Dubrovnik, Croatia — Activities
Dubrovnik Culture
The main highlight of the cultural calendar in Dubrovnik is the 45-day Summer Festival, which sweeps through the city from mid July to late August. Most major buildings in the old town, including the Sponza Palace, Svetog Dominika 1 (tel: (020) 321 032) and the Rector’s Palace, Pred Dvorom 3 (tel: (020) 321 437), become festival venues with theater, dance, classical music and visual arts all well represented. The highlight is the traditional performance of Shakespeare at the Lovrijenac Fortress.
Things are quieter for the rest of the year, but there are regular concerts and cultural performances at the Rector’s Palace, the Church of our Saviour, Stradun bb, and the Marin Drič Theater, Pred Dvorom 1 (tel: (020) 321 419; website: www.kazaliste-dubrovnik.hr). The Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra (website: www.dso.hr) has a good reputation and performs regularly at various venues.
Information and tickets, if not available at the venue, can usually be obtained from the tourist office. There is also a cinema within the old city walls just by the Sponza Palace, with Hollywood films usually being subtitled rather than dubbed (no telephone number is available and there is no booking ahead). The Dubrovnik International Film Festival (website: www.dubrovnikfilmfestival.com) brings eclectic world cinema to various venues in May each year.
Dubrovnik Tours
The local tourist office can organize walking tours of the old city which take in all the main sights. Tourist agency Atlas (tel: (020) 442 900; website: www.atlas.hr) has offices in Pile, Grad and Gru and offers one-day tours that include a bus trip to a panoramic viewing point overlooking the old city followed by a guided walking tour. It also organizes evening cruises around the old city accompanied by wine and music. During the main season (June-September), myriad small boats leave from the old port for the islands of Koločep, Lopud and Šipan, as well as the island of Lokrum, which lingers just across the water from the old city. Nova International (website: www.nova-dubrovnik.com) operates fast services to the Elaphite Islands and between the old port, Lapad and Gru.
