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Croatia

Dubrovnik and Zagreb, June and July 2017

Dubrovnik

Accomodations

  • Airbnb "Apartment Dubrovnik no.4." New ground floor apartment part of a walk-up building in Lapad. Location is close to the bus stop for Old Town and walking distance to Lapad promenade. The very friendly host family actually lives in the unit above this Airbnb. The excellent AC is a great reprieve from the peak summer heat. Check out my full review under the Airbnb listing. Would stay here again.
  • Airbnb "Apartment Lovro." Located in the Gruz area, nice apartment on the 3rd floor with updated furnishings, great host and excellent AC. Check out my full review under the Airbnb listing. Personally I'm partial to the Lapad area so if there are accommodations available in that area, that would be my preference, but if not, this is an excellent unit and host.
  • Airbnb "1BR-1.3 km Old town 500m Beach/View NEW apt!." Newly renovated apartment about 20 minutes walk to Old Town, great managing host, excellent AC. Check out my full review under the Airbnb listing. Unit has some quirks and not in my preferred Lapad area. I would stay here again but not as my first, second or third choice...
  • Hotel Lapad: Hotel is listed as 4 star but in comparison to other large cities it felt more 3 1/2 star to me. It's nice but needs some renovations. A bus stop isn't too far where you can snag it to the Old Town and Lapad is about a 20-25 minute walk. The hotel does have an outdoor pool which is nice but gets very busy and difficult to get a chair. Also right now there is construction going on in the Marina directly across from the hotel so the view isn't amazing. I wouldn't be opposed to staying here again but wouldn't be in my top choices.

Sites/Tours

  • Old Town: A labyrinth of limestone streets and staircases, with a shop, cafe or apartment at every turn. This is where every cruise ship passenger is shuttled to on a daily basis so it's incredibly busy but, a must-see. The streets almost give off a mirror reflection from the worn limestone, it's quite exceptional at night.
  • Dubrovnik City Walls: These medieval walls are my favorite piece of the Old Town. You can get some of the best views of the city up on these walls, with the views continually changing as you make your way around. I recommend starting at the harbor side entrance and tackling the walls a couple hours before closing, when most of the crowds have finished, otherwise be prepared to fend off hundreds of selfie sticks.
  • Lapad Promenade: From the roundabout by the post office, take the pedestrian street, Šetalište kralja Zvonimira, and head towards the water. The street is lined with cafes, boat trip kiosks, tennis courts and hotels. Once you get down to the water, you can turn right and take the promenade all the way to the Neptun Hotel, or you can turn left and explore the brand new section of the promenade. I love this entire area of Lapad because it's far less congested than Old Town (the cruise ship passengers aren't coming here), and you can always find a place for a drink, listen to a local band playing and people watch.
  • Srd Hill: Definitely come up here for a sunset if you can, the views of the entire Old Town and islands are incredible. At the top you'll also find an imperial fort, an amphitheater, the Museum Dubrovnik in Homeland War and the Panorama Restaurant. You can get up to the top by paying for the Cable Car, driving, or you can hike it if you have the energy.
  • SUP (Stand Up Paddle Boarding): I always love an SUP opportunity everywhere I go and found one with Adriatic Kayak Tours. Kayaking is obviously the bread and butter for this company, per its namesake, but it does offer SUP on a more quiet note. I snagged a half-day trip to SUP in Zaton Bay which was pure bliss.  
  • Lokrum Island: Only a 15 minute boat ride from the Old Port, this is an easy half-day side trip. The island is a nature reserve, so it's completely inhabitant and car free. It's just the peacocks left running around at nightfall. There are a lot of great areas on its coast to splash around or you can walk around the Benedictine Monastery and Botanical Gardens. If you go, just remember to bring everything you need with you, there aren't shops on the island if you forget your bathing suit or towel.
  • Day Trips: Dubrovnik's location also makes for a great jumping point for day trips outside of the country. I did two separate day trips; one to Montenegro and the second to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Look for upcoming blog posts with more information on those trips.
     

Food

  • Panorama Restaurant: By the cable car station on Srd Hill, make reservations here for dinner to capture the sunset with the best city views. Service is friendly and efficient, and the food is good as well with an emphasis on seafood and regional cuisine. Be prepared that you are essentially paying a premium here for the views, if don't care about amazing views, go somewhere else to eat.
  • Spaghetteria Toni: In the Old Town, it's definitely inundated with tourists but if you are starving and need something right away, the food is decent and staff is friendly. I didn't go wrong with the stuffed chicken with dukkah and pappardelle noodles. 
  • Troubadour Jazz Cafe: Near the Dubrovnik Cathedral, I can't speak to the food but it's a great spot for a drink and jazz.
  • Taj Mahul: Bosnian Cuisine with two locations; one in Old Town, the other part of Hotel Lero. Staff is friendly and food is good. 
  • Cave Bar: Part of Hotel More in Lapad, Cave Bar has an excellent outdoor area directly on the water. You can literally order your meal, jump into the water a foot from the table, and pop back up before your food arrives. Or if it's too sweltering outside, you can beeline it for the interior of the cave for a bite or to cool off.
  • Orsan: Over by the yacht club, off the water, this is supposed to be a great restaurant. I tried to go here on two different occasions but without a reservation could not get in. This was one of those times that lack of pre-planning failed me.
  • Sesame: In Old Town but not inside the walls so a nice place for a break. I only stopped for a glass a wine but unfortunately found the service surprisingly cold and unfriendly. This was the only negative service experience I had in my entire time in Croatia so hopefully they were just having an off day.

Zagreb

Accommodations

Sites/Tours

  • City walking tour: I did a lot of exploring myself but also picked up the free city walking tour from Wayoudo. The tour is a couple hours long and the guide did a good job of providing historical background on the city while whisking us through both the upper and lower parts of the city, catching some of the main statues, view points, street art and churches. The group was larger than I prefer, but - it's free, the guides just work off tips. I also tried to do the wine tour with the same company and that failed, so I probably wouldn't recommend trying them for anything more than the free walking tour.
  • Strossmartre: Or also known as Strossmayer Promenade, found next to the Lotrščak Tower. This was my first real experience with Zagreb, and I loved it! It's a 100% outdoor area over looking the lower town. In the summertime this promenade is bursting with lights, art, music, food and drinks.
  • Art Park: While strolling the Strossmayer Promenade, there's an easy-to-miss staircase heading towards Tomićeva Street. About halfway down the staircase is the Art Park and in the summertime this is another area filled up with lights, a couple bars and outdoor activities like ping pong.
  • Museum of Broken Relationships: The original location for this museum is here in Zagreb in the upper town, and a spin-off location is now open in Los Angeles. This is one of the more unusual museums I have encountered in my travels. A museum filled with stories and trinkets from relationships that have ended. It's a mix of humor and heartbreak. 
  • Ljetno Kino Gradec: This may be a summertime specialty only, but is an outdoor space in the upper town that shows outdoor movies, has mini concerts and keeps everyone hydrated with a convenient bar. I spent a nice evening with a glass of wine listening to the piano player du jour.
  • Park Zrinjevac: Extending almost from Ban Josip Jelačić Square to the train station, I'm sure enjoyable year round but seemed especially vibrant in the summer with ongoing festivals where the main walkway was lined with colorful flowerbeds, food/drink stands and bands taking up the gazebo. I tried the crepe, smoothie and ice cream stands here...don't judge, it wasn't all on the same day.

Food

  • Trilogija: Located near the stone gate in the upper town, this is where you can find some serious good food. The menu changes every day with ingredients purchased every morning from the local market. There's no shortage of Croatian wines to pair with every meal here. Although there is sadly no outdoor seating, my dinner was worth sitting indoors for.