M I NI MA L I S T JO U RNEY S
DUBROVNIK ALTERNATIVES Overcoming mass-tourism
CONTENT Why are these three worthy alternatives? Split – The city chosen by a Roman Emperor Šibenik – The big village with two UNESCO sites Zadar – The once largest fortified city in Dalmatia Statistics Actions you can take Contact Info
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WHY ARE THESE THREE WORTHY ALTERNATIVES? Criteria to consider
Well-preserved and sizeable Old Town (ideally with intact city walls) UNESCO World Heritage site coastal location with a Mediterranean climate local charm with family-owned shops and restaurants easy access by air/sea easy access to offshore islands affordable prices
SPLIT The city chosen by a Roman Emperor Contrary to Dubrovnik, which was founded around 614 AD, Split is over 2,200 years old. About half of Split’s Old Town is made up by Diocletian’s Palace, which was created for the Roman Emperor over 1,700 years ago to live here during his retirement. A UNESCO world heritage site, it’s not just one big building, well it sort of is but isn’t. The rectangular structure is about 215 by 180 meters in size. Yes, you read correctly. The palace stretches over several city blocks in either direction.
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ŠIBENIK The big village with two UNESCO sites Situated 80 kilometres north of Split and slightly larger than Dubrovnik, is the underrated city of Šibenik. We really liked Šibenik – not only because we had absolutely wonderful Airbnb hosts. While a popular summer destination especially for people from the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Šibenik still has a very local feel to it. Or as one of the locals put it: It’s like a big village. A definite tick for our fourth testing point.
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ZADAR The once largest fortified city in Dalmatia Our third alternative to Dubrovnik, the ancient city of Zadar, is situated 75km north of Šibenik. Similar to Split, Zadar’s Old Town is located on a peninsula. Similar to Dubrovnik, it managed to retain (some of) its city walls. Though dating back to the 4th century BC, Zadar is about 1,000 years older than Dubrovnik. Similar to Šibenik, Zadar avoided Ottoman rule thanks to significant fortifications, which made Zadar the largest fortified city in Dalmatia in the middle of the 16th century.
© 2019 Minimalist Journeys Limited
4.2MILLION
80.5%
Number of guest nights in Dubrovnik in 2018
Zadar residents who consider tourism bring benefits to their community in 2017
27:1
860,000
Ratio of visitors to resident in Dubrovnik in 2018
Number of visitors to Split in 2018
ACTIONS TO TAKE What you can do
One - Do Your Own Research
© 2019 Minimalist Journeys Limited
Two - Stay longer at suggested destinations
Three - Only buy local
CONTACT INFO
Author Sandra Rosenau
Email address Sandra@MinimalistJourneys.com
Website MinimalistJourneys.com