Off to ABTA? Then you’re in for a treat

Where do you find sparkling seas and stonework? TravelMole’s Graham McKenzie whets your appetite for this year’s host, Croatia.

For those of you now planning to attend the Travel Convention (ABTA) in late October make sure you do so carefully or you’ll miss one of the truly historical and iconic cities on the planet. Dubrovnik, from the moment you see it, gives you an overriding sense of entering a world from long long ago. The architecture, the stonework, the overall sense of place, all add to a feeling that is almost overwhelming. I was impressed.

To start with the city is surrounded on three sides by the sparking Adriatic Sea and on the fourth by mountains that tower over  the whole coast line. It is denoted by huge city walls that were constructed, added to, modified and attacked throughout the Middle Ages. For a small fee you can climb the walls and take a panoramic view of the old city within and it’s well worth it. For within lies a multitude of small streets, alleyways, chapels, monasteries and churches.

The main thoroughfare linking the whole city together is the Stradun or Placa which is paved with marble blocks that appear to be so clean and shiny that … well I wouldn’t want to eat off them but you get what I mean. You’d be proud to have a kitchen floor like it. The Stradun is made up of houses that were built after an earthquake in the late 1600s and are of a uniform height and identical façade creating a film set quality. This has not gone unnoticed and some of you may well recognise the city King’s Landing in the HBO American drama series A Game of Thrones.

Up each alleyway and corner you turn, there is something new to observe and a set of steps to climb!! Due to tourism, most of the buildings are now the fairly acceptable face of cafes’, bars, restaurants, self-catering apartments and souvenir shops. Alas along the Stradun apart from the cafes, many of which play very good quality live music, the street is almost identical to any major cruise port in the world. Tee shirts, water, ice cream and coffee are the order of the day.

Unfortunately the cruise situation appears to have got very much out of hand and the local authorities are in danger of choking the city that lays the golden egg. On most of the days I was there at least four large cruise ships were in town depositing at least three times the number of people who actually live in the city (1,000 at the last count). I don’t wish to enter the debate as to the economic benefit versus the damage all the cruise clients bring but at times it verges on the ridiculous. When mass crowds meet narrow ancient alleyways, it ain’t good !

The old port of Dubrovnik is however worth a trip and if luck would have it, and you can squeeze a spare hour out of your busy conference schedules, go down and enjoy the live jazz played at Poklisar café . Alternatively take a pleasure boat out to Lokrum the nearby island or down to the picturesque and quieter port of Cavtat. I could go on and on and on about all sorts of things such as the sea food and the local wine but best you discover it yourself.

The conference hotels are a little out of town but using either cabs ( 10 euros) or the very efficient bus service makes it very accessible. The hotels themselves will have their own attractions with stunning views across the Adriatic BUT do not miss out on the old town of Dubrovnik. The convention programme had better be good or Tanzer will be on his own. If you’re not going to the conference , like me, then plan a trip. It’s only two hours from London.