The Dead Sea
The round salt lake — the family's ideal swim.
Timur Voronkov — Public domain · Pudelek (Marcin Szala) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pudelek (Marcin Szala) — CC BY-SA 3.0
Lokrum is Dubrovnik's floating garden: the green island ten boat minutes from the Old Port — a complete nature reserve without car, hotel or overnight: pine and cypress woods, botanical gardens planted by Austria's Maximilian (before his fatal Mexican adventure), the peacocks he released still roaming free in their descendants — rabbits hopping fearless among them. Its heart is a medieval Benedictine monastery in its gardens — the Dead Sea a round salt lake fed through the rock: the family's ideal calm swim — the southern rocks the brave's diving boards, and on the crest Napoleonic Fort Royal with the city seen from her own sea. Its famous rite is the monks' curse: expelled from their monastery (1798), they circled the island by night with inverted candles cursing its owners — whose fates followed in drownings and killings (Maximilian himself shot in Mexico) until the island passed ownerless to the public: no one sleeps on it to this day — the last boat leaves before sunset, and the island is surrendered to the peacocks.
The round salt lake — the family's ideal swim.
Medieval, in Maximilian's gardens.
The city from her own sea, on the crest.
Lokrum (boat from the Old Port)
Maritime MuseumIt occupies the upper two floors of **St John's Fortress**, the great tower guar13 minutes walk4.0
Dubrovnik CathedralA domed Baroque cathedral in the heart of the old town, with layers of history b14 minutes walk4.5
The Rector's PalaceThe Rector's Palace is the Ragusan state as a building: seat of the elected Rect14 minutes walk4.4
Church of St BlaiseIt stands at the eastern end of the **Stradun** on the Luža square, facing the S15 minutes walk4.8
The Small Onofrio's FountainA small stone fountain at the eastern end of Dubrovnik's Stradun, from 1438, by 15 minutes walk4.7Half a day is the honest minimum (the full day truer in summer): monastery and gardens an hour, Dead Sea and swimming two, Fort Royal and the woods the rest. Carry water, hat and water shoes for the rocks — and the peacocks are professional sandwich thieves: close your bag literally.