Cavtat, Croatia

N42°35.11 E018°13.25
(May 2010)
You check in at Cavtat between 1 April and 30 October. We’ve read about people being fined for skipping a check in place so it’s advisable, if you’re coming from the south, to check in at Cavtat rather than Dubrovnik, during the season. Anyway, Dubrovnik is supposedly busy and takes ages.

The customs berth is on the portside of the town harbour and its marked with a big yellow sign with a black ‘Q’. Once on the shore, facing the cafes, it’s left for the Port Police (about 100 yards, set back a bit from the road but I don’t remember seeing a sign) and right for the Harbour Master (200 yards, at the end of the row of cafes, there’s a Croatian flag outside). We arrived around 7am and officials started appearing at about 8am. Checking in was easy (the Harbour Master is very friendly) if you discount the parting with 1,740 Kuna (1 Kuna is currently equivalent to about 12p so that’s about £210/€240) for the vignette (fees cover: safety of navigation, light dues, info chart, Govt admin). The vignette lasts a year regardless of the number of times you leave Croatia and re-enter. You have to pay in cash – either Euro or Kuna (there is an ATM in the town - further along from the HM office and bear left). You have to leave the Customs berth immediately after checking in. They charge 50% of the town mooring fees if you anchor in the harbour (didn’t bother to find out how much that was) but it’s free to anchor on the other side of the little peninsula and its easy to get to town from there.

We really liked Cavtat, it’s a charming little holiday town. There’s a small but well stocked mini market opposite the bank, a bakers on the same side as the bank and a fruit and veg stall just before the bakers. The walks around the peninsula and the headland are very pleasant.

You can get a bus from here to Dubrovnik (fare 12HNK/£1.45).