Dubrovnik, Croatia Travel Guide

Croatia, Croatia, Croatia! Can this place be anymore picturesque? The food, wine, people, and of course the views were pretty darn amazing.
If Croatia is someplace you thought about going to, I’m here to tell you to BOOK IT ASAP. It seriously won’t disappoint. I had so many people message me about it asking if I liked it, what we did there, etc… I’m here to fill you in on all that good stuff.

We started our travels in Rome(see travel guide here for info) and from there the flight only took 1 hour to Dubrovnik, Croatia. We met up with my brother-in-law and his new fiancé as well as my husband’s aunt and her entire family. We all just happened to be there at the same time so it was nice spending time with my husbands family.

Side note before we get into all the fun details…By this Rick Steve’s book. I can’t tell you how handy and informative this book is when planning a trip. He lists out all the do’s and don’t and places to see in the book. He also lists suggestions of places to eat, how to book tickets and excursions, etc…

First stop in our Croatian adventure was Dubrovnik. Beautiful deep blue water and gorgeous purple flowers everywhere. The old town and the promenade are where the majority of the shops and restaurants are. This place literally will make you feel like you were waking in a castle. Plus, if you didn’t already know, the show Game of Thrones is filmed there.

We were in Dubrovnik for 3 days and I wish we were there longer. Honestly, I wish we were in each location longer because it was all so beautiful. One minor downfall for this location were the steps. Everywhere you walked had a ton of steps which made it difficult navigating with the stroller. We made it work by taking the longer route but I just wanted to mention it for those traveling with kids or with people having a hard time with steps. Without a stroller, it is very manageable.

Where to stay:

Airbnb Details: We flew in and checked into our gorgeous apt. One of my favorite apartments with the best views of the water. It was spacious, each person had their own room, washing machine, close to the beach and promenade. Our host was absolutely amazing. She was responsive, booked a car transfer from the airport and another one to the ferry when we left, had a baby crib. It had all the bells and whistles we needed. She greeted us when we arrived and showed us the path to take that would be easier with the stroller.

Places to eat:

Marco Polo. We made reservations in advanced and OMG the BEST tuna you will ever have was here. Actually this place was one of my favorite places to eat. So delicious and in a really cool enclosed alley. Highly recommend this place.

The best part of being in Croatia at the time we were there was the World Cup. You guys…watching the World Cup is SOOO exciting in another Country. After dinner at Marco Polo, we went to the candy store to get the boys a treat and watched the Croatia World Cup game at a local bar by the restaurant. Niko of course wanted to just run around.

Nautika! The most AMAZING restaurant ever. Hands down best meal with the best views. This place will not disappoint. I recommend you do their chef’s tasting menu and sample everything. You won’t be disappointed. Their wine and olive oils were the best (we sampled different ones with each course), and of course all the food and the staff were all so friendly and patient even with the kids. The views, undoubtedly, were the best I’ve seen. (Add Pics of restaurant. Go here….it’s a must! Be sure to make reservations in advanced.

Konavoski Dvori located outside Dubrovnik in Konavle. SOOO beautiful and highly recommended. This will make you feel like you stepped into an enchanted forest with birds chirping, water flowing, and a gorgeous forest backdrop. It’s located right on the Ljuta river and throughout the outside of the restaurant, there are turning water mills, and the staff are even decked out in traditional attire of Konavle. The food is all so good and traditional.

Beaches: I will say that most beaches in Croatia were rocky. Bring water shoes because it hurts your feet. But the water was nice and cool which was perfect for the hot weather. We went to Banje Beach which was literally 4 min from our apt. You can rent chairs and get drink service. Add pic

Excursions/Things to do:

Walking Tour of Old Town Dubrovnik. Doug’s aunt booked a walking tour for us to all do for 90 min. I heard it was great…LOL I say that because Doug and I were 15 min in and the boys were not having it. They wanted to scream and run around. So we met up with everyone after their tour. Doug and I walked around with the boys, ate, and got gelato. Croatia has some of the most amazing gelato. Not going to lie, I enjoyed it more than Italy.

Bay of Kotor, Montengro Day Trip: Doug’s Aunt booked a private full day tour to the Bay of Kotor, Montengro. We had a driver, tour guide, etc…This tour takes you into a another country so your passports are needed for this trip. They also only take euros instead of Kuna which was confusing. But the driver/tour guide tells you this in advanced. This place was so cute and beautiful. Again, we were unable to do one of the walking tours inside the promenade due to the kids, so we just enjoyed walking around and ate gelato…twice LOL.

After the walking tour within the Promenade, we took a boat ride to this little island where they had a church. It was sooo cute and so tiny. It had just a church and small gift shop. Again, nothing but pretty views.

Next stop was lunch in Konavoski Dvori. I describes this restaurant above. But their smoked prosciutto and cheeses in Croatia were on point. My picky little Niko even gobbled it up.

Lastly, the driver took us to the highest part of the mountain in Dubrovnik where we got to take a family pic with the most amazing view of the city.

If you’re in Dubrovnik, I HIGHLY recommend this to everyone. This tour was the best and it takes you someplace new to explore. If you’re traveling with kids, this one is perfect because we made lots of stops, ate lunch, and was able to bring the stroller. Oh…and the kids took nice naps in the car and the drivers provided car seats if you ask in advance. #winning

Book here:

Hope you go and send me pics ☺

Bay of Kotor, Montengro Day Trip: Doug’s Aunt booked a private full day tour to the Bay of Kotor, Montengro. We had a driver, tour guide, etc…This tour takes you into a another country so your passports are needed for this trip. They also only take euros instead of Kuna which was confusing. But the driver/tour guide tells you this in advanced. This place was so cute and beautiful. Again, we were unable to do one of the walking tours inside the promenade due to the kids, so we just enjoyed walking around and eating gelato…twice LOL.

Next stop was lunch in Konavoski Dvori. I describes this restaurant above. But their smoked prosciutto and cheeses in Croatia were on point. My picky little Niko even gobbled it up.

Hope you go and send me pics ☺
XOXO,

Natalie