Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2006 season and Night Club Orlandinjo in the Dubrovnik Palace in Lapad ( & 020/
430-000 ). Those with tamer tastes can take in a movie at Sloboda, a theater accessed
via the mall entrance to the Arsenal Wine Bar ( & 020/321-425 ). Hours vary.
ESCORTED WALKING TOURS
Mediterranean Experience Ltd., at 6 ira Cari 5 a 3 ( & 020/442-201 ), offers daily
1-hour “Discover Dubrovnik” walks from the Large Onofrio Fountain at 10am and
7pm. The itinerary introduces Dubrovnik's major sights (90kn/$16/£8.20).
DUBROVNIK SUMMER FESTIVAL/LIBERTAS
Almost every Croatian town and village has at least one summer festival, but
Dubrovnik's is the largest, running from the second week of July to the third week of
August. Libertas, as the festival is affectionately named, transforms Sponza Palace,
Dubrovnik Cathedral, Lovrijenac Fortress, and other spots all over the city into ven-
ues for drama, music, folk, dance, and other performing arts daily at 9:30pm.
Dubrovnik is at its most congested during Libertas, so rooms must be booked well in
advance. For more information, go to www.dubrovnik-festival.hr.
4 Excursions from Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik may be Croatia's best-known destination, but the islands off its coast and
the Pelje s ac Peninsula have unique charms.
ELAFITI ISLANDS, CAVTAT & LOKRUM
Vivado Travel Agency ( & 020/486-471; www.dubrovnik-online.com/vivado) and
others operate ticket kiosks at the Old Harbor near the Plo c e Gate. They offer daily
fish picnic excursions (250kn/$44/£23) to the Elafiti Islands ( Kolo c ep, S ipan, and
Lopud ), sleepy family resorts with minuscule sandy beaches. Kolo c ep has Hotel
Kolo c ep, a cheerless 118-unit hotel on the water with rooms that go for 149
($190)
for an air-conditioned double. Lopud's Grand Hotel is an abandoned ruin, but the
island has a bank of restaurants and several historic churches. S ipan is completely
skipable. Consider sampling the Elafitis on a 7-hour boating adventure that includes
an onboard grilled-fish lunch followed by a quick post-meal stroll of each island and
you'll cover everything worth seeing.
Cavtat (pronounced sahv -taht) is (17km/11 miles) southeast of Dubrovnik and
reachable by bus, water taxi, or organized tour. Besides its beach and harbor, Cavtat is
home to several museums, galleries, and churches. Don't miss the Ra c i 5 family mau-
soleum in the town graveyard, which is decorated inside and out with pieces sculpted
by Ivan Me s trovi 5 , who worked in Cavtat in the 1920s. To see the artwork inside the
mausoleum, call & 020/478-646 and a custodian will show up to open the tomb for
5kn ($1/45p) per person. Afterward, stop at Restaurant Leut (Trumbi c ev Put II;
& 020/479-050; open daily 9am-midnight) for a light lunch.
Lokrum is the island closest to the Dubrovnik coast (1km/ 1 2 mile) and water taxis
make the 15-minute crossing every half-hour from the Old Harbor from 9am to 5pm
daily for 35kn ($6/£3.20) round-trip. The last boat back to Dubrovnik leaves Lokrum
at 6pm. A change of pace is the main reason for visiting Lokrum, and you have your
choice of swimming in a small salt lake, sunbathing on a concrete slab “beach,”
exploring church ruins, or wandering in the woods. The island's nature park was con-
ceived by Archduke Maximilian Habsburg, who bought the island before he became
emperor of Mexico in the mid-19th century.
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