Today was a big day out in Dubrovnik old town.
We headed out early to get ahead of the crowds—and this paid off. Compared to last night in the old town, this morning it was quiet and peaceful.
We grabbed a coffee and then walked the walls. We climbed the steep and seemingly endless stairs to get up onto the walls. Once up there, the view was amazing, providing vistas of the old town, the rugged coastline, and the surrounding areas.
Our walk around the walls was about 2.3 km all up—and we were glad to have done it early before the crowds and the heat.
After the walls, we wandered around the old town a little more, visiting some of the churches and other sights before getting some gelato.
We made our way back to the apartment with a stop at the supermarket for some more supplies for lunch.
After a big morning, we chilled out back at the apartment, had some lunch, and recharged.
In the afternoon, we headed out to a nearby “beach.”
As we approached the “beach,” it soon became apparent that the definition of “beach” was applied pretty loosely to a set of rocks with some steps set into them that allowed you to jump into the ocean.
The water was a crystal clear blue and looked amazing with patches of white pebbles on the bottom.
I jumped in first. It was cool, but not too bad.
It took a while to slowly coax the kids in. A few things were different about this “beach” compared to what they are used to.
They both eventually took the plunge—and once the initial shock of the cool water wore off, they were happy to remain in. There was a massive slab of smooth cut rock in the water that made it easy to sit or stand. We based ourselves here and let the waves do their thing.
As the kids got more used to the “beach,” they took short swims out off the rock and back.
They both did really well and eventually decided to get out—which required them to swim back from the stone slab we were on to the stone steps. This was easy-ish, until a set of larger waves came through and pushed you onto the rocky steps. But they both made it out.
After our swim, we headed back to the apartment to shower and get ready to head into the old town for dinner.
Some research turned up a few decent options—but one was a stand out: Trattoria Carmen.
The reviews were good and recommended getting there early as they don’t take reservations and the queue can get big quickly.
We took the bus most of the way into the old town and got off to grab a cheeky cocktail at Fratellos Prosecco Bar—which had amazing views out over the coast.
After our cocktails, we continued walking into the old town and found Trattoria Carmen. There was already a short line. As the kids were hungry, we decided to switch things up and get them dessert while we waited. So Laura took them to get another round of gelato while we waited.
We waited probably 30 minutes to be seated—and the queue continued to grow. The wait was worth it, however.
We had an octopus salad and marinated anchovies for starters. For mains, the kids shared a pizza, while Laura and I shared the grilled (whole) fish of the day, which was sea bass, and a slow-cooked beef with pasta.
The meals were fantastic and so were the staff—very attentive and happy to help. We were glad we waited it out.
We started to head in the homeward direction, but stopped by the Glam Bar (a craft beer bar) for a drink before home. The bar was great and had a massive selection of awesome craft beers. I settled for an NE Pale, while Laura had a NEIPA. Both were great beers—but today had been a big day and one beer was enough.
We caught the bus home and went off to bed after a pretty massive day.
