Game of Thrones Walking Tour
If you’ve read along with the first two posts from Dubrovnik, “Arrival in Dubrovnik and an Unexpectedly Fantastic Meal” and “Exploring Dubrovnik’s Old Town and the City Walls”, you already know that this whole trip was inspired by the television series Game of Thrones. Thus, if you’re not a fan of the show, you might choose to skip ahead to the next section. There are a ton of tour options in Dubrovnik that promise to take you to the show’s most recognizable filming locations, and we chose to book ahead online for a smaller-group experience. Our four hour tour began at 11:00AM just outside the city’s Pile Gate. Before reentering the Old Town, our tour guide Vlaho took us up the many stairs to Lovrijenac Fortress. Just to the west of Old Town, this old military hub offers sweeping views of Dubrovnik and is an absolute must-see, regardless of interest in Game of Thrones. Our entrance to the Fortress was included in the price of our tour, which was a nice surprise, and also provided entry to the city walls which were not a part of this tour. We took full advantage of this ticket several days later, as you’ll read in an upcoming post.
The Game of Thrones tour was very interesting and well worth the time and money, but for those wondering, I do think it would be quite easy to save some money and follow an online guide to the city’s filming sites. What was most interesting about the formal tour was Vlaho’s stories from behind-the-scenes as an extra on the show and accounts of the show’s actors and actresses as they lived in and explored Dubrovnik. Below you’ll see some of the filming spots that were highlighted during the tour.
After Lovrijenac Fortress, the tour continued through Dubrovnik’s Pile Harbour and West Pier, the Pile Gate entrance to the city, down the Stradum to the Rector’s Palace (which we did not enter), then to the Jesuit Stairs followed by St. Dominic Street and the Dominican Monastery. Some members of our group then continued on to Trsteno Arboretum (about 30 minutes away by vehicle), which was commonly featured in the show as the gardens of King’s Landing. We opted out of this tour extension because we planned to visit on our own later in the week. Unfortunately, those plans fell through, so we’ll just have to watch the series again, I guess!
Here are some action photos of our great guide Vlaho and images he showed us to bring the filming locations to life.
And some more pictures from the tour. The views from Lovrijenac Fortress are insane and offer a panoramic view of Old Town Dubrovnik, the Pile Harbour and the Adriatic Sea.
Barba for Lunch
Following our tour, we were ready to eat but did not want to take a lot of time out of our busy day. Luckily, we stumbled upon one of our favorite places that we ate in Dubrovnik, Barba. This quaint eatery was located right off one of the side streets and seemed to be very popular. They offered great fried street seafood and sandwiches. The entire little restaurant was littered with decorated forks that displayed the various locations from which patrons had traveled. We left our mark with “Mizzou” and “IU” forks to represent our Missouri and Indiana roots. We actually loved their food, the quick service, and the prices so much that we came back later in the week for a second helping!
Buza Bar
Our next stop for the day was Buza Bar for an afternoon happy hour. If you’re considering a trip to Dubrovnik, you’ll certainly read about this bar located within the historic walls of the city. It is incredibly popular, not for its drinks, but for its sweeping, unobstructed views of the Adriatic Sea. You may have to compete for a spot at this bar, but it is actually worth the wait. Once seated, you’ll enjoy the fresh ocean breeze and the ability to watch everything from cruise ships to kayaks traverse the waters below as you peer out over Lokrum Island. One less talked-about detail is that there are actually two Buza locations in Dubrovnik, both within the city’s walls (I’ve included photos from our visits to both below). They are a little difficult to find, so keep an eye out for the signs that point you in the right directions. They say something like “Cold Drinks with a View” and have arrows pointing you in the right direction. Buza Bar is a must-do in Dubrovnik, and plan to spend a couple of hours there because once you get a spot, you will not want to give it up!
Anniversary Dinner at Nautika
I’ve mentioned several times that this great trip to Europe was in celebration of the end of my medical residency, but there is even more that we were celebrating. Emily and I chose to celebrate our wedding anniversary a week early by having a special dinner in Croatia. The location was a surprise to her, and I chose Nautika as the spot. The restaurant staff was very easy to plan and communicate with via email, which made the entire night spectacular. We had a premiere table on the lower terrace looking out directly at Pile Bay and Fort Lovrijenac. Just hours before we were looking at these same locations during our Game of Thrones tour, and now we were fine dining and staring out at the moon-lit bay. I cannot forget to mention that the food and drinks were also stellar. We started with cocktails, mine a fancy gin drink, but Emily’s was the true masterpiece, served in an antique birdcage and garnished with a spritz of Chanel No.5! The menu was primarily high-end seafood and was impeccably plated. As a special touch, we were spoiled with two desert cocktails to help us celebrate 4 years of marriage. While the weather did not completely decide to cooperate (we had to walk home in the pouring rain), we will never forget this meal because of its unbeatable ambiance and splendor.
