DESTINATIONS — EUROPE
Dubrovnik is the gateway to a beautiful coast, discovers Joanna Booth
DISCOVER DALMATIA
locked its drawbridge every night, and handed the key to the prince. Maybe that’s why the city’s 1.2-mile long fortified walls were never breached throughout the entire Middle Ages. These days, the gates in the imposing stone
W
fortress – through which I, like most other tourists, entered the city’s historic Old Town – are always open. Fittingly so, as Dubrovnik, and wider Croatia, has been welcoming a bumper crop of visitors. Numbers from the UK are booming, with 2013’s arrivals up 23% year-on- year. A range of new regional flights should bring the record breaking 1990 figure of half a million Brits annually within sight by the end of 2014. And Dubrovnik isn’t just Croatia’s star
attraction and a great city break destination in its own right. It’s also a convenient gateway to the beautiful Dalmatian coast and the Balkan region as a whole.
l WHAT TO SEE Those monumental city walls are Dubrovnik’s signature feature, and a walk around their uninterrupted length for views of the city and the port may be a tourist staple, but it’s utterly unmissable. Rising to heights of 25 metres at some points and punctuated by fortresses and towers, they encircle most of the old centre. Opening hours vary from summer to winter, so advise clients to check these, and cruise schedules, if they find large crowds an issue. In summer, early-ish morning or late afternoon will make for a cooler, more pleasant stroll. For an even more bird’s-eye view, suggest the
gateway city DUBROVNIK
Dubrovnik cable car. Originally built in 1969 but refurbished and reopened in 2010, its jaunty orange cars carry visitors up to the 405-metre- high summit of Mount Srd, where they’ll find a restaurant, shop and viewing area where you can stop and drink in the truly stunning vista – Dubrovnik’s terracotta rooftops, the azure Aegean and the green Croatian countryside. A round-trip ticket costs just over £10. For those with an interest in the unrest in the Balkans, the next door Fort Imperial is now a museum with an exhibition on the Croatian War of Independence.
9 October 2014 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 67
hen Dubrovnik’s Pile Gate was built in the 16th century, the citizens raised and
EUROPE
travelweekly.co.uk/destinations
PICTURE: CROATIA NATIONAL TOURIST BOARD; ISTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92