I was on this tour Sept. 2023 and spent 2 extra days in Dubrovnik. Some of the activities I did during that time were: walked the walls, both Buza bars for a cocktail, War Photo museum (which was excellent), Maritime museum, I took a guided walking tour of the old city (similar but different enough than what Tauck does), went to mass at St.Blaise church, I had gone in to see the church not realizing mass was about to start and they closed the doors so I couldn't leave, the mass was in Spanish but an interesting experience. I had also planned to take the ferry to Lokrum island but ran out of time. You should find plenty to do that interests you with the extra days.
We arrived a day before the start of the tour and were able to spend time in Dubrovnik that day, and the early part of the first day of the tour (before the welcome dinner). Tauck takes you into the walled city of Dubrovnik as part of the tour. So, I would say no more than one day extra.
You can see what we did at https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2019-2Adriatic-01.htm
Spending extra time there is well worth it in my opinion. The old town area with its pedestrian walkways are great for strolling and tasting regional cuisine. Walking the city walls provides breathtaking views of the Adriatic. You can take a cable car—I did not. There are many museums, several of which focus on the history of the area. Inside the Franciscan Church (its proper name fails me) is a small museum with artifacts from one of Europe's oldest pharmacies. I found that to be fascinating. I did this on independent travel, so I do not know if any of the aforementioned mirrors Tauck's excursions. And yes, the bar(s) as mentioned by JDS11, even if it is just for a look inside. Enjoy!
PeterJeffrey - The black risotto is a staple there and delicious, as well as all the dishes featuring octopus. Please post a review afterwards if you can. It's always nice to compare notes.
"Adriatic Treasures" is one of my favorite (out of 18 and counting) Tauck tours. Definitely spend an extra day or two in Dubrovnik. I walked the walls (at that time, in 2022, they didn't take credit cards, only cash), took a food walking tour, and did a half day tour on a boat that stopped at one of the islands for swimming or walking around, and two other places where we could swim off the boat into caves. Someone else booked the food tour, and I booked the boat tour through Viator.
Recently returned from May 2025 edition of this tour. As usual the tour director and the tour guides were all excellent. The hotels were all excellent with regard to facility and location. Croatia and Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina were all beautiful. We had no language problems English was spoken by most people we encountered. We had researched restaurants for our 'on our own' meals as well as took recommendations from the TD. We found the food to be perhaps the blandest cuisine we have experienced in our wide travels. We ate in several Michelin listed facilities and only Zinfandel's one of the Tauck included meals was excellent. The Postojna caves turned out to be fantastic. We had known nothing about it and the experience was unforgettable. The former tourism director for Croatia who spoke to us was excellent and a very impressive person. The others in our tour group were a most enjoyable and friendly crew. They were individually interesting and a high point of the trip. The trip ending in Venice was a good choice. The Metropole was located excellently. It is a unique experience as it is a very old facility which has been upgraded but retains a distinctly antique feel. The only hitches in the trip were weather related and they caused no difficulties for us. From start to finish the tour flowed smoothly and expertly. We learned a lot about the people and the countries and had a very enjoyable time.
I agree MCD. Definitely go a a few days early - we did the same things you did, and also walked a lot in the areas away from the old city. We loved the fresh seafood, too.
Comments
I was on this tour Sept. 2023 and spent 2 extra days in Dubrovnik. Some of the activities I did during that time were: walked the walls, both Buza bars for a cocktail, War Photo museum (which was excellent), Maritime museum, I took a guided walking tour of the old city (similar but different enough than what Tauck does), went to mass at St.Blaise church, I had gone in to see the church not realizing mass was about to start and they closed the doors so I couldn't leave, the mass was in Spanish but an interesting experience. I had also planned to take the ferry to Lokrum island but ran out of time. You should find plenty to do that interests you with the extra days.
We arrived a day before the start of the tour and were able to spend time in Dubrovnik that day, and the early part of the first day of the tour (before the welcome dinner). Tauck takes you into the walled city of Dubrovnik as part of the tour. So, I would say no more than one day extra.
You can see what we did at https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2019-2Adriatic-01.htm
Spending extra time there is well worth it in my opinion. The old town area with its pedestrian walkways are great for strolling and tasting regional cuisine. Walking the city walls provides breathtaking views of the Adriatic. You can take a cable car—I did not. There are many museums, several of which focus on the history of the area. Inside the Franciscan Church (its proper name fails me) is a small museum with artifacts from one of Europe's oldest pharmacies. I found that to be fascinating. I did this on independent travel, so I do not know if any of the aforementioned mirrors Tauck's excursions. And yes, the bar(s) as mentioned by JDS11, even if it is just for a look inside. Enjoy!
Thank you for your suggestions.
Thank you. Very helpful.
PeterJeffrey - The black risotto is a staple there and delicious, as well as all the dishes featuring octopus. Please post a review afterwards if you can. It's always nice to compare notes.
"Adriatic Treasures" is one of my favorite (out of 18 and counting) Tauck tours. Definitely spend an extra day or two in Dubrovnik. I walked the walls (at that time, in 2022, they didn't take credit cards, only cash), took a food walking tour, and did a half day tour on a boat that stopped at one of the islands for swimming or walking around, and two other places where we could swim off the boat into caves. Someone else booked the food tour, and I booked the boat tour through Viator.
0kay
Recently returned from May 2025 edition of this tour. As usual the tour director and the tour guides were all excellent. The hotels were all excellent with regard to facility and location. Croatia and Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina were all beautiful. We had no language problems English was spoken by most people we encountered. We had researched restaurants for our 'on our own' meals as well as took recommendations from the TD. We found the food to be perhaps the blandest cuisine we have experienced in our wide travels. We ate in several Michelin listed facilities and only Zinfandel's one of the Tauck included meals was excellent. The Postojna caves turned out to be fantastic. We had known nothing about it and the experience was unforgettable. The former tourism director for Croatia who spoke to us was excellent and a very impressive person. The others in our tour group were a most enjoyable and friendly crew. They were individually interesting and a high point of the trip. The trip ending in Venice was a good choice. The Metropole was located excellently. It is a unique experience as it is a very old facility which has been upgraded but retains a distinctly antique feel. The only hitches in the trip were weather related and they caused no difficulties for us. From start to finish the tour flowed smoothly and expertly. We learned a lot about the people and the countries and had a very enjoyable time.
I agree MCD. Definitely go a a few days early - we did the same things you did, and also walked a lot in the areas away from the old city. We loved the fresh seafood, too.