Croatia is EU, but not Schengen, so there’ll be border control. The currency is Kuna (kn). The landscape of my itinerary consists of mountains, a rocky coast and beaches with clear blue water. The trains in Croatia are not great and often rather slow. The bus system is a perfect substitute though. It is also often recommended to travel by car.
Important: in Croatia smoking is still more common than, for example, in Belgium. Smoking inside of bars or restaurant is also still allowed – so check before you sit down!
Duration: 8 days
Budget: € 650 (incl. flight € 240 from Zürich to Zagreb)
When to go: I took this trip in August, but I don’t recommend this time of the year, as it was very crowded. It’s probably better to go in September.
Bring: water shoes – all beaches or other places to swim are very rocky.
Itinerary
Day 1 – Zagreb
From Zagreb Airport you can take a bus to the main bus station (Autobusni Kolodvor, every 30min).
At the main bus station, it’s best to already buy your bus ticket for the next day to Plitvice National Park. They will let you know at what times there are busses (there are a lot!).
We then went to our hostel, Hostel Lika , 2 tram stops from the main bus station.
Unfortunately, we arrived rather late in Zagreb AND it was raining very hard, so we didn’t have the opportunity to explore Zagreb. We just went to the main square, Jelacica, and from there on it’s rather easy to explore the old town. The area north of the square has a lot of restaurants and bars. The rest of Zagreb is not that attractive – unless you like the communist atmosphere of big, grey buildings. I would recommend arriving in the morning, so you have a day to explore the old town.
Be prepared: Check the weather! It was rather cold and rainy the whole day. We ended up looking for an H&M because we needed to buy an extra sweater.
Prices
Bus Airport – Zagreb main bus station: 30 kn
Tram in Zagreb: 10 kn (single)
Hostel Lika: ca. €14 per night
Bus Zagreb – Plitvice: 75 kn
Day 2 – Plitvice lakes National Park
It takes about two hours to get to Plitvice from Zagreb by bus. We arrived at the national park around 11h15. And so did everyone else. We had to stand in line for at least an hour before we got inside. The entrance price 180 kn and includes a boat and shuttle bus ride. You can leave your lugguge for free when asking for the key at the information office.
The park is truly beautiful and unique. I do have to warn you about the fact that there were hundreds and hundreds of people, which kinda spoils the experience a little bit. Therefore – it’s better to go in September or some other time when it’s not that full. It’s really worth it though – I’ve never seen another place like this. Keep in mind that you’re not allowed to swim in the lakes.
At 17h we took the bus zo Zadar (about 2h).
Prices
Entrance Plitvice: 180 kn
Bus Plitvice – Zadar: 100 kn
Day 3 – Zadar beach
In Zadar, we stayed at the Hostel “The Drunken Monkey”. It’s outside of the city center (ca. 20min walk) in the neighbourhood Albanasi. I can absolutely recommend it – the area is really nice, the hostel is very clean, there’s a lounge with a bar and an outdoor are with a small pool. The beach is a 5min walk from the hostel and not that crowded. There’s a mini supermarket that’s open every day from 6 until 22h and a restaurant that serves delicious pizza, pasta, meat and fish.
Prices
Hostel The Drunken Monkey: ca. €22 per night
Day 4 – Zadar center
The next day we walked to the old town of Zadar and spent the day there. There are not much directions I can give – it’s not that big and the best way to explore it is just wander around the streets and let the city surprise you. Must sees: Forum Romans, Sea Organ.
Day 5 – Krka National Park
We got to Krka by taking a bus from Zadar to Sibenik (ca. 1 hour). It’s not very easy to find the entrance when you get off the bus, so ask if necessary; Coming fom Zadar, you should walk further in the direction that the bus is going. There’s an office where you can buy your ticket (150 kn) and then you’ll have to get on a boat (ca. 20min) to get to the park. There is no place to leave your lugguge!
Krka is absolutely stunning. It has similarities with Plitivice (waterfalls coming together), but it’s still different and definitely worth a trip. The biggest difference with Plitvice is, that you’re allowed to swim at the big waterfall. Again, my advice is to go at another time than August, as it was completely crowded.
Make sure you check the time tables for the boat, as there’s only one ever hour. When we got back to Sibenik, we took the bus at 17h to Split (ca. 1hour).
Prices
Bus Zadar – Krka: 75
Entrance Krka: 150 kn
Bus Krka – Split: 70 kn
Day 6 – Split
In Split we stayed at the hostel “Like me”. It’s right at the ‘border’ of the old town, so the location is perfect. It’s a 20min walk to the main bus station. The rooms are nice, but there are no locks on the doors (you do have your own locker) and the bathrooms weren’t cleaned that often. In Split, the main highlight is of course the Diocletian Palace. It is truly amazing. You can walk through the narrow streets, visit the Temple of Jupiter and the main square in the palace. we were there on a sunday, at 12 pm and there were some people acting out a short scene wit a Roman emperor. It was really cool and added to the Roman atmosphere! In the evening, we went for dinner at a restaurant next to the temple of Jupiter.
Prices
Hostel Like Me: ca. €28 per night
Day 7 – Brela Beach
From Split it’s only an hour bus ride to Brela – a beach that our Lonely Planet Guide recommended. Again: it was stunning, but very crowded! We managed to find a spot at the end of the beach on some rocks. Here the water was even clearer and there were not that much people. Important! the bus drops you off on the hill – you have to walk downhill ca 15 minutes to get to the town and beach. Count half an hour uphill, if it’s really hot, to get the bus back to Split.
Prices
Bus Split – Brela: 46 kn
Bus Brela – Split: 43 kn
Day 8 – Park Marjan
On my last day I went to visit Park Marjan, but entered the park from the side where our hostel was – so the other side than where most tourists go. It’s great for walking, running or renting a bike. There is also a small beach and a rocky coast. There are not that many people here, so it’s actually great for swimming.
Prices
Bus Split main bus station – Split Airport: 33 kn
Alternative itineraries
if you want to skip Zagreb and have the possibility to fly directly into Zadar (eg. from Belgium), then you can also take a day trip to Plitvice. After Split, you could continue to Dubrovnik.