I recently had the pleasure of embarking on a memorable holiday to Croatia.
We stayed in the picturesque town of Cavtat (pronounced Sav Tat)
Nestled along the Adriatic coast of Croatia and only a 30 minute bus ride to Dubrovnik, Cavtat proved to be a delightful blend of rich history, pebble beaches and lots of great restaurants.
One of the highlights of my trip was exploring Dubrovniks historical sites. The city it steeped in history, evident in its charming old town adorned with ancient buildings and narrow cobblestone streets. Walking through this area felt like stepping back in time.
Walking the city walls that surround the old town is a must, it is around 2km with views that will blow your mind, (Price €35, wear comfy shoes!). We purchased the one day Dubrovnik pass online which cost the same as the entrance fee to walk the wall. It will also give you entrance to the Museum of modern art and more. You can purchase a 2 and 3 day pass. http://www,dubrovnikpass.com
On the first day we opted to take the boat from Dubrovnik back to Cavtat I think it was around €15 each.
My opinion! The one day pass is sufficient to see the sites covered on the pass.
I love art and make a point of viewing local artists/galleries when I visit a country but got an extra special surprise when I discovered the touring Andy Warhol Exhibition was in the Museum of modern art. Coincidently this exhibition will be in Dublin later this year! Here’s a little sneak peak!
As a Game of thrones fan I did indulge in a few scene locations!
We love to hike and had sussed out a great hike from Cavtat to Calipi (Pronounced ‘Chill ipi’) It will take you around 3 hours each way through forest and dirt track. If you can get up early on Sunday morning you can see traditional dancing at the church in Cilipi from 10:30am to 12pm – that did not work out to well for us as we had a Rugby game against South Africa to play the evening before!!!!! Regardless we got there at around 3pm and enjoyed a few drinks for our effort before strolling back home.
FYI: The trail starts at the school a little up from Restaurant ‘By the way” you will see the yellow sign across the road from the school. continue up that road, it is fairly well signposted thereafter.
You would be mad not to visit another country or two whilst in Croatia, we heading off to Montenegro on a tour with Get your guide http://www.getyourguide.com montonegro. This is the best way to travel in my opinion as you will need to pass through border control and all that goes with that! delays can be very long during the busy summer months, we had a 45 minute wait in September.
The following day we headed off to Bosnia and Herzegovina, enjoying the breathtaking views along the way. (also with Get your guide www.getyourguidebosnia)
Now forgive me if I go on a bit about Bosnia but “WOWZER” what a beautiful country with the warmest of people.
Bosnia is steeped in history, in 1463 the ottoman Empire conquered Bosnia, which led to the region being under ottoman rule for nearly 400 years. This is highly evident in the town of Mostar with is many quaint street stalls selling Turkish influenced wares.
Bosnian cuisine is a treat for the taste buds, we ate at restaurant Divan savouring local traditional food. www.restaurantdivan.com I recommend ordering
The Meat steak plate for 2 people (Bosnia is famous for great beef and it really is delicious) Dolma – Beef in peppers in a tomato sauce with Mashed potatoes. Vegetarians order the Grilled veg, you will not be disappointed. Desert has to be Baklava and Bosnian coffee The local draft beer Mostar score beer The local White wine is called Zilavka, the red is called Blatina, in the interest of fairness I ‘sampled’ both and can confirm they are both great wines!!!!
Dining in the open-air restaurant overlooking the river of Mostar added an extra layer of charm to the dining experience
The warmth and hospitality of the local Bosnian people added to the overall charm of the town of Mostar.
My personal taughts! We will most certainly be returning to Bosnia in the future. I know they are working on additional tourist accommodation and amenities. I can see this being a most sought after destination in the future.
My opinion of the entire trip: ideally we needed a few days longer, we did not get to travel to any of the islands. Dubrovnik is expensive but there are beautiful bakeries where you can get the most scrumptious sandwiches and pastries for a packed lunch. Cavtat was a great location as I think a week in busy Dubrovnik could be a tad overwwhelming but perfect for a 3 day city break if you just wanted to explore Dubrovnik.
