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Complete guide to visiting Arboretum Trsteno in Croatia

When doing research for our trip to Dubrovnik I came across a beautiful picture taken from the coast towards the  Adriatic. The picture featured a view of the Adriatic framed by a pavilion (a familiar pavilion it turned out as it was used in some scenes in Game of Thrones) I had to find out where that was!  After a bit of digging, I found out that the picture had been taken in Arboretum Trsteno just outside Dubrovnik.

As it isn’t too far from Dubrovnik (only 18 kms) I realised it could be a possible excursion for a morning if we had time. However, rather than catching a bus we managed to tag our visit to Trsteno onto the end of our day in Bosnia Herzegovina as we had to pass it on the way back!

As visiting Arboretum Trsteno was something I had really wanted to do I was rather happy about that.

If you would like to visit the arboretum from Dubrovnik you will find all the information you need to plan your trip. Alternatively, you can book a tour of Game of Thrones locations which includes a visit to Arboretum Trsteno.

What is there to see at if you are visiting Arboretum Trsteno?

The arboretum was established in 1948 and features a historical renaissance garden and villa which were created in 1494 by Ivan Marinov Gucetic-Gozze, a historical neo-romantic garden from the 19th/20th centuries, a historical olive grove as well as natural vegetation native to Croatia.

path-to-the-villa at arboretum Trsteno

An 70-metre long aqueduct with 14 arches fed water to the fountain in the garden.  The luxurious Baroque Neptune statue as we see it today was reshaped in 1736 from the original.

During the Croatian war of independence, the house and gardens suffered severe damage. Further damage was caused in 2000 when a forest fire swept through the area.

I will let the gardens speak for themselves. We enjoyed our visit to the arboretum though be aware that comments are very mixed on some review sites. We found it a very peaceful place to visit if you want a break from the city. As I mentioned the gardens also feature in some episodes of Game of Thrones (like rather a lot of Croatia!!) and some of it will be familiar if you are a fan of the show.

entrance to the gardens
path to the gardens
Lots of welcome shade!
the gardens at Trsteno
the gardens
the bougainvillea was stunning
the bougainvillea was stunning
the-villa
the villa – the original Renaissance villa was destroyed in an earthquake in 1667 and this is the one built to replace it. I think whoever lived in such a beautiful house with the outlook and the gardens was very lucky!
view-of-the-villa-from-the-pavilion
View of the villa from the pavilion
doors-to-the-abandoned-villa
entrance to the abandoned villa – go inside as there are some fantastic old pictures of the villa and gardens to enjoy
bougainvillea
the pavilion at Trsteno
the pavilion – look familiar GoT fans?
pavilion-view
I love the view from the pavilion!
beautiful view of the Adriatic
What a view!
view-of-the-adriatic
neptune-fountain
Neptune fountain
aqueduct
aqueduct that fed water to the fountain
large urn
large urn
Shaded walks at the arboretum trsteno
Lots of shaded walks to enjoy
the most beautiful view of the Adriatic
And that view once again!

Tips for planning a visit to Arboretum Trsteno

  • Entrance to the Arboretum costs 45 kuna per adult. Take cash.
  • There is parking available if you have your own car. There are regular buses from Dubrovnik and the journey only takes about 35 minutes. Check out the bus schedule here!
  • We saw no-where to buy any water when we visited so I would strongly advise that you take plenty with you.
  • I would allow an hour or two to have a walk around and enjoy the place!
  • Opening hours are 7.00 – 19.00 May to Oct and 8.00 – 16.00 November to April but make sure to check on the tourist board website in case of any changes – Dubrovnik Tourist Board

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