DUBROVNIK

Dubrovnik is a Renaissance paradise to millions of people from George Bernard Shaw to the lady to next door.  As Croatia’s most visited city and a global destination, Dubrovnik is easy to get to by bus or plane from Zagreb, by ferry from Split or even further up the coast and there are lots of direct flights and charters from all over Europe.  We like Dubrovnik, but there is something disconcertedly remote about the place every time we visit.  It’s as it the city is all skin and no heart, lacking the charm and sense of life that one finds in so many other Croatian cities.  While it’s wonderful to walk the walls above the Old Town, gaze out at the sea and look down on those fabled red-tiled roofs (the buildings are glorious), Dubrovnik has a distinct look and don’t touch ambience.  And then there’s the sheer number of people—thousands every day--who come by sea and air and make Dubrovnik the most intensely-crowded city in the country.  The wide Stradun is really the only main “street”, so everyone uses it and in the summer, when it gets shockingly hot, the herd is desperately trying to find non-existent shade.  No wonder so many people give up after a few hours and head out to Korcula and the other off-shore islands or take the launch to Cavtat where they can jump in the crystal sea and cool off.  Dubrovnik is more enjoyable at night and much better in the Spring and Fall. 

Tourist office