Croatia is the first country we have traveled to outside the Schengen region. This was a country I knew very little about, but one thing I did know is that many people I have talked to about it over the years have given it rave reviews. It is a country with a very complicated and tragic history, but untragically Croatia’s wealth of islands is only outnumbered in Europe by Greece. It has a very diverse landscape on the mainland as well. And, on top of it all, the country is just downright beautiful.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
We took a rinky-dink plane from Athens to the airport outside of Dubrovnik in the southern portion of Croatia. If you don’t believe me, here is proof. I sent my dad my flight information just in case we unexpectedly went down.
We landed late and the sun was down. However, even on the taxi from the airport to the city center where we stayed, we could already tell that we were in a special place. Many of you that have seen (or heard of) the famous film series Game of Thrones may or may not be aware that a good portion of the footage from that series was filmed in Croatia and a lot of that was in the area in and around Dubrovnik. The film crew actually spent around FOUR YEARS in this area filming. I haven’t seen Game of Thrones, but I have an idea of the beauty of the landscape that is highlighted in that series and it truly is beautiful in person.
This is one of the first cities that I have been in where the center of the city was literally a fortress. All the taxis, buses, and any other public transit stop at one of the three gates into the city walls. Walking up to and through the walls makes you feel like you are going into a castle. The walls are high and wrap around the city along the sea. The stone is old and the entrances make you feel like you are going over a moat in medieval times. The cobblestone streets within the walls are littered with shops, restaurants, and boutique hotels. The only vehicles you see within the walls are small delivery vans or these little motor carts that look more like mobile lifts you would see in a mall where repairs were needed. They use these carts to bring supplies through the city without trampling the large crowds of walkers aimlessly walking through the streets.
The businesses in the inner walls are really focused on tourists. But, that doesn’t take away the beauty of the city. To me, you truly feel like you are walking through the open grounds of a castle or palace. The tall outer walls and the buildings within seem to tell a story etched in time. The lights at night and the, apparently, nightly fireworks display celebrate a place of wonder and fun. This makes this town very popular with tourists but does pump up the prices a bit. But, after learning that the tourism industry makes up a large portion of the revenue for Croatia, it makes sense.
Pro Tip: We found out that we made the right bet by staying within the walls of the city center of Dubrovnik. It can be a little hard to find spots to stay from what I’ve heard. But, we had a great experience with Roko House. You should definitely check them out because they gave you a good idea of the area and the space we stayed in was comfortable and really centrally located. So, we would definitely suggest Roko House. If you are looking for an area to stay outside the city walls and easy for getting around the area, look for options outside of the Pile gate.
Montenegro
Geographically, we had to be crazy NOT to go to Montenegro when we were in Dubrovnik. We decided to take a bus tour via GetYourGuide and visit the best of the very small but significant country. It was a bonus treat for our trip and I’m so glad we decided to make it happen and cross the border.
Rise & Fall of Yugoslavia
As our guide mentioned, it is hard to understand the history of Montenegro (or Croatia for that matter) without discussing the rise and fall of Yugoslavia. The Slovak-speaking countries of Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia were all once one nation starting after World War I but most recently a socialist government starting in the 1960s. It made sense to an extent; the languages and ties between the people of this region were very similar. When talking to a native Croatian speaker we learned that he could understand pretty much any language in the territory and told us that it was like how Americans can understand the British and vice versa. The languages are so close and their minor differences are easily rectified in a conversation between native speakers.
But, aside from language, the region had alot of similar interests. They had a long history of being conquered people. Croatia specifically was under the rule of the Venetians, Turkish (Ottoman Empire), and Austria-Hungary for hundreds of years. The most significant was that of the Turkish rule which lasted for over 100 years. That influence is still in the architecture throughout the country.
In the early 1990s war broke out among the states of Yugoslavia. These wars were coined the name the Yugoslav Wars and created yet another dark time in the region’s history. Socialist Yugoslavia had been questioned since the early 1980s and the nationalist movement stoked the fire of war. This led to the eventual independence of a majority of the former Yugoslavian states in 1992. But, it took until 2006 for Montenegro and Serbia to gain independence and 2008 for Kosovo to be formed.
This is all to say that Montenegro is a fairly “new” country. It has only been free for less than 20 years. It is small but packs a punch in what it offers the world.
The Bay of Kotor
The area we explored in Montenegro is not far across the southern border of Croatia: the Bay of Kotor. The ocean jets into the country via a deep bay and there is this little town called Kotor at the deepest part of the cut. There are many little settlements along the bay like that of Perast.
We took a bus tour along the coast of the bay on our way to Perast and then made our way to Kotor on a boat ferry. The sheer beauty of the hills surrounding the bay on either side was breathtaking. With it being a bay vs. the ocean the water was nice and calm. Cruise ships come in and out of the bay to take in the sights along the way.
Kotor is pretty small but has a lot going on. The center of the city is actually a walled city center. Like Dubrovnik, it felt like you were going into a castle but a much smaller castle than Dubrovnik. We even made our way up along the walking path on top of the outer walls. The streets are cobblestone and the shops and restaurants feast for patrons. With the heat during our stay, many of the restaurants have large umbrellas with misting water lines to keep their customers as cool as possible.
Like in many places in Croatia and along the coast of the Adriatic Sea, the weather is quite Mediterranean. The moisture comes off the coast and the weather is great for growing olives and grapes. It also is great for pastures up and out of the coastline. The Bay of Kotor itself is really good for growing and fishing mussels. Many times in our travels around the bay, we could see these buoy-like mussel traps in large “farms” on the water.
We dined at a restaurant in the city center of Kotor and got a chance to taste the fruits of the Montenegrin labor. We had a local sparkling white wine that is much like a Prosecco. It was very good and very welcomed on a hot day (in the 90s Fahrenheit). We also tried the local cheese which reminded us a lot of white cheddar from Wisconsin! It is actually made specifically in this very small village up in the mountains right up from the town of Kotor. It was very good. And, last but not least, we got some mussels in tomato sauce. The mussels were a good size and you could tell that they were really fresh. It was cool to be in a place where everything I mentioned here was made locally.
Korčula, Croatia
Ferry travel has been a lot of fun in this part of Europe. The ability we have had to be able to just hop on (with a ticket) and push off from the dock in a couple of minutes to our destination makes things so much easier. Plus, we get to see so much scenery along the way. We departed Dubrovnik via the ferry port there and made our way to the island of Korčula. It is worth mentioning that there are over 1000 islands off the mainland of Croatia. Some are inhabited and most are not. Korčula is one we heard was supposed to be lovely.
They are right. The island has only a couple of settlements, but we stayed right outside the port city carrying the same name as the island. The cool thing is that that part of the island is only a little distance from a large inlet from the mainland of Croatia. So, the water between feels more like a bay than an ocean or sea. Plus, with the views of the inlet out our window, we got to take advantage of the large hills jetting up creating a beautiful scene.
Not only is this island blessed with beautiful views of the water and the mainland of Croatia, it also has a really famous wine country. On the same side of the island, but about a 20-minute drive out of Korčula town is the Lumbarda region. We had a chance to visit the wine region and get some tastings at a couple of the wineries there. The properties themselves are quite picturesque. This little piece of land is gifted with two sides of the island which has a very different set of weather patterns. The Lumbarda region is on a large peninsula of sorts. The soil here is quite sandy which gives their grapes a good place to grow. The grapes are a strand only grown there. They are called the Grk grapes and they are female white grapes. The male red grapes that pollinate the white are the Plavac Mali. The red Plavac Mali grapes are mostly grown on the south side of the island and the Grk white are grown on the north. BUT, the white grapes are planted with a red grape vine on every line of vines so that pollination occurs. And the result…
The best of the lot we had was the rosé shown above. The color was stunning and the flavor made it so easy to drink. We were fortunate enough to be there in the middle of the week and had the beautiful seating areas to ourselves for the most part. It was so calming and the breeze was glorious.
Hvar, Croatia
One of the most popular islands in all of the Dalmatia region of islands is Hvar (pronounced huh-var). Many of the small cruise ships that travel between Dubrovnik and Split and along the islands stop in Hvar. The island is downright gorgeous and has some bonus islands straight out from the Hvar Old Town where we stayed just outside of. Water taxis along with yachts and small skiffs go back and forth from these little islands and the cruise ships dock right downtown. We were lucky enough to have a great view from our Airbnb up the hill from the main port.
With the number of tourists flooding into the city mostly at night, there is bound to be a booming nightlife. That is the case here. Many clubs open up down by the port along with some more expensive restaurants to take advantage of the heavy-pocketed travelers. There is even a nightclub on one of the beaches on the islands across from the port that lights up the sky around it as the music blares just far enough away that it can’t be heard easily. But, aside from all that, the food and the scenery are gorgeous.
We also had the opportunity to take a swim in the Adriatic Sea! This was a really cool experience. It became very apparent to us that sandy beaches are at a premium on this island and the surrounding islands for that matter. But, in Hvar, there are many roped-off swimming spots along the coast that have flat rock spots to lay a small blanket and even railed stairs attached to the rock going into the water. The stairs make these areas much easier to access and allowed us to get down into the water to swim. It was so refreshing when we went and we only wished we had done it sooner and more often during our stay there.
Pro Tip: Staying in Hvar demands a little more money, but we found that staying outside the main port kept us from spending more and also gave us an opportunity to have a better sleeping experience when the cruise ships came in for the night.
Split, Croatia
As one of the biggest cities in Croatia, Split has such a cool vibe as it sits along the coastline of the peninsula. It is actually home to one of the only world heritage palaces that still has people living within its walls. The old town area is surrounded by outer walls but nothing close to the height or “caste-like” nature of Dubrovnik. The port area is lined with palm trees, park benches, restaurants under umbrellas, and shops. Whereas, inside the walls, the cobblestone streets are littered with gelaterias, restaurants with seating inside and out, and shops of all kinds. It is tighter but has a maze-like feel with beautiful churches and old squares tucked in random places.
Split really is much bigger than most people see when they visit. When you go outside the walls there is a sprawling city with remnants of socialist Yugoslavia. We were told about it by a tour guide we had. Split during the time of Yugoslavia (mostly in the 70s and 80s) was actually very industrial and had alot of housing which was built to make living very consistent for all people. It was in an effort to make sure people were treated equally essentially. These buildings are pretty plain and stick out as being very bland. You can see a lot of these buildings trickled throughout cities in Croatia.
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Croatia has a wide variety of landscapes. Much of the focus is on the coastline and the islands. However, inland there are some beautiful mountains, forests, lakes, and rivers. The largest of the national parks that preserve these areas in Croatia is Plitvice Lakes National Park.
This park is the first national park that Britta and I visited outside of the U.S. It has been a place Britta has talked about for a long time. And, in classic fashion, she usually knows what she is talking about. We decided to take a day trip to the park from Split which is definitely a hike (6 hours round trip), but the park made it worth the bus ride.
We got a guided tour through GetYourGuide that provided us a bus seat and a great local guide to talk about the area in the park and on the way there. We learned that Plitvice Lakes National Park is actually only 5% lakes and the rest is forest. It is quite a spectacle with its great number of lakes and waterfalls that connect them. The trees tower over the rest of the park and the edges of the lakes are garnished with nice walking paths for patrons of the park to see the water easily.
The water is this striking aquamarine color that I have never seen in the wild before. Not only that, but the water is essentially crystal clear. From the water’s edge, you can see all the way down the sharp drop-off lake bottom. The water’s surface is like a picture window down to all the fallen trees and branches scattered along the bottom. It also shows us all the wildlife: carp and trout fish. All sizes of fish swim peacefully near the water’s surface and crowd under the shade of the trees hanging over the water on the shore. The ducks quietly swim along the edge too and pop up on the shore every once and a while to rest and dry off.
The waterfalls are literally everywhere along the lakes. There are even parts of the walking paths that just barely reach above the water flows below. Just as you take the boardwalk over the shallow parts of the smaller lakes you can see short waterfalls emptying into the very lake you stand above. The spritz of misting water off the bottom of the falls fills the air. Larger waterfalls cascade down into larger lakes which empty into smaller lakes and so on and so on. It was so lovely seeing such a flowing ecosystem. We were blown away at how captivating and just downright cool Plitvice is.
Pro Tip: The drive (or ride) to Plitvice Lakes National Park from Split was pretty lengthy. If you ever decide to go Plitvice, we would suggest you try to start in Zagreb or somewhere a bit closer so you can explore the park more and not spend so much time in your car or bus.
Recap
Miles Walked
- 39 miles over 13 days
Next Up!
- Rome & Austria
Read About Where Else We’ve Been
- New Zealand: A Little Bit of Everything
- Vietnam: North to South
- Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia: New Year’s 2023
- Thailand: Temples, Food, and So Much More
- Australia: The East Coast of Natural Wonders
