Croatia 2025

Heading across the border from Montenegro back into Croatia we started to run into rainstorms that tapered off as we drove into Dubrovnik where we would be staying for one night. After we had made our way to our Airbnb we quickly checked in and headed into Dubrovnik’s old town area between rainstorms. The old town area is beautiful with stone streets and buildings that are surrounded by huge city walls and fortresses. We started off by walking the city walls which gave you a great view of the town and allowed us to get our bearings. 

As we finished and headed to dinner, the rain started again so we had to be careful making our way because the stone paths and streets were slick from the rain. After dinner we decided to stop for some amazing gelato at a shop along the main street of the old town area - while we enjoying the treat the sky opened up and the rain turned the streets into a river! After waiting it out for a few minutes we decided to get wet and head back. There was so much water that it turned the steps back up the hill to our apartment into a waterfall - getting wet is just part of the fun of travel!  

Before heading out in the morning for our next stop in Split, we walked back into old town Dubrovnik to enjoy some breakfast at a local coffee shop and spend a little more time in the city. We both agreed that we needed to come back to see more of Dubrovnik!

 Our drive to Split took about 3 hours and was rainy again but we were still able to see the beauty of the countryside of Croatia. Arriving in Split we checked into our hotel - the Le Meridien Lav - which is several miles from the city’s old town area but is located along the coast and alongside a beautiful marina and included access to a beautiful beach area which we visited right after we had unpacked. We were also lucky to get an upgraded room with amazing views and a huge outdoor patio area - we felt like celebrities!  

Over the next few days we spent time exploring Split’s old town area. We found that taking Ubers to visit the old town area was easier since we did not have to deal with parking. Similar to most of the other old town areas we had seen, the old town of Split was walled and sat along the city marina. Even though Ubers were easier than driving, it was at least 20 minutes into the old town area.  After most of our day trips, we ate dinner at the resort, as they had multiple restaurants and gelato! 

We loved touring the many historic sites in the old town area - especially walking through the cellars of Diocletian’s Palace which had been filled with debris for centuries until they were rediscovered in the 1950’s and excavated. In addition we climbed the Clock Tower which sits near the center of the city and walked the 130 steps to take in the views of the city and surrounding parks. The Cathedral, Baptismal and Treasury were also really interesting and helped us get a sense of the history of the city.  

A great way to see Split and its surrounding areas is from the water so we signed up for a group boat ride with 9 other people. We really enjoyed meeting people and seeing some of the local sites. Along the way we enjoyed drinks from Mojito Man in the  Necujam Bay of the island of Solta and Pina Colada Man at the Croatian Blue Lagoon and we finished the trip with a visit to the small town of Trogir where we’d be saying on our last night before leaving Croatia.  

We took a day and drove an hour from Split to Krka National Park which has amazing waterfalls formed from eons of limestone build up in the Krka River. We entered the park via boat from the small town of Skradin and were taken about 4km upriver to the trailhead for the walking paths through the park. Walking along the wooden planked trails you were able to see several waterfalls ranging in size and height all formed as the Krka River separated and came back together. The area was really beautiful but had a lot of tourists and the entrance fee was a little pricey!

Looking out from Split you can see the many islands that separate it from the Adriatic Sea. One of those is the island of Brac which has an amazing beach in the village of Bol called Golden Horn Beach. We decided to spend a day and ferry over to Brac for the day with our car - we were so glad we did - it was beautiful! The drive across the island gave us great views of Brac and the Adriatic Sea beyond. After parking we had a small walk to get to the beach but we were rewarded with great views of the coastline. Golden Horn Beach has two sides - one that faces the sea that has rougher water and one that faces the bay that is more serene - we decided to lay out towels and relax on the calmer side for a few hours in the sun! The water was so clear that you could see the small fish as the came close to you - some would even nibble on you if you stood still too long!

After leaving Split we drove inland to see Plitvice National Park which is a beautiful natural area made up of a series of varying sized lakes connected via waterfalls and rapids. Once we arrived at the park we were able to walk through the upper lake area and see several of the beautiful lakes and waterfalls just before it started raining. We ended up walking back to our car in a downpour and were able to make our way to our Airbnb  just a short distance away. 

One our second day we walked through the lower lake area to finish off our visit - even more beautiful than those we had seen the day before! After our morning in the park,  we jumped back in the car and headed to Trogir just outside or Split where we spent a night before returning our car and heading out of Croatia!

1. Golden Horn beach on Brac
2. Blue Lagoon boat ride with swimming in the Adriatic 
3. Hiking through fairytale waterfalls
4. Sunsets from our balcony
5. Gelato almost everyday!
6. Exploring old towns (Dubrovnik, Split, Trogir)
7. Driving diverse Croatian landscapes

Lodging

Dubrovnik: Airbnb (Royal Fort - Lovrijenac), short walk to Old Town 

Split: Le Meridian Lav (Marriott)

Plitvice: Airbnb in Plitvicka Jeezera

Transportation

Rental car

Picked up at Dubrovnik, airport, dropped at Split airport

Notes on car rental:

 toll roads, credit accepted at some

easy to navigate

make sure your rental car includes ferry crossings

Dubrovnik Restaurants:

Trattoria Carmen

Buza Bar (cliffside in old town)

Cogito Coffee (amazing coffee in a secluded location)

Split Restaurants

lots of good pizza!

Fig

Plitvice Restaurants

not many!

Split Excursions:

Blue Lagoon by boat (Airbnb w/ Ivan)