GUYSSSS! I fell in love with Croatia!
Beautiful Croatia continues to be one of the top destinations for summer travel. It’s the perfect place, if you’re looking for a fairytale escape with good food, wine, adventure and authentic culture.
Croatia has it all.
I have a HUGE soft spot for Croatia after my trip. To be honest it was not my first choice of a destination, but I seriously cannot recommend it enough if you are looking for an European escape. The alluring mix of crystal clear turquoise water, orange roof tops and Mediterranean vibes completely charmed me!
There are many stunning locations and sights that I could endlessly describe and I will in individual blog posts for each city! I wanted this post to be a brief overview of our itinerary. We spent 9 total days in Croatia. We flew into the capital Zagreb, rented a car, and made our way down the stunning coastline of Dalmatia to end in Dubrovnik.
Croatia City Travel Guides:
Croatia at a glance | What to expect
WEATHER | Croatia enjoys one of the warmest climates and best sunsets in the Mediterranean! May, June and September are perfect months to visit for those long sunny days and fewer tourists! However due to the pandemic we went during high season (July/August) and there were barely any tourists. However it was HOT: mid-nineties every day.
SWIMMING | The swimming bays and beaches will be stone and pebble, so do as the locals do and wear swimming shoes or jump off small ladders or rocks straight into the sea!
ISLANDS | Croatia has a very long sparkly turquoise coastline with thousands of islands and natural bays to discover. The most beautiful islands to stay are Hvar, Brac, Vis and Korcula.
NATIONAL PARKS | There’s an impressive 444 National Parks, some with natural waterfalls and clear swimming water – the iconic one is Plitvice Lakes. The nature and scenery is simply stunning! We visited the second most popular national park, Krka. It fit better into our itinerary.
HERITAGE TOWNS | The history of Croatia is quite amazing, it’s one of Europe’s hot spots for national heritage and 2.000 year old buildings. The regions of Dubrovnik, and Split have some of the best preserved sites to visit including palaces and ancient roman ruins.
ACCOMMODATION | Boutiques and private apartments are plentiful in and around the old towns. Airbnb and Booking.com are the most popular booking choices for private accommodation.
FOOD AND DRINK | Home grown wine, Mediterranean flare, seafood, truffles and Italian influences. All the delicious combinations with good hospitality, gelato and coffee!
CURRENCY | The currency in Croatia is the Croatian Kuna. 1USD is about 6HRV.
LANGUAGE | The main language is Croatian, however English is widely spoke in popular tourist areas.
SAFETY | Croatia is one of the safest European countries for solo female travelers. Overall crime rates are low and violent crime is rare.
Night 1: Fly Into Zagreb
We flew from Chicago O’hare to Amsterdam to Zagreb. It was in total about a 16 hour day of travel. But the best way to cure jet lag is to try to stay out as long as possible and get your body moving. Of course we were exhausted so after we checked into our hotel, The Esplanade, we explored town a little before the sunset.
Our first stop was at a brewery along Ilica Street. This strip is definitely a place that you can’t miss. Full of cafes, restaurants, and bars this is where the action is. We had a flight of 6 Croatian beers to cheers to our vacation.
We stopped for dinner at Korcula, for our first taste of Croatian cuisine. We had fuži (traditional Istrian pasta) with Adriatic shrimps and truffles as well as homemade basil-infused gnocchi with crab. Both dishes were delicious. But we were practically falling asleep in our plates so we wandered our way back because our action packed activities started bright and early.
Day 2: Zagreb
We started bright and early and grabbed a few pastries at Pekara Dubravica. There was a massive farmers market so we also grabbed from fresh cherries because they looked too good to pass up. We enjoyed breakfast on a bench in the main square people watching until our first walking tour started at 11am.
We love finding free walking tours wherever we travel. The best way to see a new destination is by foot and exploring and we have been on some amazing tours. Plus you tip at the end, so if you don’t enjoy it, you can just leave. However most free walking tour guides are locals, have studied history, and are very passionate about the city you are in.
We used Free Spirit walking tours in 3 different cities in Croatia. We really enjoyed our tour in Zagreb. Luca did a great job explaining the history of the city, and showing us some of the best spots in town.
We grabbed a quick lunch at L’oro Di Napoli of an arugula pizza and beer. It was just the amount of fuel we needed after our walking tour. After lunch we shopped around a bit before our main event of the day: Zagreb Food Tour.
We met Antonio in the main square, and we lucked out because it was just the two of us and our guide. He was AMAZING! He was so passionate as he told stories of his family, life, as we walked the city and stopped at 4 different restaurants to sample Croatian cuisine and wine. We enjoyed truffle cheese, ćevapčići, Croatian charcuterie, and štrukli. This was definitely the highlight of our day in Zagreb!
Day 3: Zadar
We woke up early, got in our rental car to make our first mini road trip down to Zadar. Zadar is about a 3 hour drive from Zagreb, but we only had one night in Zadar so we wanted to get their early to have time to explore the city.
On our way down to Zadar, we stopped at Masvin Winery. We again were the only guests, so we got the royal treatment. We enjoyed a tasting of 5 Croatian wines, olive oil made on the vineyard, figs, homemade bread, cheese, olives, and nuts. It was a lovely experience and everything was seriously so good. I wish I could’ve brought a bottle or two home with me!
Once we got into the city we checked into our hotel, Kolovare. We picked this accommodation because it was right on the beach and about a 15 minute walk into the old town of Zadar. We dropped our bags and went straight to the beach to relax for a couple hours.
Zadar is a smaller town with lots of Italian influence. It is only about 20 km from Venice. Zadar was once ruled by the Venetians and their influence is spread throughout the city.
We started our evening with a walking tour with Free Spirit Walking Tours and explored the ancient roman forum, cathedral, and charm of the old town. We even saw a wedding, which looked like a crazy good time! After our tour we had a lovely dinner over looking the gorgeous sunset on the water at Kornat. We tried the infamous black cuddle fish risotto, which is a Croatian delicacy. We did not care for it at all, but enjoyed some fresh Adriatic fish. We ended our night with gelato and really enjoyed exploring Zadar.
Day 4: Krka National Park
On our way to our next stop, Trogir we spent the day at Krka National Park. Krka National Park is over 42 miles of lakes, forests, and they are mostly known for their waterfalls.
We chose Krka over the other national parks because we were under the impression that you would be able to swim in the falls. Once we arrived we were informed that after a few too many drowning tourists, that you are no longer allowed to swim. It was still beautiful to hike the waterfalls, and trails surrounding and to see the falls up close.
After our hikes, we finished our drive to Trogir where we checked into the Brown Beach House hotel. We spent the rest of the afternoon at their amazing pool before getting dressed and heading into town.
I loved all of the cities we visited, but something about the charm, non-touristy feel of Trogir made it my favorite. We enjoyed an amazing dinner of lobster and spaghetti at Alka. We wandered the never ending alleyways and were sent back in time. Everything was so romantic from the outdoor dining patios with twinkling lights, to the narrow alleyways to the cobblestone streets. You truly felt like you were in a fairytale.
Day 5: Island Boat Tour
One of the best ways to see the islands of Croatia is through a boat charter. We did not necessarily think our pick was the best fit for us. Next time we would charter our own boat, and visit a few islands on our own time. My next trip to Croatia I will definitely want to spend a few days island hopping, spending the night at a few islands to really experience what they have to offer.
Our tour was fine, we just don’t normally like groups. There was 12 in our group. We went to 5 different stops throughout the day including the island Vis (where Mamma Mia 2 was filmed), Blue Caves, Blue Lagoon, and the island Hvar. The islands were beautiful, we just wished we had more time to explore their beauty!
We were exhausted after our 12 hour island hopping day, but enjoyed a yummy and cozy dinner at Vanjaka, where we had pašticada. Traditional Dalmatian pašticada is slow-cooked beef prepared in a rich red sweet and sour sauce, usually served with gnocchi.
Day 6: Split
Spilt is only a 45 minute drive from Trogir, so if you have less days, you can do a day trip to Trogir from split if spending a night or 2 is not in your schedule. But I highly recommend spending at least a day in Trogir, since it was my favorite.
We started our day in Split with you guessed it: a walking tour! Our guide, Ana, was so quirky and cute, she was a good time. It was SOO hot our first day in spilt, so we grabbed a quick bite at Fife of stuffed peppers and potatoes, which was so good and then spent the majority of the afternoon at the hotel pool to cool off.
That night we had dinner at Michelin star restaurant, Konoba Fetivi. Father-son duo are the chefs, and they took quite good care of us. From his recommendation of a lovely Croatian white wine, to the shrimps in a garlic sauce (he of course brought out extra bread for dipping). He then picked us out an exquisite white Adriatic fish, Orada, which was grilled to perfection. Mom and I both agreed this was probably the best fish we have ever had in our life.
We spend the rest of the night walking the Riva along the water, people watching, admiring all of the massive luxury yachts, and listening to live music.
Day 7: Split
This day was probably hands down one of our favorite days of the entire trip. We spent the day with world renowned chef Željko Neven Bremec at the Split Cooking Class. We first started at the farmer’s market to pick up some fresh fruit and veggies, and then wandered to the fish market to select the freshest seafood of the day.
Once back at the kitchen we were greeted to an amazing spread of cheese, homemade focaccia, homemade hummus, figs, watermelon, apricots, green beans, and of course shots. Croatians love their liquor. We had a cherry, tangerine, and walnut brandy. They were all so strong. But in Croatian culture it is rude to leave a drink undrank. So do as the Croatians do I suppose.
We started cooking, and when I say we cooked a feast, there was so much food. This was such an amazing experience getting to learn hands on from one, if not the best chef in all of Croatia. He was such a cool guy as he told stories, taught us some tips in the kitchen, and sipped wine all afternoon. I even filleted my own fish!
Our final meal that we cooked was: carpaccio, summer salad, grilled fished, grilled zucchini, calamari, shrimp risotto, green beans, Swiss chard and potatoes, homemade bread, and rožata for dessert (basically like flan). We practically rolled out of the place we were so full! But I highly recommend this experience!
Day 8: Dubrovnik
Our last destination in Croatia was Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is probably the most visited city in all of Croatia. Known for the walled city, and where “King’s Landing” from “Game of Thrones” was filmed. It is a beautiful city with so much to offer. Any trip to Croatia is not complete until you visit Dubrovnik.
It was a 3 hour drive from Split, and it was so so hot again that we decided to spend the hottest part of the day at the beach. We stayed at Grand Villa Argentina, and the views were breathtaking. It was about a 15 minute walk to the old city, but it was the most spectacular view of the walls from the hotel. We had a lovely beach area, where you could just jump into the crystal clear blue water and swim in the very salty Adriatic Sea.
Once it cooled down a little, we made it into the walled city for a walking tour. Our guide Vid (was quite cute), but he was so genuine and had so much love for Dubrovnik. His family has been there for over 100 years, and they even have their own chapel. It is really interesting to learn about the city through his stories and experiences.
Per Vid’s recommendation we had dinner at Kopun. We sat in their gorgeous courtyard and enjoyed sweet peppers with sweet potatoes and homemade truffle gnocchi with capon (a type of chicken). The peppers were so flavorful, and paired greatly with the homemade bread. Plus, being Italian you can never go wrong with homemade gnocchi. They were so fluffy and melted in your mouth.
We ended the night wandering through the alley ways and stopped at “the best gelato in Dubrovnik” Peppino’s.
Day 9: Dubrovnik
One thing that is a must when in Dubrovnik is to walk the city walls. Dubrovnik is one of the world’s most famous walled cities, and walking the walls was one of the highlights of the trip. We decided to go right in the morning before the heat was too unbearable. It takes about about hour to walk around the whole thing, but the views are just amazing!
After our wall walk, we met for our Game of Thrones tour. Dubrovnik is widely known as “King’s Landing” so a GOT tour was cheesy, but a must. It was super cool to learn about the filming locations, and how the show was filmed here between tourists, and daily life. I personally am not the biggest GOT fan, but I enjoyed it greatly. Some of the filming locations we saw were: Black Water Bay, Little Finger and Sansa’s goodbye spot, the killing of the bastards, Cersei’s walk of shame.
After another afternoon spent swimming in the Adriatic, we wandered our way back into the old town for our last night in Croatia. We had dinner high up in the walls at Lady Pipi and enjoyed some prawns and steak. It looked like a garden oasis with grape vines covering the whole courtyard with amazing views looking over the old town. We had a night cap at Peppino’s for one last gelato of the trip and headed back for our early morning flight.
And there you have it! Our whole 9 day itinerary of Croatia. We greatly enjoyed your time exploring this country top to bottom. Having a few more days would have been ideal to go island hopping, but I feel like I have truly seen majority parts of the country and all of the beauty it has to offer.
Would you ever plan a trip to Croatia?!
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