Cavtat is the most southern town in Croatia, and the most practical way to reach the town is by air. Cilipi (Dubrovnik) airport is just three miles away and well connected.The City of Cavtat has a population of some 1,500 inhabitants, and is itself part of the Dubrovnik Riviera (twenty kilometers south of Dubrovnik, and 3 km of the main coastal highway).
The Cavtat area is most attractive because of the Mediterranean vegetation which covers the whole area; another advantage is unpolluted sea and a very attractive mixture of old and new architecture. Originally it was a Greek settlement called Epidauros. Around 228 BC it was under the Romans and later became a Roman colony. The name Cavtat originates from Civets vet us, as the fugitives in the newly established Dubrovnik used to call their first habitation.
In Cavtat there are unique bays, beaches, submarine areas and rich vegetation. Numerous bars and restaurants line the waterfront, offering everything from cheap pizza to more expensive local specialties: the Cavtat is a good as any, with a repertoire from simple pasta dishes to succulent fresh fish.
It is very well connected with major Croatian cities through Dubrovnik and Cilipi Airport, while local communications with the surroundings include ship and bus lines.
Economy is based on tourism, while chief occupations in the surroundings of Cavtat include farming and fishing. The port is enclosed by two peninsulas: the south-western Sustjepan separates it from the channel, which is enclosed by the Cavtat reefs of Bobara and Mrkan. East of the Rat peninsula is the Tiha bay. Accommodation and catering facilities are located in the background of the town port and the Tiha cove.
Among the attractions of Cavtat is the Rector's Palace, the Baroque church of St. Nikola, the Franciscan monastery, Bogišić's scientific collection, the Vlaho Bukovac Art Gallery, the Račić Mausoleum, designed by the famous Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, archaeological sites of the pre-Slav period, city walls, the Šipun cave etc. Cavtat also offers a 7 km promenade by pine forests paths only a few meters from the sea. Cavtat is one of the rare places on the Croatian coast that can offer such harmony.