On a recent trip to Croatia, Dubrovnik was on the ‘to visit’ list.
After asking a few people, who have been to Croatia a number of times, to tell me if it’s worth visiting this famed city, the resounding answer was ‘YES’.
So holiday booked, we are all excited going to Dubrovnik….
Well…
...after a 7-day visit here’s what I’d tell a friend over a cup of coffee, if they asked me whether it’s worth going to Dubrovnik….
Dubrovnik Old Town city wall is worth going round as you will have an opportunity to admire the city and its surroundings from a number of vantage points and have a few beautiful pictures of roof-top views.
Take serious sun protection if you are doing it on a nice day as there’s nowhere to hide when you are up there.
Dubrovnik has been a subject of a number of high profile film and TV productions (for example Game of Thrones) and there are numerous excursions on offer where you can trail the filming locations and have pictures taken in your favourite scene spots.
You’ll be mobbed by agents trying to sell these to you at the old town main entrance, you can’t miss them!
It’s also a great place to do a bit of exercise – walking up and down old town’s steep streets you’ll definitely burn off those pastry and ice-cream calories.
Of course, if you are into history, you can hire a tour guide or read up on the history of the place, and discover all sorts of interesting facts.
BUT...
...what left me a bit disappointed was the fact that, unfortunately, the old town seems to be so polished and tourist-oriented that it’s almost devoid of any character and personal charm.
You won’t see any locals in the old town relaxing or simply going about their lives (apart from those working in shops, cafes and restaurants). The old town is packed with tourists and all that's happening within the city walls seems to be built only around the tourist.
Prices
Prices are sky-high.
Here’s a simple comparison: a cup of espresso everywhere else in the country is between 6 and 12 kuna, but in Dubrovnik, for a smallest espresso cup be prepared to dish out at least 22 kuna.
We ended up going for food and coffee to places outside the old town – they are all cheaper, quality as good as everywhere else and full of locals!
Shops here seem to be more expensive than in any European capital, although there are some really lovely boutiques worth wandering around.
Food
In our experience, overpriced and underdelivered. I’d say it happens to such places almost inevitably when there is an almost continuous flow of captive customers...
This dish looked fabulous, but unfortunately… the potatoes were undercooked, the fish underseasoned..Bottom line – it was definitely not worth the money.
Attitudes towards customers.
In the Old Town restaurants we found the attitude towards the customer seems quite blasé and sometimes even rude – we’ve been told to go to other countries when we tried to ask about the ingredients in a dish since something did not agree with me.
Duration of stay
We booked accommodation for a week, but we felt it was far too long for Dubrovnik.
I would say a couple of days is plenty.
We found some beautiful seaside spots just outside Dubrovnik.
Something like 5-10 minute drive away we found a very pleasant spot where we ended up going almost every day when it was not raining (we were very unlucky with the weather….).
On the hindsight...
... if I were going to spend a holiday in Dubrovnik, I would book my accommodation outside Dubrovnik somewhere in one of numerous small villages/towns around and go on a couple of day trips to the city.
Best time to go – I’d say it’s May or September, to avoid the summer crowds, although when we went in May, the weather was still quite fresh and rainy.
If you are a type of traveller who looks in a place for authenticity, quirkiness and character, I’d say spend your time and money elsewhere in Croatia, there are other charming places which seem to strike a better balance between the ‘tourist destination’ and ‘local life’.
Get some inspiration HERE about Zadar, for example
Travel Croatia, enjoy your life!
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