November 21st 2025

Hi,

Dubrovnik had been on my list long before a famous TV series was shot there. As you'll remember I took my first trip to Croatia in 2022 and loved it. I had always planned to return to visit Dubrovnik, often called 'the Pearl of the Adriatic.' I booked a flight and self-catering accommodation for one week with Jet2 flying from Manchester on 4th October. This allowed me to have a night out in Sale with Brian and Rachel on route. Major hat tip to Brian for taking me to the airport for 0515. The flight is three hours and was uneventful.

Taking advice from friend Terry I decided to stay outside the city in a small village called Plat, which is about six miles south of Dubrovnik along the coast and only 20 minutes from the airport so I had a swift transfer. I stayed at Villa Samba which is probably the cleanest accommodation I have been in and I intend to do a Tripadvisor review so you can check that out. I highly recommend the accommodation. Plat has four restaurants and a mini market which supplied all my needs. Travelling to Dubrovnik could be done by boat or by bus. The bus passes along the main coastal road which is just a five-minute walk from the apartment. You can also catch the bus south to Cavtat, of which more later. Why Plat? It was recommended and I didn't want to stay in a busy city and the location also gave me the opportunity to explore the surrounding towns and villages. It worked well for me.

Monday 6th October

My host and son Toni had given me a comprehensive overview of the trips available which they could organise so I didn't need the services of a travel rep. I booked to take the boat to Dubrovnik on Tuesday, a Three Island tour on Wednesday and a trip to Herzegovina on the Thursday, leaving me a day to chill before heading back. The week had taken shape!

Today my plan was to check out the villages and town on either side of Plat. I walked to Mlini which took less than an hour. Mlini more or less runs into the towns of Sebreno and Kupari. The coast line is stunning so check out the photos. Mlini and Sebreno are pretty villages but Kupari looks desolate on the coastline with wrecked hotels and a closed off beach. I'm assuming this part hasn't been rebuilt since the war? A sad sight though.

I got back to Mlini and took the path back up the hill to the main road. I caught a bus to Cavtat which is south and on the other side of Plat. The buses are good and the drivers take card or cash. A 15-minute bus ride costs about E3.20 and I don't think I paid more than that on any journey around Plat. Cavtat was a bigger town than anywhere else I had been so far and was buzzing with nice cafés along the front. Again, check out the photos. I walked around the peninsula leading out from the town and had a coffee but was beginning to flag so got the bus back to Plat. A good start to the trip!

Tuesday 7th October

I caught the boat from the jetty at Plat for the 40-minute boat trip to Dubrovnik. I think it cost about E15 (E20 return). It was quite choppy so it's worth choosing which day to take the boat! However, its worth it getting the view of Dubrovnik as you come in from the sea. Quite a sight! The walls are around 5-800 years old.

The best way to see around the city is to get onto the city walls. The entrance is E40 but it's essential for the best views of the place. You go around in an anti-clockwise direction and it's one way. It was totally mobbed at the beginning of October so I would want to give it a miss in high season. The views are stunning and its one of these locations where you end up taking too many photos and even if you delete half of them, you still have loads as you'll see from my collection! I took between one and a half to two hours to go around and enjoyed every minute of it.

Once I was down from the walls I covered the other main listed attractions mainly from the outside, only going into the Cathedral. I dare say if you were inclined to visit more churches, monasteries, palaces and museums you could spend another full day. I mainly traversed the main streets and tried to capture photos of the outside of the Rectors Palace, Sponza Palace and the Dominican Monastery plus endless churches, named and unnamed. I was sorry that the cable car was out of action on my visit as a view from above the city would have been worth taking in.

The bus to Plat is located just outside the Buza north entrance and was E3.20 for the trip back.

Wednesday 8th October

Via Nikola at the apartment, I had booked onto a Fish Picnic three islands cruise with Agency Adriana. A small boat picked me up and ran me along to Mlini where I joined the main boat which picked up at Dubrovnik so I managed to view it from the sea again. The sun was out but it there was a cold wind and the fleece stayed on all day. Spent the day up on deck in the company of Brian and Jack from Belfast. Great crack guys. It was a pleasure to meet you! Our first stop was the island of Kolocep. It was a brief visit but the photos will show you what I saw. It was probably the least interesting of the three islands. Next stop was Sipa which had a beautiful and intimate harbour. We had lunch on the boat and I had beautifully cooked plump Hake. The unlimited wine available on the boat was poor quality home brew so not recommended. Our third stop was Lopud and we had almost an hour and a half ashore. Took a stroll around and walked up to the monastery but didn't get in. On the way back home once again, it was good to see Dubrovnik from the sea in the evening light. I think the trip was about E65 including lunch. Reasonable value but skip the paint stripper err I mean wine. Again, check out the photos of my day.

Thursday 9th October

There were two options for a trip across the border to another country. One to Montenegro and the other to Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina. I opted for the latter as I've seen holidays available to Montenegro and its on my list, whereas I haven't seen holidays to Bosnia Herzegovina. It was a 0640 pick up in Plat and then we transferred to a bigger coach above Dubrovnik and headed north. We drove to Mostar with a break on the way. It was a nice change to be away from the sea and take in the landscapes. On arrival in Mostar, we got a 40-minute guided tour from a local with a history masters. He got quite emotional at time explaining the issues of the past and I enjoyed his presentation. Mostar is divided up by quarters where nationality is linked to religion. After the tour I went exploring on my own. It's a UNESCO site and a dense town with narrow streets. I felt we didn't have enough time to get a proper feel of the place. Another time maybe….? My photos are only a glimpse of the city.

The second part of the day was a stop at the Kravica Waterfall which is created by the Trebizat River.

It was a pity we were there in the afternoon as the sun was behind the waterfall and it was a bit shaded for photos however, we were able to chill beside it before the journey back.

Having had a fairly easy trip through the border on the journey out, we had major delays on the way back. The coach in front of us had customs people going though all our cases so the 12-hour day became a 13-hour day. If you take either the option for a day trip to Montenegro or Bosnia-Herzegovina, be aware that this can be an issue on your day out. However, I was pleased to visit a new country and get a brief flavour of it with a view to possibly making a return visit in the future.

Friday 10th October

Had a chilled final day. Took the short bus journey to Cavtat and caught up with my Belfast pals Brian and Jack. We chilled in the sun and took a trip up the hill to get a view over the town. A swim in the sea was overdue and it was a pleasant end to the holiday. The trip home on the following day was in line with expectations.

Reflections

Croatia is well worth a visit and Dubrovnik a world class site. I didn't miss staying in the bustle of the city and felt I had seen a fair bit of the surrounding areas. The food is exceptional with seafood the main highlight. They do like their steaks quite bloody so if you want medium ask for well done or you'll be sending it back. Of the four restaurants in Plat Konoba King is the best and Posedyn near the beach is a close second. Restaurant Zupcica on the main road does great pizza. I could see myself going back to stay in Dubrovnik itself for a short break just to cover off the museums and main buildings within the walls and get up on the cable car. I'm sure the food and everything else will be more expensive though.

I hope my blog will be useful for any potential travellers to this area and as usual I hope you enjoy the photos. The Adriatic is ideal for colour photography!

Yours aye

Murdo