Blog

Kendra and I spent 6 weeks in Croatia and so now I would like to share with you 10 top things to do in Croatia. I know many of you are heading there for the summer as you should. Hopefully, we can share some great tips with you. We truly loved our stay in Croatia.

#1 Old Town Dubrovnik

I have been to many old towns around the world and this one feels like you are walking around inside of a castle. The old walls and the sea adds to the ambiance of this place. 

#2 Split

Three hours north of Dubrovnik is Split. The journey is easy but keeps in mind you have to cross into Bosnia to get to Split. So be prepared for a border crossing. Once you are in Split you will love exploring Diocletian’s Palace, the River Promenade, Kliss Fortress and all the beaches that surround the lovely Old Town. Split has a ferry port which makes it easy to get to other islands. 

#3 Hvar

We chose to visit Hvar. Hvar has a lot to see. You will love the stunning views from the Hvar Fortress, You can check out the boat trips to Blue Cave, Vis, and the Paklinski Islands. We both agree that Hvar is an island worth visiting. 

We also recommend that you bring some water shoes. Many of the beaches in Croatia are rocky beaches rather than sand which most of us are used to. This will make your beach frolicking a lot more enjoyable for your feet. They will thank me.

#4 Krka National Park

Croatia has 2 big National Parks and Krka National Park is one of them. In my opinion, this is a must-see destination. You will be really close to the water. This is a magnificent day trip from Split and you will love all the winding trails through the park. 

#5 Zadar

Now, about a 1.5 hour north, you will find Zadar. Zadar is another seaside town with a charming old town. It has a staircase that resembles a musical instrument from above. There are several islands you can visit from Zadar as well.

#6 Plitvice Lakes

A great day trip from Zadar or Zagreb is Plitvice Lakes. It is about 1.5 hours from Zadar and was one of our favorite national parks in Croatian. It has 90 waterfalls and 16 lakes. There are not that many places in the world where you will find this many beautiful waterfalls in one place. In fact, you will feel like you are right on top and inside the waterfall as you hike through the park. This park gets our highest recommendation.

#7 Rijeka

About 3 hours north of Zadar is Rijeka. This port city has a charming city center and a castle with great views. Rijeka has stunning beaches that are just a bus ride away. The beaches are worth a quick stop before heading west to Rovinj.

#8 Rovinj

About an hour west of Rijeka is Rovinj which is one of our favorites in Croatia. This tiny town is packed with charm and stunning sea views. We recommend climbing the Bell Tower for an amazing view of the city. Also, take a walking tour of the city to hear the fascinating history of the city. Then take a boat over to the neighboring islands.

#9 Pula 

Pula is another amazing day trip to take from Rovinj. Pula is 30 minutes south of Rovinj and has one of the best-preserved of Roman Arenas in the world. The arena is amazing to see plus there are a lot of Roman ruins scattered around the city that are worth visiting as well. 

#10 Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city in Croatia. Zagreb is filled with iconic places like the Cathedral, the Church of Saint Marks, and the Bell Tower. We found that seeing them during the walking tour allowed us to feel what a real Croatian town is like. 

We have made detailed travel guides to each of these locations. You can find them on our YouTube channel Lucas World Travel or on our website LucasWorldTravel.com. Enjoy them. We made them for all of you. We want you to travel as much as you can. If you cannot at this time feel free to follow along with us and imagine yourself in these beautiful places. That is what we did until we could on our own. 

Getting Around

We chose to take the bus because local transportation is really good in Croatia. However, if you choose you can rent a car, which is more expensive but will afford you more freedom to come and go as you choose. The roads are good and you will have no trouble getting around. 

The Best Time to Go to Croatia

The best time to travel to Croatia is May to September. We were there in mid-October which is a bit colder thus it made swimming more difficult for us. 

Currency

Currently, Croatia uses its own currency called Kuna. However, this will change. They plan to move to Euro in 2023. 

As of right now, Croatia is not in the EU Schengen Zone. If you are coming from an EU country you will have to get your passport checked and stamped to enter Croatia. This may change in 2024.

Food to Try

I love Barek. To me it was everything. I call it a delicacy. It actually is a very common dish or bread in Croatia. You get it with cheese or meat. It is fairly inexpensive. Many people have them for breakfast or lunch. You can find it at all the local bakeries. There are many bakeries in Croatia. You can’t miss them. Kendra loved Beef Pastisada. It is a marinated beef. It is marinated in red wine. Strougli is another dish you might want to try. We loved the truffle flavor but there are many others.