Dubrovnik, Croatia, is now one of the most overtouristed cities in Europe, with visitors outnumbering permanent residents by a staggering ratio of up to 36 to 1.
Still … it’s fantastic.
I crossed the border to nearby Kotor, Montenegro, hoping it would be Dubrovnik light.
I found Kotor just as majestic. BETTER for hiking:
But the promised ~40% lower cost looks to be fake news in 2026. I found it equally expensive. Death by cruise ship.
The old city of Dubrovnik is better. But the fortified city of Kotor is great too, also a UNESCO‘s World Heritage Site.
In any case, if you travel to one, you should visit the other.
Traffic in Kotor is worse. I wished I’d taken a boat from Dubrovnik instead of a bus.
I wandered the old city streets for hours.
The highlight for me was all the cats.
I caught the awful local bus to Perast, a charming little tourist trap nearby.
It’s the jumping off point for Our Lady of the Rocks.
My main memory of this lovely place is a confrontation with an asshole local motorbike punk. Happily, he didn’t throw me in the ocean. 😀
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Rick McCharles 