Three years ago, my Mom and I flew from Lafayette, Louisiana to Dubrovnik, Croatia. We spent nine wonderful days together traveling, roadtripping the country, and seeing as much of it as we could, with stops at two of the most beautiful national parks I have ever seen. Since the trip was a while ago, I don't remember every detail, but I remember enough to share our experience here! I don't really recall the names of any restaurants we ate at, unfortunately, but the food was so delicious everywhere. I doubt you would be disappointed with anything you try.
In the Summer of 2018, I was really depressed. I had no travel plans on the horizon, and things just weren't going my way. My Mom came to meet me for my lunch break at work one day and could tell I was feeling off, so she asked what she could do to help. I said I wanted to go on a trip, and she was immediately down for that plan. I remember looking at her and saying, "Yeah, but I want to go to like Croatia," clearly thinking that wasn't even a possibility for us. To my surprise and wonder, she agreed, and we started planning. We met for coffee shortly after that and had an entire trip planned within a few short weeks. I wanted to fly into Dubrovnik and fly out of Zagreb, which wasn't as easy to book on our own as I thought it would be. We reached out to a travel agent who booked our flights and our rental car for us. The rest of the itinerary was planned, researched, and booked by yours truly with some help from my Mom. At that time, no U.S. flights were going directly into Croatia, so we flew to Frankfurt, Germany first and had a long layover there. Two very important things to note about driving in Croatia if you decide you also want to do a road trip: (1) No International Driver's Permit is needed; and (2) They also drive on the right side of the road. Their currency is Kuna, and right now, 1 Croatian Kuna is equal to 0.16 USD. We requested some Kuna from our bank to bring with us on the trip before we left, but we were also able to withdraw some more from ATMs around the cities we visited, if needed. Some places only took cash, but most also took cards.
Dubrovnik
Day 2 - We arrived in Dubrovnik on a Sunday night. We were supposed to get there around 6 p.m., but our flight was delayed some, and it took a long time for us to get our rental car because of a French family in front of us trying to get one that they didn't have a reservation for. There was a bit of a language barrier there, and there were no cars available for them. I highly recommend reserving rental cars in advance of your arrival to any destination. Our only plan for that evening was a panoramic cable car tour and dinner at Panorama Restaurant & Bar. We had a reservation at the restaurant that we weren't going to be on time for. I called ahead and let them know we would be late and was able to push it back without a problem. We had a bit of an issue finding the cable car station we needed, even using Google maps, so I would map that out as best you can before you go. You buy tickets directly at the cable car stations and can pay with Kuna or by credit card. It was roughly $16 USD/person. Panorama Restaurant & Bar is located at Upper cable car station, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia, and the nighttime view was incredible. I bet it's just as stunning during the day when the sun is shining or early evening at sunset. There was soft music playing in the background, and the city lit up at night was unlike anything I'd seen before.
Day 3 - We had a FULL day planned and woke up early for a walking tour of the city walls from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., followed by a three hour kayaking tour at 12:30 p.m., a trek to find Buza Bar, and a drive to Split. I would give yourself a little more than an hour between tours because our first tour ran long, and we were a little later than we should have been arriving for our second, especially since we needed to change clothes. I booked the walking tour and the kayaking tour through the GetYourGuide app, and you'll want to arrive about 15 minutes before each of your tours begin. I linked tours similar to what we did below.
Lokrum Island
The tour of the city walls was beautiful but was a little strenuous as a lot of stairs were involved, so be prepared for that! Our tour guide was great, and it was a perfect way to start our first full day in Croatia. We got to learn some really interesting history about the city that we wouldn't have discovered otherwise. For example, Croatia was established in 1991 after declaring its independence from Yugoslavia, and the walls were built as defensive structures since the city was in a vulnerable location prone to attacks.
The kayaking tour was intimidating at first but ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip. I had never gone kayaking before, and I think getting to say the first time I ever went kayaking was in the Adriatic Sea while on a trip to Croatia is just incredible. They had changing tents where you could change into appropriate clothing, and they had waterproof containers for you to store your things in. They also provided sandwiches and chips for lunch, and we kayaked to a little cove and ate there. If you were stronger and wanted a more strenuous adventure, you could go with one group that looped around Lokrum Island, and if you were a beginner or wanted a more leisurely experience, you could kayak with the other group to the cove and spend a decent amount of time there swimming and snorkeling, which is what we opted to do. The water was choppier than usual on that day, so figuring out how to paddle was a bit of a challenge, but once we got the hang of it, we were good to go.
Once we finished with the kayaking tour, we went on a mission to find Buza Bar. We had a bit of trouble locating it and had to ask a few different locals for directions. I'd found out about Buza Bar while reading blogs, and everyone we asked for help was shocked that we'd found out about it since mostly locals, and hardly any tourists, knew about the spot. While searching for Buza Bar, we stumbled upon the famous Jesuit Stairs, an iconic representation of Baroque architecture that became famous because of the "walk of shame" scene in Game of Thrones.
Buza Bar is a "hole in the wall" quite literally hanging on the cliffs of Dubrovnik. We didn't get to spend as much time there as I wanted to because we needed to head to Split, which was about a 3 hour drive from Dubrovnik. The bar is located at Crijevićeva ul. 9, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia.
While in Dubrovnik, we stayed at Hotel Ivka, which is located at Ul. od Svetog Mihajla 21, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia; https://www.hotel-ivka.com.
Split
Day 4 - Our first day in Split was dedicated to a Blue Cave Tour and Hvar Island Day Trip. It was a 10-hour tour with a 7:50 a.m. meeting time, so that's all we did that day. For this tour, we went through Blue Cave Croatia Tour; https://blue-cave-tour.com.
We splurged for our two nights in split and stayed at a 5-star hotel: Hotel Meridien Lav Split, located at Grljevacka 2A, Podstrana, 21312, Split, Croatia.
I don't know if I'll ever stay in a hotel that nice again, but the splurge was certainly worth it, and pick-up for our tour that day was available upon request. When we checked into the hotel, we requested that, and we are so glad we did because a shuttle brought us right to the drop-off point. We were almost late because the shuttle had a few other people to pick up along the way, and we waited and waited for one guy who just never came out! We paid a deposit for this tour, but the rest of the money had to be paid in cash the day of, so we made sure to have enough Kuna with us to cover that cost. Once you arrived, you were put into small groups and escorted onto a speedboat with your tour guide for the day. The day started out as one we would never forget. Shortly after we left, we saw dolphins and then immediately had to "outrun" a storm and seek shelter at a nearby island. Our skipper booked it to safety, and Mom and I nearly fell out of the boat! Since we were late arriving, we had to sit together at the front of the boat where it's choppier and a little less comfortable. I think my Mom's thigh was bruised for several days afterwards.
The pictures of the storm are beautiful and unedited. The stark difference of what it looked like from our left and to our right was beyond belief. The island we stopped at to wait out the storm was the Island of Vis, and fun fact: some of Mamma Mia 2 was filmed there! Our skipper had some authority on where we went that day as long as we did the Blue Cave Tour and stopped at Hvar Island. I wish I remembered his name because he was so cool, go with the flow, passionate about the area, and fun. He brought us to some really neat places like Monk Seal Cave ("Medvedina Spilja") and Stiniva Beach. He actually brought us into Monk Seal Cave on the speedboat, and we passed some paddleboarders who had just come out. Stiniva Beach is in a hidden cove, and you have to swim from the boat to access the beach, which has been voted the most beautiful beach in Europe. He also took us near a rock structure that looked just like Spongebob Squarepants. The Blue Cave or Blue Grotto gets its name, and color, from a geographical phenomenon where sunlight hitting the surface of the sea through a natural opening in the arched roof of the cave reflects off the seafloor. For the Blue Cave, we had to get into smaller, wooden boats that took us to the cave in small groups, and as we were approaching, I remember wondering, "How the heck is the boat going to fit into that small opening!?" when the tour guide told everyone to duck and watch their heads! We stopped at one island for lunch, and I wish I could remember where it was or the name of the restaurant we ate at because it was so delicious, and the view from the patio overlooked the Adriatic.
Hvar Island was our last stop of the day, and we walked around and did some shopping there before heading back towards Split. We were on the speedboat when the sun started to set, and I love a good sunset or sunrise. I could watch the sun set over the Adriatic any day! Because our hotel had its own marina, our skipper dropped us off right at the hotel, which was quite a treat and another bonus for us splurging on that particular hotel.
It was late when we got back to the hotel, and we were starving, so we had dinner at one of the restaurants along the marina. I got lobster that they brought out to show me before it was cooked as it was a "treat yourself" kind of day! I specifically remember how good that lobster meal was.
Krka National Park
Day 5 - We woke up early and drove to Krka National Park, which was about a 1 hour drive from the hotel. We entered the park at the Lozovac Entrance, located between the city of Sibenik, parked our car, and took a bus to the waterfalls. There's a path and wooden footbridges throughout the park surrounding all of the beautiful falls. I booked our tickets for the national park online through their website before we left the states.
We started our morning with a boat tour to Visovac Island, which houses a Franciscan Monastery dating back to 1445, and to Roški Slap, the 6th waterfall on the Krka River. We spent our entire day exploring the park before driving to Zadar for the night.
After the boat tour, we leisurely walked around the footpaths and ended our visit to the park at Skradinski Buk, the longest and, in my opinion, the most stunning waterfall on the Krka River.
You used to be able to swim in front of Skradinski Buk in a designated area, but, unfortunately, I just read they're no longer allowing this as of January 1, 2021. I got in the water just for a minute to be able to say that I did it, and the water was C O L D but so refreshing on a hot day!
Zadar
We arrived in Zadar just in time to see one of the most beautiful sunsets, and we grabbed some pizza, wine, and cheesecake at a restaurant near the hotel before heading to bed.
We stayed two nights in Zadar at Hotel Mediteran, located at Put Matije Gupca 19, 23000, Zadar, Croatia.
Day 6 - Next up was a day trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, that I booked through the GetYourGuide App.
Hotel pick-up was provided, so we gave that information when booking. They either forgot to tell us pick-up was 30 minutes prior to start time of the tour, or I missed an e-mail, so I would confirm and re-confirm your pick-up time. Luckily, they called us and waited for us to come down, and thankfully, we were almost ready! This national park is extremely popular and crowded, with over a million visitors every year, so I highly recommend booking some kind of tour/tour guide because they knew where to bring us and when, and I feel like we got the full experience and saw all the best parts of the park while learning how the lakes were formed and what makes the area so unique. The tour lasted around 8 hours from pick-up to drop-off. We drove through one tunnel in a mountain on the way there and came out the other side to a different climate where it was slightly cooler, and fall was just starting to emerge. I would love to visit this national park at least once in every season. The park is divided into the 12 Upper Lakes and the 4 Lower Lakes with differing shades of blue and green water, and over 90 waterfalls flow throughout. There are wooden footpaths throughout the park, and they ask you to be very careful not to step off of one or disturb any of the vegetation, water, or wildlife in the park as you could disrupt the very unique ecosystem and geochemical processes lending to the beauty of your surroundings. The park is one of the oldest and largest in Croatia, so if you decide to plan your own visit, I would do some serious research. There are paths around the Upper Lakes, paths around the Lower Lakes, and some paths that go through both. There are some shuttle boats, too, that will take you to different areas of the park.
When we got back to Zadar, we explored some of the city and grabbed one of the most incredible dinners. My main goal was to find the Sea Organ, an art installation that makes music by way of the waves from the sea, and Monument to the Sun, or Greeting to the Sun, a set of solar panels that light up at sunset.
Sea Organ
Monument to the Sun
More of Zadar
Pula
Day 7 - We woke up the next morning and started a 4 hour and 15 minute journey to Pula, the capital of Istria. Driving around the country had been relatively easy and smooth the majority of our trip, but Pula was a bit of a challenge. There was a multiple lane roundabout that we didn't really know how to navigate, and it was raining. We stayed at Hotel Scaletta, located at Flavijevska 26, 52100 Pula, Croatia, and it was very difficult to locate, and parking was so tricky. This was my least favorite hotel we stayed at on our trip, and the room was so small and up quite a bit of steps, but it was very charming. I did love Pula though as its known for its Roman ruins and is the home of Pula Arena, one of the best preserved Roman ampitheatres, which, if I remember correctly, is the only remaining amphitheatre in the world to be intact completely around. It was originally built for gladiator fights, and I think we even saw chambers that were meant for lions or other exotic animals. The underground chambers are now used as a museum, so we explored those. We spent the day walking around the city just exploring and looking for other iconic landmarks.
Pula Arena
Arch of the Sergii
Temple of Augustus
Gate of Hercules
One thing I have always loved about Europe is the outdoor cafes with beautiful patios and incredible food. There was an abundance of these in Pula, so naturally, Mom and I found one, posted up for a while, and got some of the best dessert. We ended the day with a visit to Pula Castle Kaštel, a Venetian fortress built on a hill in the center of the city. On our walk back to the hotel, I stumbled upon a truck selling "pancakes," which were what we call crepes. I got a Nutella and Banana Pancake that was just to die for.
Day 8 - Next, we drove to the capitol of Croatia, Zagreb, with a stop at Kingdom of Feštini Cave near Žminj on the way. We got to the cave so early in the morning that we ended up getting a private tour, which was definitely a unique experience, and a visit to the cave is a kid-friendly activity.
Kingdom of Feštini Cave
Zagreb
Once in Zagreb, we did a 2.5 hour guided walking tour with a funicular ride, and the Zagreb Funicular is actually the shortest funicular in the world!
It took us to St. Mark's Square in Old Town Zagreb, "Gornji Grad," where several governmental buildings and St. Mark's Church are located. The church has an incredibly unique and stunning tiled roof housing two coats of arms, one representing Croatia and one representing the city of Zagreb itself.
Our tour guide had told us tourism in Zagreb was not very high at one point, so the city had begun a tourism initiative to bring in more visitors. In Old Town, you could see people dressed in historical clothing and enacting scenes that would have been common in the old days.
Another stop along the tour was a visit to the second largest building in Croatia, the Cathedral of Zagreb. The towering building and Gothic-style architecture left me awestruck. We ended the tour at a different point and actually saw the sun beginning to set with the Cathedral in the background.
Mom and I stumbled upon a cute cafe where we enjoyed yet another incredible meal and a glass of wine before heading to the hotel for the night. We had to wake up around 3 a.m. to get to the airport, return our rental car, and make our flight home. We did have to pay an additional fee for dropping the car off at a different airport than the one we picked it up from, but paying that additional fee was worth every penny. I miss Croatia and would love to go back! It was truly a one-of-a-kind trip that I got to experience with my Mom. I'll forever cherish those memories together.
I could have spent another day or two exploring Zagreb, but the walking tour was a good way to see a few different aspects of Croatia's capital.
In Zagreb, we stayed at Art Hotel Like, which was a cute, trendy place. Our room was quite small, and it was very loud at night, but that was to be expected since we were in a bigger city. We did have to carry our suitcases up a steep staircase as there aren't a lot of elevators in Europe, so if you don't think you can do that, I'd suggest packing light if you're going to change hotels frequently like we did.
Art Hotel Like is located at laška ul. 44, Donji Grad, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. http://www.arthotellike.hr/hr/.
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