Holiday in Dubrovnik, Croatia

"Nowhere else in the world is a medieval city is so perfectly presented. But Dubrovnik isn’t preserved in aspic. It’s vibrant and vital, with pizzerias in its pretty squares, discos down its cobbled streets and watersports on the deep blue sea. Inimitable …"

Encircled by the sturdiest city walls, Dubrovnik climbs up cobbled streets, twists along narrow alleyways and opens onto hidden squares. It’s a labyrinth with a sightseeing treat round every corner. The view from the ramparts over terracotta-topped buildings is almost too perfect to be real. Church domes and bell towers rise towards the sky. And here and there are splashes of green – where a tall tree is throwing dappled shade onto an ancient piazza. But it’s not all about the city scene. Lapping at the city’s south-western edge, the Adriatic forms a sparkling blue backdrop to a picture unchanged through centuries. So much for the wider picture. Now home-in on the detail. This UNESCO World Heritage Site may look much as it did six hundred years ago, but it survives because it’s anything but old-fashioned. Along with the monasteries and palaces, there are markets and pizzerias. Intimate bars and restaurants inhabit old-world buildings. In July and August, Dubrovnik’s Summer Festival fills the stone-paved streets with the music of outdoor concerts.The town’s marina is attracting a growing number of yachties – and sailing is second-to-none with so many offshore islands to explore. This city is a one-off.

Accomodation in Dubrovnik