I've climbed countless towers (with countless hundreds and hundreds of stairs) and hills, often early in the morning for the best light, to get that "must see" view of the town square or the old town or the country side.
I've also had to decide whether that "must see" is really worth it. Who hasn't read about a "must see" only to find it somewhat disappointing. Or, read that the "must see" is disappointing and then having to decide if you'll feel like you missed something if you don't do the "must see" even if you know there's a good chance it will be disappointing (my recommendation...save your money and don't go to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland!!).
So, this brings us to the City Walls in Dubrovnik, Croatia. With numerous additions and modifications throughout their history, they have been considered to be amongst the great fortification systems of the Middle Ages, as they were never breached by a hostile army during this time period. In 1979, the old city of Dubrovnik, which includes a substantial portion of the old walls of Dubrovnik, joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The walls ring the city and are over a mile in length.
It was hot and crowded when I visited Dubrovnik. I had already read that if you want to walk the walls you should do it first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds. I was there when they opened and it was already warm and there were several other people waiting. NOTE: There is no shade! Wear your sunscreen!!
To get to the walls you have to climb some steep stairs.
Dubrovnik is the site of Kings Landing for those Game of Thrones fans so some of these views might look familiar.
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| Oh, good, more stairs...*sigh* |
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| This city is so small and so crowded with tourists that it can be hard to remember that ordinary people live here (although it's getting harder for them to afford to do so because prices are being driven so high due to aforementioned tourists). Imagine thousands of people walking past your window every day... |
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| Cruise ships. Dubrovnik has limited the number that can come each day but that just made the companies go to larger ships. |
Was it worth it? Well...
- There were definitely some amazing views! That said, it's not for everyone:
- It's not for the faint of knees!
- It would have been nice if it had opened earlier in the hotter months (hey, Dubrovnik Tourism Board!!) because it was hot and I started as early as was possible.
- Definitely go early if you're going because by the time I was done I could see that it was packed for those just starting.
