Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, in Croatia, is sometimes referred to as the Pearl of the Adriatic. The most delightful way so come across this medieval city is by cruise ship across the Adriatic. An early morning vista of white walls and terracotta roofs in the morning sun is a sight that will not be forgotten by any lucky enough to witness it. This was the way I first encountered Dubrovnik and I felt very excited about the prospect of seeing this old town. This peaceful looking gem suffered terribly in the 1990s when an attack by the Yugoslav army laid siege to the city for over 6 months. The occupants were trapped within the medieval walls and bombarded by shelling from the ...  Read the complete review

Until recent years Dubrovnik had lived a fairly happy life, initially living under the protection of the Byzantine Empire until it was a sovereign state under the rule of Venice and later Hungary, Dubrovnik and its surroundings then known as the Republic of Ragusa was completely independent for 4 centuries, it was a wealthy state and abolished slavery as early as the 15th century and accepted many Jewish refugees from the Iberian countries, the Republic had good diplomatic relations with pretty much everyone and did well as a sea-faring nation and even set up settlements as far away as India and the USA with their merchant navy, bringing back their findings. It suffered ...  Read the complete review

Having visited most of the major cities of Europe (Rome, Barca etc) over the last decade- I was sceptical about what Dubrovnik could offer me. Within a couple of hours of walking around the old town however- I had come to the conclusion that this is the most beautiful and engaging city in Europe. The historic walled centre is truly breathtaking. You genuinely get the sense of stepping back in time into a medieval maritime city. Although there has clearly been a huge renovation and standards are kept very high- you do feel the history in the walls and buildings and you can imagine this is how it would have looked 400 years ago. All the buildings on the main ...  Read the complete review

Dubrovnik's location and picturesque harbour setting have made it a valuable acquisition for many different European powers over the centuries. It sits on a group of 118 islands which, historically, provided cover for a number of activities. Byzantines, Venetians, Austrians, Italians, French and even Germans have laid claim to the port and the architecture and design of the city shows this. ***Where Is Dubrovnik?*** Dubrovnik is a city on the edge of the Adriatic Sea at the southern most point of Croatia. It is perched on the end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik and has become one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Adriatic. Across ...  Read the complete review

Dubrovnik, a Unesco World Heritage Site, has now fully recovered from the bitter Serbian and Montenegrin siege of 1991-92 and has been restored to its former splendour. This remarkable former city-state has in its historic centre perhaps the most attractive and well preserved Baroque core of any European city, its swathe of churches, palaces and old stone houses neatly contained within the stone walls that have protected it for centuries. The city is sandwiched between a sweep of limestone mountains to the north and the azure waters of the Adriatic to the south. Lord Byron named it ' the pearl in the Adriatic,' and Bernard Shaw said, " Those that seek paradise on ...  Read the complete review