Dubrovnik, Croatia is known as the “Pearl of the Adriatic” for its immense magnificence. Town is located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea and additionally it is identified for being among the finest preserved medieval cities on the planet, so you may think about why Dubrovnik is such a well-liked vacation spot. Since Dubrovnik has a lot historical past although, I didn’t count on accessibility to be nice, to be sincere. Nevertheless, I ended up being pleasantly shocked by wheelchair accessible Dubrovnik.
In June 2024, some mates and I made a decision to do a Mediterranean cruise with Virgin Voyages and considered one of our ports of name was Dubrovnik. We had a full day to discover town earlier than we needed to get again on the ship, and we have been decided to see as a lot as attainable. We determined to ebook a wheelchair accessible tour of Dubrovnik with the corporate Disabled Accessible Journey. Disabled Accessible Journey affords excursions throughout Europe and since I had an excellent expertise with them a pair years in the past in Venice, I knew we’d have a superb tour of Dubrovnik with them as effectively.
Our information, Silvija, from Disabled Accessible Journey met us once we obtained off the cruise ship and a wheelchair accessible car was ready for us. The bus had a elevate and tie-down straps to safe my wheelchair, and it was spacious sufficient for all 5 of us (together with two wheelchair customers), plus the tour information and our driver, Mladen.
As soon as we have been loaded into the car, it was time to discover Dubrovnik! Over the course of six hours, we have been in a position to soak up the fantastic thing about town from the highest of a mountain, roll by way of the Previous City, go to a neighboring seaside village, and extra. It was an incredible tour and I’d like to let you know in regards to the wheelchair accessible Dubrovnik sights and experiences that we have been capable of take pleasure in!
Wheelchair Accessible Dubrovnik Sights & Sights to See
Dubrovnik has rather a lot to do and I might’ve cherished to have had extra time on this exceptional metropolis, however with simply at some point, listed below are a number of the greatest wheelchair accessible Dubrovnik sights and issues to do! You can too watch my brief video beneath to see our day in Dubrovnik in motion.
Take within the views from Srd Mountain
For probably the most unbelievable views of Dubrovnik, it’s important to go to the highest of Srd Mountain. You possibly can attain Srd Mountain with a cable automotive, which our information mentioned is wheelchair accessible, however we have been pushed to the highest within the accessible car. The drive to Srd Mountain from the cruise port was brief and this was an ideal first cease for us on our wheelchair accessible Dubrovnik tour.
On the high of the mountain, we exited the car and made our solution to an out of doors statement deck. From there, we may simply take within the panoramic views of town. Instantly, I used to be in awe of the fantastic thing about Dubrovnik.
From the accessible statement deck, we may see the Adriatic Sea, the Previous City, and extra. It actually was a shocking view and made me excited for what the remainder of the day had in retailer. It was additionally good to have the ability to see all of Dubrovnik from above, in order that we may get an concept of the structure of town in the beginning of our tour.
A present store was accessible on the statement deck, so in fact I had to purchase a number of souvenirs. We spent about Half-hour on the high of Srd Mountain earlier than getting again within the car and making our solution to the following cease.
Discover the coastal city of Cavtat
Subsequent, we drove about Half-hour to Cavtat, a ravishing seaside city. It’s smaller and quieter than Dubrovnik, however Cavtat has its personal appeal. You’ll find slim streets, previous church buildings, and nice views of the Adriatic Sea. This was an excellent place for us to chill out and benefit from the Croatian coast for some time.
Exploring Cavtat in my powered wheelchair was a breeze. The seaside promenade was vast and easily paved, making it straightforward to navigate in my wheelchair. I cherished the colourful environment and the views of the Adriatic Sea. Alongside the promenade, there are a selection of retailers and eating places you can discover.
We stopped for some gelato (I can by no means flip down gelato once I’m in Europe!) and located some memento outlets that have been wheelchair accessible, permitting me to select up a number of mementos to recollect my time in Cavtat.
Cavtat was an ideal mix of historical past, pure magnificence, and accessibility, making it a beautiful expertise. If you can be in Dubrovnik, it’s definitely price making the short journey over to Cavtat to do some exploring of your individual!
Wander across the Previous City of Dubrovnik
Now that we had seen Dubrovnik from above and explored the charming neighboring city of Cavtat, it was time for us to go to the most well-liked space of town – the Previous City! Dubrovnik’s Previous City is a UNESCO World Heritage Web site identified for its well-preserved medieval structure and fortified partitions. It dates again to the seventh century and town’s historic heart is a labyrinth of slim streets lined with historic buildings, church buildings, and palaces.
Probably the most iconic characteristic of the Previous City is its fortified partitions, which encircle your entire Previous City. The partitions vary between 5-16 toes thick and in case you’re questioning why the Previous City was enclosed with the partitions, it was to assist defend Dubrovnik from sea-based assaults. Our information, Silvija, did an excellent job of explaining the historical past of the Previous City whereas displaying us a number of the must-see sights.
Whereas within the Previous City, we have been capable of see probably the most notable sights, together with the Church of Saint Blaise, Sponza Palace, and the Jesuit Staircase, which was featured in “Recreation of Thrones”. It’s the place the long-lasting scene often called the “Stroll of disgrace” passed off, so it was cool to see that!
After touring the Previous City for an hour or so with our information, we had some free time to meander round on our personal. It was surprisingly easy for me to roll across the Previous City in my powered wheelchair, however lots of the outlets did have a step to get inside. I did discover a number of good outlets that I may enter although and fortunately, lots of the eating places had out of doors eating choices accessible.
We determined to have lunch at Oliva Pizzeria, which is an Italian restaurant within the Previous City. The within of the restaurant wasn’t wheelchair accessible, however they’d out of doors tables and it was a pleasant day, so we needed to eat exterior anyway. We had a pizza and I opted for the “Oliva pizza”, which had Adriatic shrimps, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, additional virgin olive oil, mozzarella, garlic, and parsley on it. The pizza was scrumptious and I’d positively suggest getting it!
Throughout our free time, we additionally selected to go to the Salvador Dali Exhibition within the Previous City. Dali has been considered one of my favourite artists since I visited his museum in Catalonia, Spain a number of years in the past, so I used to be excited to see some extra of his artwork on this exhibit.
The Salvador Dali Exhibition in Dubrovnik was relatively small, however for those who’re a fan of his artwork, it’s price testing. Wheelchair customers are additionally let in free, which was good. We spent about 25-Half-hour on this Dali exhibit and it was utterly wheelchair accessible with a ramped entrance and an elevator.
The Previous City of Dubrovnik has rather a lot you can see and luxuriate in, and you possibly can most likely spend a full day (and even a number of days) exploring it. However I actually loved the few hours that we spent within the Previous City and it was an ideal ending to an ideal day in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
We solely had somewhat greater than six hours for our wheelchair accessible Dubrovnik tour with Disabled Accessible Journey, however it was sufficient time to make me understand simply how incredible of a metropolis Dubrovnik is. I’d like to return at some point and see extra of town, however irrespective of how a lot time it’s important to discover Dubrovnik, you’re certain to find it irresistible, it doesn’t matter what your skills are.
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