Shopping in Dubrovnik
The Old Town is the place to go shopping, unfortunately most of the offers inside Old Town Dubrovnik are geared towards the tourist trade. Small shops can be found around Stradun, but the streets north and south offer more variety, including shops that offer products and crafts that were actually made in Dubrovnik and other parts of Croatia.
In other parts of Dubrovnik shops are scattered around town. Small shopping centers such as Pemo, Tommy, Mercante and Downtown can be found in the business area of Gruž (a 10 minute walk south of the Dubrovnik main bus terminal), as well as in Lapad in the so called "DOC" center. Shops in Dubrovnik are generally open from 8am to 9 pm, including weekends suring tourist season.
Don't miss a chance to buy fresh food or fresh fish from local farmers and fishermen on open-air markets, the largest one being in Gruž.
More information about shopping in Dubrovnik, including the location of shopping centers.
Konavle Costumes and embroidery
The harmony of the habitants and the region has been expressed by the national costumes throughout history. The Konavle traditional costumes, especially the women's costumes, in a special way embody the centuries-old culture of living of the local population because of its beauty, elegance and aesthetics.
To the present day it is perhaps the most beautiful representative of the Croatian folklore treasure.
Dubrovnik is, among other, famous for its embroidery. The most known are from Konavle, the hilly countryside some 30 km Dubrovnik. The Konavle embroidery is the decorative basic element of the women's costumes, which was embroidered onto breast and sleeves. Originally, it was stitched with silk, won from the cocoons of the silk moth, carefully and attentively grown in each Konavle house and dyed with natural colors. The strictly symmetrical and geometrical motives in countless forms were mostly worked out in red, black, and dark-green color with a golden-yellow border.
Sweet delights
At the time when grapes and quinces ripened, the ladies of Dubrovnik prepared sweet delicacies. The various sweets were kept in cupboards and served on Saint Nicolas Day, Saint Lucy's Day, at Christmas and New Year, including the Festival of St Blaise. They included kontonjata (quince cheese) and red and brown mantala (must cheese) served with a glass of rose petal liqueur (rozolin), dried figgs offered with a glass of brandy, and the fragrant and luscious home-made arancini, the candied sour and sweet orange peel. Some shops in Dubrovnik offer those delicious sweets, do not miss the opportunity to try if you happen to stumble upon them.
Another thing you should try is "bruštulane mjendule" (sugared almonds). In the same way as arancini, fried sugared almonds that have the colour of caramel are a favoured treat in the Dubrovnik area.
Old Town Dubrovnik also offers souvenirs made by traditional craftsmen, encouraged and co-financed by the City authorities, such as goldsmiths / filigree makers, shoe-makers, barbers, leather-workers and other traditional craftsmen. The shops located in the historical center, which sell original Croatian products, are specially marked on the city map issued by the Dubrovnik Tourist Board. Also, these shops will display a special sticker indicating to visitors that the shops carry original Croatian and typical Dubrovnik souvenirs.