Dubrovnik and Dalmacija travel guide

Streetsmart
Left Photographic restaurant menus Right Old-town driving
Things to Avoid
Cruise Ship
Crowds
Dubrovnik and Split can
be overrun when a cruise
ship (or two) docks and
its passengers come
ashore, usually in the
afternoon. To avoid
trailing around attractions
after large tour groups, or
struggling to get a seat in
a restaurant, spend your
afternoons relaxing in
your hotel, on the beach
or exploring sights
beyond the city centre.
At night, when the cruise
ships have left, a much
quieter old town awaits.
Tourist
Restaurants
Beware of restaurants
with photographic menus
and staff soliciting your
custom – both warning
signs that local people
don’t eat there. Expecting
your patronage only once,
such establishments will
often serve up bland and
lacklustre food. Dalmatians
rarely eat out, except
when on business and
for special occasions:
local accents are the sign
of a good restaurant.
Adriatic Highway
The main road that
runs along the length
of the Adriatic coast,
the Adriatic Highway
(Jadranska Magistrala),
can be a nightmare to
drive on between June
and September. Coaches,
freight vehicles, slowdriving
tourists and locals
in a hurry, combined with
a single lane road, are a
recipe for traffic jams
and accidents. A new
motorway linking Zadar,
Šibenik and Split to
Zagreb, and the widening
of the Adriatic Highway
itself, are improving the
situation, but it remains a
dangerous and busy road.
Driving in
Old Towns
Large sections of the
region’s old towns are
pedestrianized and if you
try, like some locals, to
drive through them you
may get stuck behind
parked cars, or find
yourself at a dead end
that it is hard to reverse
out of. It is much easier
to use the car parks
located just outside the
old towns and walk in.
Regional Politics
In a region that was
badly hit by war during
the early 1990s, it is not
surprising that many
Dalmatians still feel
passionately about this
subject. Entering into
idle conversation about
people’s experiences of
the war can be seen as
prying. Debating the
rights and wrongs of the
conflict won’t win you
friends either. However,
genuine interest in what
took place here will often
elicit illuminating, even
harrowing, stories.
Language Faux Pas
To the untrained ear
the Croatian language
sounds very similar to
the Slavic tongues of its
neighbours, particularly
Slovenian and Serbian.
Although they may
understand it, Croatians
do not appreciate people
using Slovene or Serb
vocabulary; for instance,
be careful not to confuse
Croatian molim (please)
with Slovenian prosim.
Over-exposure
to the Sun
Cooling sea breezes
and mountain winds can
mask the power of the
sun. Serious sunburn will
need medical treatment
and can ruin your trip, so
take sensible precautions
at all times (see p104).
Where possible, sit in the
shade or under a parasol.
Visiting Museums
on Mondays
Many museums are open
seven days a week. Those
that do close will usually
do so on a Monday.
Schoolchildren
In April schoolchildren
from all over Croatia seem
to converge on the tourist
centres, with Dubrovnik
being the hot favourite.
They are usually well
behaved, but they can
take up all the space in a
museum or church, and
are hard to keep out of
your photographs.
Pickpockets
While crime rates in
Dalmatia are low (see
p104), petty theft is on
the rise. Where possible
keep valuables in inside
or zipped pockets.
108