As an expat be prepared to hear “this is normal in Georgia” every time something goes wrong. No one is in a hurry to fix anything - from broken lift in the building (I even got stuck once on a Sunday night and was told “maybe someone will come tomorrow to free you”! - had to break out myself) to your wifi (stopped working for almost 2 weeks, not until we threatened to change companies that they decided to send a technician). We didn’t find it very friendly. People don’t smile, staff in stores are surly and unhelpful. The taxi drivers are the worst in the world (including Uber). Utter maniacs. The cost of living has risen steeply because of inflation. People also constantly thought we were Russian and we got yelled at several times by locals who don’t want Russians around (for obvious reasons). Overall, it’s not the most pleasant place to be an expat. However, the food is delicious (if heavy), the scenery is gorgeous. The mobile data is cheap, but groceries ans eating out is more expensive than we expected. I’d recommend it for a month or two, but no more.
Pros and Cons of Living in Dubrovnik, Croatia
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Pros of Living in Dubrovnik
Very safe Fast internet Warm now Good air quality on average Nomad List members liked going here a lot Many Nomad List members have been Spacious and not crowded Easy to do business High quality of education Roads are very safe Freedom of speech Democratic People can speak basic English Family friendly
Cons of Living in Dubrovnik
Expensive Not much to do Gets cold in the winter Not many Nomad List members right now Not safe for women Hostile towards LGBTQ+ Many people smoke tobacco -
1. Dubrovnik is in Republic of Croatia and Croatia is among FIRST SIX COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD that legally regulated 12 month visas for Digital nomads. 2. When this Town (under name of Ragusa) was independent state it was The first country in the world that officially recognize independency of the USA. Historic heritage of this town is enormous so there is plenty amazing things to see and learn. 3. During last year Dubrovnik was almost COVID-19 FREE ZONE with extra small numbers of infections and deaths. 4. Local inhabitants fluently speak English and German and are good in Italian or French. Foreign languages are learnt from grade school up to the University. 5. All major internet providers bank offices, exchange offices and lot of ATMs are present in the city. 6. Credit cards and POS machines are present in almost every shop, caffe, restaurant and taxi. 7. Food is very tasty and often made from local vegetables and fresh fish and shells. You can find numerous cheap fast food as well as Michelin star restaurants. 8. Safety is exceptional in all parts of the city. Men, women or children can stroll the streets in any time of the day and night. Crime is much lower than in other parts of the region. 9. During late fall and early winter city is 'hibernating' its peak tourist season activities, just lite every other Mediterranean tourists spot, but during December, January, February and Spring, open spaces are filled with Christmas season, Saint Blasius (Patron of the city) festivities and celebration of Easter. So, it is always something to wait and enjoy. 10. Dubrovnik is located close to the borders of Montenegro and Bosnia and Hezegovina so You have possibility for short excursions to explore their towns and attractions. 11. There is lot of interesting islands around town to visit. All with good internet speed and numerous scheduled boat lines so there is possible to combine work and pleasure. 12. During cold days local citizens on average heat only one room in the house or apartment. So there is much smaller offer or central heated houses or apartments, compared with offer during warm summer season. If heating is available heat air is available mostly from air condition units. 13. Local people are very polite but it takes time to earn their trust. 14. Another important information: its possible that Your perception of time differs from local perception of time. So arm yourself with patience when you need or ask for services, because something that in Your 'language' means 'Fast like-Today' in their 'language' could mean 'Fast like: This week'. 15. Community is not very LGBTQ+ friendly but with long tradition in tourism industry they learned to tolerate it. 16. City, suburban and and intercity public transportation is well organized and reasonably priced. 17. Besides souvenir and jeweler shops there is a small number of shops for shoes, apparel, computers, sport goods etc. Choice is not rich and prices are higher than in the other parts of Croatia. 18. From May till end of October You may expect warm see ideal for sun tanning, swimming and other water sports. 19. Traditional Family connections and community care for children is very strong and evolved. Therefore Dubrovnik is declared to be 'City for Kids'. That stands for network of well equipped nurseries, elementary schools, high schools as well as lot of different sport and art activities. 20. Croatia is member of the European Union so citizens of the EU have all rights as in any other EU country.
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Visited in February of 2019 the week before Carnival. Great time to visit as there were hardly any tourists and only a few other travelers. Downside is a lot of the restaurants aren't open and some tours are shut down. Upside is you get to live like a local in a insanely touristy town 10 months of the year. We were able to grab a very nice 1 bedroom apartment in the old town center with a kitchen for 150 euros for 5 nights (30 euros/n). Probably 10-15 restaurants were open in the old town, including the main grocery store. It appeared most everything was getting ready to open for Carnival, which probably marks the end of the lowest season (Few days after New Year's to Carnival). We did all the touristy stuff, and saw no other International travelers but a few random couples and one Chinese tour bus that overnighted (Right as COVID was taking hold...) We walked the walls and saw less than 20 people in 2 hours. If you want to avoid the crowds you can't beat Dubrovnik in the winter.
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