Zaton (Dubrovnik)

The two fishing villages of Veliki Zaton and Mali Zaton, together with two smaller villages, constitute the municipality of Zaton. Zaton is situated in a beautiful, natural bay surrounded by hills and only 8 kilometers northwest of Dubrovnik.

The individual districts that are scattered along the bay are partially connected by a promenade that invites you to take long walks. Zaton is also one of the few places on the Dubrovnik Riviera which has no hotel facilities, making it significantly quieter than most other places. In Zaton you can spend your holidays in a comfortable private accommodation, which are often located right on the water. The splendid Mediterranean landscape with cypresses and pines, the smell of aromatic herbs such as rosemary, sage or mint, and the wonderfully clean sea, come together to create the ideal setting for a relaxing vacation on the outskirts of Dubrovnik.

Rich middle-class families living in Dubrovnik during the Ragusa Republic in the 15^th century were already building their holiday or weekend houses in Zaton in the Renaissance style. For the most part, these buildings can still be admired today, despite a majority of them being destroyed by the Yugoslav Army stationed there during the civil war in the 1990s. In the years following the war, some were thoroughly restored or rebuilt. Today, they are the pride of Zaton and many visitors come to this tranquil spot especially for these villas.

Above Zaton there is also a small fresh water spring called Vrelo that was used in earlier times for powering an oil mill, but now is here today as a popular photo opportunity. In Zaton itself there are a few small shops, a tourist information center, a couple of excellent seafood restaurants, bars, cafés, bakeries, a post office and courts for football and basketball. The quiet village has several small, pebbled beaches. The most popular is located at the eastern end of the bay in the village of Stikovica.

Dubrovnik can be reached by car or bus in fifteen minutes. Other destinations include the Marco Polo town of Korcula, the Mljet National Park, the kilometers of fortified walls in Ston on the Peljesac Peninsula, the fertile Neretva Valley, the city of Mostar in Herzegovina and the pilgrimage site of Medjugorje.