The Old City of Dubrovnik, Croatia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
When I told my friend, Chad, I was going on a trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia a few summers ago, he looked me directly in the eye and his voice when uncharacteristically serious, “you’re going to see a sign that says, ‘Cold Drinks With The Most Beautiful View.’ Follow those signs. It’s true.”
The Sign for Cold Drinks With The Most Beautiful View
Besides being a charming walled city and UNESCO World Heritage site, Dubrovnik has a rich maritime history due to it’s position on the Adriatic sea. It’s beyond charming as a city, and now is a frequent port stop on a lot of cruise ship itineraries. It’s classically Mediterranean —natural sponges and laundry driving from window sills, beautiful old churches and winding stairways where the locals would take a break and sit down.
Harbor view from the city walls
Dubrovnik Harbour boats
Rocky Adriatic, a view from a seafood restaurant
When I got to the old city of Dubrovnik and wandered among the city’s fortified walls during a hot July, I did indeed see a sign that said “Cold Drinks With Most Beautiful View.” Per Chad’s instructions, I followed them and went down a rocky seaside staircase and got myself a cold drink.What I saw such a classic, European summer scene: people diving off the rocks into the Adriatic below, pale sun worshippers laying out on towels attempting to get tan, and seaside deck chairs where I sat and watched the “most beautiful view.”
Girls in bikinis on the rocky shores of Dubrovnik
Swim suits, towels, and umbrellas- it’s clearly summer in Croatia.
I think of these images often when I think of summer in Europe. I’ve been asked for tips about things to do in Dubrovnik on several occasions. Each time I say the same thing, “When you see a sign that says, ‘Cold Drinks With Most Beautiful View.’ Follow it. It’s true.”
I stayed at the Hotel Hilton Imperial during my trip to Dubrovnik.
Cold drinks with most beautiful view Croatia
Natural Sea Sponges drying from a balcony in Dubrovnik
Summer in Old Town
Summer morning in Dubrovnik
Left: views of the Rectors Palace and Domincan Monastery in Dubrovnik
Right: Peeking through the walls of the old city, a tourist taking a picture through the city walls
Nun in the garden near the Dominican Monastery
I lit a candle for my late Croatian Granny in one of the beautiful old Catholic churches in Old Town Dubrovnik
On a personal note, my paternal grandmother’s ancestry was Croatian. Granny was a librarian, and very much an armchair traveler who visited the world through the books she read. I’m not sure my Granny understood my passion for travel and asked me often, “Jenny, you go all over the world, when are you going to go to Croatia?” She passed away before I got to make this trip, but I went and lit a candle for her in a beautiful old church. I’m grateful to my grandmother for encouraging me to to visit Croatia, it’s such a gorgeous country.
Locals taking a break, sitting in staircase in Dubrovnik