A Historical Lasagna - Croatia

There hasn’t been enough said and written about this beautiful country Croatia that has literally got all the natural wonders you can expect from a coastal country. Spanning almost 6000KM, the Adriatic Sea offers turquoise beaches, the breathtaking limestone caves, and over a 1000 islands. But it’s not just the sea that attracts 20 million tourists to Croatia each year. The country also has a plush natural history owing to years of conflict with surrounding countries that had a significant influence on food and culture. In addition to that, it is home to some of the most picturesque waterfalls in the world. On a whole, it is a complete package, and even though I visited Croatia because I am a die-hard fan of Game of Thrones, I got a lot more than I bargained for. Through this blog, let me take you on the journey we had as a couple cruising through this country from top to bottom.

Dubrovnik Old Town Walls

Getting There

There are to and fro flights from all major cities in Croatia. I recommend a 14 days plan for Croatia if you wish to cover the major attractions across the country. You can fly into Zagreb and then travel south or can start from Dubrovnik to travel up. We started our trip from Split as we had fewer days to travel and are more into natural attractions than historical architecture. Please check the flights to multiple cities and whatever works for you best. The main reason to start from Zagreb is that you get to visit the capital and then can take a tour to visit Plitvice Lakes National Park and proceed to the next city. Plitvice is equal distance from Zagreb or Zadar and hence it is ideal to take a tour from these cities but if you want to opt-out of both of these, you can also start the trip from Split and take the tour from there.

Travel Tips - Although the Euro work almost everywhere in Croatia, you should carry or be ready to take out some cash in local currency as some of the small islands and the upcoming 3 cave tour only accept cash in Croatian Kuna.

Accommodation

Airbnb works best in Croatia. They give you options to interact with locals to get some amazing tips about the best restaurants and places to visit and you’ll be in the heart of the city if you choose to be. Our place in Split was close to Riva which made it really convenient for us to take those night strolls on the broad walk. Our apartment in Dubrovnik was outside the city and was a 15 min bus ride. We chose that since the apartments within the walls were expensive during the August and September time frame but I wish I had opted to be there. I recommend booking a place within Dubrovnik walls even if they are a bit on the higher side of the price.

Day 1 - Arrival in Zagreb

Reach Zagreb and retire into an AirBnB or hotel. We usually like to rest once we have reached the destination, take off the flight fatigue, and gives you an option to start the next day early. 

Day 2 - Spend a day in Zagreb(optional)

Being the city of museums, you can spend the whole day going through the rich culture and history this capital city has to offer. And if find yourself in Zagreb on a Saturday morning, you can enjoy the local tradition špica which is to walk around a couple of city center streets from 10 AM to 2 PM eating drinking, and enjoying the glam of Saturday market. There are many other things to do in Zagreb that can take the whole day. 

Day 3 - Plitvice Lakes National Park

You DO NOT want to miss this. A UNESCO world heritage site, (which is true for Dubrovnik as well btw), Plitvice Lakes is home to 16 big/small lakes divided into the upper and lower deck. Upon reaching there, We started on foot to explore the upper lakes and then took a boat to descend to lower level lakes. There are numerous and picture-perfect lakes across the path and it feels like walking in heaven when you take the pavement on top of crystal clear blue water. The photos below do not do justice to the beauty that you’ll behold once you are amidst this natural marvel.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Travel Tip - Wear light clothes as the walk is long and the weather can get warm to hot. Although there are cafes at the starting point and along the route, take lots of water and snacks with you since this can take 4-6 hours. And please oh please, wear sports shoes. Do not make a mistake of wearing heels hoping to take those awesome photos because they will hurt. 

To get from Zagreb to Plitvice to Zadar, take a Viator Tour offered by Wanderer
From Split and back, go with a Get Your Guide Tour

Plitvice

Day 4 - Zadar(optional) and Krka National Park

Honestly, there isn’t much to do in Zadar. It’s a scenic Croatian coastal town that offers nothing more than what Split has but if you want to avoid too much travel in a single day, it is a good stopover. Do visit the Sea Organ, The Greeting to the Sun, and The Five Wells Square if you are in town. Lucky for you, they are all close to each other and can be done in half a day which gives you a sufficient amount of time to head off to Krka National Park and reach Split post that.

Take a 1 PM bus to Krka National Park which will drop you to Skradin, which is the bus stop for Krka NP. You will then need to purchase the tickets to Skradin buk which is the actual falls and can only be reached by ferry as per this schedule. The tickets to the ferry are included in park tickets. Once you reach the falls, you can directly head to the waterfall to cool off or first take a hike in the amazing pathway that takes you through the falls and the entire lake. If you have done Plitvice Falls by now, you would know that the trails in these falls take you to breathtaking locations and views. Be cognizant that the ferry leaves fall every hour and you have to catch a bus to Split from Skradin.

Travel Tip - If you are traveling from Zadar-Krka-Split, you might find less time to explore the falls since the timings of the bus and ferry do not match and the ferry does take some time to reach the falls and back. We skipped Zadar and took a 10:15 AM bus from Split to Krka and back at around 5 in the evening giving us sufficient time to explore the national park. 

Also, if you are changing cities via the falls, you would have to carry all the luggage and there are no lockers available at Skradin or the falls. So it is advisable to leave all the stuff at the hotel, carry a pouch for your phones and wallet so that you do not have to leave them by the trees. 

Krka National Park

Day 5 - 3 Cave Tour

I can dedicate an entire blog to this tour but I'll hold my excitement and let you feel the thrill and adventure once you do this yourself. Damir Caktas from 3 cave tour is an experienced guide assisted by two of his awesome co-workers who together will take you to an experience of a lifetime. This 12-hour tour (all the while being in or on the water) takes you to some hidden gems of the Adriatic Sea. We took the tour from Split but you can also do this from Hvar if you are staying there. 

We were dropped to explore Pakleni Islands while the boat brought co-travelers from Hvar. Spending some time at Vinogradišće, we started with visiting the Green Cave on the island of Vis where you take your first dip of the day with many more to come. Next was Bisevo island from where you take a small boat to Blue Grotto (or the blue caves) which with natural light from under the water turns the entire cave blue. Post that, you will stop at an intimate small beach called Porat bay (you won't find this on maps) where you can enjoy lunch at a local and lovely beach restaurant featuring the best fish I have ever had. The next stop is the Monk Seal cave where you go deep in the cave, jump into the ocean, and make your way back to the ocean by swimming, all the while chasing the fishes in crystal clear and deep water. You cannot get enough of this place. The last stop is Stinva Bay which is a hidden paradise and a perfect way to end a tiring trip. Relax on the beach or take another swim before you end your trip and head back to Hvar/Split.

There are other hidden places that these guys take you to which you will find in not find on their website and won't remember the name of but they are as mesmerizing as any other spot on the tour. I tried capturing the moments in my video for you to have just a glimpse of what this exciting adventure entails.

Travel Tips - Take water, snacks, lunch if you are vegetarian, wind shelter jacket, snorkel kit, and a go pro if you want to capture underwater flora and fauna.

Bring towels, ample sunscreen, and an extra set of clothes to change into.

3 Cave Tour

Day 6 - Split

I recommend taking a place near the walls of Dioclesian palace because that's where all the action is. Start your day by taking a walking tour of the palace turned into a whole town. You can take a guided free tour or a self walking tour following these guidelines. We did the self-guided one because we wanted to move at our own pace (and are not that much into history rather the beauty of the place). Some places of interest are Silver, Golden, and Iron Gate, the Old town and its streets, the basement of Dioclesian palace (also where Khaleesi locked her dragons in GoT), and the temple of Jupiter. You should definitely climb to the top of the bell tower for a birds-eye view of the city and to not forget to relax in the afternoon with a beer on any of the restaurants of Antique Decumanus street., I would recommend taking a short nap in the afternoon to get you ready for that night stroll because the city is as beautiful in night as it is in the morning. A slow walk on Riva taking in the warm evening air or relax on any restaurants on a broad walk to end the day.

Dioclesian palace

Day 7 - Trogir or Hvar and head to Dubrovnik

If you have ever imagined or mind painted a perfect island with Venetian architecture, turquoise blue water, sunny and sandy beach, daily fresh seafood, and pubs with soothing country music to top it all, then you must visit Hvar Islands. You would have already got a glimpse of this heaven on earth while returning from 3 cave tours but now is the time to explore this beauty in full before you move on to the next destination.

If you haven't had enough of Porat Bay, start your day by visiting Pokonji Dol beach to get those polaroid photos that go on your refrigerator. Next, make your way towards Hvar fort for a dragon's view overlooking the red roofs and white-washed walls of the old town, the Pakleni Island with 10 other small ones in the distance. A stroll through the city before or after lunch is a good way to explore this island and St Stephens Square. People do spend a couple of days or even weeks in Hvar depending on the kind of holiday you are looking for. If you do decide to spend more than half a day, more details can be found here.

It's now time to visit Kings Landing, Dubrovnik. You can reach there from Split through a ferry or a bus or can drive if your outbound flight is from Split. We took a 5:15 PM bus from Split which took us through a scenic route almost comparable to Pacific Coast Highway in California. Reach Dubrovnik by 10PM and retire into your BnB to prepare for the next day.

Day 8 - Dubrovnik Day Tour

Now that you are in kings landing, I suggest the first thing you do is the Game of Thrones walking tour of Dubrovnik or one of the free walking tour if you are not a GoT fan. We did the GoT tour with Dubrovnik Local Guides which is a small local tour guide and we were lucky to get our own private tour since there weren't enough bookings. This tour will start from Fort Lovrijenac, take you into the walls through the Pile gate to cover Stradun and Old town and leave you at docks on the opposite side. This is the easiest way to cruise through important stuff within walls and gives you a good idea of where do you want to spend the rest of the day.

Since this would be a very long walk and the afternoon sun would be scorching over your head, I would suggest taking some rest in the afternoon post-lunch and return to do a full round of the Dubrovnik Walls in the evening around 4 PM. You would be spending around 1.5 - 2 hours to do a full circle. After that, head to the Buza bar to visit the most spectacular sunset of your life. Have dinner in one of the restaurants on Stradun to end the day on a very pleasant note.

Travel Tips - Weather can get hot in August and September and since there is a lot of walking involved, you would want to carry a lot of water and an umbrella may be.

Buza Bar gets pretty crowded for sunset so would recommend going 1 hour prior to sunset. There aren't many options for food and drinks and ordering is compulsory so be prepared to spend around 30 Euros just for the sunset.

Dubrovnik

Day 9 - Mostar(optional)

Today we will spend the entire day in the beautiful city Mostar of a neighboring country. Bosnia and Herzegovina have a sad and long history which will make your heart melt. This country has a unique culture and some very interesting facts about it. For example, it has 3 Presidents who rotate every 8 months. (You will learn about the reason when you get there). On the way to Mostar, the stopover at Neum is just perfect. The backdrop makes the location perfect to have some coffee and you wouldn't want to leave. You will stop at Medjugorje which is a religious site and is one of the most famous pilgrim destinations in the Catholic world. And finally, another guide will take you through the rich, chaotic, and apparently sad history of Mostar.

We did this Get Your Guide tour which I believe is best for its price but there are other options as well. There are many good options for food but we had our lunch at the fountain shelter and you won't believe the food for the price. Probably the most authentic Mediterranean food ever.

Mostar

Croatia Beautiful lamps

Day 10 - Lokrum Island

This small island is easily accessible through a ferry from the port on the east side of the wall. I would definitely recommend visiting the island and take a hike to the top till Fort Royal. Although the fort itself does not have much to offer the views of the wall from the top are amazing. For the Game of Thrones fans, This island is house to Iron Throne used in GoT which is placed at Lokrum Visitor center.

Once you have covered both the places and have taken all the snaps, head to the Dead Sea. Yup, you heard it right. This small backwater lake offers the same salt density as the real Dead Sea and makes you float without any effort. I personally spent half an hour with flapping even a finger. Now that you are already soaked, spend the evening at Lokrum Main beach. Unlike other beaches, this one has a rocky terrain that can cut your fingers if you aren’t careful but it offers a great swimming and diving area into the Adriatic Sea. Head back to Dubrovnik once you have had enough of the water.

You can head back home after this 10 days long trip the same day or visit Montenegro, which is another beautiful small country like Bosnia & Herzegovina and is easily accessible from Dubrovnik via tours.

Author

By Deepak Garg

on Sept 12, 2020

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