Lokrum İsland

Lokrum is the wooded island just a short hop off Dubrovnik's Old Town, and it has been a retreat from the city for about as long as the city has existed. The first written record of the island dates to 1023, when Benedictine monks founded a monastery here — the ruins are still there today, half-swallowed by the surrounding greenery, and it was those same monks who started the island's long tradition of growing exotic plants.

Local legend also ties the island to Richard the Lionheart, said to have been shipwrecked near Dubrovnik in 1192 on his way back from the Third Crusade — some versions of the story place the wreck at Lokrum itself. Grateful to have survived, he supposedly funded part of the reconstruction of Dubrovnik's cathedral as thanks.

The island's main draw today is its Botanical Garden, laid out in the 19th century after Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg bought Lokrum and began importing exotic trees and plants from around the world, along with peacocks brought over from the Canary Islands whose descendants still wander the paths. Beyond the garden, the island has rocky coves and natural saltwater pools for swimming, and walking trails that loop past the monastery ruins.

Getting there is simple: a public ferry runs from Dubrovnik's Old Port roughly every 15 to 30 minutes in high season, and the crossing itself takes about 15 minutes. Overnight stays are not allowed — officially because Lokrum is a protected nature reserve, though locals will also tell you it is because of an old curse the monks are supposed to have placed on the island. Fans of "Game of Thrones" tend to head straight for the old monastery courtyard, where the city placed the Iron Throne prop that HBO donated after filming wrapped; Lokrum stood in for the city of Qarth in the series.

Given how close it sits to the Old Town, Lokrum is worth a visit if you're chartering a gulet from Dubrovnik — it is an easy stop to add without reshaping the rest of the itinerary.