Lokrum Island, Croatia

Who knew that a little island, Lokrum Island, just a 10 minutes boat ride from Old Town Dubrovnik would offer so much natural beauty and history. You can see this green island topped with an incredible stone fortress in the distance from Old Town beckoning you to go over and explore, which is exactly what I did. It was a great little day trip that offers a lot but doesn’t need to be an overwhelming trip, which I loved! Check out below what I enjoyed about Lokrum Island!

I touched on this in my last blog post about things to do in Dubrovnik, but it’s such a great thing to do, I wanted to expand on it. This nature reserve is lush and green with numerous coves for fun in the sun and relaxing. But it is also home to a ruined monastery, botanical gardens, a fort built by Napoleon and many interesting stories!

You may catch the city-run ferry boat at Old Port for a 10-minute ride to the “Greenest Island in the Adriatic” -- the cost is 150 Kuna (about $23 US dollars) round trip which includes entrance to the Island. I highly recommend renting the audio guide for an additional 25 Kuna (available at the Ranger’s Lodge once you reach the island) as it really enriched the experience for us.

The Benedictine Monks were the first to settle here in 1023. The Benedictine Monastery was renovated four times after that by the 17th century and is perhaps the most famous attraction on the island partially due to a legend associated with it. The legend of the Lokrum curse originated when a French army general ordered the closure of the monastery and the expulsion of the Monks. Popular legend states that upon their eviction from the Island, the monks of Lokrum passed a curse on any who possessed the island. Tragic events did happen over the course of a few centuries and so the island is commonly believed by the populace of Croatia to be cursed. It is uninhabited and everyone seems to leave the island it by 8 pm (probably just to be safe…this wasn’t something my husband and I wanted to test out).

A portion of the Monastery has been converted into a restaurant and another segment has been converted into a museum. A replica of the Iron Throne (Game of Thrones) is there as well. Fun fact for the Game of Thrones fans: Some of the garden scenes were filmed in the botanical gardens and in the monastery on Lokrum (to be the city of Qarth) in season two.

I must say that climbing to the top of the island to see the Fort Royal was the highlight of the trip. I will admit it is a little bit of a climb but not bad if you take your time – it is worth it! It was built in 1806 under the order of Napoleon to defend Dubrovnik (when France took control of this area). It went through five wars in the course of 200 years so this little fort took a beating and you can see the battle wounds in the walls to prove it! Not only are the ruins impressive as you explore inside and out but the panoramic views from the top are breath taking.

After the exercise from the climb you may feel the need to relax in some natural beauty and the Botanical Garden is the best place to do that. Archduke Maximilian Ferdinand of Habsburg started this concept and had a mansion built on the island in 1859 with a magnificent garden laid out, crisscrossed with pathways, full of amazing plants and botanical wonders. In 1959, the Botanical Garden was officially founded which contained native and imported, tropical and subtropical plants, and other vegetation. Over 500 different species of trees and scrubs are found here – some are native, but many were brought from various other continents. Olive trees are all over and many were originally planted by the monks making some 500 years old!

My favorite place in the Botanical Garden was the Path of Paradise. This lush area got its name simply from the beautiful flora and fauna surrounding the path.

Another popular place to stop is the Dead Sea which is a small salt lake located on the southern side of the Island created by the collapse of a large cavern. It is now a popular attraction with scuba divers and others who just want to just relax outside in the sun.

Of course, there are beaches throughout for those who wish to relax in the sun even more. We heard that one is a clothing optional … we never saw this one …. not that we were looking or anything.

The island has many fun things to do but one of the things I found most entertaining was all the free roaming peacocks. They were originally brought over by Maximillian from the Canary Islands and have thrived on the island since their introduction. On top of the peacocks, there is an incredible amount of rabbits on the island too. A little random if you ask me but apparently, they were brought over to the island illegally and now there are hundreds (maybe thousands?) of bunnies everywhere. Depending who you ask, they are either a problem or add a cute flair to the place.

This half day adventure on this island went by so quickly – it was remarkable that four hours could offer a true balance of nature and history. I felt invigorated yet also refreshed for the rest of my explorations in Dubrovnik. We took the boat back after we were done on the island and found ourselves back in Old Town just 10 minutes later.

Next week I’ll share more things to do outside of Dubrovnik but please make sure to subscribe to receive my weekly posts directly to your email every Friday. You may also follow me on Instagram or Facebook under Late Bloomer Traveler where I share more brief highlights throughout the week. Would love for you to join our travel community and I’ll talk with you all next week!