travel
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#  Dubrovnik city guide: introduction and basics

##  From arrival to sights, hotels and restaurants, Jane Foster offers a
condensed guide to the medieval city of Dubrovnik.

![Dubrovnik city guide][1]

Dubrovnik has a spectacular location on the Adriatic Photo: GETTY IMAGES

By Jane Foster 11:34AM GMT 27 Mar 2009

[Comments][2]

Sitting proudly on the calm blue waters of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik is one of
the world's most magnificent fortified cities. Today a UNESCO world heritage
site and Croatia's most upmarket destination, it was once the capital of the
wealthy seafaring Republic of Ragusa (1358-1808). During its Golden Age in the
16th century, it had one of the largest merchant naval fleets in the world,
with consulates in over 50 foreign ports.

Although prices here for virtually everything are almost double what they
would be anywhere else in Croatia, that doesn't seem to be putting anybody
off. In 2007, 4.5 million people visited Dubrovnik, and the city is also a
favourite bolt-hole for celebrities such as Sir Roger Moore and John
Malkovich, as well as a popular port of call for cruise ships sailing the East
Mediterranean.

**Getting there **

Fly to Dubrovnik with** British Airways** (0844 493 0 787, [www.ba.com][3]
from Gatwick);** Croatia Airlines** (0870 4100 310,
[www.croatiaairlines.com][4] from Gatwick); **Flybe** (0871 700 2000,
[www.flybe.com][5] from Birmingham and Exeter); **Flyglobespan** (0871 971
1440, [www.flyglobespan.com][6] from Edinburgh) and **Thomsonfly** (0870 1900
737, [www.thomsonfly.com][7] from Manchester and Luton).

**Insider's tips **

**Dubrovnik airport** [(www.airport-dubrovnik.hr)][8] lies 20km southeast of
the city centre. Airport buses are scheduled to coincide with incoming
flights, dropping passengers at Pile Gate just outside the old town and at
Dubrovnik Bus Station next to the ferry port, ticket 35Kn.

## Related Articles

  * [Dubrovnik city guide: top five sights][9]

27 Mar 2009

  * [Dubrovnik city guide: bars, restaurants and shopping][10]

27 Mar 2009

  * [Dubrovnik city guide: top five hotels][11]

27 Mar 2009

**Dubrovnik Tourist Board **[(www.tzdubrovnik.hr)][12] runs two very useful
walk-in tourist information centres in the old town at Široka 1 (00385 20
323587) and Od sv Dominika 7 (00385 20 323887) both open daily 0800-2000.

Try to visit in May-Jun or Sep-Oct to enjoy warm, sunny days with slightly
less crowds. During peak season, Jul-Aug, Dubrovnik is overrun with tourists
and hotel prices rocket. Low season, Nov-Apr, can be pleasant, but the weather
less reliable.

The **Dubrovnik Summer Festival** [(www.dubrovnik-festival.hr)][13] runs from
mid-Jul to mid-Aug, staging concerts, theatre and opera at various open-air
venues in the old town. The 2008 line-up included the Warsaw Symphony
Orchestra, Mexican tenor Ramon Vargas, and Australian-born British classical
guitarist John Williams.

If you're here in summer, take an afternoon off sightseeing to visit the tiny
island of Lokrum, served by taxi-boats (journey time 10 min) from the old
harbour. There's a small botanical garden with peacocks, a tiny saltwater
lake, a nudist-friendly pebble beach, and two bar-restaurants.

Nearby places worth visiting include the Renaissance gardens of Trsteno
arboretum, the vineyards of Pelje?ac peninsular, the seaside resort of Cavtat,
the tiny car-free Elafiti islands (Kolo?ep, Lopud and Šipan), the island of
Mljet (one-third of which is a national park), and neighbouring Montenegro.

  * Jane Foster is the author of the Footprint Croatia Handbook

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