poss

I'm looking at two cruises, one of which stops at Korcula, the other Dubrovnik. Simply wondering whether people who know both towns have a strong preference. Very much appreciate any input on this. thank you!

Padraig

Dubrovnik. It's stunning, especially when the sun shines on the white stone of Stradun, the principal street.

Korcula is also very appealing, but not quite in the same league.

walkinaround

how long is the stop?

i agree with padraig....and i'm not a huge fan of dubrovnik. i'm not exaggerating much when i say that to spend more than one day or maybe two days there would be torture. however, if you have a one day stop in either, i would have to say db. i could easily (as i have) spend 10+ days in korcula. db has no life...it's meant to be seen not experienced. most restaurants are not good and are poor value. it's a museum really. but it is stunning and probably more memorable for a single day visit than korcula would be.

another consideration though...it also depends on the other stops on the cruise. if they all stop in very popular tourist spots (venice, etc), then you might benefit from a more relaxed place like korcula, which has a lot of tourists but nothing like the mad rush stampede that db has.

tcreath

Wow...I had a totally different impression of Dubrovnik than the above. We absolutely loved it. I tend to travel quite faster than most on this board, and get bored rather easily, and found it hard to break away from Dubrovnik after two full days there. Maybe it depends on when you go...we were there in November (off season) and it was nice and quiet and absolutely lovely. And we ate at some pretty good restaurants. To each their own.

Now, I will say that a small cruise showed up for one afternoon on our final day there (at the end of our trip) and it took on a different feel as the town is small so it became quite crowded in places. I haven't been to Korcula but I imagine it would be much the same way. These towns are small so any time a large group shows up its going to get crowded.

Best wishes,
Tracy

travel2live2

Both are amazing but if I were to choose just one it would be Dubrovnik. Make sure to walk the walls!

Keep in mind that it will be likely packed with tourists (that is one drawback) most times of the year. By the sounds of it November is good. Just know what to expect. The crowds can be overwhelming but you can get away from them by taking tiny side streets.

Barb

Well, I have to say everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I have spent quite some time now in Dubrovnik (and other areas of Croatia/Bosnia/Montengro) and I absolutely love Dubrovnik. Yes, it is small, yes, it can be crowded at times (depends on the time of year), but it is an ideal base from which to do day trips, or to just relax and be. It is a magical place for me and I will never tire of it. I did a day trip to Korcula. It is a small, charming, town, but I would be bored to tears with more than a day there. I just went to Korcula Town, so I'm sure there are lots more places to explore on the island that would warrant a longer stay.

So I guess if you are all about rushing about and seeing all the required "sites", then Dubrovnik could be "done" in a day or two. BTW there are some really good resto's off the main street. You just need to explore some of the narrow streets away from the tourist center.

Judi

We spent over a week in Dubrovnik and two nights in Korcula; I would say definitely Dubrovnik. As Padraig says, they are not in the same league.

Different strokes for different folks, walkinaround; I felt just the opposite! We were there in November as well.

I'm sure you will enjoy wherever you go, poss.

mjs

My answer would be the same as walkinaround. Perhaps I would find Dubrovnik more to my liking in the off season.

poss

These replies have been terrifically helpful. I think I get the picture. Thanks so much!

tcreath

mjs, definitely try off0-season. From the sounds of it Dubrovnik takes on a completely different feel in the summer months...something I have no interest in experiencing. In November there were several nights where we were literally the only ones in a restaurant, and we had the Buza Bar completely to ourselves on the evening that we went...very romantic.

We spent 2.5 days in Dubrovnik at the beginning of the trip, and the last half day there at the end of our trip. It was on that last day that the cruise ship arrived and the town took on a different feel. Not terrible, because it was still fairly empty before the ship arrived, but we had to work at getting away from the tours and tourists. Dubrovnik is so small that I couldn't imagine being there with the crowds in peak season....I'll take November any day!

Tracy

Padraig

Dubrovnik -- at least the bit with tourist appeal -- is quite a small city, and the number of visitors that might arrive on a cruise ship would make an appreciable difference to how crowded it seems.

But the walled town of Korcula is tiny, and it would be utterly swamped by the arrival of a cruise ship.

kathrynj

Like others have said, I also loved both places but if i had to choose, no contest, it would be Dubrovink. We went right at the end of August/beginning of September and missed the cruise ship experience in town---very lucky on our part!

The rampart walk was breathtaking. Also, one morning we were up quite early and the town was empty except for the street cleaners. Amazing....

Kathy

yorkshire

For a short visit, Dubrovnik no doubt. Words fail to describe how stunning it is, so I won't bother.
If I was staying a few days, then I would pick Korcula, as I agree with walkinaround about Dubrovnik. Time of year definitely makes a huge difference of course. It is possible to avoid the crowds by exploring the back streets, but the town itself has such a different feel from others in Croatia (unfortunately not in a good way imho).
I assume you will pass by Korcula, and I hope the light is just right for you--it positively glows at certain times of day! I might pick Korcula just to grab some amaretto cookies from Cukarin though!

poss

Thanks, everyone! Cruise is late-Sept/early Oct. (Still trying to figure out air-- which is making me crazy!)

Barb

I have only been to Dubrovnik at the beginning of October and the middle of April, so in the middle of summer I can see where it would be very hot and crowded. Off season it is heaven on earth.

tcreath

Well said Barb!

Tracy

Chickenhawk1010

Having just returned from a cruise that stopped in Db, I would recommend that - and definately walk the wall WITH the hand-held phone. Learned so much about the city from that. Also took the small side streets & landed at at wonderful beach bar - not what you'd typically expect as the 'beach' was really the rocks of the cliff! Loved it...only drawback was the urine smell from the stray cats (they looked like strays anyway.)

croatiantravelady

Dubrovnik, known as "The Pearl of the Adriatic" is perfect during the end of October as the heat and European tourists are gone. However there still can be some mega cruisers in port and you should check with port times to see how many ships will be there on your date.

Stari Grad (old town) has wonderful sights and walking the city walls is a must as the views are spectacular. Mala Braca church with the old pharmacy, Buza (hole in the wall), Lazereti, watching the Lindo dancers and just walking down the Stradun just to name a few.

Please do not take the ship shuttle bus to the Pile gate which is the western entrance to the old town. Get a cab, ask him to drive up the magistral to Vidikovac for the "Wow" factor view and drop you at the Ploce gate, eastern entrance.

Korcula, an island which is lovely and has some wonderful wine. Easy to get around the town center by foot, but lacks the charm of Dubrovnik.

The Peljesac peninsula is just across the chanel and the small town of Orebic, my mother's birthplace. This area is known for the black "Dingac" wine made from the Mali Plavac grapes. Crush season will be over and growers will be deep into making the new vintage of Posip, Dingac and Postup wine.

By all means come to Dubrovnik and discover what George Bernard Shaw said - "If you wish to discover paradise on earth, go to Dubrovnik."

Dobrodosli
An American Living in Dubrovnik

Digbydog

Croatian Travel Lady, Do you know how to check the port times for cruise ships in Dubrovnik? We will be there next June, and I would love to pick days when there are not as many cruise ships in port.

croatiantravelady

Just go to port time and put in your city in the appropriate area. It will then display the current month and you can move to your arrival. This is only partially accurate in that it does not show some of the European cruises, but they are not mega ships so their count will be small.

There was one Sunday in July in which we had 11 mega ships in port. I stayed home, didn't venture out into the old town as there was close to 18,000 tourists wandering the town. It's very interesting to watch some,as they don't know where anything is located. So they walk in packs, trying to read a tour book, only look up to try to read the street names. So often, they do give up and walk over to one of the most expensive cafes on the Stradun and give up.
I wonder why some people walk over dollars to save pennies.

Dobrodosli










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