It is early in the morning in the Old Town, when the tangle of cobbled paths and ancient stone stairs are quite empty and you can wander around the cream, marbled Stradun (Placa) – The Great Street – free from the crowds.
He would be determined to stop at one of the cafes or browse the markets in Gundulic Square – its stalls full of strawberries, oranges, fresh figs and cherries – but our guide, Ante Daničić, has other ideas and is keen go on To truly understand Dubrovnik, you must first learn about its history. “You have to understand that this has always been a melting point,” says Daničić. “You can see it in the food,” he says: “Turkish baklava, Greek moussaka, Italian pasta. Bari in Puglia is just four hours across the Adriatic by speedboat.”
At the crossroads of the west and the east, a vital connection point between Rome and Constantinople (the capital of the Roman Empire as Istanbul was now), Dubrovnik has always been caught in the middle, neither desirable nor vulnerable. In the 13th century, the city walls were doubled in size and the cliffs strengthened for natural defence, but they were still attacked. “The Romans came first. Then came the Venetians in the 13th, the Ottomans in the 16th and 17th, and the French in the 19th, followed by the Austrians.”
Daničić is passionate about his city, even more so when he recalls Croatia’s war of independence in the early 1990s – he vividly remembers being a young child in Dubrovnik during the war, how he moved to the hotel where we are. waiting for his family to escape the worst chips. That is why, he says, no stay here is complete without a visit to Sponza Palace in Luža Square, where the state archives and also a memorial room with extensive photography of the dead and pictures of Dubrovnik are located. siege
By the time we leave, the main square is packed with tourists and it’s a relief to climb back into Daničić’s electric tuktuk just outside the city walls. The combination of several scenes from Game of thrones With filming here, social media and two ships a day harboring 5,000 visitors, this small town of 42,000 can easily feel overwhelmed. But it is not always like this, says Daničić. “Everyone here works in tourism. Our season opens in April and closes in November and during that time we don’t take any holidays, keep working as hard as we can to store money for the winter when anything happens. ” Winter is probably the best time to visit.
We leave the crowds behind as Daničić swings from the Old Town, up towards Mount Srdj, just behind the city. At the top is one of the most picturesque spots of Dubrovnik: the Panorama Restaurant & Bar. Near the edge of the mountain, the nice terrace offers nice views of the sea and the Old Town, its terracotta roof tiles and bright white buildings that are neatly covered by the gray city walls; from here it looks like an oyster protecting its pearl.
It is one of the great sights to enjoy chilled rosé and plate after plate of fresh seafood: prawns, octopus, sea bass and mussels. Next to the restaurant is the cable car, the fastest and most beautiful way back to town, with more beautiful views of the Adriatic riviera as you slowly descend. From the Old Town it is a short bus ride to the sheltered bay at Babin Kuk on the Lapad peninsula where we are staying at the Valamar Tirena Hotel. A great place for families, there is a large swimming pool surrounded by landscaped gardens with nice Hawaiian parasols to lounge.
There is an ample breakfast buffet and a recently designed children’s club, Maro World, which would give the Science Museum a run for its money. This place takes children’s activities to another level, with room after room of immersive experiences – for example, create your own underwater world, play a real-life version of Minecraft, design your own geometric art or play the giant Lego . And it is under the watchful eye of the attentive staff, and they put all this away to enjoy a spa treatment at Valamar Lacroma, Tirena’s sister hotel next door, more guilt free. There is also trampolining, adventure playgrounds and an indoor cinema.
As well as the nearby Old Town, Copacabana beach, a stretch of crystal water and fine white pebbles, is a walk away, with its cafes and bars. For a real escape, you can go for a day of island hopping to the Elafiti islands, just northwest of Dubrovnik. Lush and green with beautiful beaches, there are six in total, but three are the most to visit – Kolocep, Lopud and Sipan; the first two are car-free and easily reached by public ferry that stops at each. Or you can rent a private boat for a few hours and enjoy diving, swimming and exploring the reefs and caves.
Whether you’re traveling by ferry or private boat, make sure you arrive back in the late afternoon, gliding back through the Adriatic waves to Dubrovnik harbor as the sun sets – it’s the most best of all, by a long time.
Rates at the Valamar Tirena start from £194 night B&B (valamar.com). A three-hour tour of Dubrovnik with Eco Tuk Tours costs £50pp. For more details, go to ecotuktoursdu.hr