We recently visited the scenic city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, known by many as the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. Although much of the city was devastated from the war that arose from the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, you wouldn’t know it. Dubrovnik has been rebuilt and repaired and is beautiful, with no shortage of photo ops. Its charming Old Town is its main attraction—its traffic-free, relaxed, and welcoming. Here are the highlights from our visit…
View of walled Old Town from Mount Srd
Pile Gate – one of the gates to the Old Town
Landward Side Walls
Seaward Side Walls
View of Minceta Tower
The stone walls, towers and turrets surrounding Dubrovnik’s Old Town are simply impressive. We strolled atop the mile-and-a-quarter (2 km) ramparts snapping photos of the many sea and city views. The current walls were constructed between the 12th and 17th centuries, although fortifications were in place since the city’s founding, as early as the 7th century.
Strolling along the Stradun
The Stradun
The Stradun (officially called the Placa) is Dubrovnik’s main promenade. Lined with cafés, restaurants and plenty of ice cream shops, it’s teeming with tourists and locals alike.
Dubrovnik’s Bell Tower
As a major landmark, the city’s Bell Tower (Gradski Zvonik) stands roughly 100 feet high (31 meters), overlooking the Stradun. Originally constructed in the 15th century, it was rebuilt in the late 1920s because it began to lean.
Onofrio’s Big Fountain (left) and Church of Saint Savior (right)
Built in the 1400s, Onofrio’s Big Fountain (Velika Onofrijea Fontana) was one of the end points of the city’s complex aqueduct system that brought water down from the mountains. To the right of the fountain is the Church of Saint Savior (Crkva Svetog Spasa)—built by locals as a thank you to God for sparing the city from major damage in the 1520 earthquake.
Dubrovnik’s Old Port
Boats moored in the Old Port
During the Middle Ages, the Old Port (Stara Luka) was busy with maritime trade. Today, the beautiful port is mainly used for private use as well as for sight-seeing tours.
Breakwater Porporela -one of two breakwaters surrounding the Old Port
Speaking of sight-seeing tours…
To bring our visit to a close, we took a short boat excursion from the Old Port to Cavtat (pronounced tsav-taht)—a charming resort town with a picturesque harbor, beautiful views and a terrific restaurant (Restaurant Bugenvila -located along its scenic waterfront). Below are few photos from the outing…
Cavtat’s Horseshoe-Shaped Harbor
Cavtat’s Harbor
View of Cavtat
Hvala, Dubrovnik! We had a wonderful time…
k&mk 