Very nice place, a little boat trip from the city harbour (not the main) to an island i forget the name 10 min ride anyway lovely cocktail bar there in the woodland.
Plenty fresh fish restaurants as well.
In general I thought the whole of croatia was pretty beautifull
Went there in 2003. The old city isn't actually very big so 3 days is about right. There are a few beach resorts nearby so you can combine two types of holiday if you run out of things to do in the city - which is very, very nice. I'm afraid I can't remember too many specifics, apart from you can walk all the way around the city walls which is good.
In 2003 the areas surrounding the beachfront were a bit dull thanks to all the battleship grey cement left over from the Communist era. Food was cheaper than here but will probably have risen in price a lot since. If you catch a bus don't expect the locals to observe queuing ettiquette - when I went it was a free-for-all.
was there in 1972 for a month in a time before the Croats/Yugoslavs discovered cars and modern stuff. Lovely little city, lovely people, the Jewel of the Adriatic
Stayed at the YMCA on the hill in late 1991 - left and the very next day it took a fearsome bombing. Even in those days the harbour was delightful - watch your wallet though
Went about 2 years ago. Absolutely lovely place, especially the old city. Probably on the verge of getting consumed by tourism but still definitely worth it.
If you can, try and get to one of the many islands just off the coast. None take that long to get to.
It's beautiful, if you get a chance to get out to one of the islands it is well worth it. I would recommend a walk to the top of the hill behind the city walls, there is a little museum that is not amazing, but the view is fantastic, although it is a bit of a climb. Walk around the city walls is a must really, when I went there was quite a lot of street performances but I am pretty sure i was there in august, so maybe it is a bit more buzzing then. It was a bit more expensive than i imagined it was going to be. Maybe even a day trip to montenegro?
It's where my Mum's from and I go back regularly. Hopefully upon your return, you'll understand why I'm pretty chuffed it's my second home.
In the old town itself, walk the walls (but steer clear of midday if it's baking), check out the various churches/cathedral, take a look around the Rector's Palace. In the harbour (Ploce side - where the boats are moored) have a bite to eat in the restaurant within the arches (at night if you are feeling a bit romantic ).
Outside the old city, you can take a boat ride to Lokrum which is a small island just off of Dubrovnik and where Richard the Lionheart was apparantly shipwrecked on his return from the crusades. He built a small church in the middle of the island. There's a naturist part of the island, so don't be shocked to see a few 'Nigels' dangling.
If you have time, get a boat from Dubrovnik Harbour to Cavtat, which is another resort south of the old city. Nice restaurants there, very casual feel to the place and some nice little historical sites too. Beach is also good there.
Again, if you have time, get a bus or cab to Lapad and ask to be dropped near Lapad beach. A nice cove and a nice restaurant or two overlooking it, which is lovely at night.
Food wise, heavy on the meats and fish. Veal is very popular, as is a BBQd home made sausage, cevapcici and the fish is ordinarily very fresh and good.
Maybe too much there, but if you have any questions, just ask. Have a great time.
Visited the place in June...... only for the day as I was on a cruise , but mightly impressed. Go for a walk on the walled town, all away around the old town, with viewing galleries. We also went to Split which was great as well, beautiful town , and some cracking looking woman. Seeing that we had been to Venice and Ephusus on the same cruise it was not a let down. As the previous poster suggested it is a lovely part of the world, with some friendly people.
Firstly a truely beautiful place, if you get a chance sail into the old harbour, the cafes and resturants are fine and the people truely friendly. A very funny thing happened to us when we where there, it was baking hot and we sat down in in a street cafe, 4 of us around a table with a parasol over, ask this very beautiful young waitress if she could speak English and of course I got a lovely smile and a prefectly spoken English reply, so I ordered 3 iced teas and a bottle of water. I was amazed / staggered when she gave me a dirty look and mumbled very loudly about the f***ing tight fisted English tourist she stormed off and a few moments laters she came storming back still mumbling and throw on the table 3 oysters and a bottle of water, it wouldn't have been so bad if the whole restaurant hadn't burst out in fits of laughter.
Obviously her English was a lot better than my south London accent, eventually we did get ice teas and a very nice meal, once the little communication problem was resolved by someone else placing the order with her.
Three days is about right for a visit I'd say. We got back about 4 weeks ago. The beaches are shite. Not sand, very sharp shingle and you'll pay £10 for a couple of beds and a parasol. Copacabana beach was ram packed and only about 50 yards We enjoyed our holiday but just don't expect beaches. Lokram Island was a massive let down for us. Tried to sunbath on rocks and came back after an hour.
We stayed at Lapad which overlooks where the cruisers dock. We chose a day when there were no boats in dock to do the old town. A tip given to us by hotel staff members. 2 x cruisers = 4-6000 bodies all going to the old town!
Edin Dzeko, Kolorov and Klasnic were there on their hols when we were there and naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Stone, did you go to Lapad Bay's beach - not the cruiser docks side, but the large bay with the 4 hotels around it? That has sand towards the sea and shingle further back towards the resturants and hotels, unless they've shingled the rest since I was last there (bloody hope not!). Cavtat has some sand too, but agreed don't visit if you simply want a sandy beach holiday, as you will be disappointed.
Mentioning footballers reminds me of when I was chatting with Suker, Stimac and Boban post their World Cup exploits very many years ago on the beach over there. I was chatting away with child like excitement until it became apparent that their attraction to 'talk' was merely staring at my wife's bare t*ts. She clocked, turned over, they had enough and walked away - made me chuckle!
One of the islands we visited had an amazing sandy beach. Was a real cove and we had to treck over a large hill to get to it but is was well worth it. Several beachfront bars, crystal clear water and golden sand. Lots of sailing boats moored offshore.
I was initially really disappointed. The old city was smaller than I had expected and we had pretty soon 'done' the sights. We found the cockroaches in restaurants, the usual over priced Eurocrapfood and mangy stray cats a real turn off although we hugely enjoyed the city wall walk. But to make comparisons with other cities is to ignore its recent war torn history. Hiring a car and getting out and about and talking to people was a turning point. Learning about their experiences and gaining some understanding of why they still had tears in their eyes was very humbling. But this type of holiday experience isn't to everyone's taste so you may well find your 3 nights is just about right.
Stone, did you go to Lapad Bay's beach - not the cruiser docks side, but the large bay with the 4 hotels around it? That has sand towards the sea and shingle further back towards the resturants and hotels, unless they've shingled the rest since I was last there (bloody hope not!). Cavtat has some sand too, but agreed don't visit if you simply want a sandy beach holiday, as you will be disappointed.
Mentioning footballers reminds me of when I was chatting with Suker, Stimac and Boban post their World Cup exploits very many years ago on the beach over there. I was chatting away with child like excitement until it became apparent that their attraction to 'talk' was merely staring at my wife's bare t*ts. She clocked, turned over, they had enough and walked away - made me chuckle!
We stayed at Hotel Lapad which is right opposite where the cruisers dock. I think we walked to the beach you mention but it was rammed and looked like Margate in the 70's. they have a new pedestrian area leading down to it with some nice bars and restaurants (with swingy chairs?). I guess that sounds snobby and probably is but after doing The Maldives and Mauritius the previous two years it was a massive shock. We like our space! I don't doubt there is some sand there somewhere but after two attempts (and wasted days tbh) we decided that it was our fault for assuming beach = sand which it doesn't strictly speaking.
Another interesting fact for 'Game of Thrones' fans, is that much of it was filmed at the old town.
Going to revive this thread - My sister and I are thinking of buying our parents a holiday as a gift next year as it is their 70th Birthdays, would Dubrovnik be a good choice for them to visit? Neither me or my sister have ever been
They are both in fairly good health, so the walking around shouldn't be an issue as long as it isn't extremely hilly. Is there much to occupy them in the day? They typically like to explore the local history/town. I saw in the thread a few people got boats to local beaches - or to split. How far away are these/how much to get there?
We were thinking around September next year, would this be a good time of year?
Comments
Very nice place, a little boat trip from the city harbour (not the main) to an island i forget the name 10 min ride anyway lovely cocktail bar there in the woodland.
Plenty fresh fish restaurants as well.
In general I thought the whole of croatia was pretty beautifull
Went there in 2003. The old city isn't actually very big so 3 days is about right. There are a few beach resorts nearby so you can combine two types of holiday if you run out of things to do in the city - which is very, very nice. I'm afraid I can't remember too many specifics, apart from you can walk all the way around the city walls which is good.
In 2003 the areas surrounding the beachfront were a bit dull thanks to all the battleship grey cement left over from the Communist era. Food was cheaper than here but will probably have risen in price a lot since. If you catch a bus don't expect the locals to observe queuing ettiquette - when I went it was a free-for-all.
Even in those days the harbour was delightful - watch your wallet though
In the old town itself, walk the walls (but steer clear of midday if it's baking), check out the various churches/cathedral, take a look around the Rector's Palace. In the harbour (Ploce side - where the boats are moored) have a bite to eat in the restaurant within the arches (at night if you are feeling a bit romantic
Outside the old city, you can take a boat ride to Lokrum which is a small island just off of Dubrovnik and where Richard the Lionheart was apparantly shipwrecked on his return from the crusades. He built a small church in the middle of the island. There's a naturist part of the island, so don't be shocked to see a few 'Nigels' dangling.
If you have time, get a boat from Dubrovnik Harbour to Cavtat, which is another resort south of the old city. Nice restaurants there, very casual feel to the place and some nice little historical sites too. Beach is also good there.
Again, if you have time, get a bus or cab to Lapad and ask to be dropped near Lapad beach. A nice cove and a nice restaurant or two overlooking it, which is lovely at night.
Food wise, heavy on the meats and fish. Veal is very popular, as is a BBQd home made sausage, cevapcici and the fish is ordinarily very fresh and good.
Maybe too much there, but if you have any questions, just ask. Have a great time.
Agree with this - Bled and Ljubljana are lovely.
Did this last year and it was one of the best days I've ever had:
http://www.3glav-adventures.com/bovec.html
Go for a walk on the walled town, all away around the old town, with viewing galleries.
We also went to Split which was great as well, beautiful town , and some cracking looking woman.
Seeing that we had been to Venice and Ephusus on the same cruise it was not a let down.
As the previous poster suggested it is a lovely part of the world, with some friendly people.
A very funny thing happened to us when we where there, it was baking hot and we sat down in in a street cafe, 4 of us around a table with a parasol over, ask this very beautiful young waitress if she could speak English and of course I got a lovely smile and a prefectly spoken English reply, so I ordered 3 iced teas and a bottle of water. I was amazed / staggered when she gave me a dirty look and mumbled very loudly about the f***ing tight fisted English tourist she stormed off and a few moments laters she came storming back still mumbling and throw on the table 3 oysters and a bottle of water, it wouldn't have been so bad if the whole restaurant hadn't burst out in fits of laughter.
Obviously her English was a lot better than my south London accent, eventually we did get ice teas and a very nice meal, once the little communication problem was resolved by someone else placing the order with her.
We enjoyed our holiday but just don't expect beaches. Lokram Island was a massive let down for us. Tried to sunbath on rocks and came back after an hour.
We stayed at Lapad which overlooks where the cruisers dock. We chose a day when there were no boats in dock to do the old town. A tip given to us by hotel staff members. 2 x cruisers = 4-6000 bodies all going to the old town!
Edin Dzeko, Kolorov and Klasnic were there on their hols when we were there and naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Mentioning footballers reminds me of when I was chatting with Suker, Stimac and Boban post their World Cup exploits very many years ago on the beach over there. I was chatting away with child like excitement until it became apparent that their attraction to 'talk' was merely staring at my wife's bare t*ts. She clocked, turned over, they had enough and walked away - made me chuckle!
I don't doubt there is some sand there somewhere but after two attempts (and wasted days tbh) we decided that it was our fault for assuming beach = sand which it doesn't strictly speaking.
Another interesting fact for 'Game of Thrones' fans, is that much of it was filmed at the old town.
They are both in fairly good health, so the walking around shouldn't be an issue as long as it isn't extremely hilly. Is there much to occupy them in the day? They typically like to explore the local history/town. I saw in the thread a few people got boats to local beaches - or to split. How far away are these/how much to get there?
We were thinking around September next year, would this be a good time of year?
Any response would be really appeciated!