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Dubrovnik is a historic city on the Adriatic Sea coast in the extreme south of Croatia, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist resorts, a seaport and the center of the Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its population was 43,770 in 2001 and 49,728 in 1991. In 2001 the absolute majority of its citizens declared themselves as Croats with 88.39% (2001 census). Dubrovnik is nicknamed "Pearl of the Adriatic".
Today Dubrovnik is a tranquil touristic and cultural center hosting many musical, art and theater events year round. The annual Dubrovnik Summer Festival is a cultural event when keys of the city are given to artists who entertain Dubrovnik's population and their guests for entire month with live plays, concerts, and games.
Ivan Gundulić, a 17th century Croatian writer, predicted the downfall of the great Turkish Empire in his great poem Osman. He wrote these immortal verses that are performed on every opening of the world famous Dubrovnik Summer Festival:
O, beautiful liberty, dear and sweet,
Thou heavenly gift where riches all meet,
Actual source of our glory of these hours,
The sole adornment of this of ours,
All silver, all gold, and our lives so dear,
Cannot recompense thy beauty so clear.
With these verses Dubrovnik major invites actors and poems to enter through main gates inside city stone walls. As young actor Goran Visnjic played Hamlet at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. He was noticed and approved by the public at the very start of his career. The Dubrovnik Summer Festival has been awarded its first Gold International Trophy for Quality (2007) by the Editorial Office in collaboration with the Trade Leaders Club.
February 3 is the feast of Sveti Vlaho (Saint Blaise), who is the city's patron saint. Every year the city of Dubrovnik celebrates the holiday with Mass, parades, and festivities that last for several days. [3]
Dubrovnik and his surroundings with beautiful islands have lot to offer in touristic activities for younger generations also. Climbing on steep hills, hiking through the Mediterranean nature, paddling and swimming in clean transparent sea is what is also part of fun in Dubrovnik.
New historical discovers say that the usual misconception of Dubrovnik coming to be as joining of Laus island and Slav settlement of Dubrovnik is disputed by the fact that there was no island of Laus, only a peninsula, and it seems that there was a port on its location dating back to ancient history (thought to be the lost port of Heraclea!)
Get in By plane
Dubrovnik airport is located about 20km to the south of the city. There are flights from Zagreb for approximately 60 EUR round trip including taxes.
Aer Lingus flies from Dubrovnik to Dublin in the summer season.
Hapag Lloyd Express is flying from Stuttgart, Hanover and Munich to Dubrovnik.
SN Brussels Airlines connects Dubrovnik with Brussels twice per week (on Monday and Friday) between April 28 2006 and September 29 2006.
Croatia Airlines for regular flights from Heathrow; British Airway fly from Gatwick at competitive rate. Thompsonfly from Luton and Flybe from Birmingham are good charter options. Easyjet have a route from Stansted to Split, and Ryanair from Stansted to Zadar, from which an 8 hour bus ride will get you to Dubrovnik. Ryanair also go to Bari in Italy from where there is an overnight Jadrolinija ferry to Dubrovnik twice a week.
Flights are also often available to Paris-Charles De Gaulle, Frankfurt, Vienna, Amsterdam and other major European cities.
From the airport, taxis are available but not inexpensive (about 200kn). Bus service to the Old City is available through Atlas, and meet all scheduled flights, but the drop-off location is in the Old City or the bus station in Gruz, and most hotels are not within walking distance from either, especially with luggage. Taxis at the drop-off location, , are usually available, can be difficult at busy times, especially when the cruise boats are docked (almost every day in the summer).
Car rental
A MarkerCar Rental Pile main entrance Old Town Dubrovnik at Pile Bus station, tel: +385 (0) 91 739 75 45, e-mail: info@carhiredubrovnik.com. If you want to be flexible or visit another countries , the best way is to rent a car. In only two days you can see Mostar, Sarajevo and Kotor Bay( Montenegro) -destinations not to be missed.
Travellers report good experience with the local Car hire company A MarkerCar Rental; fair rates, good service and new cars. They also offer various types of buggy(fun cars)and motorbikes: scooter, choper, enduro and highspeed bikes.
Kompas Rent a Car Kardinala Stepinca 52, tel: +385 (0) 20 436 541, Fax: +385 (0) 20 436 571 CALL FREE: 0800 RENT e-mail: reservations@kompasrent.hr.
Kompas Rent with numerous number of locations all over Croatia, 4 of which are located at airports, is the innovator of the rent a car by continuously offering new services. Its fleet consists of more than 1000 vehicles with an average age of just 3 months. Head office is in Dubrovnik. Company was established in 1963
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. Timetable available here [8]. It costs 8kn (just over 1 euro) for tickets bought at any kiosk,or 10kn bought on the bus; ticket valid for 1hr.
See
Churches
- 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
Dubrovnik was heavily bombed by the Montenegrin Navy during the war (1992 to 1995). Almost all of the damage has been covered over but if you look closely around the old town you can still see the damage from mortars in the cobblestone streets and bullet marks in the stone houses.
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. Buses heading between Split and Dubrovnik will often stop for a short while here to collect supplies etc.
Anyone wishing to travel to Montenegro from Dubrovnik has had their trip made a lot easier. Previously, passengers had to take a bus running once a day to the Montenegrin border, and then walk across and board another bus to continue the rest of their journey. From late 2006, a daily bus operates from Dubrovnik through to Herceg Novi and Kotor departing at 1030am, and the bus arrives back around 5-6pm, making it possible to do a day trip from Dubrovnik to see the spectacular scenery in Montenegro and the city of Kotor. There are also additional local buses which operate through to Herceg Novi, but check times.
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 as it is considered by some as 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
Dubrovnik is a very safe city, though the usual precautions should be taken to protect yourself from robbery.
Stay legal:
Previously Croatia had laws forbidding scuba-diving without a pre-paid license. Check if this law is still in effect.
When entering a port, it is international protocol to hoist a flag meaning "Ready for inspection by customs." However, Croatia did not adopt this custom, so it may be advisable to inquire what is the equivalent signal before sailing to a Croatian port.
Be avare of traffic accident in open roads, especially when rain starts to fall.
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