Split

 The Second largest city in Croatia, and the largest city in the Dalmatia Region.

Home to the Diocletian's Palace, Split was founded as a Greek colony of Aspalathos around 3rd century BC. It is situated along the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea and is a popular base for doing island hopping.

View of Split town from Marjan Forest Park

How to get there

You can reach Split from Dubrovnik (and vice versa) either by taking the ferry or riding the bus. It will depend on which experience you would like, but the travel time one way is relatively still the same. For us it took a whopping total of 6 hours.

Approaching Split port

Ferry

Take a ferry from the port in Dubrovnik. Be sure to check out the most updated timetables online. There are 2 ferry companies that run daily: Jadrolinija and Kapetan Luka. They have one trip a day during the high season. The boats will stop on the main islands to let passengers alight/board and that is the main reason why the whole journey is long. But travel time is roughly 4.5 hours. Better go to the port early so that you get to choose your seats. You can buy food on board.

1 way adult Fare: 230 Kn

Bus

If you take the bus from Dubrovnik bus station, travel time should be roughly at least 4 hours. Dubrovnik is about 215km from Split following the coastal road. There is a check point when crossing the border (briefly) of Bosnia and Herzegovina in which officers will board the bus to check your passport/travel document So you better have them ready in your bag and not on the hold. During our time, one of the passengers had his passport on the hold so it took us time before we can go through the border. There is a 15-minute stop-over for toilet break/refreshments while in Bosnia.

1 way adult Fare: 120 Kn

Things to do

1. Swimming

We went to have a dip in the sandy Bacvice beach, which was the closest one to our accommodation.

Bacvice Public Beach

2. Explore the Old Town

Walk around the small charming streets of the Old Town.

Pjaca or People's Square

Pass through the city's smallest attraction and narrowest street, Let Me Pass street (aka Pusti me da prodjem).

Let Me Pass Street

Street signs

Go through the different gates and entrances.

Entrance to Old Town from Riva

Golden Gate

3. Dine/People-watch along the Riva.

A restaurant along the Riva

Benches along the Riva

4. Diocletian Palace

This 30,000 sq.m. fortress-like palace served as a residence of the Roman emperor Diocletian and the military garrison in 4th century AD.

Entrance to the palace is free.

Diocletian Palace

At night time, Peristil square gets particularly busier and filled with people and street performers.

Peristil square

5. St. Domnius Cathedral

Built in 305 CE, this cathedral is dedicated to the city's patron saint, Saint Domnius, and has a characteristic tall Romanesque bell tower. It is the oldest Catholic cathedral in the world.

Dome

Entrance fee is 15 Kn, plus an additional 15 Kn to climb the bell tower. Since it is a place of worship, proper attire is observed. A covering will be required for those wearing sleeveless tops and shorts/mini skirts.

Inside the Cathedral

You can write and leave a letter inside the crypt, which is now a chapel dedicated to St. Lucy. It is cool inside and is a good short respite from the heat during summer.

Inside the crypt

6. Game of Thrones Filming Locations

- Basement of Diocletian's Palace as Daenerys' throne room or the dungeons where she kept her dragons. 

Basement shops

It is filled with shops for souvenirs and other dry goods.

Basement of Diocletian Palace

- Papaliceva street as one of the streets where they filmed the Slave rebellion scene.

Papaliceva Street

- Klis Fortress as the City of Meereen.

7. Marjan Park

Wander around the massive Marjan Park.

Marjan steps

Marjan Park is a forested hillside park with jogging/walking trails, look out points, botanical gardens, and picnic sites.

Gospe od Betlema: one of the chapels in the park

Day Trip to Lokrum Island

Head to Lokrum Island to escape the crowds in Old Town.

Peace out in Lokrum

One of the things that you should take note when in Dubrovnik is the dates when cruise ships are expected to dock at the Old Town so you can escape the crowded town by going on side trips instead.

Photo by the Lokrum Port

Lokrum Island

Just a short ferry ride from Dubrovnik port, Lokrum Island is a good side/day-trip from Old Town. The ferries leave every half an hour from the port during peak/summer season. The trip lasts for about 15 minutes and costs 40 Kuna.

Ferry Ticket for Lokrum

Things To Do

Lunch and Picnic

Picnic benches scattered all around the island

Pack your own food or have lunch at the on-site restaurants

Game of Thrones

A GOT filming location

The Iron Throne

Botanical Gardens planted during the 19th century.

Botanical Gardens

Swimming sites in-land or along the rocky coast.

On the lakes

Jump into the water!

Or use the pool ladders to go into the deep cool water

Benedictine Monastery built in medieval times.

Path to the Benedictine Monastery

Sunbathing

Along the lakes

Along the rocky shore

Take note of the times of the last 2-3 boats leaving the island to make sure that you get back to the main land as these would be peak times and there is a possibility that you would have to wait to board the next boat when the boat gets full of passengers.

A Gastronomic Experience from Cambodia to Vietnam

A photo diary of the different food we've tasted and encountered during our Cambodia - Vietnam trip.

Pubstreet, Siem Reap, Cambodia

A different kind of BBQ night

Insects, anyone?

In Cambodia, it is common to see among their staple street food your crawling nightmares - insects! Usually, these insects are fried and include black beetles, huge hairy spiders, crispy locusts, and crickets among many others, served with dried herbs and or hot chili peppers.

Khmer Kebab

Khmer Burger and fries

Banana Mango, Hue, Vietnam

Vietnamese Bangus Belly

Vietnamese Spaghetti

Pho Tai, Bo Vien

Pho Tai, Bo Vien is a pho soup with sliced beef tender and meat balls, garnished with different herbs such as basil leaves, etc. It can also be served in a spicy soup.

Holiday Diamond Hotel, Hue, Vietnam

Breakfast All You Can

Fruits, bread, coffee

Hoi An, Vietnam

White Rose Dumplings

White Rose Dumplings were named as such by the French. This dish is famous among tourists because they are not just beautifully presented, but are very good to the taste buds! It is made from white rice flour, and stuffed with cooked shrimp meat. The translucent color of the flour blending with the color of the stuffing makes it look like a white rose petal.

Cau Lao

Cau Lao is a famous dry noodle dish in Hoi An. Basically, this dish is just made up of pork, noodles and green leafy vegetables. The unique taste of the dish was said to be due to the use of the water which is derived from an ancient Cham well found somewhere in this town.

Gelato ice Cream

BBQ ala-Hoi An

Hoi An BBQ

Inside the walking and cycling city of Hoi An, you can see food street vendors squatting along the sidewalks at the corners of streets or certain establishments. Indeed, the smell and the appearance of these BBQ sticks would make your mouth water. Fortunately, they do not disappoint because they are not just cheap but taste so good as well!

Dubrovnik

King's Landing

The most popular city in southern Croatia, jutting into the Adriatic Sea.

View of the Old Town from Fort Lovrijenac

Dubrovnik Old Town

Enclosed within massive stone walls built during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Dubrovnik Old Town is one of the world's most beautiful preserved medieval cities.

Dubrovnik West Harbour

Serving as Dubrovnik's historic centre, the Old Town is comprised of Baroque churches, monasteries and palaces, Renaissance fountains and facades, wide marbled-paved squares, and steep cobbled streets and houses.

View of Old Town from the City Walls

It is where most scenes for King's Landing in the hit HBO series, Game of Thrones, were shot, thus, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations. Read more about the exact locations here: GOT filming locations in Dubrovnik.

Jesuit Staircase doubles as the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing

City Walls

Walking along the city walls

The Old Town should be explored and enjoyed both by day and night. The best way to explore it is by walking along its massive city walls. I recommend going in the wee hours of the morning, as soon as the gates open, if you want less crowds - especially during the summer/peak season. The wall is about 2 km long, and takes roughly 2 hours to walk.

View from starting/ending point of City Walls Walk

Old Town at night

You can explore the Old Town anytime at night; timing won't really matter as there's always going to be hoards of people, both locals and tourists alike.

Stradun at night

I recommend purchasing the Dubrovnik Card: 1, 3 or 7-day card. We bought the 1-day card which was KN 250 and includes single entry to 9 attractions (i.e. Maritime Museum, Natural History Museum, Marin Držić House, City Walls, Art Gallery, Cultural-Historical Museum, Ethnographic Museum Rupe, Pulitika Gallery, and the Franciscan Monastery Museum) plus 24 hours free use of public city transport.

1-day Dubrovnik Card

Tip: Read more about it here: Dubrovnik Card and save 10% off the price if you purchase online.

View of Old Town from City Walls

Pile City Gate

The City's main entrance is the Pile City Gate. The gate is overlooked by 2 forts: Minčeta in the north, and Bokar in the south, with the latter fort designed to defend the city from the sea.

Pile City Gate

Pile City Gate Fort

Onofrio's Fountain

A favourite meeting place inside the city. Drink free fresh water from its taps.

Onofrio's Fountain

Stradun

The City's main street which begins from Onofrio's Fountain and ends in a square with several important historic landmarks, i.e. the City Cathedral - the Church of St. Blaise, the Sponza Palace, the Rector's Palace, the bell towers and the Orlando's Column.

Square at the end of Stradun

Church of St. Blaise

Church of St. Blaise at night

As with most main streets, Stradun is lined with souvenir shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants.

Narrow Streets

Have a wander around the steep and narrow cobbled streets inside Old Town.

In the City Streets

 Old Port

Exit the Old Town via the Ploče Gate for old attractive harbour where taxi boats set off for the nearby island of Lokrum.

Old Port as backdrop

Swimming in the Old Port

Along the Old Port