CROATIA

After visiting Lake Bled, Slovenia, my goal was to get to Dubrovnik, Croatia. I took a bus from Lake Bled to the train station in Lesce Bled, a train to the capital city of Ljubljana, Slovenia, then a bus to Zagreb, Croatia. Buses are a great way to get around Europe, check out Flixbus! I was planning on taking buses all the way down to Dubrovnik, but it was about a 24-hour trip, whereas I could take 1-hour flight for $100. Long-story short, I made it to Dubrovnik before embarking on my Balkans Road Trip! Here are my top things to do in Dubrovnik Croatia!

DUBROVNIK’S CITY WALLS

This is probably the most popular tourist attraction in Dubrovnik, but personally I couldn’t bring myself to pay 30 Euros to do it. If you do decide to go, check it out early in the morning right when it opens to avoid the crowds.

STARI GRAD

Check out the unique Old Town area for some historical context of Dubrovnik!

MOUNT SRD

You can either hike to the top or take a cable car ride up! Highly recommended for a gorgeous sunset view.

TAKE A DIP IN HIDDEN POOLS ALONG THE COAST

One of my favorite pools is located at Hotel Excelsior! It’s open to the public and free of charge.

PARAGUAY

In March 2021 I had the opportunity to visit Paraguay! I have this itch to finish out South America since I only have a few countries left, and I saw a cheap ticket to Asuncion from Miami. Often times I look for the cheapest route from cities like LAX, Chicago, Miami, and Atlanta and then using my Southwest points I’ll book a flight to that city before taking my international flight.

eNTRY REQUIREMENTS

From Miami, all I needed was a health declaration form, negative PCR test, and a crisp $150 USD for the visa on arrival. And when I mean “crisp,” I mean, straight-off-the-press brand new bills. I had $20 bills that were 2017 or later plus no tears or markings, but they wouldn’t accept them! They really had to be brand new, but in the US a lot of banks aren’t getting new bills because of covid. Luckily there was an ATM next to the visa on arrival booth that I could withdraw money, but don’t count on it.

Another thing to note, the only reason I was flying into Asuncion was to get the visa on arrival. It’s the only way to get it without having to go to a consulate somewhere else, otherwise I would have rather flown to Iguazu Falls and crossed the border into Paraguay that way.

WHAT TO SEE IN ASUNCION

Originally my plan was to hop on a bus and go straight to Monday Falls in Ciudad del Este, but apparently the government decided to shut down the whole bus system for Easter week, which put a wrench in all my plans. I usually avoid taxis, but I found a wholesome driver to take me to get a sim card and find a hostel to stay at for the week (Policarpo +595984159826).

WHERE TO STAY IN ASUNCION

I stayed at Hostal El Nomada, which was walking distance to all the sights in the city center and had a really nice atmosphere. Policarpo also picked me up one day to take me to Jardin de Yacare Yrupe, where they have these giant lilypads. The locals will take you on their boat and you can paddle around on the water. For me, that was the highlight of my stay in Asuncion, Paraguay. I would’ve liked to stay longer and explored the waterfalls near Ciudad del Este and the Jesuit ruins of Trinidad in the south, but maybe one day I’ll be back! Especially now that I have that handy visa!