Croatia Overview

Zagreb, Croatia

It was early afternoon when I landed in Zagreb, Croatia. The capital city honestly didn’t look that much different from home as we headed away from the airport in the back of our taxi. But we didn’t pay too much attention to the surroundings: I was still busy gushing to my best friend about the engagement news.

Our driver dropped us off as close to our AirBnB as he could, and we grabbed lunch before zigzagging our way through the streets looking for our place. We fumbled with the lock for several minutes, but eventually we arrived on the roof and looked over the city. I’ll let the pictures communicate here.

*The Mirogoj Cemetery draws visitors to see its stunning architecture and elegant landscaping that make this burial ground a park that seems to celebrate life as well as it honors the dead.

Plitvička Jezera (Plitvice Lakes National Park)

We took a bus from Zagreb to Hotel Plitvice (near Entrance 2) and spent the next day exploring the enchanting lakes.

This park is actually what led us to this incredible country. Seeing drone footage of these cascading lakes was enough to have me switch directions in trip planning.

*Plitvice Lakes is Croatia’s oldest and largest national park. Tickets must be purchased online at least two days prior to your visit. When purchasing tickets you must select your time of entry and we recommend selecting the earliest slot possible. We entered at 8a.m. and the park was already getting busy. There are multiple routes to tour the park: we walked nearly the entire park featuring one ferry ride across the lake (Route C) in about four hours.

Zadar, Croatia

From Plitvice we headed to Zadar, Croatia and it was worth the stop to visit the Sea Organ!

Another fond memory from this place is ordering a ride to get to dinner, then asking our driver where we should go instead. “Tourists never trust!” he exclaimed. But we proved him wrong by telling him to drive us to his recommendation and then dining on one of the best meals of the trip.

*The Sea Organ makes music via the chambers beneath the steps that lead into the water.

Split, Croatia

Arriving in Split, Croatia was overwhelming, but the greeting we received from our host made me want to call it home. Our host ushered us around her small apartment before insisting we follow her to the roof so she could compare the city sprawled around us to the map.

This was one of my favorite things about this country: our hosts (we booked solely through AirBnB) were always intent on making sure we would enjoy their city. They made me want to be a better AirBnB host myself!

Split was a dream with lovely beaches and stunning architecture.

Hvar Town, Hvar Island

Next stop, known for being a bit of a party town: Hvar Town. This was supposed to be our night out. Yes, we literally planned one single night that we would go out in what is known to be Croatia’s most rowdy (though they probably wouldn’t use that word) city. We got all dolled up, and we went out. But we fairly quickly headed back in…

Narrow path in Old Town Hvar, Croatia. — View from Fortica, overlooking Hvar Town.

Fortica, Hvar Town, Croatia. — View from Fortica, overlooking Hvar Town.

The next morning I rose early to make the trek to a quiet beach.

Bol, Brač Island

On Brač Island we visited Croatia’s most famous beach: the Golden Horn. Google it to see what it looks like from above, but this long stretch of pebbled beach is busy for many reasons: including plenty of delicious spots to eat, beach lounges and an ice cream bar. We got up early to see the beach pretty much empty and snap our pics at the very farthest point of this pier.

Golden Horn Beach, Brac — Golden Horn Beach. Bol, Brač.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

This is likely Croatia’s most well known city and for good reason. Visitors stroll the city wall surrounding the Old Town and earn panoramic views of the city.

It’s famous for its role in Game of Thrones as King’s Landing, but we had multiple reasons for ending our trip in this stunning city.