Dubrovnik, Croatia

This will be one of our ports of call on our 12-day Med Cruise on the NCL Jewel leaving Istanbul on 10/9/06. Can this port be done on our own? How far from the pier to town? Are there any must sees at this destination? I want to buy a straw hat - I understand they are famous for their hats!

Any recommendations? So far there are 4 of us - our roll call isn't bearing any fruit as far as others going with us!

We were in Dubrovnik on our Millennium cruise a couple of years back and are going again next July on the Oceania Nautica...

It's a beautiful little town, a medeival walled city on the Adriatic coast...

There are a couple of places ships either dock or tender in from, so getting there depends on some variables...With the Millennium, there was a free shuttle bus from the ship to the main gate of the old city...

Yes, it can be easily done on one's own (We took a tour last time, probably won't this time)...

Among the things to do is to "walk the walls"...For a small fee, you can climb up onto the walls and walk around the city with tremendous views from the top of the walls...There is an old palace that can be toured, and a monastery as well...but a lot of the charm is the town itself...the narrow streets, shops and cafes...

It is all incredibly compact and easy to find your way around.

Do some research before you go and figure on what you want to see...but, no, guides or tours are not necessary...

The "must see" in Dubrovnik is the wall (or walking it) where the views are great and you'll get a good overview of the old town. it is approx. 1.5 miles long (a complete wall around the old town) and up to ~75 ft. high. We spent approx. 2 hours on it, with stops to admire the views, the bastions and towers, and to look down into the town. Audio guides are available for the walk.

We also went to the Franciscan Monastery (where the pharmacy from the 1300's is....and is still in operation), walked the main street (Stradun) and also some of the narrow streets in the old town and stopped in at a few churches.

An organized tour of the old town is not necessary....it's very easy to do on your own.

We took the shuttle bus from the port which drops you off close to the Pile Gate (entrance to the wall) - the shuttle stop is close to the Tourist Info where we stopped for a map, and and also near an ATM to get Kuna's.

It got very busy by about 10 a.m. on the day that we went (we arrived when the entrance to the wall opened at 8:30, so had a nice quiet hour before it started getting busy. When we left the old town at 11 a.m. it was hard to squeeze past the hordes of people coming in....getting there early (as in most places) was a good thing!

The map was detailed enough that we were able to walk back to the ship from the old town - approx. a 45 min. walk.

Can't thank you enough Susan, for the information on the wall. I have looked in a couple of guidebooks, and on some of the tourism sites and was unable to find an opening time. Our ship sails at noon, so an early visit is a must...and from what I've seen on:

http://web.tzdubrovnik.hr/virtualtours.shtml#

We simply cannot miss this! Glad to read it opens at 8:30.

Thanks again!

Kate...You're welcome; glad I could help out. I was just listening to a Rick Steves Podcast of one of his travel shows and he talked a bit about Dubrovnik - and said it was called "The Pearl of The Adriatic" ... it really is a treasure!

Forgot to mention in my response to 7Seas that I don't remember the straw hats, but there were beautiful embroidered linens and paintings for sale at the waterfront.

This will be one of our ports of call on our 12-day Med Cruise on the NCL Jewel leaving Istanbul on 10/9/06. Can this port be done on our own? How far from the pier to town? Are there any must sees at this destination? I want to buy a straw hat - I understand they are famous for their hats!

 

Any recommendations? So far there are 4 of us - our roll call isn't bearing any fruit as far as others going with us!

We have been there twice. The old walled town is a beautiful jewel.

:) I predict it will be your favorite port. :)

Best is to do it on your own, You can walk through the town with no problem, or as others advised, walk the wall (a couple of hours and you go up the wall near the tower in the lower right of the photo). Both are the best way to experience the quaint streets, no cars inside the walls. Fantastic seafood restaraunts in the narrow streets.

No need to take a tour, share a taxi from the dock, or the ship may have a bus.

Here is a picture I took from the hill above. we took a cable car to the top (1988), but someone else indicated it is no longer there.

We recently called at Dubrovnik on the Grand Princess. We absolutely loved it.

We tendered in right to the city gate, which was very convenient. We walked the walls, and also strolled the little streets in the town. I bought a lovely straw hat, and we also bought 2 beautiful embroidered tablecloths. The ladies were sitting on the harbour actually working the embroidery. The cloths were so inexpensive that we felt guilty for paying such a small price.

Two other points about Dubrovnik. As we decided to buy a bottle of wine in each port to take to the dining room, we were pleasantly surprised by the wonderful riesling we bought in the local grocery store in the middle of the square for like 4€. Also if you plan on eating in town, a popular dish seemed to be mussels! Unfortunately we didnt realize that until we finished our oh so average sandwiches.

Dubrovnik was a very nice surprise

It is delicious and very welcome after a long walk on the lovely historic walls. We have very fond memories.

I will second the recommendation of the Beer and the Pizza a Mea Culpa...excellent!!

Great article from Travel & Leisure - August 2005

http://travelandleisure.com/invoke.cfm?page=1&objectid=DBBA4188-6777-4B94-9F2ECECA50F565EA

We just got back from the Med. Dubrovnik is a beautiful city. It's got the most fabulous limestone walls that glisten in the sun.

We walked the walls and then strolled through the town. Had a coffee at Hemingway's (they call it that because he drank a lot but he was never there:)) Really friendly waiters who loved to chat.

Everyone was so friendly and happy to talk to us. A great change from Italy.

There are two ways onto the wall. One by the Pile gate which is almost always busy and one by the port gate, which is seldom busy.

Dubrovnik was beautiful! We spent most of our time walking along the wall and man, that's a hike! One thing I wish I knew before we when (and thus missed) was the highly prized Pizza. Evidentally the pizza is EXCELLENT. We had special dinner plans so we didn't get to eat but if I go back, i'm having the pizza!

I was just in Dubrovnik on a recent Mediterranean cruise. The city was wonderful and a pleasant surprise and we did it on our own. We were on the Crystal Serenity and Crystal provided complimentary transportation to the town but I'm sure you can get a shuttle or cab to the town and it is not too far. Go to the Walled City. The entrance fee was about $5.00 per person and they accepted Euros so you do not need their currency. Afterwards, we walked around the various shops that were adjacent to this area and they were very nice, clean and diverse and I'm sure you will have no problem finding a hat there.

Keith

I was just wondering what other stops you made?

I was just in Dubrovnik on a recent Mediterranean cruise. The city was wonderful and a pleasant surprise and we did it on our own. We were on the Crystal Serenity and Crystal provided complimentary transportation to the town but I'm sure you can get a shuttle or cab to the town and it is not too far. Go to the Walled City. The entrance fee was about $5.00 per person and they accepted Euros so you do not need their currency. Afterwards, we walked around the various shops that were adjacent to this area and they were very nice, clean and diverse and I'm sure you will have no problem finding a hat there.

 

Keith

Stops were Rome/Chivtavecchia, Italy; Nice/Villfranche, France; Livorno, Italy; Portofino, Italy; Porto Cervo, Italy; Sorrento, Italy; Corfu, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Venice, Italy; Split, Croatia; Barecelona, Spain; Monte Carlo, Monaco; and Athens, Greece.

Keith

Any helpful info. for the destinations of Corfu, Greece and Venice? I will be doing the cruise in Sept. to the Greek islands and can't wait! It certainly looks beautiful.

Stops were Rome/Chivtavecchia, Italy; Nice/Villfranche, France; Livorno, Italy; Portofino, Italy; Porto Cervo, Italy; Sorrento, Italy; Corfu, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Venice, Italy; Split, Croatia; Barecelona, Spain; Monte Carlo, Monaco; and Athens, Greece.

 

Keith

I have to tell you that I did not think much of Corfu. We didn't do a tour there and just walked around on our own. You might want to see what excursions the cruise line offers.

This was our second time to Venice. It is one of the prettiet cities in the world. It is very easy to just do the city on your own. I would look on line at say the Frommers web site and it will talk about places to see while you are there. You can easily walk aound to the major attractions (eg., St. Marks Square).

Keith

Is there anyone here that can give some other details about this port?? First... how long is the shuttle or taxi ride in from the port? And for the ladies... did anyone notice where there are restrooms around the city... several different spots would be helpful. I know that when we cruised Europe last year, Greece was our luckiest place for finding restrooms. Also... was it easy to just use your credit card there? Anyone advise against doing so??

Thanks:)

Your picture was great. I have read that the line at Pile gate is almost always busy and the one by the port gate is seldom busy. Where is the port gate in your picture? You pointed our the Pile gate (lower left corner).

Thanks

JLC, Susan or anyone else ... how wide is it on the top of the wall? I am assuming that there are "guard rails" or short walls? What is the walking surface like ... cobblestones, pavers? Is there any access to the top of the wall other than stairs? I use a mobility scooter and am wondering if I could ride up there? Also, about curbs and general acessibility issues. Do most places, shops, etc have a step or level entrances. I know this is not the states so there are no regulations ... but can anyone let me know what to expect?

For a great picture of the old city and the wall and where things are go to:

http://web.tzdubrovnik.hr/gradmapa.jpg

The pile gate is number 2 and the port gate is number 21.

Pooh

The top of the wall is wide enough for several people walking either way to pass...didn't see any opportunity for accessing the wall without using the stairs. When we were there last month, the Pile wall entrance was not very crowded (we were there early). Celebrity has a free shuttle and the drive is only a few minutes. The port wall entrance is walking distance from a small beach area. It's a beautiful old city, people are friendly and it's clean and charming. Didn't check for restrooms so can't help with that question.

Also noted a small street market about 1/2 way between the walled city and the cruise ship dock. Probably walking distance from the ships. We didn't go back and check. There were some vendor stalls near the ships as well. Since Dubrovnik is a new "in" city to visit, this is a good time to go - before it is overrun with "tourists" (who, me??) :)

Ruth, I doubt there is any way to get your scooter up on to the walls. The stairs are quite a climb and I never saw anything resembling an elevator. Also most of the shops inside the walls have a step up to them. These old cities were not much on disability issues. Almost all the shops we saw were fairly small and very crowded by about 10 or 11 in the morning.

We, too, managed to be on the first bus from the new port to the Pile Gate and got almost all the way around before the "herd" hit. Couldn't believe the crowds of people that thronged the narrow passageways!!!!! Well worth trying to get there early. This is truly one of the most unknown jewels in the Med!!!