After his first visit, George Bernard Shaw said, “Those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik.”
Dubrovnik has become a popular cruise port on many Mediterranean cruises, and is located in the southern part of Croatia on the Adriatic Sea.
You will probably have about 8 hours to spend in Dubrovnik, a place where you can find ancient stone buildings, narrow cobblestone streets and ramparts rising high above red-tiled rooftops. The streets are pedestrian only - no crazy drivers - which makes it easy to walk around. Easy in the sense you don't worry about traffic - but you will have to be careful of cobblestone streets or "slick" marble streets (if it rains), and good walking shoes are a must. Leave the stilettos at home! This "Adriatic Pearl" (as it is known) is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The port is about 15 minutes from Old Town by car/bus/shuttle. Once in Old Town, you can walk around and explore on your own, which saves money that you might have spent on a tour or excursion. Of course, if you would prefer a guided tour, you can book one with the cruise line or with a local vendor. Many people say Dubrovnik reminds them of Venice - but instead of the canals they have marble streets. We'll see.
Dubrovnik is a walled city, and like Girona and Carcassonne, and you can walk the 1.3-mile wall which is about 80 feet above ground. If you want to see some amazing views, this is where you'll see them! What would one of our trips be without a lot of steps...and you do have to climb a lot of steps to get to the top of that wall. Ah, and they make you pay to climb those steps, too. I guess climbing the steps in Mad Ludwig's castles and the metros in Barcelona were good practice.
Another way to see those amazing views of the city is from the Dubrovnik Cable Car at the top of Mount Srdj. I'm all about the cable cars.
History buff? Then you might want to spend the day visiting Onofrio Fountain, the Franciscan Monastery, and the Rectors' Palace.
A must see is Buza Bar, which is built on the side of a cliff overlooking the water. They have 2 bars in Dubrovnik - one of them doesn't have any rails which means you are up close and personal with the sea.
Croatia is currently NOT using the Euro, so that means another form of currency you'll need. Want to take home a memento from Dubrovnik? Best choices are crocheted doilies which the women in town make by hand. A lot of artists flock to Dubrovnik so you might score a cool painting. Of course, then you have to wonder how you'll get it home.
It's going to be hard making a choice on where we go. You learn about places like Dubrovnik, see pictures of the clear blue water and you think definitely Med. But then you look at the architecture in St. Petersburg, and you're reminded that 30 years ago we probably couldn't have visited Russia as easily as we can today, so why let that opportunity pass us by?
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so check out these YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiEJJxJLr-o, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh4hP5gzUh8, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vP7sXaXIeg.
Ciao!
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