Destination Dubrovnik, Croatia

A whirlwind mix of culture, the allure of turquoise sea, pebbly beaches, mountains and the medieval-walled Old Town, the compact city of Dubrovnik certainly exceeded expectations.

When you hear so much about a place there is a danger that you are going to be disappointed, but Dubrovnik really is as special as people say.

Damaged severely by an earthquake in 1667, Dubrovnik managed to preserve its walls as well as some stunning Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches and palaces. 

The disastrous “Homeland War” of the early 1990s also left its mark but the Pearl of the Adriatic, as the city is often called, has managed to put the past behind it.  Nowadays, it is Croatia’s top tourist destination. 

Old Town and Banje Beach

Tourists flock to see Dubrovnik’s real draw, the Old Town. You do not really come here for the museums, you come to soak up the atmosphere. Jostling with other sightseers, I entered via the Pile Gate to find myself with a view of the fabled Stradun, the main drag that runs through the Old Town’s beating heart. 

Once a swamp, the now traffic-free promenade, played host to merchants in the Middle Ages. Today, surrounded by the city walls, churches, public buildings and stone houses meld harmoniously with lost-in-time shops, bars and restaurants.

It seems a regular pastime of not just tourists but also the locals to sit at a café and drink coffee while watching the world go by. Remember to find some time to mooch round the narrow stone streets and visit the Rector’s Palace and the Franciscan monastery. 

Enjoying coffee

Climb the steep steps of the monumental city wall which goes around the perimeter and your huffing and puffing will be rewarded with views of the Adriatic on one side and on the other side, mountains carpeted in red rooftops. There is always the cable car for the less intrepid.

Outside the city walls, Dubrovnik oozes a distinctive Mediterranean flavour. Saunter past gardens exploding with vibrant colours as you linger along the beautiful coastal paths. 

Street in the old town

Hugging the coastline are plenty of villas and hotels, some of which only some twenty-odd years ago provided shelter for locals whose homes had been bombed and have themselves now been rebuilt as they, too, were victims of the war. 

Beaches here are pebbly or light shingle. One of the best is Banje Beach. As it is beside the Old Town, you can head here to take time out to relax or go for a dip in the sparkling sea. If you have more time, take a short boat trip to explore the forested island of Lokrum where you can also swim and sunbathe. 

Rixos Libertas Dubrovnik

 

Late summer or spring is a lovely time to visit. There are not too many cruise ships (when they are in town, you can hardly move) but you may find yourself bumping into fans of the TV program Game of Thrones, which was filmed here. Since Hollywood discovered Dubrovnik, so have even more tourists.

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

British Airways flies from London Gatwick to Dubrovnik. For connections from regional airports and to book, visit britishairways.com

Rixos Libertas Dubrovnik. Just a short walk from the Old Town this is a superb place. For more information or to book, visit libertasdubrovnik.rixos.com

First published in All About Hair (All About Hair UK), the travel and lifestyle blog with a luxury twist