One of my “Golden Rules of Travel” is to end a long trip with a definite highlight. Of course, unexpected highlights or disappointments do happen also, but I would advise anybody to end a journey in Angkor, Machu Picchu or even the Serengeti for that matter. It makes you go home fulfilled. Dubrovnik clearly is the equivalent of that in former Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, the average tourist is aware of that status too, so this has become a very busy and expensive site to visit.

The only thing that’s free is entering through the main city gate. A walk on the famous city walls will set you back 90 kuna (12 EUR) – quite steep as you have to walk all 2km yourself. It is a must however: it offers the best views of the town, its churches and fortifications. Back on the ground, you notice that all buildings in town have been turned into either a restaurant or souvenir shops. The overall cityscape with its orange tiles and natural stone is still brilliant though.

Besides just roaming around, there’s not a whole lot to do within the old city. I found the church interiors disappointing, there are many better examples of Catholic churches to be seen in Italy, Spain or Latin America. There are some fine sculptures decorating the facades of buildings, and of course there is the round Onofrio’s fountain and Orlando / the Roland statue.

I also took a ferry to Lokrum, the small island visible from the old harbour of Dubrovnik. This is also a popular thing to do, but fortunately most tourists don’t go very far and just hang around the harbour of Lokrum. I walked to the other side of the island and was alone most of the time. It is quite a demanding hike, you have to cross the hill in the middle of the island. But on the north side, you’re rewarded by some good views on Dubrovnik, its harbour, the Adriatic Sea and ships passing by.