Croatia is one of the most scenic and perhaps one of the underrated destinations in Europe. The country has beautiful sceneries, the finest architecture, and the Dalmatian coast for the perfect summer party place. The cities such as Split & Dubrovnik became even more popular after the release of Game of Thrones while island hopping has always been on the European summer checklist.
Croatia is not well connected by trains like other parts of Europe, so we decided to rent a car for our journey. Our trip started from Zagreb as we picked up our car from Green-Motion rentals. A valid Indian driving license & credit card does suffice to get you a car from the rental, but it is advisable to have an International Driving Permit in case you get pulled over by the police. We rented a Skoda Octavia auto transmission for 5 days for about 150 Euros, but a full insurance coverage would cost you just about another 120 Euros.
Cars in Croatia are left-hand drive and the highways are very convenient for driving. The highway between Zagreb – Split – Dubrovnik (E71 & E65) has one of the finest views and you can cruise beyond 150 kmph. But one should be cautious about traffic violations as the fines can be hefty. The 400 km length gives a splendid view of the Dalmatian coast. We spent the afternoon traveling to Split and settled in our Airbnb.
Croatia is a party hotspot in the Europe during summers. The Adriatic islands around Croatia – Hvar, Brac, Vis, Krocula, etc. are tourist destinations for people from across the world. We decided to visit Hvar island for a day, but we could not make it to the ferry on time. The ferry timings vary depending on seasons and are limited offseason. So, we decided to take the next ferry to Brac Island instead.
Brac, the longest island around Split can be reached in about an hour and you can take a taxi/ bus to reach Bol – the other side of the island with Golden Horn beach. This is a long stretch of white pebble beach and gets a lot of crowd in summers. The water was clear and had a turquoise hue to it. While we took a dip in the beach, the water was cold due to the weather.
Split has some of the best party places in Croatia. Luckily for us, we were in Split for Halloween night. We went to Fabrique, one of the popular pubs in the old town of Split. The place was filled with people in Halloween costumes and had a great vibe. Nightlife in Croatia is one of the best experiences to try out!
One of the prime attractions in Split is the Diocletian’s Palace. The palace is filled with marble and granite architecture dating back to the Roman Era. It now makes up the old city of Split housing the locals and streets filled with shops, restaurants, and bars. The palace is adjoining the sea and is in the heart of the city.
We started driving along the coast on D8 instead of taking highway E65 and that was perhaps one of the best decisions we made. The route is completely along the coast and is scenic throughout although it can be a little slower. One needs to cross the borders of Bosnia & Herzegovina twice to reach Dubrovnik. We stopped by at Restoran Odisej, a restaurant in Neum, just so that we could have lunch in a different country!
We reached Dubrovnik and made our way to the old city. The Stradun or ‘Placa’ is the main street in the old town. This is a busy street with ample restaurants, apparel stores, and places to buy souvenirs. Croatia is also famous for ice-creams. Stardun houses a Gelato shop named Sladoledarna which is popular here. We explored the main street on foot to admire the wonders of the walled city. We also stopped by the Buza Bar, a bar built literally on the city wall and has a great view of the sea. Although we went after dusk, the place is popular during the sunset hours and late nights.
We went around the old city of Dubrovnik and explored the city markets. Dubrovnik as a city was popularised to the world through the fictional ‘King’s Landing’ in the HBO TV series, Game of Thrones. The city is famous for its ‘Walls of Dubrovnik’ built around the city giving it the architectural splendor. One can take a walk around the walls to get a sight of the city as well as the beautiful coast. There are also dedicated walking tours for Game of Thrones fans to visit the actual shoot locations from the series.
We traveled from Dubrovnik to Zadar and stayed there for the night to break our travel. We stopped again at Neum and Split to take breaks. Zadar is yet another beautiful city in Croatia. Since we had only a few hours here, we made sure to visit the Sea Organ. Part of the Zadar Riva, the engineering marvel that looks like a series of unsymmetrical stairs, produces music using the sea waves. The experience is a charm to your ears. This is accompanied by the beautiful promenade and walkways.
We made an early start to reach Plitvice Lakes National Park by 9 am. This is one of the must-visit attractions in Croatia. The National Park has 16 interconnected lakes surrounded by waterfalls, caves and forest cover. These lakes can be visited through four hiking trails around the park and would take more than 6 hours. One can cut down the trail by about two hours by taking a boat across the Kojzak lake, the largest of the lakes.
The view in this place is mesmerizing. The lakes have a greenish-blue color and are serene. The Veliki Slap waterfall is the highest in the country and is located around the lower lakes. The trails have ample spaces to rest and enjoy the freshness in the air and the sight of the place. We finished the hike around 3 pm and head out to Zagreb.
That put an end to our 1300 km journey only to leave us wanting more of Croatia. While the tourist spots are getting commercialized, best efforts are being put in to preserve the places to their original stature. People often look forward to visiting the hyped destinations in Europe, but Croatia is a much-recommended country out there for you to explore!
Photo credit - Rudrakar Mondal
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