From Wikitravel

Dubrovnik is an old city on the Adriatic Sea coast in the extreme south of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist resorts of the Mediterranean, a seaport and the center of the Dubrovnik–Neretva county. Its population was 43,770 in 2001. Dubrovnik is nicknamed "Pearl of the Adriatic" and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By plane 2.2 By train 2.3 By car 2.4 By bus 2.5 By boat 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Learn 7 Work 8 Buy 9 Eat 9.1 Budget 9.2 Mid-range 9.3 Splurge 10 Drink 11 Sleep 11.1 Budget 11.2 Mid-range 11.3 Splurge 12 Contact 13 Stay safe 14 Cope 15 Get out

Understand

The city of Dubrovnik/Ragusa was based on maritime trade. In the Middle Ages it became the only city-state in the Adriatic to rival Venice. Supported by its wealth and skilled diplomacy, the city achieved a remarkable level of development during the 15th and 16th centuries. Furthermore, Dubrovnik was one of the centers of the development of the Croatian language and literature, home to many notable poets, playwrights, painters, mathematicians, physicists and other scholars.

Get in

By plane

Dubrovnik airport is located about 20km to the south of the city. There are flights from Zagreb for circa 60 EUR round trip including taxes. It is also possible to catch flights to Dubrovnik from many of the low cost Central European carriers such as Sky Europe.

Hapag Lloyd Express is flying from Stuttgart, Hanover and Munich to Dubrovnik.

As of April 19 2006 Estonian Air is flying every Wednesday and Saturday from Dubrovnik to Tallinn.

SN Brussels Airlines connects Dubrovnik with Brussels twice per week (on Monday and Friday) between April 28 2006 and September 29 2006.

Flights are also often available to Paris-Charles De Gaulle and London-Gatwick.

From the airport, taxis are available but not inexpensive. Bus service to the Old City is available through Atlas, but the drop-off location is in the Old City, and most hotels are not within walking distance from that drop-off location, especially with luggage. Taxis at the drop-off location, especially when the cruise boats are docked (almost every day in the summer), are nearly impossible to obtain.

By train

There is no train to Dubrovnik, although you can take a train to Split during tourist season and then travel by bus to Dubrovnik.

By car

You can use transfer service by car or van (8+1) Queen Service Dubrovnik [1] Driving in Croatia can be quite difficult as there is no highway from Split to Dubrovnik, yet. However, if one is careful and not in a rush to arrive, it can be a beautiful journey along the coastal roads through small quaint villages and other tourist destinations, just know that in the summer months the trip is likely to take several hours longer than anticipated.

By bus

It is a fairly long journey but it is possible to take a bus directly from Zagreb. Alternatively if you are already on the Dalmatian coast buses run directly from Split to Dubrovnik, a journey which takes 4 and a half hours and costs upwards of 90kn, depending on the operator. As well there is international bus service to and from destinations such as Trieste, Italy, but, in general, you are better of either renting a car and driving down or catching a flight as buses are usually even less comfortable than planes and the trip is often long and much less scenic than can be experienced by a nice drive along the coast.

By boat

• Jadrolinija [2] run ferries down the coast from Rijeka. Calling at Zadar, Split, Stari Grad, Korčula and Sobra on the way. Journey time is up to twenty hours, so getting a cabin is highly recommended. The restaurant serves up some decent food at surprisingly reasonable prices, but bear in mind that the 22% tax is not included on the menu. There is nothing in the way of entertainment, so bring some entertaining company or a good book, although the journey is scenic and it is possible to entertain oneself simply marvelling at the natural beauty of the coast.

Get around

The old town is completely pedestrianised and easily small enough to get around on foot - some of the streets are a little steep, though! If you are not staying in the Old Town its relatively simple to catch just about any bus as just about every one leads to the Old Town; however, it is still best to consult a timetable of bus arrivals/departures which will help you be sure that you are in fact catching the right bus. It costs 8kn (just over 1 euro) for one ticket, valid for 1hr.

See

Churches

• Church Of Annunciation - a beautiful Serbian Orthodox Church with a museum once belonging to the Serbian noble family of Bonda just a few steps away in the church yard

• Franciscan Monastery - Baroque Church housing a beautiful Romanesque cloister and the third oldest pharmacy in the world

• Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary - supposedly the original church had been build from money donated by Richard the Lionhearted who survived shipwreck on his way home from the Third Crusade, while the current Roman Baroque cathedral dates from the 18th Century

• Church of Saint Blaise (Crkva Svetog Vlaha) - Baroque Church dedicated to the city's patron saint

• Church of St. Ignatius and the Jesuit College - beautiful baroque church located on a small hill within the old city

• Dominican Monastery

Other Attractions

• Roland's Column - slender stone flag staff of the legendary knight

• Bell Tower

• Sponza Palace - Gothic Renaissance palace, one of the few buildings that has maintained its form from before the catastrophic 1667 earthquake

• Rector's Palace - formerly the palace of the Major Council, now housing a museum dedicated to the city's history

Do

• Dubrovnik Summer Festival [3] - music and theatre festival held since 1950 from 10. July to 25. august.

• Walk down the Stradun and enjoy a drink at a cafe on the main through fair of the old town

• Dubrovnik Film Festival [4] - film festival held from May 31 to June 4

• Libertas Dubrovnik Film Festival [5] - film festival held from 25.-30. of August

• Julian Rachlin and Friends Festival [6] - festival of chamber music

• Walk the city walls. The main entrance to the city walls is near Pile Gate.

• Visit the Fortress Lovrijenac - It was an essential fortification to the defense of the city from both ground and sea attacks. In order to prevent possibly mutiny by the commander of the fortress, the walls facing the city are only 60 cm thick compared to those exposed to enemy fire which were 12m thick!. Above the entrance to the fortress is an inscription that says "Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro" which translates to "Freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world"

• Climb Mt. Srđ - This 412m (1350') peak has excellent views of the city of Dubrovnik, the harbor, and the Dubrovnik Highlands region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The top of the hill has a modern radio tower, some older fortifications damaged in the war, and a memorial to some of the war dead.

• Take a ferry to Lokrum, which houses a monastery, a fort with great views of Dubrovnik, botanical gardens, and a naturist beach.

Learn

Dubrovnik has a number of educational institutions.

• The University of Dubrovnik [7]

• Nautical College

• Tourist College

• University Centre for Postgraduate Studies of the University of Zagreb [8]

• Institute of History of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences

Work

Buy

There are many local artisans who specialize in domestic crafts. Popular purchases include: handmade tablecloths, linens, and napkins. Another local specialty is little dolls dressed in local garb, which make nice gifts.

Eat

Eateries in the old town are predominantly Italian - those seeking a break from pizza and pasta may have to be prepared to travel outside of the tourist centre. The Graz chocolate sold at stores is also highly recommendable.

Budget

• Taj Mahal within the old city with a variety of Bosnian/Eastern cuisine such as Cevapcici u lepinji, baklava, and tufahi

Mid-range

There are a variety of good, well priced restaurants in an around the city depending on your personally preferences. Examples include:

• Arka in Old Town has some good vegetarian options (the baked moussaka was excellent)
• Belvedere in Lapad
• Konoba Konaovka in Uvala Lapad

Splurge

• Nautika - Restaurant located just outside the Pile gate to the Old City, on the waterfront. Great views of the sea and Old City. In the evening the main courses start at 200 Kuna, and the starters are at a similar price. There are various 'tasting menus' starting at about 50 Euros.

Drink

The most popular hard alcohol in Croatia is home made rakija. This is a very strong distilled drink made from a variety of fruits. Examples include sljivovica (made from plums), "loza" (made from grapes), and "orahovica" (made with walnuts). All are quite strong and, like most hard liquors, are have an unappealing taste to some people while others find them quite enjoyable. There are many excellent local wines from both the Peljesac Peninsula and Konavle and it is often less expensive than soft drinks like Coca Cola. However, be careful when purchasing wine from unlicensed dealers (though the price is very attractive with some being as low as 10kn or 1.5 euro per liter) as it can sometimes be of low quality.

• Buža, Iza Mura. Found by following a sign that simply say ‘cold drinks’ you enter through a hole in the wall on the south side of the Old Town. The tables and chairs are set out on the side of the cliff and the beers are served in bottles and plastic cups. This is lovely in the evening, when the sun is setting and you gaze over at island of Lokrum. Plays eclectic chilled out music unobtrusively in the background. There isn’t much in the way of shelter (apart from some palm leaves) so this won’t open in bad weather.

There are numerous cafes throughout the Old Town and the entire city with prices varying according to the location (particularly, those located on the Stradun are by far the most expensive but you are paying for the ambiance as well). The cafes (or cafe bars) serve a wide variety of drinks all day and into the night, with both an assortment soft drinks, coffee, beer, and hard alcohol being available.

• Club Latino is really the only dance club/lounge in Dubrovnik and it is located right outside of the Old Town, by the Pile gate.

• Lazareti - if you are into house, tech-house and techno music and clubbing, you'll enjoy Lazareti on the eastern entrance of the Old Town, by the Ploce gate. Also, during the summer, there are lot of electronic music happenings there and on the open air around the city.

Sleep

Budget

• accommodation Dubrovnik[9]

Mid-range

Dubrovnik is steeped in stunning architecture and sculptural detail, and boasts spectacular churches, monasteries, museums, fountain. Apartments serve as an ideal home base to tour the city or to go further afield. A multitude of typical towns and excursions include: The Elafiti Islands, the attractive town of Cavtat, Mljet Island, Korcula Island and Peljesac Peninsula. The neighboring towns of Kotor in Montenegro or Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina also make for intriguing day trips. $549 per week/per apartment and up.

As well, there are many three star hotels that offer a more affordable alternative to the opulence of the five-star hotels. These include:

• Hotel Argosy, Iva Dulcica 41, tel: +385 20 446-603, fax: +385 20 435-662 [10]

• Hotel Komodor, Masarykov put 5, tel: +385 20 433-500, fax: +385 20 433-510 [11]

• Hotel Splendid, Masarykov put 10, tel: +385 20 433-560, fax: +385 20 433-570 [12]

• Hotel Vis, Masarykov put 4, tel: +385 20 433-540, fax: +385 20 433-550 [13]

• Hotel Bellevue, Pera Čingrije 7, tel: +385 20 413-306, 413-095, fax: +385 20 414-058, [14]

• Hotel Park, Šet.Kralja Zvonimira 39, tel: +385 20 434-444, fax: +385 20 434-885, [15]

• Hotel Kompas, Šet. kralja Zvonimira 56, tel: +385 20 352-000, fax: +385 20 435-877, [16]

• Hotel Neptun, Kardinala Stepinca 31, tel: +385 20 440-100, fax: +385 20 440-200, [17]

• Hotel Lero, Iva Vojnovića 14, tel: +385 20 332-022, 332-122, fax: +385 20 332-123 [18]

• Hotel Lapad, Lapadska obala 37, tel: +385 20 432-922, 412-436, fax: +385 20 417-230 [19]

• Hotel Petka, Obala Stjepana Radića 38, tel: +385 20 416-008, 418-169, fax: +385 20 418-058 [20]

• Hotel Minceta, Iva Dulcica 18, tel: +385 20 447-100, fax: +385 20 435-622 [21]

• Hotel Tirena, Iva Dulcica 20, tel: +385 20 445-100, fax: +385 20 436-006, [22]

Splurge

• Hotel Excelsior, F. Supila 12, +385 20 35 33 53 [23]. A five-star hotel built in 1913 and completely renovated in 1998 overlooking the Old City. It has 146 bedrooms and 18 suites. Rates run at about 2000 Kunas (250€) a day. Within walking distance of the beaches and Old City. .

• Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik, Marijana Blažića 2, +385 20 320 320, [24]. A five-star hotel situated near the entrance of the Old Town and overlooking the ancient city walls and fortresses. It was built in 1895 and has 139 rooms and 8 suites.

• Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, Masarykov put 20, +385 20 430 777, [25]. A five-star hotel situated on a Lapad peninsula, below the park of little Petka woods, with a view to the Elaphite islands. The Old Town is 4,5 km away.

• Hotel Grand Villa Argentina, Frana Supila 14, +385 20 440 555, [26]. A five-star hotel refurbished in 2002.

• Pucic Palace, Ulica Od Puca 1, Tel: +385 20 326 200, Fax: +385 20 326 223 [27]. A five star hotel with just 19 rooms located in the middle of the Old Town across from Gundulic Square

Contact

With the influx of tourists Internet cafes are becoming increasing popular. Half hour rate are relatively inexpensive at appoximately 10-20Kn (1.5-3 Euro)

Stay safe

In general, Dubrovnik is an incredibly safe city, but regular precautions should be taken to protect yourself from robbery.

Cope

Get out

• There are many destinations within Croatia that can be accessed from Dubrovnik with popular attractions including Split and the Plitvice Lakes National Park as well as the capital, Zagreb which is approximately a 10 hour drive away.

• A popular shopping destination for locals, Neum in Bosnia offers many cheap goods for frugal travellers

• Anyone wishing to travel to Montenegro from Dubrovnik will have to take a bus that runs once a day to the Montenegrin border. The bus costs around 15 EUR and then leaves you at the border. From there you will have to walk across (with your stuff) and the pick up another bus on the Montenegrin side which will take you to Herceg Novi and further on to Kotor if you wish.

• Mostar in Bosnia makes a good two day trip by bus from Dubrovnik. The ride will take about 3 hours.The city has a much stronger Turkish feel as opposed to Dubrovnik's Venetian.

• Sarajevo is worth visiting it is considered by some one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

• A boat trip to the Elaphiti Islands is well worth while, with plenty of places to swim, fish or relax

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