Old City, Dubrovnik

Pomorski muzej (the maritime museum) is definitely worth a visit. In addition to showcasing the Ragusan seafaring from 7th to 20th century, the building itself is worth a visit.

The museum is located in the Fortress of Sv. Ivan in the east side of the old town. There is a great view to the sea and the Lazareti.

Entrance is 35 kn, or 50 + plus 3 other museums in Dubrovnik (2007).

After you have arrived through the main gate and pass the main road try and venture through the narrow streets to your left. Up a few stairs one can see another part of Dubrovnik as enchanting as the massive main squares and roads. Small bars and restaurants line the streets sometimes so narrow that two people cannot walk passed each other without giving way.

Marbled streets lined by old houses, massive squares and beautiful churches, this is what one can expect once one is inside the old town. The old town is a car free area hence the only "traffic" one has to fight with are other tourists. One thing that amazed me was how clean the city was!
My favourite past time in the afternoon was just to sit next to one of those squares or roads with a glass of wine to enjoy the atmosphere of this stunning city.

We wandered around in the old city enjoying the brilliant atmosphere and the lovely old buildings. Every alleyway seems to have a great view and the main Stradun is full of ice cream shops , tourist shops and all the usual attractions. We visited the Sponza palace , the clock tower and the city wall walk.We would have seen much more but we wanted to relax and soak up the atmosphere.History buffs will probably want a complete history of the city- sorry no can do! But everything is very picturesque and fascinating. Amazing to see how the Croatians have done such a great job of rebuilding everything since the war.

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We took a ferry trip to an island and as we left the old city harbour I took several photos of the Walled City. From the ocean the old walls look massive and you can appreciate the sense of security the inhabitants must have felt from the 14th century until the events of the 20th century. The second photo shows the Fort of St John which protected the harbour entrance.

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The main street is Stradun ( Placa ) and walking towards the harbour on the left are a number of narrow streets which go up the very steep hill. It is most interesting to walk these streets, to get off the the tourist streets and find little shops and restaurants, houses and apartments where the locals live, to see children in the streets and possible purchase something from one of the shops. We found shirts and souvineers much cheaper than on the main street, we also stopped for coffee and lunch at one of the small restaurants at the top of one of these side streets.
Note in one of the photos the washing line across the street from one of the apartments.

Walking around the old city and its walls you will see many Croatians selling various items made or crafted by themselves. These works are usually very good, have a Croatian theme and are reasonably priced.

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During the 1990's war the Old City of Dubrovnik was bombed and 60% of the city suffered damage. Luckily the damage did not destroy the buildings and was quickly restored after the war with assistance from international groups. Most of the old town roofing was damaged and can be easily seen by the bright new terra cotta tiles. There are some sections undamaged and these photos show how the city was before the war.Walking the city walls enables you to easily ascertain the extent of the damage caused during the war.