Vlaho

The Adventurous Mariner

  • I live in Dubrovnik
  • I speak English, Hrvatski
  • Verified Local host
  • Response time less than 7 hours

Hi there! Nice to meet you

Dear travellers,

I welcome you to my hometown of Dubrovnik where I was born and raised. Let me tell you the history and the way of life as a local who has been living and working in the Old City for many years. Even in the hardest of times, during the recent Homeland War in Croatia, I was here, proudly defending the "Grad" and its people, as we, the locals call Dubrovnik with a capital G, meaning: „The City".

As a fellow traveller who's travelled to every continent of the world, I know what it's like to be a tourist, so give me the opportunity and pleasure of meeting you and showing you our fascinating and enchanting Old City. As quoted by the famous Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw: "If you want to see heaven on Earth, come to Dubrovnik".

I truly believe that being a local and having many years of experience working in tourism will guarantee you only the best of the service and pleasure during your visit. So, why not choose one of the offered tours and get to know the little hidden secrets only the natives know, that have made Dubrovnik a unique and very special world known city, called „The Pearl of the Adriatic".

Be my guest, and together with me explore the depths of Dubrovnik and its divine surrounding area, dive into the history, culture, gastronomy, language, nature, art, tradition, customs, …. and enrich your knowledge and return home with the desire of coming back again!

Looking forward to meeting you.

Vlaho

  • I live in Dubrovnik
  • I speak English, Hrvatski
  • Verified Local host
  • Response time less than 7 hours

My Dubrovnik in pictures

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Reviews

Bibi
9 June 2025
I am nearing 80 years old and my daughter, although in her early fifties has physical limitations. We had no issues with the energy needed to go on this tour with Vlaho. We had spent the previous day wandering the streets of Old Town Dubrovnik. I had visited Dubrovnik in 1987, before the breakup of Yugoslavia. Both of us enjoyed the Old Town, but it was our time with Vlaho that gave us an understanding of the circumstances of the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the enmity that resulted that shaped the Dubrovnik of today. Because my husband and I had visited Dubrovnik so recently we were shocked at the time that this World Heritage Site was subjected to bombings in 1991-1992. The tour with Vlaho gave the historical background as well as the details of the war that have shaped the Dubrovnik of today. Vlaho was an excellent history teacher in a short amount of time and having been a defender of Dubrovnik in the war, gave us a good understanding of what the people of Dubrovnik went through. When you wander the town you do not see much evidence of the war. The holes from the bombardments have been filled, but the town, still beautiful, is changed forever. The War Museum and the cable car ride up to it were an added element to the tour. We both valued our time with Vlaho who gave us an in depth view of Dubrovnik. Not to be missed.
Unknown
9 June 2025
Vlaho is a lovely and deeply knowledgeable tour guide. We could not have asked for a better guide for our time in Dubrovnik. We wanted a historical tour of Dubrovnik, that would help us understand the complex background of the city and broader region. We wanted to have this basis so that we could better comprehend the war in the 90's, and the significant damage to both the people and the UNESCO heritage site. Vlaho helped us understand the deep and ancient history of the region, the complexities of the politics over time, Dubrovnik's unique place in that history, and the spirit of the people. Without this, I don't think we could have understood the developments of the war. We especially enjoyed the ride up the cable car to the museum. As a man with a family, who lived through the events, he generously shared personal experiences that brought what I'd seen in news reports to life. He is also highly knowledgeable about other areas and topics, so I'm sure you could arrange something tailored to your preferences with either himself or his skilled team. Thanks again for a lovely day. Bibi and AmandaA wonderful experience - highly recommend
Kathleen
19 May 2025
Vlaho was our knowledgeable and passionate guide who gave us a much deeper awareness about the travesty of what happened in Dubrovnik and the Balkans in the 1990’s. While visiting the massive Dubrovnik walls as a tourist is impressive, the activity is hollow without having an understanding of the many faces of Dubrovnik’s history, expertly woven together by Vlaho: from early times through to the Ottoman Empire’s threat, to the golden years of the Dubrovnik Republic, Napoleon’s rule, Austrian rule, Tito’s Yugoslavia, and finally the splintering of the region into individual states in the 1990’s. Vlaho himself fought to preserve Dubrovnik’s and Croatia’s independence, and his story is fresh like yesterday. We started at the top of Mount Srd, where we could see how this vantage point was critical to saving Dubrovnik from being overrun by the enemy. As we learned about the devastation of lives and the town, we felt a great measure of sadness for what people and this great city had to endure just 30 years ago at the hands of the aggressors. It is people like Vlaho that make sure these memories are never forgotten. Vlaho took us through the old town, pointing out historical highlights as well as sharing guidance for other suggested activities during our stay. Being guided by him on our very first day in Dubrovnik set the stage brilliantly for the rest of our trip!History brought to life
Jennifer
15 May 2025
Vlaho is the perfect guide for those interested in the history of Dubrovnik and the history of Croatia. Perfect English. Passionate about the area. highly recommend. super knowledgeble and engaging guide
Helena
8 May 2025
We toured the outer walls of old town with Vlaho, he made sure that every point of our tour was filled with knowledge about the history of the city, both from ancient & modern times. He also gave great explanations as to which museums, churches/monasteries & islands were worth a visit. He is a true local & explained everything beautifully. He answered any questions thoroughly. Thank you for your knowledge Vlaho, we had a great time!Insightful & historical, highly recommend!
Unknown
7 May 2025
Vlaho was well versed in the history of Dubrovnik and had personal experience to draw from. A very good representative for the area. Well done.Excellent guide
Unknown
6 May 2025
I chose Vlaho because we wanted someone who we felt could give us the best history of Croatia and Dubrovnik both far past and more recent past. Vlaho did not disappoint - he gave us one of the best tours we have had on our trip and we very much appreciated his knowledge and insights. Highly recommend Vlaho if you want to know Dubrovni.Best tour guide
James
5 April 2025
We all really enjoyed the tour. He gave us so much knowledge. Vlaho set the pace ideally, and explained the history to us clearly and patiently. Top guy, would highly recommend him to anyone.Top top top
Ian
27 November 2024
We had the most amazing walking tour with Vlaho on the recent history of Dubrovnik . His knowledge is firsthand and we were mesmerised by his telling. We would thoroughly recommend his tour.Dubrovnik uncovered
Carlos
29 October 2024
Vlaho handled a serious and difficult subject very well. I now have a much deeper understanding of the breakup of Yugoslavia in a way that will stay with me for a very long time. It was a privilege to hear about what happened in Dubrovnik from someone who was there during the war. I recommend doing the tour early during your stay because Vlaho was very helpful with advice for the rest of our time in Croatia.

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