Excursion destinations around Dubrovnik

In the past a cable car still ran from the city up to the summit of Mount Srđ; today only cars travel the narrow serpentine roads and walkers climb the 412 m to admire the view of Dubrovnik and the islands offshore from above. At sunset in particular this view is worth every effort, and many inhabitants use these hours for a romantic picnic.

Why Lokrum was declared a nature park and placed under special protection is easiest to grasp when you set out for the fortress at the island's highest point, 91 m above sea level: past macchia and subtropical flora, the paths lead to a viewpoint that opens up the view of the whole of Dubrovnik and the beauty of the island. So it is no wonder that the Biological Institute, a natural history museum and new visitors every day have settled along the 5 km of coast. The island is most easily reached by one of the ferries from Dubrovnik, but you can also come with your own boat and head for the harbour of Portoč on the east coast.

Lopud is the most significant of the Elaphite Islands to the north-west of Dubrovnik. The remaining eight islands of this chain are largely uninhabited, and Lopud, lying in the middle, is by these standards almost a metropolis with its 220 inhabitants. Apart from the village there are two small hills here, a cliff coast and a freshwater spring that bathes the island in a lush green. But above all it is the beaches and bays that are of interest to day-trippers, and through them Lopud already had the reputation of a recommendable bathing resort in the century before last.