Sometimes, even as well traveled as we are, we still say, “Damn, we should’ve…”
We should’ve spent more time in Dubrovnik. To be fair, we hadn’t planned to spend any time in this medieval walled city by the Aegean. The assumption that we’ll return another day led us to select a week in Split over a week in Dubrovnik. Don’t get us wrong, we enjoyed Split, but after a 1-day schedule gap allowed us to stop over for 1 night, that evening left us wishing we had spent a few more of those Split days in Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik is one of the top tourist destinations in Europe. It’s certainly one of the most photogenic, so therefore one of the most photographed. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, but despite that designation and that it was demilitarized in the 1970’s to reduce its attractiveness as any sort of military target, the city was under siege for seven months during the “stupid wars” (the locals’ name for it, not ours) of the 1990’s. Shelling by the Serbian and Montenegrin forces, the remnants of the Yugoslav military, seriously damaged the city.
But Dubrovnik has bounced back and deserves its “Top 10” ranking on anyone’s list. If you like medieval architecture, if you enjoy wandering through tiny, picture-perfect stone streets and alleys packed with cafes and little shops, then Dubrovnik is for you. It’s wonderfully navigable, split in half as it is by the (roughly) east-west main thoroughfare called Placa Ulica (PLAH-zuh YOO-luh-kuh). You’ll enter the walls of the old city on the west end through the Pile (PEE-lay) gate, and on the opposite end of the Placa Ulica you’ll find the cathedral and harbor. Follow the signs to the city walls, pay a few kunas, and you can walk the entire perimeter of the old city—almost 2km, a bit over a mile—for some of the best photographs you’ll ever take. Don’t miss the Buza Bar, clinging to the side of the cliff just outside the sea-facing walls, for a drink while soaking in the view.
For dinner, look north, into any of the alleys uphill from the Placa Ulica, and climb the steps to the first road running parallel to Placa Ulica. Take your pick of great restaurants; ours was Ragusa. You’ll pay a little more than in Split or Zagreb, but the quality-price ratio is still way better than what you’ll find back home.
And you’ll be in Dubrovnik. Just hopefully a few more days than we were there.
