowing his hot breath in my face. Good grief did it get hot in there; to the point where it was super hard to breathe. There is typically also the option of using a “vihta” – a bunch of birch branches which you dip in water and then hit yourself with (supposedly to stimulate circulation) but we didn’t see any of these branches here.
While our reservation was for 2 hours, we had enough after about 45 minutes (yea, we are sauna lightweights). Since we were out in the boondocks, we begrudgingly had to take another taxi back to the central railway station in town. With trains to the airport leaving every 20 minutes, we were at our gate in no time.
Only a three hour flight to Dubrovnik, we quickly cleared immigration and customs and found our taxi driver. The coastline was gorgeous…beautiful red clay roofs, crystal clear water, and lush greenery against a mountainous backdrop. It was less than a thirty minute drive to our Airbnb but I soaked in every bit of the picturesque coastline before we arrived at the apartment. Since it was my first time using Airbnb, I was a bit skeptical on what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. We had ample room, was close to Old Town, and had a beautiful view overlooking the water.
However, there was a downside: stairs, stairs, and even more stairs to get to our apartment (in the dark).
We had a dinner reservation for that evening so we quickly dressed and took a taxi to Lapad, a residential suburb of Dubrovnik. The restaurant choice for the evening was the Orsan Yachting Club which came highly recommended (thank you TripAdvisor). Located in the marina, the views were spectacular, even at night. The service was impeccable (as you’d expect with any fine dining restaurant) and we feasted on tuna tartar, octopus salad, risotto with shrimp and mussels, and grilled sea bass (although it could’ve used a touch of seasoning). Side note: One thing I learned that also occurred at other restaurants we dined at in Croatia (as well as Montenegro) is that they charged a “couvert” which is basically a cover charge for serving a “complimentary” bread or amuse bouche that is brought automatically whether you want it or not! (insert big side eye here). It isn’t uniform across all restaurants in the region so you may or may not see it on the menu depending on the restaurant. Aside from that (the frugal part of me still can’t get over that!), it was a fantastic way to end our first day in Dubrovnik.
While I initially wanted to explore Dubrovnik a bit before venturing off to its neighboring countries, the tour company I wanted to use was only available on that day. So with a prompt pick up at 7am by Dubrovnik Top Tours, we were off to Bosnia…but not before we stopped at three border controls before we actually got into the country. Fun fact: The way the borders are set up, we actually had to drive through Bosnia then back through Croatia and then back through Bosnia. We spent the day in the Herzegovina region (which is the southern portion of the country while Bosnia is in the north and middle portion and much further than I wanted to drive couped up in a car…though it was very comfy!). Our first stop of the day was Kravica falls, a beautiful series of waterfalls. It is 3 euros to enter during peak season (2 euros in the off season). Since it is a bit of a walk down to the falls, there is a “train” (which is really just a trolley) that can take you down and then back up. It was a beautiful day so we trekked down on foot. Other than the falls, there were just a couple of shops down at the bottom for a drink or bite to eat. The waterfalls were less spectacular than I pictured because this was dry season so they weren’t at full force. Oh well! Still made for some great shots!
Next on the itinerary was a stop at UNESCO-protected Počitelj. There, we hiked up to Sahat-kula (the watch tower). The steps were very slippery so sneakers or shoes with grip are highly recommended. Of course, all of us had on cute sandals so we were definitely holding on to the railing (as well as each other!) for dear life. There is also an option to visit the Haji-Ali Mosque on the way up but we opted out since we weren’t appropriately dressed (and there was a fee). By the time we reached the watchtower, we were hot as hell and slightly winded, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the view at the top!
Our final stop of the tour was Mostar, the unofficial capital of the Herzegovina region. By this time, we were famished so we stopped for a traditional Bosnian meal at Restaurant Sadrvan. Since I had no idea what a traditional meal consisted of, I got the “national plate” which included a taste of everything. It was actually pretty tasty and reminded me of Egyptian food with the pita type bread and sausage-type meat.
After grabbing some gelato from one of the local shops for dessert, we weaved through the narrow cobblestone streets perusing the shops that lined both sides of the road across the bridge (which was VERY slippery by the way!). After witnessing a gypsy try to pickpocket someone earlier in the day, I always kept one eye out for potential pickpocketers (you can take the girl out of New York but you can’t take the New York out of this girl!).
We then spent some time at the main attraction in Mostar: Stari Most, the 16th-century Ottoman bridge that crosses the river Neretva and connects the two parts of the city (the Muslim side and the Catholic side). The Old Bridge stood for 427 years, until it was destroyed in the 90s during the war and then reconstructed in 2004. Part of its claim to fame is that local divers leap from the bridge several times throughout the day. The setup is this: there is a guy that looks like he is going to jump but it is really just a distraction for another guy (whose job is to ask tourists for money) to get more money. At the last minute, the “fake jumper” is swapped out for an experienced diver. Since we we were on the bridge when the guy jumped (feet first), we didn’t have the best view and weren’t able to really see the jump (the best view is actually at the bottom of the bridge). The jump is NOT for amateurs as the divers actually have to hit a specific spot (only one specific area is deep enough to dive) as the areas around it are quite shallow. Thank goodness all went well on the jump we saw!
After the excitement of the jump, there really wasn’t much else to see in the town so we headed back to Dubrovnik. Taking the 1B bus into Old Town (about a 20 minute ride and 15 kronas = 2-3 US), we got off at the last stop and crossed the drawbridge to Pile Gate, the main entrance to Old Town. This is really when the area comes alive: vendors beckoning you to sign up for tours, open air restaurants dotting the cobble stone streets, and locals and tourists alike people-watching while sipping their beverage of choice. Since I didn’t plan our restaurant for the night, we decided to explore a bit walking along the main street Placa (or as it’s commonly known, Stradun) before being convinced by a beautiful tall blonde lady from Split to eat at a place called Bona Fide. We didn’t have high expectations after navigating the labyrinth the restaurant was buried in, but we were pleasantly surprised. Marrying Mexican and Italian cuisines, the restaurant specialized in both pizza and tacos which we can confirm was DELICIOUS. I know, I know…pizza and tacos in Croatia? Yup, and it was damn good 🙂
Then of course, we got more gelato as dessert (you can never have enough gelato)! On our way back out, we saw the below group of ladies dressed all in black handing out flyers to Club Revelin. Little did we know we were going to see them EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, decked out in different themed outfits just walking back and forth the main street (definitely gave me cult vibes). We also saw some guys marching through the streets but have no idea what that was about.
We decided to designate the next day our “beach and exploration day”. I wanted to see what all the hype for Banje Beach (the most popular beach) was about so we took the bus back to Pile Gate, walked along the main street, then exited through Ploce Gate which led to Banje Beach (pronounced BAN-YE). We quickly learned there were two sides to the beach: the private side (which you could pay 100 kronas per person for a chair and umbrella) and the public side (which was free but no “frills”). Knowing that the sun would be at full force soon, we opted for the side with the umbrella and chairs. One thing to note about the beaches in Dubrovnik, they are FULL of little fine rocks and pebbles (so definitely bring water shoes if you have them otherwise it will be painful to walk on as they are extremely sharp!). The beautiful shades of blue I saw in the ocean – reminiscent of what you would see in the Caribbean – quickly made me forget about the pesky rocks.
Our 11:30am arrival time was perfect because it started getting crowded shortly after. While the chairs in the very front row were taken, we still got prime seating in the second row so couldn’t complain. Once settled, we had lunch at the Banje Beach restaurant which provided great views of the ocean with its location steps away from the beach. The restaurant offers a limited menu for beachside dining but we wanted the full shebang so we opted for eating at the restaurant itself. We feasted on mussels, tiger shrimp risotto…and cheeseburgers (don’t judge my meal pairings on this trip!) with a honey ginger mojito which was the perfect blend of honey, ginger, and rum!
Our beach time was cut abruptly short by the rain so we went inside the Banje Beach bar for a couple of drinks. Tip: you have to pay 1 euro to use the bathroom unless you show a receipt that you purchased something…but the attendant actually didn’t look too closely at my receipt so I’m sure I could’ve showed an old Target receipt and she would’ve let me through!
After heading back inside the walled city, we saw some historical sites (Onofrio’s Fountain – the big and small one, Rector’s Palace, and a bunch of churches and forts) as well as a wedding.
I’m a HUGE GOT fan (that means Game of Thrones for you non-watchers out there) so couldn’t pass up a chance to visit their gift shop and sit on THE iron throne. Although you have to buy merchandise in order to take photos on the throne (can’t be mad at their hustle), that wasn’t a problem for me as I was planning on getting souvenirs from there anyway!
There were a ton of people actually walking along the wall itself but we opted not to do it since we were about to see the same view from the cable car. As expected, the cable car line was a bit long but went quickly. There was actually a separate (and much shorter line) for those who already have tickets (but of course we didn’t figure that out until we were almost to the front…big steups). The ride itself lasted only a few minutes but there were some spectacular views at the top.
We had a dinner reservation at the Panorama restaurant which overlooked the city. Since we went in the evening, it was really cool to the point that we were wrapped in blankets (courtesy of the restaurant). We soon ordered our dinner and was enjoying our cocktails with the beautiful view of the city…then the unthinkable happened. Right before our appetizers came, the maitre’d came over to us and told us they saw thunderstorms in the distance so the cable car was going to stop running in 10 minutes. Since we really had no other way of getting back down the mountain aside from the cable car (or what would be a very expensive taxi ride), we left and unfortunately, didn’t get to experience the meal there (they did comp us our drinks though which was really thoughtful of them!). I’m not going to lie…I was the only one in the group that wanted to stay and have dinner while Candra and Lesley was already out of their seats as soon as the maitre’d got the words out of his mouth (blame it on the daredevil of me!). After finally coming back down (and not seeing a single rain cloud), we were starving so had dinner at the first little restaurant we saw called Cafe Festival in a little back street in the walled city. The food wasn’t anything to write home (typical Italian food that actually wasn’t very good) and spinach dip… which was equally terrible.
On the agenda for the next day was Montenegro. I was super excited to visit Montenegro because for some reason I had this picture in my mind that it was going to be over the top, glamorous, and glitzy.
Our tour guide from Dubrovnik Top Tours came right on time at 7am to take us to the little country with about 600,000 residents. After a couple of scenic stops along the way allowing us to drink in the Montenegrin views, our first stop of the day was the city of Perast. There we saw The Lady of the Rocks from afar. A popular tourist attraction, the Lady of the Rocks is an islet that was made over the centuries by local seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of Mary and Jesus on the rock in the sea. Every year on the sunset of July 22, local residents take their boats and throw rocks into the sea, widening the surface of the island. You have to take a ferry from Perast to get to the island (separate charge of course) but since there really wasn’t much to see or do there, we opted not to.
Side note: being this was my third country in this region, I noticed that all of the homes in Montenegro had the same distinct red clay roof style as those in Dubrovnik as well as Bosnia. Come to find out that these countries (along with Slovenia, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Serbia) were all part of the seven states of the former Yugoslavia. If you are reading this and wondering why you’ve never heard of Yugoslavia, you are either a millennial or didn’t pay attention in social studies class (like me)!
Ok, back to the story 🙂 Since we had an early start, we got breakfast in Perast at a little oceanside restaurant called Admiral. While edible, it definitely wasn’t what we expected (e.g., the fried eggs that Candra and I both ordered were actually sunnyside up eggs that were “fried” on one side; and “pancakes” that were actually crepes).
After getting a little something in our bellies, we made our way to the next stop: the city of Kotor.
Although the city only has a population of about 13,000, it has recently seen an increase in tourists so our guide warned us that we could be stuck in a lot of traffic because there is only one road in and out to the old town. Thankfully that day it wasn’t too bad (only half a mile of traffic). By the way, if you are curious to hear what our guide sounded like, here he is (think Gru from Despicable Me). Totally loved his accent!
Ok, back to Kotor! Similar to the walled city in Dubrovnik (surprise, surprise), we weaved in and out the narrow cobblestone streets perusing local shopowners’ wares and visiting more churches. One thing we noticed right away was this city’s love for cats! And of course, like everything else, there is a story behind it. It seems as though years ago, all of the cats in the town got restless right before an earthquake struck in 1667 which served as a warning to the townsfolk and saved lives. Touching story; I still hate cats though.
And we couldn’t visit the city without eating gelato!
We definitely weren’t prepared for what was next. I knew we were heading up to Lovcen mountain for some pretty breath-taking views of the country but I never really gave it much thought as too HOW we would get to the top (sigh). So let me just say that this was one of the most harrowing experiences of my life (and I’ve done some pretty adventurous stuff!). I was NOT mentally prepared for driving miles around and around a mountain via an extremely narrow road with lots of twisty turns. If you are scared of heights, it is definitely not for you! I was glad we were in a car because I have no idea how those big buses maneuvered those narrow turns!
About halfway there, we stopped for some photos ops. The original reason I wanted to include this on the tour was because you could see two-thirds of the entire country from the mountain (though none of the tours warned about the crazy drive up the mountain though…HUMPH). Even from about halfway up the mountain, the views did not disappoint.
We proceeded a little further up until we reached…a zip lining area! I actually didn’t know this was even here when I was planning the trip but as I’m always up for an adventure, I was pleasantly surprised and had to do it. For only 10 euro, I was able to zip line over a canyon taking in some remarkable views.
At this point, our driver warned us that the road gets even narrower and is even more badly damaged the further up the mountain to the monastery. Wondering how the heck could an already narrow road get any narrower, I didn’t get any pushback from my travel companions when I told the driver I think we are good to head back down.
After making our way back down the mountain, we walked around the city of Budva, which was a bit different than Kotor.
Budva was much more modern and resort-like…very St.Tropez. There, we had a late lunch of black risotto, squid, spring rolls and calamari at Astoria restaurant with a gorgeous view as we were right on the beach. The food was delicious but of course they included a couvert here too but this time didn’t even give anything complimentary!
Random fun fact: our guide told us that Montenegro is a pretty popular vacation destination for Russians since they don’t need a visa to enter Montenegro because it is not part of the EU.
To end the day, we took the ferry from Kotor back to Perast and then crossed the border by car to get back to Dubrovnik.
Since it was a pretty jam-packed day and we arrived back to Dubrovnik late in the evening, we decided to stay close to home and had dinner next door at Restaurant Bonaca. Candra and I shared a Mexicana pizza while Lesley had the “burger” and fries…though the burger wasn’t quite what we expected and was missing the bun (as well as everything else!).
Saving the best for last, on our final day in Dubrovnik we did an island hopping tour to the Elaphiti islands on a private boat. Since we were staying so close to a pier, the boat picked us up right across from the apartment.
The first stop was Kolocep which I was most excited about since it housed the Blue Cave, a cave where the sun’s rays filter through the sea and reflect off the cave’s limestone floor to create an eerily intense blue glow. Since we anchored a bit far from the cave and my swimming skills are nowhere near expert level, I made sure to grab a life vest and prepare for the swim ahead. Once at the Blue Cave, I was mesmerized by the azure blue water. It definitely had that eerie blue glow that I read about and the pictures just don’t do it justice!
We then headed to the island of Lopud, known for its sandy beaches, in particular the bay of Šunj. There were also some quaint restaurants along the boardwalk so we stopped for lunch.
We spent most of our time enjoying the water on the second island, so we skipped the third island (Sipan) as our captain said there really wasn’t anything to see there.
Side note: for some reason throughout our island hopping, there were a ton of bees around: on the boat, by the villages…it seems like they were everywhere! Maybe I’m a tad bit dramatic when it comes to bees (see Nicaragua post for more evidence of my bee phobia) but there was definitely a noticeable amount lurking around!
After heading back to the pier, we changed and rested a bit before heading to old town (yes, again!). It seems there is always something new to discover there! Interestingly, on our bus ride there, Candra noticed a Gumball 3000 sign and dashed off the bus before we even knew what was going on…lol. Turns out Dubrovnik was one of the legs on the Gumball 3000 city tour (an annual British 3,000-mile international celebrity motor rally passing through several cities). So we spent some time gawking at the fancy race cars for a bit then got back on the bus on our way (the bus ticket is good for one transfer within an hour of the first ride).
We had some time before our dinner reservation so we grabbed some walnut gelato (dessert before dinner is acceptable when on vacay!), and walked on the other side of old town. In our previous visits, we mainly stuck to the main street so once we got to the end of the main road, we took a right. However, we soon realized there wasn’t too much to see in this area as it is more residential…and there are a lot more steps on this side! Before we knew it, we were getting lost in the labyrinth of stairs, twists, and turns.
Somehow we made it back to more familiar streets and found our way to Villa Ruza. I saved this restaurant for our last day as it was very highly recommended and boy did it live up to every good TripAdvisor review. Everything from the amuse bouche to dessert was top notch and the service was impeccable. The portions were small (by American standards) but we were replete once we were finished.
While we were sad to see our trip come to an end, it ended on a great note. From indulging in risotto, gelato, and fresh seafood to being mesmorized by the beautiful landscapes in Dubrovnik and its neighboring countries, this area captured my heart one bite and breathtaking view at a time. I will be back!
By the way, although we didn’t fit it in on this trip, there are still plenty of activities that I would go back to Dubrovnik to do: walk along the wall, visit Lokrum island, go to Konavle valley for wine tasting, visit Albania (though it is a 5 hour drive from Dubrovnik), and do an official GOT tour. I was originally planning to go abseiling down the walls in old town but they were repairing that section of the wall, so that activity wasn’t available.
Toya's Travels 
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