Dubrovnik really does look like the photos: a walled city of pale stone and orange roofs sitting in a very blue sea. It is also expensive and, in summer, crowded, especially when cruise ships are in port. Keep in mind that if you come early in the morning or in the evening, when the day visitors leave, the old town is magical and it is easy to see why people call it the Pearl of the Adriatic.
History & How Long to Stay
Dubrovnik was founded in the 7th century by refugees from the Roman city of Epidaurum (today's Cavtat). As Ragusa, it became a rich independent merchant republic, free from Venice from 1358, that survived by trade and diplomacy rather than war. It abolished the slave trade in 1416, had one of Europe's first quarantine systems and a pharmacy that has worked since 1317. A huge earthquake in 1667 destroyed most of the city, which was rebuilt in the baroque style you see today. Napoleon ended the republic in 1808. In 1991 and 1992, during the Croatian War of Independence, the city was besieged and shelled; it has since been fully restored. It became a UNESCO site in 1979, and later the filming location for King's Landing in Game of Thrones.
How long to stay: 2 to 3 days. Add a day for Lokrum or the Elaphiti islands, and one for Kotor or Ston.
