After the Boka Marathon: Dubrovnik

The Route: Kotor → Dubrovnik (2 nights) → Dubrovnik Airport Logistics: 80 km along the coast, around 1.5 hours of driving plus whatever the Montenegro and Croatia border crossing takes. Buses run the route daily. Passenger ferries along this coast are seasonal and do not reliably operate in December. Marathon Month: December Duration: 2 nights

Kotor ──(≈1.5 hrs + border, 80 km)──> Dubrovnik
                                          │
                                   Dubrovnik Airport (≈25 min)

Kotor and Dubrovnik are the two fortified towns on this stretch of the Adriatic and they invite comparison, which Kotor generally wins on intimacy and loses on scale. Dubrovnik's walled city is larger, the buildings are grander, and in July it carries a volume of visitors that makes the main street difficult to walk. December removes that completely. The cruise ships have gone, the walls are empty, and the light is low and clear.

Take a passport and allow for the border. The crossing at Debeli Brijeg can be quick or can take an hour with no obvious pattern. If you are driving a hire car, confirm with the rental company that it is permitted to cross into Croatia and that the green card insurance documentation is in the vehicle.

The walls

The circuit runs around 2 km on top of the city walls and is the thing to do first. It is one-way, it involves a lot of steps up and down between the towers and bastions, and it takes around an hour and a half at a slow pace. Entry is expensive by local standards and is the single ticket worth paying for here. In winter the opening hours are shorter, so go in the morning.

Fort Lovrijenac stands on its own rock outside the western wall, 37 m above the sea, and the wall ticket usually covers it. The climb up to it is steep and short.

The old city

Inside the walls, the Stradun runs the length of the town in polished limestone, and the buildings either side of it are uniform because they were rebuilt together after the 1667 earthquake. The Rector's Palace at the eastern end held the elected head of the Ragusan republic, who served for one month at a time and was not permitted to leave the building during it. The Franciscan monastery on the Stradun has a pharmacy that has operated since 1317.

Several museums and churches run reduced winter hours and some close entirely, so check before building a day around one.

Mount Srđ

The cable car runs from just outside the northern wall up to the ridge at 405 m, where there is a viewing terrace, a restaurant and the Homeland War museum in the old Napoleonic fort. The view takes in the whole walled city from directly above, with the island of Lokrum offshore. The cable car has been known to stop for high wind, in which case the alternative is a road up or a steep path, neither of which is a reasonable option on marathon legs.

Where to Stay and Eat

Where to stay: In December the old town is affordable, which it is not for the rest of the year. A room inside the walls puts everything within five minutes. Ploče and Pile, immediately outside the two gates, are quieter and cheaper again.

Where to eat: Seafood and Dalmatian cooking, with black risotto and grilled fish on most menus. Prices inside the walls are higher than anywhere in Montenegro; walk out to the Lapad side for local pricing. Winter opening is patchy, so check.

Getting Home