Dubrovnik Tourist Traps

Cavtat is cute little town situated approx. 20km south of Dubrovnik. Comparing with overcrowded Dubrovnik, It is a kind of relaxing and easy going place. There are number of good hotel resorts and in particularly private accomodations which are highly recommended. Besides the cafe bars, in the shadow of greenery, you can enjoy in a very good seafood which is offered in the local restaurants.

CAVTAT near Dubrovnik

To those who are traveling with their children I suggest to search for accomodation in the town of Cavtat, just about 20 km.'s south of Dubrovnik. It is msall but very cute town where traffic is limitated. Also, you can get it by local boat line which starts at the old port of Dubrovnik.

Unique Suggestions: This tip was made in 2002, under the old version of VT.

All bills should be paid in Croatian kunas. Most credit cards, such as American Express, Diners Club, EC/MC, and Visa are widely accepted. Foreign currencies may be exchanged in banks, post offices, hotels and licensed exchange bureaus. Automated teller machine dispense Croatian kunas.

In the summer the sun is quite intense and there is almost next to no shade. Purchasing a small (500 mL) bottle of water and a can of Coke from a snack bar cost us 7 euro.

Unique Suggestions: Bring lots of water and wear a hat!

Not so much a trap but advice. The stradun is absolutely packed in August and tables are not easy to come by on the main route. Take one of the small side passages and find something a lot quieter. There are plenty of places to choose from.

I wanted to spend some time on Sunj beach on Lopud, so we shelled out the 22 kn for the excursion. I don't mind the price for this, but the islands were disappointing. A bit plastick-y feeling at the harbours (which is pretty much all you have time to see of Kolocep and Sipan) and not much to do. As for Lopud, you get there at the hottest time of day and it's a long-ish uphill walk across the island to Sunj with very little shade. Sunj itself was indeed sandy with warm and shallow water, but very busy and again, a bit artificial feeling. Very disappointing.

Unique Suggestions: Make sure to pay the extra money for lunch on board the boat, which was delicious grilled sardines and very fresh salad.

Fun Alternatives: Go to Lokrum - the beaches aren't sandy but there are plenty of places for swimming and it's easy to find plenty of places where there is no one else around. The inland bit of the island is incredibly beautiful and as most people seem to go for the beaches, it never feels crowded and you can walk for ages without seeing anyone. Also it only costs 35 kn from the old harbour and boats run every half hour until 20:00.

I'd read several recommendations for this restaurant so I was anticipating a great meal and nice ambience. What a disppointment! It was pricey in comparison with lots of the other places we ate and the food was mediocre at best. Worst of all - I had the fried fish fillets and was told they came with a garnish of chips. I ordered some vegetables as well, which turned out to be a small pile of Swiss chard with a couple chunks of potato - no sign of chips until I ate one fillet of fish and underneath I found two (count 'em) chips!

Unique Suggestions: Just have the salad bar.

Fun Alternatives: Moby Dick konoba on Prijeko did the best squid I tasted while in Dubrovnik.

I love churches and religious art and was really looking forward to seeing all the reliquaries. It doesn't cost much to see the treasury - I think it was 7 kn as of July 2004 - but for that, you only get to peek into a glassed in room. It is full of the most amazing gilded kitsch, but everything is piled in and virtually nothing is labelled in English, so you end up having no idea what you are looking at. I was quite disappointed.

Unique Suggestions: Just take in the huge amounts of gold and OTT-ness of it all. Ask the ticket peron to point out Jesus' nappy.

Fun Alternatives: The best religious building we visited was the Dominican Monastery (up the staircase near the Ploce gate) which was 10 kn and had loads to look at, all well labelled, and a beautiful church and cloister as well.