Cavtat: The Pearl of Southern Dalmatia
Cavtat (Italian: Ragusa Vecchia) is a small coastal village at the southernmost tip of Croatia, located 15 kilometres south of Dubrovnik in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. With a population of approximately 2,200 inhabitants, the town sits on a sheltered peninsula surrounded by pebble coves and pine-covered hills. In 2023 it was named the most popular honeymoon destination in Europe.
History Cavtat is one of Croatia's oldest settlements. Greek colonists from Corinth founded it in the 6th century BC under the name Epidaurus. In 228 BC it became a Roman colony named Epidaurum, thriving as an important port between the Adriatic and the Illyrian interior. In the 7th century AD, Avars and Slavs sacked the city; survivors fled to the nearby island of Laus, which would eventually become Dubrovnik. The present name derives from the Latin Civitas Vetus ("old city"), contracted over time into the Croatian Cavtat.
Heritage Cavtat's most celebrated monument is the Račić Family Mausoleum (1921–22), an imposing white stone octagonal structure on the hillside cemetery, designed by Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović and considered one of his masterpieces. The Monastery of Our Lady of the Snows (15th–16th centuries) houses paintings by Ragusan artists and by Vlaho Bukovac, Cavtat's most famous son, whose realistic portraits earned him international fame. The picturesque waterfront promenade, lined with palm trees and seafront restaurants, is the town's most-visited thoroughfare.
Points of interest: - Population: approximately 2,200 inhabitants. - Distances: 15 km from Dubrovnik, 22 km from Dubrovnik International Airport, and 22 km from the border with Montenegro. - Getting there: Bus number 10 from Dubrovnik (approximately hourly); boat from Dubrovnik harbour (service from April to November).