If you’re thinking of visiting Croatia, this blog post is for you. We visited a few years ago and fell in love with the country, dreaming of going back one day soon. While we had an amazing time, there are a few things we would have planned differently if we were to go back. Read about our trip and what we suggest YOU do during your stay!
Jump to our recommended itinerary
Croatia overview
If it seems like Croatia is not on everyone’s radar, that is probably because it is still considered a “newer” country, only having reached its independence in 1991. The country is located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea and is perfect for summer holidays. You’ll find similar clear rocky beaches of that of Italy’s east coast.
Croatia continues to grow in popularity and tourism every year (partly due to Game of Thrones). It actually used to be quite difficult to visit the country but more direct flights are added every year making it much easier to visit Croatia now!
When to visit
Because of its warmer Mediterranean climate, Croatia stays mild year-round. The best time to visit Croatia and enjoy the beaches is at the beginning of summer or end of summer to get the best weather and fewer crowds. The middle of summer the weather will be nice and hot which can still be enjoyable, but the crowds can be wild.
How we visited
We flew into Dubrovnik as a starting point and rented a car to be able to explore as much as possible. The roads in Croatia are well maintained but not without some danger mostly due to falling rocks. We actually saw a car that had been squished from a huge rock on our drive, but besides that freak accident, experienced no issues ourselves.
Dubrovnik is known one of the most well preserved and beautiful walled cities. It overlooks the beautiful turquoise Adriatic sea and is no wonder it was chosen as one of the Game of Thrones filming locations.
The Old Town part of the city is quite small and easy to get around on foot. If you can, stay inside the Old Town at an Airbnb that’s ideal so you can truly enjoy the area before tourists. Staying right outside the walled city for example at the Hilton Imperial may allow you to stay somewhere nicer and less expensive, while still keeping you within walking distance of the walled city.
We opted to stay at the Sheraton Dubrovnik, using Marriott points about a 15 minute drive away from the walled city. The hotel was really nice and had its own beach, easy parking and high Marriott Bonvoy recognition. While we quite enjoyed our stay and had no issues driving into the city/parking, we’d probably try and stay somewhere closer if we were to go back.
Split
From Dubrovnik we went to Split, about a 3 hour drive away. Croatia is actually divided by Bosnia and Herzegovnia for a tiny part of the coast. If you do this drive, you’ll likely cross into Bosnia for about 15 minutes in between the drive to both cities as that is the most direct way. Make sure you have your passport as Bosnia and Croatia are not currently part of Schengen Zone and therefore passport checks are required.
Right away we noticed the vibe in Split is much different than that of historical Dubrovnik’s. Split is the jumping point for many of Croatia’s small islands so there’s tons of boat traffic here and a more casual Nautical vibe. Split has several large parking lots that are easily accessible so staying right by the harbor or Old Town here is not necessary. You may even choose not to stay in Split but rather leave your car parked there while you venture off to another island such as Hvar.
We stayed at the Le Meridien Lav, just 15 minutes away from Split’s harbor. While it was outside the city, the location was perfect as the hotel has a huge beach right in front of it, away from the more crowded beaches inside Split. I would suggest staying in Split or surrounding islands for at least 2 days, preferably 3, to give you time to island hop a little bit, even if just day trips.
Plitvice National Park
From Split we headed to Zadar. The city is less popular but still has those Dalmatian coast views with Roman and Medieval structures. If you’re pressed for time I would say skip Zadar and head straight to the Plitvice Lakes region.
Plitvice National Park has become Instagram famous with TLC’s “Don’t go chasing waterfalls” song playing in the background. From that perspective the park can be quite overrated, but if you’re visiting because you truly want to see the park and all the waterfalls, then it’s worth visiting. Like most National Parks, it is off on it’s own so your options are staying in a smaller but closer hotel not too far away from the park, or a larger more established hotel with a further drive.
Zagreb
From Plitvice National Park, we headed towards Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It’s one of the oldest cities in Central Europe and has some of those Old Town colorful buildings you would find in other Central/Eastern Europe cities. If you visit Zagreb you cannot miss St. Mark’s Church with its colorful tiles, similar to that of Budapest’s Matthias church. Zagreb is not on the coast and therefore won’t have that summery carefree vibe that the other Dalmatian cities have. Just keep that in mind if you decide to visit the capital city. We returned our rental car in Zagreb and flew off to our next destination from there.
Recommended Itinerary
If we were to go back and do this trip, here’s what we do instead:
Day 1: Fly into Dubrovnik, pick up rental car & drive (1.5 hrs) to Kotor, Montenegro. Stay in Kotor
Day 2: Explore Kotor then drive back to Dubrovnik, stay in Dubrovnik (at the Hilton)
Day 3: Explore Dubrovnik, stay in Dubrovnik
Day 4: Drive to Mostar Bosnia, stay 1 night in Mostar.
Day 5: Drive to Split, stay in Split
Day 6: Stay in Split/nearby island
Day 7: Stay in Split
Day 8: Drive to Plitvice National Park, stay near park.
Day 9: Fly out of Zagreb, return rental car.
If you only have 1 week, I suggest skipping Plitvice National Park and leaving after Split. You’ll have an amazing summer trip, enjoying the Adriatic Sea while also visiting 2 nearby countries easily and get a little perspective on those cultures. This itinerary also allows you to pick up and return a rental car in the same country avoiding huge fees to drop off in another country.
Points tips
Flights
You can easily get to Croatia from the US by connecting in a city such as Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Munich, Paris, Madrid, etc. Flying directly from say New York to any of those European cities is possible via points on airlines such as United, Lufthansa, FinnAir. Currently the only airline that flies direct from the US to Croatia is United. Flying from EWR to Dubrovnik is possible via United. The route may be more expensive given there is only one route, so consider pricing out whether it makes sense to fly directly or perhaps save some points and fly to a nearby city first.
Hotels
Not all cities will have the Marriott, Hiltons, Hyatts, etc. This is a great place to use either credit card points to redeem through the portal, or pay via the credit card portals and get the points from these stays. By using the capital one portal and paying with your Venture X card, you’ll earn 10X the points from your hotel stay!
