A jewel in the Adriatic: Dubrovnik, Croatia

They will tell you that Dubrovnik is beautiful they will tell you that you must see it and I will tell you the same, it is not to be missed.

Perhaps the most striking feature of Dubrovnik is its old town surrounded by huge walls dating from the 14th century. On the top of the walls there is a path that can be walked and from where you get a wonderful view: the terracotta roofs of the houses contrast with the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea. It is a great place to take pictures of the city from different angles.

We flew in on a Sunday evening. The airport is about half hour drive from the town. You can catch a bus that drops you at the main gate for about 5 pounds , as you travel along the steep winding road the walls are lit up and look heavenly. We all disembark and head towards to walls to the main entrance: Pile Gate. It looks like a medieval castle, cold and uninviting but when we walked through you are hit with the most unexpected scene: a town inside the walls with cobbled streets shining and clean. It does not look real but like a film set. And the buildings are well kept and lived in with boutiques, shops and restaurants.

A jewel in the Adriatic: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Out of season the flights are cheap from London. Summer has faded, but you can still catch some a few nice days as the temperature never drops below about 15 degrees in November. And not many tourists are around. The food is good based mainly in pork, lamb, sausages and sautéed vegetables. One of the best restaurants is one with a very “uncroatian” name Taj Mahal. Great service and friendly owner and not expensive compared to the rest of Dubrovnik.

Off the main square narrow passage ways with cafes, bars, restaurants and family run hotels bustling alley ways seem to head off to the stars on a steep trajectory. As we climb the stairs, we find more quaint scenes: housewives hanging clothes outside their homes while chatting with their neighbours, while local music coming from the houses makes the trip even more enjoyable.

A jewel in the Adriatic: Dubrovnik, Croatia

From Dubrovnik you can visit Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina for the day. We ventured across the border into Bosnia to visit the city of Mostar. I will tell you about that memorable trip at a later date.

WRITTEN BY CRISTIAN ARROYO

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