Times listed are the timetables at the time of visit.
Day 0
Tokyo Haneda 2140 (All Nippon Airways ANA203) – Frankfurt 0520+
Day 1
Frankfurt 1025 (Croatia Airlines OU419) – Dubrovnik 1210
Overnight stay: Ragusa City Walls Apartments
Tips for Day 1
– This was my second time in Dubrovnik, but hotel prices were skyrocketing, so I decided to stay at a rental apartment near the Old Town. It was quite convenient location near airport bus stop. There seemed to be management companies specializing such rental apartments, and the rooms were well maintained.
– The restaurant for dinner that night was a Michelin-listed place, which I dare not mention. Modern Croatian cuisine has not been well with me since my first visit. To me, it looks fancy and expensive, but it lacks subtlety.
Day 2
– Full-day tour of Kravica Waterfalls, Mostar, and Pochiteli
Lunch: Restoran Kaldrma
Dinner: Konoba Dubrava
Tips for Day 2
– I had dinner was at a traditional Croatian restaurant. It was a kind of steamed dish in an iron pot. It was simple yet exquisitely seasoned. Unlike the restaurant the day before, I was able to enjoy local food, wine and liquor. The only drawback was that I had to take a cab from the old town, but this was not a big problem in Dubrovnik because Uber was available.
Day 3
– Sunny day in Dubrovnik
Lunch: Sandvich Bar
Dubrovnik 1730 (bus) – Kotor 1950 (actually arrived around 2100)
Dinner: Atrium Restaurant
Overnight stay: Apartments Casa del Sol Jovana
Tips for Day 3
– The weather forecast turned out to be wrong and it was sunny from the morning. I ended up visiting Walls of Dubrovnik for three times in this trip. Twice was just stupid but three times were indeed fool…
– I had a lunch was at a sandwich shop in front of the Hilton Hotel. Their burger was excellent, and I had gone there every day during my first visit to Dubrovnik. I was worried because it was a small eatery in a tourist town, but I was glad to see that the shop was still there after the COVID-19.
– I took the bus to Kotor, Montenegro. It is safe to book tickets online, and luggage storage is extra fee.
– The Old Town of Kotor is a small town with a few hotels, but there are many rental apartments. The first place I booked asked me to pay in advance via money transfer right after booking, so I decided to cancel the reservation. Although pre-payment itself was not a problem to me, I felt that direct remittance was too risky. I looked for a place where I could pay via hotel reservation website.
Day 4
– Kotor
Dinner: Konoba Scala Santa
Tips for Day 4
– Kotor is a small town, but it is crowded because of the cruise ships. If possible, it is better to stay overnight and take advantage of the early morning and evening hours when the town is quiet.
– If you stay at a private accommodation in Kotor, you will need to bring your passport and pay the accommodation tax within 48 hours of your arrival.
Day 5
– Kotor
Dinner: La Catedral Pasta Bar
Tips for Day 5
– The mountain road was too steep.
Day 6
Kotor 0300 (airport private shuttle) – Podgorica Airport 0430
Podgorica 0700 (Austrian Airlines OS730) – Vienna 0820
Vienna 1125 (All Nippon Airways ANA206) – Haneda 0655+
Tips for Day 6
– Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, was said to be the least interesting capital city in Europe. I thought it would be a good idea to have an extra day in Kotor. A cab from Kotor would cost about 100 euros. It was a tough to get up at 2:30 a.m., but I thought a reasonable option considering time and hotel fees.
– The driver of airport shuttle became friendly after he found I had visited Montenegro twice, and asked for some Japanese yen bills. 10 euros was exchanged for a new 1,000 yen bill of Tomisaburo Kitasato and an old 1,000 yen bill of Soseki Natsume. I was too cheap that I didn’t tip the whole amount…
– I started to drink beer at Vienna airport from 8:00 am, drunken at 10:30 am, thanks to a nice guy at beer pub near ANA boarding gate who gave me a brief introduction of Austrian beer.
