The small picturesque town of Zaton Bay is located just 10km north-west of Dubrovnik. Zaton stretches around a horse shoe bay and is made up of two areas; Veliki Zaton, which is slightly larger with shops, a supermarket, bakery and charming restaurants and Mali Zaton, the smaller of the two settlements. You can walk along the beautiful promenade combing the two areas, stopping in one of the sea-front restaurants, enjoying a glass of local wine and admiring the views. There are little coves and swimming spots dotted around Zaton, backed by shady pinewood, plus some longer beaches within a long walk or drive. The town has a peaceful and relaxed ambience and it is hard to believe that bustling Dubrovnik is just a short drive by car or taxi.
Noble aristocratic families built their summer residences here in Zaton, including Villa Sophie which was created in the 15th century as a place to stay away from the heat of Dubrovnik and a wonderful retreat to host family and friends. With its waterfront location in Veliki Zaton, at the south-west end of the bay, the villa is now a registered Croatian National Heritage monument.
There is a wealth of pretty villages and settlements to discover heading further west along the coast. You’ll soon reach the ancient olive groves and picturesque beach at Orašac (4km), then head to Trsteno (7km) with its natural beauty and a long tradition of culture with many artists and poets living there. It’s also worth driving up the coast to Slano (22km) with its gentle bay backed by pine trees and olive groves.
In the other direction, Dubrovnik (10km) is known to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage site with good reason. Walk around the city’s medieval walls dating back to the 13th century, discover the Baroque churches and palazzi in the pedestrianised city centre and dine well in one of the many upmarket restaurants specialising in local seafood. The cable car up to the top of Mount Srdj offers stunning views of the city, sea and islands and keen hikers can walk back down! From Dubrovnik port you can also discover one of the other islands in the Adriatic with a wide choice of boat excursions on offer.
Being so close to Dubrovnik means you have so many activities on offer with a wide range of watersports nearby such as jet ski, kayaking and parasailing plus boat rental and fishing.
You can also drive inland for further activities in the beautiful Konavle valley (around 40km) where you can explore an area that has retained its old traditions and customs. It’s an area wonderful for walkers with many trails and horse-riding is possible in the countryside and remote coastal paths of the region.
