For most people, Croatia is an unsolved mystery. Even if they have visited, it is more likely that they visited Zagreb, rather than Dubrovnik. But missing the city Lord Byron called “the pearl of the Adriatic” – this is truly a shame. This special place holds as much history and culture as any Mediterranean locale. Those classic buildings still glisten pearly white under the Adriatic Sun.
A stroll along Placa is all it generally takes to sell visitors on this city. The quaint cafes and shops, monuments to antiquity intermixed, are frankly spellbinding. The artistic tradition of the past lives still, amid the heavenly landscape of beaches and forested peninsulas here. This is a fantastically beautiful city.
Pearls from the Sea
Rising up from the sea, the seaport of Dubrovnik has always been a touristic desintation. It’s a little bit interesting how such a lovely place never grew any larger. To this day only 45,000 or so people call this seaside resort home. The place rivals Venice in beauty and even surpasses that famous city in location. Throughout the Middle Ages maritime traders ported in Dubrovnik as often as they did in Venice. The wealth and prosperity of that time is still evident today. This home of noted poets, playwrites, and scholars, echoes of a brilliant past.
You’ll take note instantly, the surrounding walls of the city, which survive largely in tact about the sacred building and city center. Be sure and see the St. Vlaho Cathedral, the Customs Office, and the City Hall while visiting the city center. Surrounding Dubrovnik, a group of wonderful Islands, Šipan, Lopud, Koločep, Tajan, Olipa, Jakljan and Daksa add not only to the city’s aesthetic beauty, but serve as fantastic day trips for couple and groups. The city is inextricably tied to the sea, and travelers will revel in the nearby sparkling seas and secluded beaches. And, be sure and check out cliff diving, if the thrill seeker spirit hits you.
Nights Under the Dubrovnik Moon
The average temperature here is about 17 degrees centigrade, and the sea temperature sits at a warm 21 degrees. The gentle winds make romantic dinners at a seaside café particularly charming. However, Dubrovnik is a bit more famous for the vibrant locals who dance their lives away into the night. Local cafes and bars, chic nightspots, a bottle of wine and a blanket on the beach, Dubrovnik is best savored at night.
Take the Dubrovnik Cable Car for the most wonderful panoramic views of the city and the sea. Shop the old town’s charming shops, take lunch and people watch. Take in the party at club EastWest and views you won’t believe, let the pebbles on Banje Beach slip though your hands as the moon rises high over the Adriatic, can you see yourself here? The ancients loved this spot, you will too. And the people are true gems.
Main attractions: Roland's Column, Bell Tower, Sponza Palace, Rector's Palace, Pile Gate, and Placa Stradun, Bukovac House, Dubrovnik Natural History Museum, among the many others.
Currency: Kuna
Official language: Croatian
Area: 21.35 km2 (8.2 sq mi)
Population: 42,641
Electricity:
- Voltage: 220-240 Volts (U.S./Canada are 110-120 Volts)
- Primary Socket Type: Europlug, Schuko
- Multi-voltage appliances (laptops, etc.)
- 110-120V electronics: Plug adapter + step-down transformer
- Hair dryers, curling irons, etc.: Plug adapter + voltage converter
Other places to see & things to do: Lapad Beach, War Photo Limited, Big Onofrio´s Fountain, the Old Port, and Fort Lovrijenac, Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and many more.
Main images courtesy: © Jason Vosper - Fotolia.com; Alister Coyne, dyonis
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