As if Dubrovnik wasn’t romantic enough, the Pearl of the Adriatic holds a special charm in February when much of Europe is chilly and grey. While the cable car doesn’t start up until March and boats to Lokrum keep to a weekend timetable in winter, there are plenty of options for swooning couples this February 14. Here are four surefire tips for a panoramic stroll, a gourmet meal and drinks with a view!
And if you happen to be in Zagreb, check out our guide to romantic adventures in the capital.
Stroll the City Walls
Scorching hot and crowded in summer, Dubrovnik’s historic City Walls are best visited in winter. The sun still glints off the wide azure Adriatic as you stroll at your own pace, stopping for a stare and a smooch whenever the fancy takes you. The online price of €15 also includes a visit to adjoining Lovrjenac fortress, upon which is carved the maxim, “Not for all the gold is freedom sold”.
Dine à deux
Running from February 13 to 16, Valentine’s Gourmet Days involves 16 participating cafés and restaurants around Dubrovnik, where special romantic menus have been prepared at set prices. Fish, meat and seafood mains are bookended with divine desserts and accompanied by fine wines.
Clink glasses with a view
Entered through a gap in the City Walls, the Buža bar has no walls of its own, nor floor. A scattering of chairs and tables is set on flat areas of the cliff-face and faces nothing but sea, horizon and the green fringes of uninhabited Lokrum island. To celebrate this magnificent vista, a makeshift bar dispenses beer, wine and basic cocktails, and spins tunes at conversational volume. Clink glasses and make a wish. In season, you can even sunbathe and plunge every so often into the Adriatic.
Party the night away
Dubrovnik’s top nightspot, the Culture Club Revelin enjoys a prime location in the harbour-facing fortress of the same name. Revelling for the last 14 years, for this February 14 the Revelin is hosting an Electric Valentines, doors opening at 10.30pm and DJs keeping the beat until the very early hours. Don’t plan on doing much the next day – hey, it’s a Saturday anyway!