Book a Flight to Dubrovnik from €57

The Walls of the Old City: they are considered the most complete and perhaps the greatest in Europe. They were built in the 8th - 17th century to protect the castle city of Stari Grad from various besiegers. Walk on the ancient fortifications in a 2km long stone path that looks like floating above the waters of the Adriatic Sea. You will see the impressive bastions, with Minčeta Tower with its circular, renaissance style standing out. A little further you will see Saint Luke's tower that used to protect the entrance of the port. Make a stop at the 16th century semi-circular fortress of Saint John, to visit the Aquarium and the Maritime Museum. Ragusa, as was the old name of Dubrovnik, was a famous maritime city with seagoing vessels around the world. 

Fort Lovrijenac: also known as "Dubrovnik's Gibraltar", the sturdy stone fort dominates the scenery on a hill 37m above sea level, protecting the west entrance of the city as of the 13th century. If it looks familiar, it is because it was the set for filming the popular TV series “Game of Thrones”.  
Address: Općina Dubrovnik

Sponza Palace: an impressive 16th century building, excellently combining Gothic and renaissance elements in its architecture. In the past, it originally housed Customs and then operated as literature club, with the high society of the city meeting in its elegant patio for philosophical conversations. Today, the historical archives of Dubrovnik are kept in the palace. 
Address: Općina Dubrovnik, 00385 20312011

Clock Tower: a symbol of the city in the central Luža square, 31m high, the construction of this tower started in 1444. Two wooden soldier figures, which were later replaced by bronze statues, were designed to sound the hour by striking the old, 2,000kg bell. The locals named them Maro and Baro, but eventually call them “zelenci”, namely “green men”, from the colour they got from the salty breeze of the Adriatic.  

The Assumption Cathedral: an imposing baroque building, decorated with statues of saints externally; this church replaced the old Romanesque church that was destroyed by the 1667 earthquake. The main altar holds a polyptych by Titian, portraying a version of the Assumption of the Virgin.
Address: Općina Dubrovnik, 00385 20323459

Franciscan Monastery: a masterpiece of 14th century architecture, an excellent blend of Romanesque and Gothic style with many artistic and archive treasures. Here, you will find the most ancient operating pharmacy in Europe, established in 1317! Monks are still preparing medicine and cosmetics from local herbs and plants, following old, 14th century recipes. 
Address: Placa 2, 00385 20321410

Cable car trip Take the brand new cable car and go up the hill without vowels, Srđ. The panoramic view is breathtaking. At a height of 413 meters above the city, the hill offers a panorama of the castle city and the Adriatic, like a beautiful postcard. At its top stands the imposing Imperial Fortress that houses the Museum of Croatian War of Independence. 
Address: iv 20000, Ulica kralja Petra Krešimira IV 10, 00385 20325393, www.dubrovnikcablecar.com/

Islands: at a very close distance from Dubrovnik, there are picturesque islands of rare natural beauty, ideal for swimming and relaxing in the summer. Access is easy and on an everyday basis from the old city port for day trips. One of the most enchanting islands of the Adriatic Sea, Mljet, is 23 miles from Dubrovnik. It lured Odysseus, who according to the local legend spent 7 years on the island, as well as Prince Charles. Korčula is another beautiful island, whose name is considered a paraphrase of the word Corcyra (Corfu). Ancient Greeks named the 6th largest island of Croatia "Black Corcyra" because of its dense pine-woods. This is also the birthplace of Marco Polo!

Shopping in Dubrovnik

Walking on the Stradun, the most central cobbled street of the Old city, you will see to your left and right a line of little shops in the typical castle-city style, the “na koljeno”, which means door and vending stalls together. Their merchandise includes colourful necklaces and other impressive jewellery, hats, laces, embroidery, pottery and bookmarks.  

In the old city bazaar, locals arrange their stalls on Gunduličeva Poljana square, selling fruit, clothes, flowers, home-made treats, like the Kraš Bajadera with almonds. In Dubrovnik even shopping becomes an art, with theatrical elements, as you will often see street vendors dressed in renaissance costume. Did you know that the tradition of ties was born in Croatia? At least this is what Croatians claim, and in the local boutiques you will find this classic men's accessory from silk in a wide variety of colours and patterns.

In Dubrovnik you will try Mediterranean flavours with a Croatian twist and Italian influences in the restaurants of the Old City and the restaurants on the port waterfront. Fresh fish and seafood from the fishing spots of the Adriatic which you can enjoy on fantastic terraces overlooking the sea. Taste oysters and mussels, steamed or in red sauce, from the shellfish farm in Mali Ston bay, fish soup, seafood risotto, and pašticada, the Croatian stew or arambašići, Dalmatian rolls with vine leaves.  

Accompany your meal with wine labels from the local vineyard and drink the travarica digestif, a herbal liqueur. Ask for a rožata, for dessert, the dalmatian version of crème caramel. 
Enjoy your coffee from the tables on the cobbled central street of the Old City, on the beautiful squares that look like a theatrical stage, with the renaissance and medieval buildings in the background, watching people go by.  

Night-life is very intense in the summer, when Italians with their yachts arrive at the Dalmatian coasts and cruise ships moor at Dubrovnik coasts. Traffic escalates at the port and the bars on the quay happily welcome the multi culti crowd.

• Dubrovnik Summer Festival The cultural event of the year for Croatia, one of the oldest institutions of the sort in Europe, with a history of six decades. From mid-July to the end of August, great names from the international art scene flock to the Old City for open air concerts, theatrical and dance performances on the fort, the palaces and the squares. 
• Saint Blaise Festival On the 3rd of February, the residents of Dubrovnik celebrate the memory of their Patron saint, with a doxology at St Blaise Church, an 18th century church in the Old City.  The church is built on the location of an older one that was destroyed by earthquake. The statue of the Saint is kept in the church, which is the only thing that was miraculously saved from the fire that broke out after the earthquake. 
• Aklapela Festival Choirs from around Croatia participate in this festival every April to sing a cappella, without microphones and audio mixers. Concerts are free for the public and are held in various points of the Old City.  
• Ladja Marathon Spectacular 22 km rowing race on the Neretva river with the traditional ladja boats, which were used for centuries in the area to cross the narrow passages of the river. The 18-member crews include a helmsman and a drummer for keeping the rhythm in rowing!

Getting to and from the airport in Dubrovnik

Aegean Airlines lands on the Čilipi International Airport of Dubrovnik, 20km south of the city. Although relatively small, the airport is modern and has a large duty free shop, restaurants and cafés, banks and foreign exchange offices, free wi-fi.

To get to the centre of Dubrovnik from the airport you can take the buses of Atlas company that end their service at the Pile gate in the old city. Alternatively you can take Libertas public bus lines 11 and 27, which connect the airport with various points of Dubrovnik. If you choose to take a taxi, you will find them outside Arrivals. Taxis operate with a metre and fares are very reasonable.