Lokrum Island

Lokrum lies six hundred metres off Dubrovnik and functions as the city's escape valve. The island is covered in holm oak, pine and introduced subtropical planting begun in Archduke Maximilian's garden of 1859 and set out as a botanical garden in 1959, and at its centre stand the remains of a Benedictine monastery with a cloister still intact. A shallow saltwater inlet called the Dead Sea, connected to the open water through the rock, is warm and easy to swim in. Peacocks introduced long ago wander everywhere and have lost all fear of people. Fort Royal on the high point gives the standard view back to Dubrovnik's walls. Nobody is allowed to stay overnight.

History

Lokrum is first mentioned in 1023, when a Benedictine abbey was founded here; its name is said to come from the Latin acrumen, sour fruit, after the monks' tradition of growing plants, and the last Benedictines left in 1808. Legend says Richard the Lionheart was shipwrecked and washed ashore here in 1192 on his way home from crusade, and the French built Fort Royal on the summit during Napoleon's rule; in 1859 Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg had a mansion and a great garden made on the island and brought peacocks from the Canary Islands, and in 1959 a botanical garden of native and subtropical plants was founded (Wikipedia, Lokrum).

The landscape

• The monastery ruins - a Benedictine complex with a surviving cloister and gardens grown up around it.
• The Dead Sea - a shallow, warm saltwater lake linked to the open sea, the easiest swimming on the island.
• Fort Royal - a nineteenth century fort on the summit with a view back across to the Dubrovnik walls.
• The botanical planting - imported subtropical species from the nineteenth century, now grown wild, with peacocks throughout.

When to go

Boats run roughly April to October and stop entirely in winter. Morning is quieter and cooler; the island fills from late morning as cruise passengers and day visitors arrive. Note the last boat time carefully, since nobody may remain overnight and the crossing genuinely stops. Swimming is best in September when the sea is warmest.

Good to know

On cruise ship days the island is not the quiet retreat it is sold as, and the paths near the monastery become crowded. The rocky swimming areas are sharp and getting in and out is awkward. The peacocks are aggressive around food. Shade is good but facilities are limited and expensive, and the ticket is charged on top of everything else in an already costly city.

Nearby

Dubrovnik's old town and walls are directly across the water, and the cable car up Mount Srd starts above the city.

Key facts