About a week before I booked this I was looking on Ryanair and saw that they had a sale for April with flights from £12.99 each way. I was sorely tempted to book it. I looked at the trains and their prices and the prices of accommodation.
I sat on this info for a few more days and then I decided to just book it. I booked it on the 21st for the 25th – 27th (these were my days off work – I say off work. I finished at 06:00 on the 25th and started at 18:00 on the 27th).
My only issue with the 25th was that the flight didn’t leave until 20:10 and got into Dubrovnik at 23:59. Luckily some buses went from the airport to the main bus station (which is where the hostel was located).
I actually paid more to get to and from Stansted than I did to get to Dubrovnik and back. It’s crazy how it works like this here. Train travel within the country should not be more expensive than a flight to the continent. I digress.
As soon as my flights were booked I packed and just had my bag sit there until Thursday when I needed to leave. I like to pack and have stuff ready.
I went to the train station and had to change at Ely. I had an off-peak anytime return which meant I could get any off-peak train from Peterborough towards Stansted (not via London though). I did that and got the train before the one I was going to get. It didn’t matter though as there wasn’t an earlier train from Ely to the airport.
I got to the airport and had about 3 hours before the flight. I went through security, got my meal deal and went to the gates that overlooked the runway. It was nice to sit there. When I got there it was fairly empty and then all of a sudden I heard some commotion. I looked and a gate agent wasn’t letting someone through with a bag and they were having a todo with one another. They were both rude. I was totally here for the drama.
I decided that I should probably go and ask where the gate was that I needed since it wasn’t on the board for the gates where I was. They told me where the gate was and I was escorted back to the departure lounge so I could go to the gate I needed. I had about a 20-minute head start on everyone else and it was nice to go there and sit for a while before we needed to queue.
It came time to board and it seemed to take forever. It seemed that we were standing in the stairwell for about 30 minutes. I don’t mind waiting in the stairwell but not for that long. One of the gate agents finally came down the stairs and said she would open the door to let cooler air in as it was stifling on those stairs. We only waited a few more minutes and were then allowed onto the apron to board.
Boarding was really quick as the plane was only about half full. I managed to get a row to myself because of how empty it was. I thought it was going to be a rowdy flight as a group of friends got on and they were loud and were switching seats. It was annoying. They were made to move as the plane needed to be balanced. They were moved away from me and I was happy about that.
On the flight, they tell you where it’s going and that if it isn’t your destination to let them know. We were taxiing and the cabin crew made the announcement again but this time it was “If Dubrovnik is not your destination… oh wait… it is now” and we all laughed. I managed about 90 minutes of sleep on the flight and woke up as we were coming in to land as the descent was really bumpy. It made my stomach churn. I didn’t like it one bit. I was glad to be off. We landed about 30 minutes late and I was worried I would miss the bus from the airport to the city.
The queue for passport control was fairly long. The couple in front of me beckoned their friends to jump in where they were and I said that it wasn’t on and they had to wait like we all had to. The girl muttered something about staying at the same hotel. I got the last laugh though as the queue next to us cleared and then I just went straight to that booth and got through while they were still waiting.
I got my ticket for the bus and thankfully it was waiting for people off this flight. We waited about 20 more minutes and then we headed on our way to the city. The views were not there as it was dark and was around 01:00. The driver was a little crazy and was driving a bit too fast for my liking – especially as I could feel the twists and turns and then down the narrow streets of the old town area.
We got to the main bus station about 01:30 and it was a quick 90-second walk to the hostel. I had the check-in instructions and they were super easy to follow and I was so happy to get to my bed. My only issue with the bed was that they were really squeaky and any movement creaked like crazy. I don’t know how long it took me to get to sleep but sleep I did. It was lovely and cold in the room. It was delicious.
I woke up at 09:00 and then got ready to leave for the old town and to wander. I went to reception and paid and then headed out to the bus. It was really busy in this area as 2 cruise ships had docked. The city buses were packed because of it too. I got on and then in about 20 minutes, I was in the old town. I had a walking tour booked for 12:00 and I had about 90 minutes to wander around and get my bearings before meeting the tour guide.
I went into the old town but had to backtrack a little as my stomach was starting to hurt – from what I have no idea. I hadn’t eaten and had only had some water. I found a bathroom and did what I needed to and then headed out of the city walls and then had to use the bathroom again. I found a public one and did what I needed and then went to the fountain to meet the tour guide.
As an aside: Dubrovnik is super expensive and capitalises on their feature in Game of Thrones. The city walls cost €35 to access. You can also buy a city pass for the same price and that gets you access to the 6 museums and public transport as well as the walls. They have a cable car here and a return is €27. Super expensive. Food and drink weren’t overly cheap either. Anyway, price rant aside.
I met the tour guide and the group was about 20 people. He said that they were limited due to city restrictions. They didn’t want the city to be overrun by huge groups. The city has signs up everywhere saying to respect the city. I totally agree with this.
The guide said that even with all the people around it was still a quiet day. He said that with the ships docked there were 7,000 extra people in the city.
We were around the area of the walls for the first 20 minutes of the tour getting a brief history. If I’m honest, I was struggling to pay attention as I was feeling so unwell. I figured I would walk as far as I could before I had to leave. I was fully expecting to be on there for 15 minutes max inside the walls. Thankfully I was able to do the whole tour.
The guide talked about how the city started as a tiny settlement and then built up to protect itself from the Ottomans and the Venetians. He said Dubrovnik was a middleman and would pass information to both sides to suit.
The rest of the info is a blur which is annoying as I can’t give much info here. Grrr. I do remember enjoying the sights inside the walls. The tour finished after about an hour and 45 minutes. It ended by the water. It was really cool to end there. I love water and the air was nice and cool too.
You can see the route we took below.
Once I started walking from here I decided I wanted to jump on the sightseeing panorama bus. It was 90 minutes and cost €25. For me, it was well worth it. We went from the old town to the port area and then to the Dr. Franjo Tuđman Bridge to get some views over the port area. The views were really cool. After this, we then headed along the river to go up the hills. The route along the river was really nice. Trees and mountains on one side and cool buildings and mountains on the other.
On the other side of the river in the mountains, you could see grey bits and this is where the old railway used to be to get out of the city. The main bus station at the port is where the railway station used to be.
We got up the mountain and then went to a lookout point to view the bay on the Adriatic and views of the islands and the old town. I could have stayed here for longer than the 10 minutes we had. I got my panorama pics and then we left here and headed back down the mountain and to another lookout point. This required climbing 55 steps – again, the views were totally worth it.
You can see the route we took below.
We got back to the old town and I decided to back inside the city through the gate of Pile. I decided to walk around some of the streets and then go to the supermarket there to get something to eat and drink. I carried on walking to the water and sat for about 20 minutes having my food and drink. I then decided to walk around the buildings and to the end of the little pier there. It was really nice. It was windy and cold and to my liking. I went and got some pics and then walked back along the little pier and then around to some more rocks – trying not to get my feet or legs wet. I wasn’t quite brave enough to jump on the rock that jutted out into the water. That being said, I would not have done this back when I was bigger.
I decided at this point I should head back to the hostel since I decided I would walk there. It was a 2.5 mile walk but it was really nice. I took a nice steady pace and just enjoyed the sights. You can see the route I took below.
I got back and dropped my bag off and then went to the Konzum there to get some food and drink and then headed back to the hostel to chill for the night. The room was full this time and the amount of bed creaking wasn’t fun. Just as I was nodding off, someone moved in the bed and the creaking was so loud in the dead of night. I think it took me a couple of hours to nod off.
Total miles: 7.78
Below are some pics from today.
I got up at about 09:15, got ready, packed the rest of my stuff and then just headed to the bus station to get the 10:20 bus to the airport. I sat outside the terminal for about an hour and then went through security and then passport control and then to the gate. The airport is super expensive. €3.60 for a 500ml bottle of water.
We boarded and it seemed to take forever for people to get in their seats. The overhead lockers were jam-packed and people were arguing about not taking backpacks out of the locker. Luckily mine was at the back of the locker so it was fine. People finally sat down. I got a middle seat free on the row I was on. The guy in the window seat complained about not being able to have his backpack in the locker as it was disrupting the passenger behind. I had to tell him he needed to put the bag under the seat in front.
I tried to sleep on the flight but didn’t have much luck. I was trying to sleep since I was working tonight. We were late leaving as the flight was late inbound and then the captain said there were capacity constraints in UK airspace.
We landed late at Stansted and I was really worried I was going to miss the train I needed to get me home on time for work.
I barrelled my way through to passport control and saw a queue and thought I wouldn’t get through in the 20 minutes I had until the train left. I was so wrong. It went really quick and I was through in about 5 minutes. I really wanted some food and drink from WHSmith but put my need to get home on time over that.
I managed to get the train with 7 minutes to spare. I think it took about 20 minutes to get off the plane, then to the transit and then across the border. I was so relieved that I was going to get home in time.
I can highly recommend Dubrovnik. I think if the prices were right I would go back and see more of the old town and then maybe walk the walls too.
You can view all of my Dubrovnik pics here