A Week in Beautiful Croatia

We flew into Split, Croatia, after flying out of Warsaw, Poland. From the airport, we took a local bus that drops you off at the central bus station in Split.

Plaza Firule

Our first stop in Split was Plaza Firule, a small beach with shallow water in the center of the town that's great for a quick swim!  This beach is further from the city centre and therefore sees significantly fewer crowds. While we wouldn't spend the whole day here, its a great pitstop to dip your feet and cool off!

Riva Boardwalk

On our way back to our apartment, we walked through the Riva boardwalk. This waterfront focal point is bustling with tourist bars and restaurants and lined with palm trees. 

Old Town

That evening we headed into the middle of the old town for dinner and to explore the Roman ruins. We suggest starting at the Silver Gate, the old entrance to the town and making your way between the streets and corridors. Some important landmarks here include the Diocletian Palace, Jupiter's Temple, and the Saint Dominus Bell Tower (often used a direction guide).

Nightlife

Split is known for its nightlife and is the host city of Ultra Europe, one of the world's largest electronic music festivals. Whether you're looking for a high-end nightclub or a local bar, Split will have it! We personally love pub crawls and chose to do the Tower Pub Crawl, which took us to 4 clubs/ bars, offered transportation and drinks!

Island Hopping

Croatia is famous for its island-hopping adventures. The next day we decided to hop on a Ferry at the Split terminal to explore the neighbouring islands. Here you have two options the public ferry service, which is operated by Jardolinja or renting out a private boat. While the Jardolinja is a more cost-friendly option, you will have to follow the ferry schedule and have limited travel options.

• Brac: This is the closest island to Split, its a great day trip that's a short ferry ride away; the island is large enough to have an intimate adventure. Here we found a private beach area where we could relax and hang out for the day without running into any tourists.
• Hvar: This small town is located on the Stari Grad island and is an hour away by ferry. The town is known for its extravagant parties, including yacht parties. Many have advised us to try and spend the night here to get the full Hvar experience.

Sea Organ 

The sea organ is a large architectural exhibit created on the edge of the water by the boardwalk. The organ is created in a staircase form with openings in the side. When hit by a wave, the staircase gives off a whistling noise mimicking an organ. The constant waves give off a fun tune!

Beside the organ is a lit solar panel floor known as the Greeting to the Sun which illuminates at night. 

Kayaking and Paddle Boarding 

Our favourite activity was kayaking and paddle boarding on the Adriatic sea along the boardwalk. We rented the equipment from a local shop and started at the Land Gate making our way to the sea organ. It was a great way to experience the installation from a different angle. Although this was the sea, the water wasn't too choppy and therefore great for a kayak (it was more difficult with a paddle board). 

Kornati National Park 

We did a one-day excursion to Kornati National park, home to over 80 islands ready to be explored. We went with a local tour boat, that offered lunch and snorkelling equipment, as well as 2 hours, stop on one of the Islands.  

Bar Ledana 

An upscale bar in the middle of the enchanted Queen Jelena Madijevka park. Grab a drink and sit in the many lounge chairs and day beds or walk around the park and do a short 15-minute hike up the hill to have great view of the city. 

Bar Svarog

A posh night club close to Bar Ledana that holds a reputation with an older crowd. While Croatia's legal drinking age is 18, the minimum age to enter the club was 23. The wait was also long and therefore we suggest arriving around 10:30 pm. 

From Zadar, we hopped on an early bus with all our belongings and headed to the Plitvice Lakes National Park. The bus ride was around 2 hours to our location. The park's name translates to "Shallow Lakes" and is a series of crystal blue lakes that are connected through waterfalls in the middle of a forest. This park has been one of our favourite destinations and it is unlike anything we've ever seen!

Storage 

The park has a designated area that stores your belongings free of charge. While the room is locked for the day and travellers must ask a park representative for the key the room it is not monitored and virtually anyone can enter.  Therefore, we advise taking caution! Do not leave any valuables or things you would be sad to lose. We took the risk and left our bags with our clothes while packing our valuables in a day pack which we kept on our person during the hike. 

Trails

After paying the entrance fee you are free to wander the park and get lost in nature. Even with our early arrival, there were already crowds throughout the park and we quickly decided to stray off the designated paths. While you need to be cautious of your surroundings there are many paths that have been trampled by previous tourists and lead to scenic views of the park! We suggest doing some research on the trails to find the one that best suits your skill level and needs. 

Lunch 

Please remember that this is a national park and therefore there is nowhere to stop and eat, pack a lunch, water and snacks accordingly. We stopped at a bakery, in the morning, on our way to the bus stop in Zadar and grabbed some fresh sandwiches as well as some snacks which were very useful for our hike. We were able to have a scenic picnic during the day. 

After spending the whole day at the Plitvice Lakes National Park we travelled into Zagreb by bus. The bus picked us up from the park gates and dropped us off at the main bus stop in Zagreb. Zagreb is the nation's capital. We only spent one night in the city and found it was more than enough time! The majority of our time was spent in the old town city centre.

Dolac Market 

This festive market is in the middle of the Old Town Square and is home to local vendors. Here you will find fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers as well as nic-nacs and souvenirs. This market is only opened during the day and is a great place to stop by to grab a snack or gift to remember your trip. 

Trg ban Jelacic Square

An iconic square filled with monuments and surrounded by greenery, this is the perfect spot to sit down and have lunch. We ordered food from a local vendor at the Dolac Market and sat here for a makeshift picnic. 

Churches 

Zagreb is home to two iconic churches; the Zagreb cathedral and St. Mark's Church. The cathedral can be recognized by its two tall spires that can be seen throughout Zagreb while St. Mark's Church is known for its iconic roof which has the coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia. 

We found that this city had minimal attractions compared to the rest of our trip, we are glad we spent half a day before moving on with our trip to Budapest Hungary!