Cavtat

Cavtat, about 20 kilometres south of Dubrovnik, is one of the oldest settlements on this stretch of coast — older, in fact, than Dubrovnik itself.

Greek settlers from Corinth founded it in the 6th century BC as Epidaurus, trading with the Illyrian communities already established in the area. The Romans took it over in 228 BC, renamed it Epidaurum, and built it into a full colonia with its own administration and port. That lasted until the 7th century, when Avar and Slavic invasions destroyed the town; survivors fled to the nearby island of Laus, and that refugee settlement eventually grew into Dubrovnik. The current name, Cavtat, comes from the Latin "Civitas Vetus" — "old city."

These days it's known for something calmer: in 2023, European Best Destinations named it Europe's top honeymoon destination, and the harbourfront — lined with restaurants, cafes and increasingly by visiting yachts — backs that up.

The standout sight is the Račić Mausoleum, built between 1920 and 1922 by sculptor Ivan Meštrović for a local ship-owning family, on the highest point of the town cemetery. It's an octagonal domed structure in stone and marble with bronze doors, and it won Meštrović the Grand Prix at the 1925 Paris exhibition of decorative arts. Cavtat is also the birthplace of painter Vlaho Bukovac, whose childhood home is now a museum in the old town.

Cavtat sits just minutes from Dubrovnik Airport, and ferries connect it to Dubrovnik and nearby Mlini — but on the water, many gulet cruises from Dubrovnik call in here anyway, dropping anchor off the old town for an afternoon before heading back up the coast.