I recently got back from a trip around Croatia in which myself and Sam visited a lot of cool places and islands. Our plan was to visit Zadar (1 night), Plitvice Lakes (2 nights), Hvar (3 nights), Korcula (2 nights), Mljet (2 nights) and Dubrovnik (4 nights) in that order. In this article, I’ll be sharing our wonderful experience.
Zadar
We arrived in Zadar late at night and spent the night at Villa Anton. The hosts were really nice, and the location was perfect. Just 10-15mins drive from the airport, and city centre. Also the guest house is close to the sea where we had a room with a balcony overlooking the water. The only criticism about our room was that it wasn’t really cosy, the furniture was a bit outdated and the bed wasn’t comfy.
We planned to take the bus from Zadar to Plitvice National Park the next day, but missed the 9am bus so decided to look around the city centre whilst we waited for the 1pm bus. Missing the bus was a blessing in disguise as we would have missed out on seeing the sights of Zadar. You only need a day of sight seeing in Zadar. My highlight was the seeing the Sea Organ – an underwater organ that produces sound by using the movement of the waves. I would have liked to see the Sun Salutation but I read it was best viewed at night.
Plitvice National Park
We arrived at Plitvice during the late afternoon, where we checked into our guest house – Plitvice Ethno House. A nicely run family guest house. Our room was very cosy with free WiFi and satellite TV. We were treated with dinner every evening, where we had to choose between two set meals – fish or meat. I would recommend having the meat meal as it is very delicious!
Donja Jezera
The guest house is about 20mins walk from the national park, we went to explore the route to the park the day we arrived so that we knew where we were going the next day. If you’re not that adventurous then you can ask the host for a lift to the park if you don’t have a car.
The park is full of natural beauty with waterfalls and turquoise lakes. As we wanted to see every bit of it we bought the full day ticket which costs about 110 kuna each. There are bears and wolves in the park but we didn’t get the chance to see any. Plitvice National Park is definitely a place to see and should be top on anyone’s list.
Hvar
From Plitvice we took a bus to Split (6 hour journey) where we took a catamaran to Hvar. I have got to say Hvar Town is a rich kid’s play ground with lots of expensive yachts and vibrant night life.
Hvar dock at night
We stayed at the Vila Lacman where we had a nice room with a balcony overlooking part of the dock. The hostess was really nice and helped us out with our queries. It was really fun being at Hvar but very expensive. The beaches at Hvar are rocky which isn’t that bad once you get used to it. There is a beach called Palmizana which is supposed to be sandy but I would advise not making the effort to go there as it isn’t really that sandy and gets crowded with a lot of folks. You can visit the Fortica to get a fantastic view of Hvar Town – but be warned, it’s a long uphill walk to the top!
Korcula
Unlike Hvar, Korcula is more of a laid back place to visit. Staying at Apartments Lenni was a joy! It was by far the best guest house we stayed in. Fully modernised and the host was very nice and welcoming. Getting to Korcula was fairly easy we took a catamaran from Hvar which lasted about an hour. Korcula Town is like a medieval town with a lot of side streets and medieval buildings.
Korcula dock from above
On the evening we arrived we saw a show called “Moreska” which told a story about a princess being set free to marry the man she loved. The show consisted of sword fights in the form of dance and some excellent local singing at the beginning. The show takes place on a Monday and Thursday and its a definite must see. There is a sandy beach called Trstenica which is situated at Orebic – an island opposite Korcula. You can get a local boat there for 12 kuna each.
Mljet
Mljet is a relaxing, quiet island where you can enjoy nature at its best. There is a national park which has two lakes. You can go on a bike ride around the lakes and can visit the Benedictine monastery where you can see a few Roman ruins. The only hotel in the town is Atlas Hotel Odisej which is alright, it offers free wifi and satellite TV. One thing about Mljet that you need to be ready for is the wasps! They are everywhere!
Dubrovnik
After our relaxing stay in Mljet we went to Dubrovnik. I have got to say, Dubrovnik is pretty cool, especially Dubrovnik Old Town – surrounded by 25m high walls. We stayed in the centre of the Old Town at “Apartments Old Town” which was okay, and the hostess was nice to us. It is definitely worth walking about the Stradun and the Old Town is always busy with a lot of tourists.
Stradun by night
The Old town floor is made from marble and feels weird underfoot. Walking on the walls around Old Town is definitely a thing to do as you get to see more of the city and some amazing views.
All in all, our experience was amazing and something we would do again with an heart beat! Croatia is a beautiful place with friendly people and wonderful food – especially the Goulash!