Summer has arrived in full force this weekend in Dubrovnik with temperatures measuring 32 degrees today and humidity levels reaching 60 percent.

The beaches of the county are doing a roaring trade as tourists and locals look for refreshment from the heat. Weather forecasters predicted a mini heat wave this weekend and they weren’t wrong. A thermometer left on a balcony in Dubrovnik registered 51.5 degrees!

Tourists in the historic core of Dubrovnik gathered around the public fountains, the small and large Onofrio fountains, or in the shade of the terrace of a cafe bar.

The premiere performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream was greeted by deafening applause and endless encores last night in the Lovrijenac Fortress. In front of a packed audience the opening night of the Midsummer Scene festival was an absolute hit.

With a creative set design, brilliant Bollywood choreography, superb acting and the atmospheric stone fortress as a background the performance of A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream is a hit.

Numerous locals and tourists enjoyed this English language Shakespeare theatre and the Midsummer Scene runs through until the 5th of July. This production is directed by Helen Tennison and the British cast is supported by an international creative team. These performances, and this will be the fourth year that the Midsummer Scene, has been held, have been critically acclaimed and the combination of the Shakespeare and the Dubrovnik seems to be a winning one.

Midsummer Festival Scene is a project of the City of Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, and produced by Brilliant Events Dubrovnik and Honey-tongued Theatre Productions from London.

A mini heat wave is currently hanging over Dubrovnik brining soaring temperatures and extremely high humidity. The energy sapping humidity has seen locals and tourists escape to the shade of the city's beaches to find refreshment.

The historic core of Dubrovnik was alive with tourists yesterday and it was hard to find a spare table on the terraces of the city’s cafes and bars.

Check out our photo gallery from this weekend in Dubrovnik

Who, what, when, where and how! We have the answers to all your questions about Dubrovnik from one of the leading tour guides in the city – Ivan Vukovic.

If you have ever had a guided tour of Dubrovnik there is a good chance that you have bumped into Ivan Vukovic. For the past decade Ivan has been leading visitors around Dubrovnik, thousands and thousands of guests have been captivated by his local insight and wealth of knowledge. From Game of Thrones to walking tours and even Star Wars tours Vukovic is always thinking ahead of the game. You can find more information on Ivan Vukovic and his tours at his website - dubrovnik-tourist-guides.com

Send your questions to Ivan and “Ask the Guide” at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or through the social media accounts of The Dubrovnik Times...if you don’t ask you will never know.

What are the main architectural styles in Dubrovnik?
Dubrovnik is truly a goldmine for architect lovers; the stone façades of the historic Old City carry many different styles. Baroque, renaissance and gothic are the most common styles inside the historic walls. In 1667 the Old City had one of its blackest days, an earthquake that devastated the entire city. So as the city was rebuilt after this black day you will see lots of baroque architecture.

What museums are there in the Old City?
You could argue that the whole of the Old City is a museum, but a living museum. My advice would be to buy a Dubrovnik City Card, with this card you will save not only money but also time. The card, which offers one – three – or weekly options, will allow entrance into the vast majority of museums in the city as well as the Old City walls. For an additional cost, as they aren’t included in the card, I would also suggest the Franciscan and Dominican museums, the cathedral treasury, the War Photo Limited and the Synagogue.

Is there free Wi-Fi in the city?
Everywhere! All of the bars and restaurants have free Wi-Fi. All you need to do is to ask the waiter for password. Or, of course, you could just be social and talk to your friends.

What cuisines is Dubrovnik well known for?
You are right by the clean Adriatic Sea so sea food and fish should be high up the list. In general the pleasure to be wined and dined in a healthy way, so try some black cuttlefish risotto, oysters and grilled fish. If you want some meat in your diet then a beef stew – called “pasticada” is a must. And for dessert rozata or bitter orange ice cream or jam.

Where are the best spots for swimming?
There are a few iconic swimming spots in Dubrovnik; I wouldn’t necessarily call them all beaches more swimming spots. The Buza bar is one of those, located outside of the city walls on sheers cliffs that drop down to the Adriatic. It isn’t a beach more like rocks, but there are ladders that let you climb out easily. This isn’t a spot for families as you dive into very deep water. Then the iconic Banje Beach with fantastic views over the Old City and the island of Lokrum, this is a better bet for families as there are some shallower waters. But be careful there can be strong currents. And finally the new beach on the Dubrovnik swimming scene, the Coral Beach Club on Babin Kuk. This is a very fancy beach area with a nice bar and lots of sun beds and sun umbrellas.

"We kept closed windows all winter and we did not say anything, but this has passed all normal behaviour,” commented Frano Gverović on the clouds of dust and noise coming from his new neighbour Slavica Ecclestone.

The construction works on the former wife of the Formula 1 guru, Bernie Ecclestone, have been going on for months as she builds an exclusive villa on the seafront in the tranquil bay of Zaton.

And it seems that neighbourly co-operation is not high on the list of Slavica’s priorities. Frano Gverović rents out apartments and because of the stone dust and deafening noise many of his guests have already cancelled or left early. He had presumed, wrongly, that when the summer months arrived the building work would stop as is the law in Croatia. "Five buildings stopped work on the construction site, but nothing here," he added. The building work is still continuing and the clouds of stone dust still rising every day, it would appear that Slavica has friends in high places.

Frano Gverović has problems with his famous first neighbour 

The twelfth Dubrovnik Forum is on the horizon and the theme of this year’s forum is "Adriatic-Mediterranean Cooperation and Security in Southeast Europe." The traditional Dubrovnik Forum will be held on Saturday the 1st of July and it would appear that the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, will also be attending the event.

President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, who was in Belgrade recently on the occasion of Vučić's inauguration, will also attend the important Dubrovnik congress and there seems a chance that the Serbian President will be joining her. Both presidents are convinced that the two countries are in a period of positive bilateral relations and they have already announced the continuation of next week's talks in Dubrovnik. Vučić was not on the Forum last year, then serving as prime minister, and when questioned by the media why he didn’t turn up his statement was full of negative comments. It would now seem that the negativity has disappeared and he could well be in Dubrovnik next week.

As in previous years the Dubrovnik Forum 2017 will be dedicated to the most current topics, announced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. The focus of this year's Dubrovnik Forum is on the Adriatic-Mediterranean area, which is a geographical point of contact, and at the same time the intersection of the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. The focus will be on addressing the common challenges of security and stability in the Mediterranean and neighbouring areas by strengthening cooperation and fostering dialogue, while also addressing the opportunities for more concrete action.

According to the latest information from ''Viktor Lenac'', the Croatian shipyard is to manufacture ballast water management system modules with Wartsila from Finland.

The Viktor Lenac company from Rijeka also reported that last year they installed Wartsila ballast water treatment systems in three Russian ships thus by its quality performance the company gained trust of the world's leading company engaged in the development of advanced technology solutions on the maritime shipping market.

The market for the ballast water treatment is just starting to grow, whilst a real boost is expected in the years to come. In September this year, the Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments will come into force. In accordance with this convention, shipping companies must install wastewater treatment systems in the period from 2019 to 2021.

As far as Viktor Lenac-Wartsila cooperation is concerned, the Finish company will deliver its equipment and technical documentation to Rijeka, whilst the Croatian shipyard will manufacture ready-made modules that will later be installed on ships at Viktor Lenac or transported to other shipyard by a shipping company's choice.

''It is a great honour to be chosen as a partner by a leading technology company such as Wartsila. This speaks a lot about Viktor Lenac and what it represents in the world of the repair shipbuilding today'', commented Aljosa Pavelin, the CEO of Viktor Lenac.

Wartsila is a Finnish multinational company with 200 branches in more than 70 countries worldwide employing 18,000 people. Last year the company generated income of 4,8 billion Euros. Wartsila is a global leader in advanced technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy market

Once again the main coastal road over Dubrovnik was the scene on a road traffic accident yesterday. At around 16.30 just before the turning towards Dubrovnik two cars, a Volvo and a Chevrolet, collided causing severe material damage to both vehicles.

According to reports from the Dubrovnik traffic police, who were on the scene within a few minutes, there were no injuries reported. The accident caused long delays on the main road, which is also the only road from the Dubrovnik Airport, for a few hours.