The old port, Dubrovnik

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The opposite side of the Old City Port was protected by the Fortress of Sveti Luka (St. Luke), built in the 14th century by the city engineer Paskoje Milicevic who added a round bastion to it. Prior to the building of the breakwater, the old port was closed at night by a chain and wooden beams which were streched between the Forts of St. John and St Luke.
Construction of Kaša, the breakwater, started in 1484 under the design of P. Milicevic in order to protect the port from southerly winds.

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We arrived to Dubrovnik by boat from the new port to the old one! The journey took approximately 40 minutes and the views were stunning of the old port and the fortifications.

The Old port was constructed during the 14th Century where the northern entrance to the 'Ribarnica' was built. The southern entrance is through Ponta Gate leading right to the Rector's Palace. The 'Ribernca' was where an open-air fishmarket was held in the main square. The Old port where a lot of commerical and activity maritime was carried out until the 1500s. In order to protect the city there has been a lot of modifications to port over the centuries.

Today, you can get catch a boat to one the nearby islands and there are sea regattas that are held certain times of the year. Nearby there is the Maritime Museum and the Ethnographic Musuem which are highly recommended.

St. John's Fortress was meant to be the main defense of the city harbour and one of the most important defense fortifications of the city. The first tower of the fort was built in this place in the first halh of the 14th century.

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Built from the 14th to the 16th century, this fortress that protects the port's entrance, hosts today the Aquarium, the Ethnographic and the Maritime Museums.

We had no time to visit them, which means that... we must return to Dubrovnik!

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The Old Port of Dubrovnik is the launching area for cruises around the islands off Dubrovnik. Everyday, shiploads of tourists from cruise ships disembark at the Old Port to take in the sights of Dubrovnik.

Completing the walk of the east wall we got to this point of our city walls journey and got a full view of the Old Port and St. John's Fort (which houses the Maritime Museum). If you want to visit the nearby islands you can catch a boat down there.

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Charming Dubrovnik is a delight- both the old and modern parts!

Dubrovnik,a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast in the extreme south of Dalmatia, is positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik.

It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the center of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its population was 43,770 in 2001 down from 49,728 in 1991. In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. (source- WIKIPEDIA)

We took a walking and bus tour of both areas and were mesmerised! The natural beauty we saw was inspiring. Plenty of greeneries, the mountains, lakes and ocean are not too far from each other so you get the best of both worlds!

The only downside I can see is that it is getting to be too touristy- prices are getting dearer than Greece even!

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Called Gradska Luka, this is the place to get your tour boats to other islands around Dubrovnik(even though the prices seemed rather high), and well as the cruise ships dock the passengers here from their shuttle tender lorries. The quaint and secure harbor still shows what it could have looked like in past centuries when this was a hub for the trade and distribution of goods on/off ships. There are a number of small boats, and in the morning some locals still go out into the bay to fish.
The port is through the old Arsenal area and behind the Stradun and the bell tower and town hall can be the benchmarks. Toward the end of the harbor is the ethnograph and aquarium and maritime museums that are along the outside wall toward the water end of the harbor.