Croatia

Croatia, in a few days

From the lakes of Plitvice to the walls of Dubrovnik by way of Split and Hvar: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Split

Days 1-2

A city that grew inside the palace Diocletian built for his retirement in the fourth century, and has been lived in ever since. The Riva waterfront runs along its sea wall.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Diocletian's palace, guided2h · from €25
  Two hours inside a Roman palace that turned into a town: cellars, cathedral, and the flats people still live in.
• Day trip to the Krka waterfallsFull day · from €55
  The second national park of the coast, an hour inland, where the river drops over seventeen steps at Skradinski Buk.

✦ Free to visit

• Diocletian's palace
• The Riva waterfront
• Marjan hill
• Bačvice beach

📲 Book things to do in Split on GetYourGuide

2

The Plitvice Lakes

Day 3 · 🚗 Car 2h30

Sixteen terraced lakes falling into one another by waterfall, UNESCO-listed since 1979. Boardwalks run over water clear enough to count the fish in.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Park entry, with the boat and the shuttle trainFull day · from €40
  A full day on the boardwalks, with the electric boat across the lower lake and the shuttle back up. Entry is timed, so book the slot.

✦ Free to visit

• The stepped waterfalls
• The boardwalk trails
• The turquoise lakes

📲 Book things to do in The Plitvice Lakes on GetYourGuide

3

Hvar Island

Days 4-5 · ⛴️ Ferry 1h

Lavender fields and Venetian villages on the sunniest island in the country. Life here is measured in boat trips and long lunches.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The Pakleni islands by boatHalf day · from €45
  Half a day among the islets off Hvar town, stopping to swim where the boat can anchor.
• Hvar wine tasting2h · from €35
  Two hours with the island growers, mostly plavac mali off terraces that fall straight into the sea.

✦ Free to visit

• The Španjola fortress
• St Stephen's Square
• The quiet coves
• The lavender fields

📲 Book things to do in Hvar Island on GetYourGuide

4

Dubrovnik

Days 6-7 · ⛴️ Catamaran 3h

The pearl of the Adriatic, a merchant city-state that ran its own affairs for four centuries behind two kilometres of wall. Game of Thrones filmed its capital here.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The city walls walk1h30 · from €35
  Ninety minutes around the top of Dubrovnik, above the roofs and the water. Start early or go late: there is no shade up there.
• Sunset kayak2h · from €40
  Two hours paddling under the walls and around Lokrum, with the light going down behind the island.

✦ Free to visit

• The old town and the Stradun
• Banje beach
• Lokrum island
• The view from Mount Srđ

📲 Book things to do in Dubrovnik on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

A car, then the ferries · Drive the coast road, then leave the car on the quay and take a Jadrolinija ferry out to the islands.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Grilled fish and shellfish, straight off the Adriatic.
• Peka: meat or octopus cooked slowly under a bell covered in embers.
• Cevapi: small grilled sausages, the Balkan staple.
• Istrian truffles, shaved over pasta and eggs.
• Local wine: plavac mali in red, malvazija in white.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Book early for July and August: the coast fills up and the prices climb with it.
• Fish is sold by weight, so ask the price per kilo before you order.
• Check the bill in Dubrovnik for padded extras, bread and cover charges included.
• Do not drive into the old towns: they are pedestrian, and the fines are real.

Words that help

English ↔ Croatian

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The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/croatia

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.