Dubrovnik and Kotor (Montenegro)

Dubrovnik

Our 2018 winter holiday started with mix feeling as it was a holiday with family - 1. This was largely symbolic of children fleeing the nest. This holiday was a late escape in early November so the weather in Dubrovnik was mixed. There was rain as well as sunny warm days. There were still a few brave souls swimming in the sea around the old town.

The one thing that was were told was the November was a season when the number of ships docking into Dubrovnik had eased and the oscillation of the population swell this brings was more controlled. The main summer season bring a host of ship docking into the port with close to 7000 tourist per ship coming into Dubrovnik. So be warned if you go in summer be prepared to queue and for things to be slow.

September and early October seem to be the best season primarily being outside the key holiday periods of the European countries. We went in November and out first day was relatively dry it was overcast and cool. Our subsequent days were sunny and hot.

The town

To get this out of the way early if you're a Game of Thrones fan there are numerous website that describe the key point in the series and i would be covering them systematically here. This is primary the lay mans guide to Dubrovnik and a taster of what we saw. The main thing to see in Dubrovnik is the walled town and within the walled town if you only do one thing it should be walking the circumference of the wall.

This is part of the Dubrovnik pass which gains you access to the wall and a number of museums and buildings. You can make use of the Dubrovnik pass in a day but more likely to if you are staying for a few days. Apart from the wall the peripheral attractions make up time. Here are some of the picture from a walk around the wall.

The walls really are an amazing walk and the rest of the city if good but does not match up to the spectacular images from the wall. Some of the other sites and shot f the city are below.

We did most of the city museums and churches on one day and we spent half a day at the island off the coast of Dubrovnik. This was the key Game of Thrones filming location.

Kotor

After a few days in Dubrovnik we ventured a little further out over the border to Montenegro where there is the walled city of Kotor. In a similar style to Dubrovnik though much smaller. Kotor seems to be blessed with a natural harbour but the approach to Kotor through a series of twisted valleys seems to be a harbour master's nightmare.

Dubrovnik to Kotor is a two hour drive and there is parking in Kotor so the journey is relatively easy. As always if you are going to do this trip during peak months of summer expect border delays.

Here are some of the pictures of Kotor

The dominant attraction in Kotor is a for high above the city below. The climb is about 40min to an hour for someone of average fitness. It does have a lot of steps and particularly uneven ones so be aware if you someone who has trouble with steps.

In summary

Both locations are well worth a visit with Dubrovnik being an absolute jewel. A city worth having a short break to and a destination well worth including in your cruise itineary.