Dubrovnik

During my multiweek sprint across the Balkans, no city stood out from the others in the region like Dubrovnik. In contrast to the dirty streets, cheap eats, and awkward personalities I encountered in most other cities, Dubrovnik was clean, expensive, and filled with organized and quick-witted locals ready to process your every tourist need with precision.

Beach south of town

The focal point of the hoards of tourists is Pile Old Town, a thousand-year-old fortress built on the water which at one point in time held the entirety of Dubrovnik within its walls. Inside of these walls, it's basically complete tourist mayhem, there are multiple thousands of tourists within the walls at any given moment throughout the day. The vast majority are all clamoring to find where their favorite movie or TV show was filmed, every couple of minutes you can hear another person yell to their friends or family, "Oh my god, that's where they shot..."

Streets of Pile

Alleys of Pile

Now that might make this sound like a terrible place to visit, but I guess the reason they shoot soo many productions here is that it truly is a majestic looking fortress. To appreciate it properly, a ticket to the city wall will help you to escape the tourist zoo and climb up above the madness. This takes you about fifty meters above the old town on a walking path which goes two miles around its perimeter. You won't find any tourist shops or Starbucks up here, but only great views looking both in toward the city and out toward the sea.

If you have a bit of extra time, there's a cable car just outside the north gate of Pile which takes you up to a great view looking down at the city. When I went up, I actually managed to catch the sun setting over the hilly Croation landscape.

Riding up the cable car

Looking down at Pile after sunset

Two other attractions I found worthwhile in Dubrovnik were Glam Beer Therapy and Dubrovnik Brewing Company. You can find Glam down one of the alleys on the inland side of the old town, they have about fifty different types of craft beer from Croatia and the surrounding region, and the staff has an intimate knowledge of the whole menu. Dubrovnik Brewing Company, on the other hand, is on the north side of town close to the long distance bus station. Here you can find four great beers on tap, and if you show up early enough you can watch the sunset over Luka Gruz Harbor. One other tip which might come in handy here is that they sell bottled beer to go, and its priced at one-third of the draft beer!

Alley of Glam

Beer at Glam

Dubrovnik Brewing Company Tap Room

Sunset sky over Luka Gruz