We’re always thrilled to receive your photos and videos, and the latest batch is truly top-drawer. A big thank you to Rudy De Doncker from Belgium, who spent a week in Dubrovnik at the end of March and sent us a stunning selection of images capturing the beauty of the city.

From sunlit streets to dramatic coastal views, Rudy’s photos showcase Dubrovnik at its springtime best.

Keep them coming—we love seeing Dubrovnik through your eyes!

In its latest travel piece, The Daily Mail has spotlighted Croatia's greenest island, Mljet, as one of the country’s top hidden gems for summer 2025. Tucked away from the well-trodden tourist trail, Mljet is lauded for its untouched beauty, dense pine forests, and serene saltwater lakes.

Described by the paper as “almost otherworldly,” Mljet offers a sanctuary for nature lovers and adventure seekers alike. Much of the island is protected as Mljet National Park, making it a paradise of peace, where visitors can kayak or cycle around the island’s two saltwater lakes and soak in the tranquillity.

One of the park’s highlights is the 12th-century Benedictine monastery, dramatically located on St Mary’s Island in the middle of the Great Lake. It’s a scene straight from a storybook and easily accessible by a short boat ride.

Travel expert Joanne Lynn, of Riviera Travel, shared her top tip in the feature: “Kayaking or cycling around the lakes is the best way to soak in the tranquillity of this untouched paradise.”

As visitor numbers continue to rise across Croatia, Mljet offers an off-the-beaten-track alternative to the bustling cities and beaches. Its secluded beauty and ancient heritage make it a perfect choice for those seeking a more authentic island experience.

One of the many questions surrounding the organization of Marko Perković Thompson’s concert at the Hippodrome involves transportation logistics, especially buses. The latest information suggests that several hundred buses may be rented for the event, reports tportal

As previously announced, over 400,000 fans will attend Thompson’s live concert—not just from Zagreb and Croatia, but also from around the world, including countries like France and the USA. And it seems everyone will have an equally impressive experience at this record-breaking spectacle.

“Something like this has never happened in Croatia before. Sure, we’ve had sold-out concerts, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything on this scale, these kinds of numbers,” said branch manager Tomica Drvar-Trtinjak for HRT, revealing how many buses will be rented. “We can say it will be a three-digit number,” he added. 

Aside from being a major security undertaking, many have raised concerns about sound quality—specifically, whether it’s possible to ensure equally good audio for all attendees, regardless of their location on the field or stands.

However, that issue has already been resolved—all necessary sound equipment for this massive event has been secured. Due to limitations of the Croatian market, some of the gear will even be brought in from Dubai.

Ah, spring. That delightful time of year when nature awakens, birds sing, and—most importantly—we are all forced to endure the semi-annual ritual of pretending that an hour of our lives can simply be moved around like a piece on a chessboard.

Yes, time to change the clocks again, an event that serves no practical purpose beyond confusing people and making us all collectively grumpy. And yes I overslept. And yes, there are still clocks in my house an hour behind.

The original justification for this biannual headache was, of course, energy savings—a noble but increasingly dubious claim, which in today’s world seems as logical as using a sieve to carry water. Studies have shown that whatever minuscule amount of energy is conserved by adjusting our clocks is immediately negated by the fact that we all have to turn on more lights in the morning or spend an extra hour awake at night, aimlessly scrolling through our phones, trying to figure out why we feel so exhausted.

Even Winston Churchill, a man who had an opinion on just about everything, once remarked, “To each, there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered a chance to do a very special thing.”

Unfortunately, that moment never arrived for whoever keeps insisting that daylight saving time is a good idea.

In Dubrovnik, this absurdity coincides with another harbinger of spring: the arrival of the first tourists of the season. You can spot them easily—pale, shivering, yet inexplicably committed to wearing shorts despite temperatures that could generously be described as ‘brisk’.

It is like a light switch was flicked on.

One minute nobody, the next no parking spaces.

They arrive full of optimism, armed with guidebooks that somehow fail to mention that the Adriatic isn’t 35 degrees in March. The locals, meanwhile, watch in bemusement from their still-wintery café corners, wrapped in layers and sipping coffee at a glacial pace.

It’s a well-rehearsed annual performance, a collision of enthusiasm and reality as predictable as the tides.

Of course, nothing quite heralds spring like fresh tariffs. Donald Trump, never one to let an opportunity for economic chaos go to waste, has announced new levies on European goods.

Because why not reignite a trade war when things were just starting to get vaguely normal?

If Trump can slap a tariff on our olive oil, surely it’s only fair that we consider a Dubrovnik-exclusive ‘American tourist surcharge’ in retaliation. Call it the ‘Trump Tariff’: a small, symbolic fee to compensate for all those extended discussions about ‘how Croatia is actually a country and not just a region of Serbia’ and the perennial ‘So, do you take US dollars?’ inquiry.

Just imagine it.

A modest tax at the city gates, with proceeds going towards a fund for locals who have to endure endless conversations about Game of Thrones. Or better yet, a fine system—$5 for every ‘Do you take US dollars?’, $10 for ‘Do you speak American?’, and $50 for anyone who refers to Croatia as ‘Yugoslavia’.

And for those who insist on comparing every single historical site to something they saw at Disney World? That’ll be $100, payable immediately.

And why stop at American tourists? Let’s extend this to all visiting nationalities. A surcharge for Brits who loudly demand that their beer be served at room temperature. A fee for French tourists who insist that Croatia’s seafood is pas mal but rien de spécial. A fine for Germans who, despite being on holiday, still wake up at 6 a.m. to claim all available sunbeds with their towels.

The possibilities are endless, and if implemented correctly, Dubrovnik could solve its budgetary concerns within a matter of months.

OK, I am only joking.

It just every time I turn on the news I am greeted by an orange man who has done some crazy thing again. It can get somewhat depressing. Now I know why Mrs Slovenia sleeps in Florida while he is in Washington.

The clocks change, the tourists arrive in shorts, and the endless game of trying to keep up with the chaos of it all continues. Yet, for all the absurdities, there’s something undeniably charming about the entire spectacle.

After all, Dubrovnik thrives on tourism, and no matter how many tourists ask if we take US dollars, the fact remains: this city wouldn't be the same without them.

So, while we might joke about surcharges and tariffs, the truth is—much like the confusing daylight saving time—we’ve all somehow accepted it.

Read more Englishman in Dubrovnik…well, if you really want to

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About the author

Mark Thomas (aka Englez u Dubrovniku) is the editor of The Dubrovnik Times. He was born and educated in the UK and moved to live in Dubrovnik in 1998. He works across a whole range of media, from a daily radio show to TV and in print. Thomas is fluent in Croatian and this column is available in Croatia on the website – Dubrovnik Vjesnik