My girlfriends and I go on an annual trip abroad and this year we finally made it to Croatia. We kept hearing so many great things about Croatia and we were blown away by our experience. We started off in Split since it was the most inexpensive way to get to Croatia and also because it was our friend’s least favorite compared to Hvar and Dubrovnik (Split is still beautiful but Hvar and Dubrovnik have some qualities and aspects not available in Split). Here is a run down of our trip!

General Tips

• Traveling from the airport: Our Airbnb host didn’t give me great instructions and the buses were confusing to navigate so I took a taxi to the city center that took ~40 minutes and was around 340 kunas (or $50 with a little tip)
• Tipping: Like many other European countries, you can leave no to little tip. We typically left ~10% tip at places we loved.
• Language: We learned that most Croatians learn English at school so almost everyone spoke English. It was really easy to get around but still nice to learn a few common phrases in Croatian.
• Cuisine: Croatian cuisine is largely influenced by the Italians and you can get some amazing pastas, risottos, and gnocchi. In addition, they have local lamb and seafood dishes that exceeded our expectations. Out of all our meals, we only had one subpar meal in a super touristy spot in Trg dr. Franje Tuđmana.
• Safety: Overall, we felt really safe. Unlike in Spain or Italy where I was clinching my bag and looking out for pick pocketing, we were able to leave our stuff on the beach and not really be scared our stuff would be gone. As always, use precaution wherever you go.
• Reserve in advance: Book your tickets for the Plitvice Lake National Park.

Day 1

After a long flight over, I finally arrived in Split and met the gals at our Airbnb. We got a great place in the center near Diocletian Palace. We went to dinner at Lvxor, a recommended spot near this awesome square where there was live music every night. We had their sea bass, octopus salad, and one of our favorite gnocchi dishes from the trip at this place (that sauce was divine), and topped with some local Croatian wine. It was a perfect first dinner and set the standard for what we were eating in Croatia.

It was my birthday a few nights beforehand so my girlfriends booked the popular Pub Crawl tour called Ziggy Star to celebrate (100 mins open bar and free breakfast the next day for 150 kn). We walked through the town and street markets (I would say shopping  was better in Split in terms of variety and price) to the ports to meet the pub crawl.

It took us a while to find but we found a large group and headed to Trg dr. Franje Tuđmana, a beautiful square and also the stop for most of the buses.

We drove to a very quiet and suburban area of Split where we questioned the safety of the area, but luckily we were with a bus-full of people. We took advantage of the open bar session before heading to Inbox, a bar with a large open dance floor near Diocletian Palace. The rest of the crawl was going to the last spot / club around 1:30AM, but we ended up retiring after dancing most of the evening away.

Day 2

We woke up to explore the town and buy water shoes at the markets. Many Croatian beaches can be rocky / slippery and have sea urchins so the water shoes were a good investment (they were only $10!). The Port area is pretty but there were some areas that smelled of dried octopus (like the ones you find in China town) so beware if a strong breeze comes by. After a little shopping, we headed to the popular Bacvice Beach, one of the few sandy beaches (yup the water shoes were a waste then).

The water was the perfect temperature to cool off from the heat. We, along with many other beach goers, sat by the shallow part to sunbathe before heading back to meet our friend. We had lunch at Villa Spiza in the courtyard until our friend arrived and then got ready to go sunset kayaking. We booked a tour with Split Sea Kayaking Tours (a discounted price of 240 kn if you booked online) that met at 4:30PM at the bus area by Trg dr. Franje Tudmana. The price does not include bus tickets but the guide walked us to the newspaper stand to buy them and to the #12 bus to Bene. Tip: Regardless of the tour, I do recommend taking the bus to Bene since there is a beautiful, more local (though more rocky) beach.

The guides helped us get into our kayaks (I took the solo one since we were in a group of 5) and we then kayaked around to a secluded beach area (heads up it is also a nudist area). The tour was great since they help take photos via their GoPro and let you borrow it if you don’t have a waterproof camera / case. We were able to “cliff” dive off this giant rock, which made for some great photos.

Tip: It was amazing to be out there since the water was incredibly clear and blue, though extremely salty so I would bring goggles next time. As it got closer to sunset, we all got back in our kayaks and headed back to shore to catch the amazing sunset below.

We ended up getting back into town around 8:30PM. We had a late dinner at one of the touristy restaurants at Trg dr. Franje Tuđmana, which was our least favorite one. We then walked around the city to digest and stopped by Diocletian palace to go to the shop area where they filmed the Game of Thrones dragon scene (where Khaleesi stores them).

We then went to Tropic Club after dinner, and we were finally able to complete the Ziggy Pub Crawl (the last stop that we missed the day before). It was nearly empty when we arrived around 11:30PM, though granted it was a Monday night. We got a round before the kind staff offered us a free round of Croatian liquor and a table. We had a blast dancing up there to great beats and had space, which was perfect after the Ziggy Pub Crawl came in at 1:30AM, turning the place into a packed club. Once it was 2AM, we decided to head back since we had an early morning bus for our day trip.

Day 3

We woke up early to go on the Plitvice Lakes National Park, which is a 4-hour drive from Split (one way). We pre-booked via Split-Excursions (link) and was 80 euros which included transportation, guide, and ticket entrance). This was an all-day event since you spend 8-hours on the road and 4-4.5 hours at the park. It is quite a drive but highly recommend it. I’ve never seen so many shades of green, blue, and turquoise so clearly in water before. Tip: Wear comfortable shoes, and bring water and snacks (we didn’t and were starving).

There is a break on the way up at this rest station about 2 hours north of Split that had surprisingly amazing food. We got this slow-cooked, fork tender pork for breakfast and lunch (on the way back). After the rest stop, we arrived at the park and walked first to the the Upper lakes. Unfortunately the park is extremely crowded and the tour moves fast so you don’t have time to really stop and enjoy, but we got some great photos in like below (really, photos do not do this place justice). Afterwards, we took a boat to the Lower Lakes, the iconic 3 lakes, and to the Big Falls.  

We got back into town late again and grabbed a bite at a konoba (like a trattoria in Italy). We were all pretty exhausted so we called it an early night since we had to catch our ferry the next day. Off to Hvar (stay tuned for a post on Hvar and Dubrovnik)!