Croatia 2021
Our 2021 trip to Croatia, including Dubrovnik, Split, Pula, and Zadar, along with some national parks and other stops.
Dubrovnik
A sparkling jewel on the Adriatic. Amazing food, some really weird museums, great views, and amazing wine.
The city of Dubrovnik from the Panorama restaurant (would recommend even if it’s a bit pricey.) It used to be it’s own kingdom and built this protective wall to keep out the Venetians.
So, Dubrovnik. Possibly one of the most famous cities in Croatia (thanks Game of Thrones,) but really worth it. Some amazing restaurants.
Some recommendations from our trip - be prepared for stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. Our calves were really sore after the first day.
I think it’s worth it to stay in the city. The views won’t be as impressive, but it’s worth it for the ability to just wander the city at all hours of the day and night. Unfortunately, like many of these cities, a significant portion of the apartments in the city are now for tourists, but then again, as a tourist who stays there, can we really complain that others want to do the same?
The Dubrovnik card was worth it for us. We went to almost every site covered and ended up with some surprise great museums (the Maritime museum is really fantastic) and some weird ones (the Natural History museum is facing the same issue as many of this kind of museum of not really knowing what it wants to be but it does have some of the worst taxidermy I’ve ever seen and it was hilarious!) It also gets you onto the walls, so we found it really worthwhile.
Recommendations
Stay in the city. We stayed both times in the city. It is really lovely.
When people say “beach” they don’t mean “beach.” Everywhere you can swim from is either basically a short cliff or a really rocky shore.
Two days is enough to see almost all of the city. If you hit the walls pretty early, you can walk the whole thing is maybe an hour. And most of the museums are so small that you can see everything is 30-45 minutes. Don’t feel like you aren’t spending enough time, enjoy the pop in and pop out and then wander again.
Gelato is key. Such great options.
The Cable Car really does give a great view of the city. The Panorama restaurant has a lovely view. It and the two other restaurants in the same group (Dubravka 1896 and Gradska Kavana Arsenal) are all lovely. If you are going to have lunch or dinner at Panorama, make a reservation ahead.
Other restaurant recommendations: Konoba Jezuite - in a lovely courtyard next to a church, they also have wonderful live music most nights. Great for a drink (their house wine is delicious) or dinner (but make a reservation), this is highly recommended.
Also, Kopun - their oven fish is amazing, and their service is incredible.
Sunset kayaking is fun. Pick a more peaceful day than we did, but it’s really lovely. Lots of options (the wine tasting we did consisted of getting a bottle of pretty bad wine, so just do the kayaking.) But really fun.
Ratings
Archeology: 7/10
Mostly historical. Very nice to see, but nothing really fiddly.
Cats: 8/10
Lots of cats, mostly friendly, some a little rough looking, but generally good cat content.
Museums: 6/10
A few museums, the Maritime Museum is probably the standout. Most of the museums need a little work to really make them good modern museums that tell a story to people.
Lokrum
This small island just a 20-minute boat ride from Dubrovnik. It is supposedly cursed (don’t piss of monks) but it has swimming, hiking, and some great sites. A former monastery upgraded by an executed emperor and a Napoleonic fort, this is a great way to spend a few hours.
A view of the island
The Walls of Ston
These walls are pretty impressive! Some of the longest in the world, they were created to protect the salt flats. However, they don’t encircle the salt flats. They actually mostly don’t surround much. They’re really impressive but kind of silly.
Narona
Well, specifically the archeological museum of Narona. First, don’t follow Google Maps (it tried to get us killed.) But do stop in. It’s a lovely little museum with excellent presentations made is a sensible and interesting way. Narona was a major location during the Roman era, so it’s definitely worth a stop.
Mostar
A side trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina with the lovely little city of Mostar. Feels very Turkish with lots of mosques and an amazing bridge over the sparkling river that runs through the city, it’s only about an hour out of the way and well worth it. I wish we could have spent more time here and had a meal overlooking the river, but time constraints. It’s really nice, though.
A view of the bridge in Mostar
Kravica Waterfall
A lovely park in Bosnia-Herzegovina not far from Mostar. This area is particularly nice since you can swim, kayak, have food, and generally spend a day. We didn’t have time to really spend, but it’s rather nice. It’s a bit of a hike down and up.
Split
Such a cute city. We stayed in the heart of the old town, actually built into the walls of Diocletian’s Palace. Great archaeology and a lovely waterfront.
So, what is there to see in Split? The archeological museum is really wonderful (and it’s in the process of being renovated.)
We also did a tour with a local which was really informative. Big take-away? Diocletian loved him some cabbages. Also, a really good way to see how the medieval people used and reused the existing city to build their modern city.
What’s also really interesting is that Split is a conjunction of three distinctive styles of architecture based on the history of the place. First of course is the Roman, as seen in the oldest part of the city with the walls of the palace, but also the main church which was the site of Diocletian’s tomb. The tomb itself was destroyed (the Christians were a bit pissed with him) but the building is still standing and is quite lovely. Second is the Venetian from when they had control of the city. Third is French from when Napoleon came calling. There’s a square just outside the old city where you can see all three styles. It’s pretty interesting.
Recommendations
The oldest part of the city is really amazing to stay in. We stayed at the Riva luxury suites which is located in the wall overlooking the harbor. Talk about amazing views.
Eat in the city. There are some adorable and fun restaurants dotted within the tiny streets. And don’t be scared to try somewhere less busy. When all the other places were full of tourists, we ended up in the small, almost empty place that had amazing food and an amazingly friendly waitress, and I think we were the only people there who weren’t speaking Croatian.
Go to the archaeology museum. It really has an amazing collection. They were renovating the inside when we went and I’m sure that the new displays will be really great.
The Natural History Museum outside the old city is so odd that I loved it. Right now they have a special exhibit of spiders and scorpions. I loved it, but your mileage will definitely vary.
Walk to the hill overlooking the town. It’s a bit of a hike, but the views are worth it.
Go with a guide if you can. Tours by Locals is great resource. Peter Ugarkovic was our guide and he was fantastic! Tell him Chandra sent you and ask about the cabbages.
Ratings
Archaeology: 10/10
I mean, the old city is in the walls of the palace with a lot of the bits still there.
Cats: 10/10
Lots of cats and mostly cared for. There’s even a small park with houses for the cats. So this is a city that loves cats and I approve!
Museums: 7/10
The two main museums that we visited were the archaeology museum (A+) and the City museum, which was really interesting. The only reason Split doesn’t score higher is that there aren’t a lot of museums.
Salona
Just a short drive out of Split is the ancient city of Split (former home of that most famous guy, Julius Caesar.) The current site has a forum, theater, amphitheater, a baths, and some other pretty cool archaeology.
Klis Fortress
About a ten minute drive from Salona is Klis Fortress. We didn’t have time to go in, but it’s worth it just for the views of Split and the whole valley. Also, super friendly cats!
Krka National Park
This lovely park full of bubbling waterfalls is definitely worth a stop. There’s a nice walk that takes you all around the main waterfalls. It’s a huge space and you can take a boat to an island with a monastery or visit a Roman encampment (we didn’t have time for those but if you have time, check it out!) Can allow swimming (not when we were there probably due to Covid) and has spots to stop and eat right by the water.
Pula
A cute little city almost by Italy. It was part of Istria during the Roman period, and so is a bit of a mishmash between Croatian and Italian culture. All the official information there is in both Croatian and Italian. It also has an amazingly well-preserved amphitheater. Unfortunately, I was sick this day, but what we did see was great. No museums, though, but their major archaeology museum was closed for renovation so we didn’t miss it. It should be incredible when it opens, though.
Pula was really quite charming. The Roman archaeology is literally built into the city itself and the amphitheater and gates are the best preserved parts. It’s also less busy with tourists, though most that are there are from Germany and Italy. The amphitheater is probably the most famous and the exterior is really incredible (though the interior is mostly rebuilt.)
We stayed just outside the old city which worked well since there was a garage to park our car. The old city itself is very small and easy to navigate. Lots of cute restaurants dot the squares and streets and the food is heavily influenced by the Italian history in the area.
I wish I had more to say about the city. I do recommend it, but I’d wait until the museum is open since it sounds like it will be spectacular.
Recommendations
Stay near the city center. We were a two minute walk from the old city and it was much easier with the rental car.
Get a local guide! We went with Goran Cvek who was so nice and really knowledgeable. He also helped me find medicine to get me through the day.
Check anywhere with a sign. There were lots of little spots where things were hidden - a mosaic here, an old roman house there. Be curious!
Bistro Alighieri. Both our guide and our hotel recommended it, and they didn’t disappoint. Try stuff with truffles since this is truffle country!
Don’t get sick. It’s never fun to be sick on a trip.
Ratings
Archaeology: 10/10
It’s literally built into the city. The archaeology was great to see!
Cats: 1/10
There weren’t really any cats about. We saw one who was a pet (had a collar) but no others. This is a good thing! But I missed seeing kitties.
Museums: N/A
With the main museum closed and me being sick, we didn’t make any museums here.
Zadar
This is a video of the lights of Zadar. Worth watching.
Plitvice National Park
I had to Google the spelling, but this is probably the most famous park in Croatia. It is a mix of high waterfalls and smaller ones, but it’s different enough from Krka to be worth the extra trip. It was a bit drizzly the day we went, which probably helped with the crowds. It was still busy. We parked at Lot 1 and walked the lower falls, took the boat to the upper falls, then caught the bus from near the hotels. This seemed to be the best choice since other routes had much longer lines. They also seemed to have some nice options for eating.
Zadar
Possibly my favorite city in Croatia. The archaeology was literally everywhere. The museums were pretty fantastic (the Roman Glass is a standout even if I couldn’t take pictures.) I think the most surprising thing I loved is the modern art - the sea organ and sun salutation were incredible!
Zadar was a delight. It’s a pretty small city but the history and archaeology are everywhere. The churches were really interesting and had some fun surprises (base of the statue of Juno with spot for blood offerings, anyone?) It’s really easy to navigate and the water is everywhere.
The museums were also really impressive. The archaeology museum has a fantastic display on the second level about Roman Zadar. The upper level with the more ancient history wasn’t as up-to-date, but still interesting. Zadar is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia! The Roman Glass museum was also quite well put-together. Some days they have glass making demonstrations, which sounds cool.
We went into quite a few churches here. Some have interesting relics, others had impressive frescoes. They were each special in their own way, dating to different time periods for both original construction and design and then later decoration.
I’m also going to go out on a limb here and say Zadar had the best wine we had in Croatia. Each region had fantastic wine, don’t get me wrong, but the Zadar wine (especially the white) was especially delicious.
Recommendations
Walk the city at night. Definitely check out the sun salutation.
Don’t miss the museums, they really are well done.
Find a walking tour. We used the one posted on jetsettingfools and it was great. Especially because it led us to:
Cafe Lovro. It has archaeology inside it! How cool is that!
Walk the market in the morning if for no other reason than to smell it. Phenomenal.
Ratings
Archaeology: 10/10
Another one where the archaeology is baked into the city. Of course it’s great!
Cats: 1/10
Again, very few public cats. That just means they all have good homes, right?
Museums: 8/10
The two we visited were really well done. Good information, great artifacts. The archaeology museum just needs a bit of work in the ancient history section.
Trsteno Arboretum
A quick stop on the way back to Dubrovnik. This lovely park has amazing views and an impressive fountain. They are going to completely revamp it in the future to have a museum, so future visits will be even better.
