Preface | Dubrovnik, the most beautiful city in Europe

Route 1 Why Dubrovnik?
Do you know Dubrovnik?
Origin of the necktie and Dalmatian
Marco Polo's hometown

Route 2 from Seoul to Zagreb
How to make a plan?
Let's invest a week in summer
Let's use Europe's hub airports
How do I decide on accommodation? I exchange money for Euros and Kunas.

Route 3 Zagreb, the gateway to Croatia
Zagreb, the capital of Croatia
Jelacic Square, the heart of Zagreb
The morning energy of Dolac Market
St. Stephen's Cathedral, with two spires over 100 meters high
Miracle Stone Gate
St. Mark's Church, with its colorful, toy-like roof
The sound of cannons from Lotrščak Tower
Renucci's Blue Horseshoe, Southern Piazzas
Touring Plitvice Lakes and Split

Route 4 Dubrovnik, the Pearl of the Adriatic
When taking the Atlas bus, sit on the left side.
Dubrovnik's history began with tragedy
The beginning of Dubrovnik, Pile Gate
Stradun, a street like a mirror
The Mysterious Spring Onofrio
A Franciscan monastery with the oldest pharmacy in Europe
Serbian Orthodox Church without chairs
Luza Square, the heart of Dubrovnik
Church of St. Blaise, honoring Dubrovnik's patron saint
A clock tower that combines analog and digital
Dubrovnik's customs house, Sponza Palace
Dominican monastery that doubles as a museum
Ploce Gate, Dubrovnik's East Gate
Dubrovnik's highlight, the city walls tour
Lokrum Pier, the gateway to the sea
The governor's palace where Mozart's harpsichord is placed
Dubrovnik Cathedral, a link with Richard I the Lionheart
Gunduliceva Square, the heart of Dubrovnik
Jesuit Church, Church of St. Ignatius
A maritime museum containing the history of maritime peoples
Dubrovnik Alley Tour
Another famous attraction in Dubrovnik, the Srđ Cable Car

Route 5 Dubrovnik's Neighbors
Banje Beach, Dubrovnik's Haeundae Beach
Lokrum Island with a nude beach
Elaphiti Islands Tour by Boat
Cavtat, the birthplace of Dubrovnik
Reflections of My Life, Lapad
Bled in Slovenia
Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, still bearing the scars of civil war

A Croatian Taekwondo Girl Met in Seoul on Route 6
Croatian Taekwondo Girl Zelana
Croatia's Current Economic Crisis
EU membership card pulled out as a solution to the crisis
Croatian Embassy in Korea
Don't talk about the Balkan Civil War

If you dream of the best trip of your life… … Dubrovnik!

Interest in Croatia is heating up as [Sister Over Flowers] chose Croatia as a travel destination.
For the older generation in their 40s and above, the name Yugoslavia is more familiar, and soccer fans will think of famous players like Suker and Modric first, but Croatia is still an unknown country to us.
But when the screen fills with an emerald sea and a medieval city with a red-roofed castle floating like a painting appears, cheers erupt spontaneously.
No, there was a place like this? Where was it? Tofu... ... What?

In fact, Croatia is a country that has preserved its natural beauty and medieval city atmosphere, so much so that the entire country can be called a gift from God.
It is the country where the necktie originated, the famous Dalmatian dog was born, and the country that invented the parachute and fountain pen.
This small country with a population of 4.5 million has produced three Nobel Prize winners and is also the producer of Traminac, a luxury wine that was used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Even in Croatia, a popular tourist destination visited by 10 million Europeans every year, Dubrovnik is by far the best city.
Dubrovnik, the number one most desired travel destination among Europeans, the second best city to live in after retirement (according to the American business magazine Kiplinger), the best honeymoon destination, and the hottest travel destination these days, is a city filled with natural beauty everywhere you look and touch, and is a must-see destination before you die.
Immerse yourself in the charm of this city, which European intellectuals defended by forming human shields when it was hit by over 2,000 shells during the Yugoslav Civil War.

A practical travel guide that seems to be explained directly by a local guide.

The author of this book is a veteran journalist with 20 years of experience and frequently travels to Europe on business trips.
Then, we asked locals and guides to name one must-see travel destination in Europe.
The unanimous answer was “Dubrovnik.”
At first, it was a city that was difficult to pronounce, but after hearing countless times from people who had traveled a lot that it was one of the best cities to visit in Europe, I couldn't help but go.

In the end, the author travels to that distant place twice, with a total flight time of 13 hours and 30 minutes.
And, with the reporting skills of a journalist, he carefully examined the matter and made sure to check and record anything that was strange or curious.
As a result, I learned enough about Dubrovnik to act as a guide for those who went there with me.
It was so good that a Croatian girl named Zelana, who saw his travelogue on his blog, contacted him, saying that it was the first time she had seen such a detailed description of Dubrovnik.

This book is written in such a way that it serves as a detailed guide, detailing the itinerary from Seoul to Zagreb and back to Dubrovnik, exploring every nook and cranny.
Therefore, this book is not simply a sentimental travelogue, but rather a very practical roadmap that makes you feel as if you are being explained by a local guide.
Moreover, the article at the end of the book calmly introduces Croatia's civil war and economic and social realities, allowing for a deeper understanding of Croatia.

How to enjoy Dubrovnik to the fullest?

British poet laureate Lord Byron once praised Dubrovnik as “the pearl of the Adriatic,” and British playwright George Bernard Shaw offered the ultimate compliment: “If you want to see heaven on earth, go to Dubrovnik.”
It's not just world-renowned writers who love Dubrovnik.
The late Apple founder Steve Jobs also visited frequently while he was alive, and Bill Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft, also frequently visits.
Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki fell in love with Dubrovnik after visiting it and created Porco Rosso with it as the backdrop.

Boasting exquisite scenery created by nature and man, with the deep blue Adriatic Sea and a red medieval castle in harmony, this place is so beautiful that it will make you exclaim in awe.
It is also a rare resort area where the entire city center is listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
Every year, people flock here, from backpackers with just a bag to the luxury yachts of the super-rich.
The fun of traveling to Dubrovnik is enjoying the scenery for what it is, and getting lost in the excitement of the summer festival with the crowds of people.
So the author recommends investing a week in Dubrovnik during the summer months of July and August, even if it's hot and the accommodation prices are double during peak season.
You can't fully experience the romance and charm of the crimson city of Dubrovnik by just visiting for a day or two, and during the off-season, many cafes and shops close completely due to frequent rain.
Above all, the biggest advantage of the peak summer festival period is that you can enjoy performances held all over the city to your heart's content.

Make sure you know this!

★ Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Split

Since there are no direct flights to Croatia from our country (only temporarily operating in April and May), you must enter through a European hub airport such as Frankfurt, Paris, or Istanbul.
At this time, some people plan their trip through Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, to Plitvice Lakes National Park, Split, and Dubrovnik, or they take a flight directly to Dubrovnik.

Zagreb is a transportation hub in the Balkan Peninsula, connecting East and West.
It is connected to Istanbul and Belgrade to the east, Vienna to the west, and Budapest to the north.
It is a place that many European tourists visit.
But this is not just a passing stopover.
It is a charming city with a lot to see, including the magnificent St. Stephen's Cathedral with its spire that is over 100 meters high, St. Mark's Church with its toy-colored roof, the lively Dolac Market overflowing with fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers, the Museum of Modern Art, a treasure trove of modern Croatian art, buildings from the Habsburg era, and the U-shaped southern square called 'Renucci's Blue Horseshoe'.
It's worth taking a day to leisurely explore the morning market, sample some delicious fruit, and wander through the cafe alley.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is a 2-3 hour bus ride from Zagreb and is considered one of the best national parks in Croatia.
This is the place that inspired the movie [Avatar], and it is a mysterious and beautiful forest that makes you wonder if this is what a fairyland would be like.
Within the vast forest, 16 lakes of various sizes are layered, and water flows between them to create 92 waterfalls of various sizes.
Also, at night, countless fireflies fly in, creating a spectacular sight as if stars are pouring down in the forest.
Of course, to see the dreamy night view, you need to stay overnight at a hotel within the park.

Split is known as the second Rome in Croatia.
This is because there are many Roman ruins left here, as this is where the Roman Emperor Diocletian built a palace and spent his later years after retiring in 305.
It is known as the place outside of Rome where Roman cultural archetypes are best preserved.
If you go down after seeing Plitvice, it takes about 5 hours by bus.
Split's centerpiece is the white walls of the seafront and the long palm-lined Riva Street.
Like Jelacic Square in Zagreb, it is a great place to take a leisurely stroll and relax as there are no cars.
The view from the 60-meter-high Octagona bell tower next to the Cathedral of St. Domnius is spectacular.
Usually, after a half-day tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park, we stay overnight in Split and head to Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik is about a five-hour bus ride from here.

★ The highlight of your trip to Croatia, Dubrovnik

If I had to pick two must-do things in Dubrovnik, they would be the city walls tour and the cable car ride.
The most space devoted to this book is the city wall tour.
This is a tour where you climb up the high stone walls and walk around the castle.
Looking down from above, the densely packed alleyways, the red sea-like roofs, and the blue sea and distant horizon are truly spectacular.
The city walls have five bastions and sixteen towers.
The book details how to find the three gates that allow you to climb the walls, how to buy tickets, tips for the wall tour, how to get to Bu?a Cafe, built into the cliff, and various other sights along the tour.

The cable car ride to the top of Mount Srj might not seem like much, but once you reach the top, you'll immediately understand why.
This is because the castle with its red roofs, the blue sea, and the green island of Lokrum are all within reach, offering a beautiful view that cannot be seen on the castle wall tour.
Especially if you go up around 5 PM, you can enjoy the colorful transformation of Dubrovnik, starting with the castle sparkling under the sunlight, then the castle turning golden as the sunset slowly sets into the sea, and then finally the castle embroidered with sparkling lanterns as the sun sets and darkness falls.

Besides these, there are many other attractions within the castle walls, including the mystical Spring of Onofrio, the Franciscan monastery with Europe's oldest pharmacy, the Church of St. Blaise, honoring Dubrovnik's patron saint, the Sponza Palace, the Governor's Palace, and Dubrovnik Cathedral with Titian's painting of the Assumption of the Virgin.
Also, there is the special pleasure of wandering through the over 40 alleys to the north and south of the mirror-like Stradun Avenue.
Old stone houses stand between narrow alleys, barely wide enough for two people to pass shoulder to shoulder, and you can catch a glimpse of the daily lives of the Dubrovnik people living here.
If you've had your fill of Dubrovnik Castle, we recommend taking a tour of the Elaphite archipelago, which consists of 13 islands including Lokrum, Sipan, Lopud, and Kločep, which has a nudist beach.
A leisurely stroll through Lapad and Babin Kuk, the new towns of Dubrovnik, followed by a romantic dinner while watching the sunset is also a good option.
Additionally, Bled Island in Slovenia and Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina are briefly introduced.