Before visiting, I was convinced I would dislike Dubrovnik (Croatia). Not that it wasn’t going to be spectacularly beautiful or impress me with its city walls or ancient architecture. In my mind, it was going to be a wretched combination of too many tourists and a city tailored to meet the needs of all these tourists. A city uncomfortably full of day-trippers from cruise ships.
But I was wrong. And I’m glad I was.
Even after the past decade’s heavy influx of tourism, Dubrovnik has managed to keep its integrity. Sure, a lot of apartments have been turned into “sobe” rooms for rent, but there are still a lot of locals that live in the old city. And I didn’t even see any hotels inside the city walls.
There are certainly loads of tourists, but if you go in the shoulder or off-season, you can experience Dubrovnik with fewer visitors (which still means a lot). But also understand this is a city at a crossroads and was historically busy with people coming and going. Additionally, you can try to time your visit when there are no cruise ships docked in the harbor. That eliminates a lot of foot traffic.
What to do in Dubrovnik
Besides walking through the streets of the old city, trekking atop the city walls are the highlight of experiencing Dubrovnik. This gives you a spectacular vantage point above all the buildings and out to the sea. But this experience comes at a price. Its $30 USD price tag is expensive but in my opinion, still worth it.
For a better value, buy a Dubrovnik card for about $7 USD more which gets you into a bunch of museums. The included grain storage building and the Franciscan monastery are worth checking out. And the St Lawrence Tower comes with admission to the city walls (keep your ticket).
Overall, the narrow streets and main boulevard of Dubrovnik are nice to walk around and have some lovely cafes which allow you to sit out and enjoy the ambiance of this special city. Take in the atmosphere, knowing this is one of Europe’s architectural and historical treasures.
Even though I enjoyed my visit to Dubrovnik, I don’t think I feel the need to ever visit again. One trip to Dubrovnik was good enough for me. Although I would never criticize anyone for going back multiple times. It is certainly an intriguing place.
I had visited Zagreb, Croatia as well as Ljubljana, Slovenia on this and previous trips but this was my first time to Dubrovnik.
Yeap, Dubrovnik is special. I first went there hitch-hiking with some of my high-school friends in the summer of 1984. From Novo mesto, Slovenia, we took a bus to Makarska, Croatia, for a vacation to close our high-school years, and some of us wanted to explore Dalmatia even more. In mid 1980s, even summer time wasn’t that bad by tourism.
Yes, I went there again later. And I want to visit Dubrovnik yet again, at least once more.
However, nowadays, it’s better to go Dalmatia during spring or fall, but not during summer when it gets too crowded by tourists.