Dubrovnik, Croatia

“I must admit that this was one of my favorite things to do while visiting Dubrovnik. Lokrum Island is a half to full day adventure off the mainland. Buy your 27 Euro adult round trip ticket and depart at the old port. You won’t miss the boat, as loads of others will also be boarding this 10-minute ride. Since I went in October, I found myself sailing with a young school group that journeyed out to play some group sports on the island. From the outside, it looks dense with trees. From the inside, it has never-ending pathways to explore, with hidden treasures along the way. It’s no wonder they chose this as the spot to film the city of Qarth in Game of Thrones. For my adventure, I tried to follow the signs and hit as many of the island’s sites as possible (although, not without making a few wrong turns). My top recommendations would be the monastery complex, the Dead Sea, the Fort Royal, and the Botanic Gardens.”

“My favorite Dubrovnik experience? Easy—walking the city walls. After a dreamy breakfast overlooking the Old Town, we threw on light clothes, comfy flats, and hit the cobblestones. I’d bought our Dubrovnik Passes online before we even left the U.S. (because organization is my love language), so when the gates opened at 8 a.m., we were first in line. And yes, everyone’s right—go early. It’s cooler, quieter, and 100% more magical. What’s so great about walking on a wall? For starters, you’re not actually teetering on the edge—there are sides! [...] The views, though—wow. From way up high, you can see the city’s red rooftops, fortresses, and medieval defenses all perfectly laid out like a storybook map. It took us about two hours to circle the 1.2-mile perimeter with one very necessary cold drink stop [...] and roughly a thousand photos, because honestly, every angle was the angle.”

“I landed at the airport at around 8 PM and took the 40 minute shuttle bus to Pile at the gate of Dubrovnik Old Town (known for being King's Landing in GoT). I went directly to my hostel (Hostel Villa Angelina Old Town), which hosted a free sangria night. The reviews were really good and it was definitely a great hostel, with a lot of people and a nice terrace for socializing. We then spent the night at the Old Port and went swimming around, in front of the city walls. I spent the next morning with a group of French friends, went to a bar with a terrace opening directly to the sea, had lunch at the port and walked the city walls during the afternoon. In the evening, we went to see the sun set at the Belvedere Hotel, which was one of the most luxurious place of the adriatic sea in the 80s but was abandoned when the war started. All in all, Dubrovnik is a beautiful city, maybe a bit too posh (kind of a St Tropez feeling) but really worth the visit for two or three days.”