There are many reasons why you should bring your family on holiday in the Dubrovnik region, but when you pick your destination, check accommodation possibilities, beaches, discounts for children and other favourable conditions. You can go on excursions to Konavle, Mljet NP and our favourite, photo safari in the Neretva valley … Sometimes a nice walk and some ice-cream is just fine, but if you want your children to have fun, take them to one of these attractions.

AQUARIUM AND MARITIME MUSEUM, DUBROVNIK

The Dubrovnik Aquarium is one of children’s favourite spots in the city and your kids have a chance to learn a lot about water-dwelling creatures. More than 30 tanks, some of them in former cannon holes, houses numerous fish: dusky groupers, amberjacks, dentex, gilt-head breams, European seabass, eels and morays with elongated body, fascinating octopuses, crabs and lobsters, tender seahorses, sluggish turtles and other water-dwellers. The Maritime Museum is located in the same building, St John’s Fort near the city harbour. Models of various ships, flags, weapons, cannons and anchor will easily retell the Ragusan history to kids and with the little help of imagination your children could easily start navigating a Ragusan ship!

FORTS AND TOWERS

Children enjoy visiting towers and forts where knights and princesses once lived. Many medieval fortifications are in Dubrovnik and you may also check the walls of Ston or the old town of Korčula. There are forts on the Srđ mountain and Lokrum island while visiting Sokol-Grad in Konavle might be difficult since you have to climb steep slopes.

BOAT TRIP

If you are going on a excursion o plan your vacation on the island of Lokrum, Elaphite Islands, Mljet, Korčula or Lastovo, a ferry ride is a very interesting thing for children. Whistling of boat sirens with a little help from imagination will make your child a ship’s captain or a sea adventurer. Of course, you need the calm sea or you and your children would not like that kind of „adventure“.

BEACH FUN

With all due respect to the tremendous cultural heritage, kids still have more fun playing at the beach than visiting museums. You can’t go wrong either with a hotel or resort since the majority of their tourist offer aims at families. A nice beach with a playground nearby is in Mlini, and splendid sandy beaches are Šunj on Lopud island, Vela Pržina near Lumbarda on Korčula and Trstenica in Orebić. If you are visiting Lokrum island, try not to miss swimming in „the dead sea“, a small lake in the middle of the island.

PHOTOSAFARI IN THE NERETVA VALLEY

Children would love a ride in a Neretvan lađa in the maze of channels in the Neretva Delta. You can go through the same marshes, accompanied by the frog orchestra, where the Neretvan pirates operated; they were most powerful under the duke Domagoj in the 9th c. Take a picture of elegant herons, mysterious dragonflies, great bitterns well hidden in reed beds, cute ducks just before they dive or fascinating white water lilies. You can enjoy local delicacies while riding in a boat. Some restaurants offer photo safaris and we recommend to start your journey in Vid or from the restaurant Villa Neretva, located between Opuzen and Metković. Unlike the renowned swamps such as Everglades in Florida there are no alligators here and you may freely dip your hand in the cool Neretva river.

Dubrovnik City Walls Boat trip

Text is taken from Dubrovnik – The Riviera and islands by J. Žilić, D. Pek and F.Kozina