Whenever I think about planning for the future, I always pause to reflect on the past.
I am tentatively planning my next trip to Croatia and reflecting on my previous trip.
When I arrived in Croatia last year, I had just left my career in Corporate America to start living my dream of travel and inspiring others to make their dreams come true.
Today, I want to recap my over 2 months living and traveling in Croatia.
Split
We began our journey to Croatia with a short flight from Belgrade to Split with our negative PCR test results in hand. We spent our first 3 nights in Croatia in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Diocletian’s Palace.
We spent a lot of time walking around the Palace and learning about the history and culture of the area. We also enjoyed exploring different areas of Split and checking out the different beaches and places to swim.
Pula
After a few days in Split, we drove North to Pula, the largest city on the Istrian Peninsula, to spend a week. Pula is a great port town with a large fresh market and the famous Pula Arena, a well-preserved Roman amphitheater.
The Istrian Peninsula definitely has a very Italian feel. This Italian vibe is especially true in the city of Rovinj, which is straight across the Adriatic See from Venice. Check this out to read more about our visit to Rovinj.
In addition to exploring Pula and Rovinj, we:
- Visited several incredible beaches – most notably Plaža Ambrela and Hawaii Beach
- Swam in the Verudela Canyon
- Toured the Pazin Castle and hiked down to the huge chasm below the Castle
Slatiné
After a week in Istria, we drove back down the coast to the island of Ĉiovo and spent the month of September living in the tiny fishing village of Slatiné.
Our typical days in Slatiné are why we loved it so much:
- Wake up without an alarm
- Sip on coffee while doing a few hours of work
- Eat a light lunch around mid-day and walk down the hill to the beach (see pic above)
- Spend 2-3 hours swimming and sunbathing
- Walk back to the apartment around 3:00 feeling totally refreshed
- Work a few more hours until dinner
- Relax in the evening with a glass of wine and go to bed
- Repeat
Check out Bill’s article on our stay in Slatiné.
Plitvice Lakes National Park
While in Slatiné, we drove about 2.5 hours North to spend a couple days exploring this UNESCO Heritage site. It is an incredible park with SO many iconic waterfalls – both large and small. Check this out to learn more about our first day at Plitvices Lakes, and click here for the details around our second day at Plitvice Lakes.
Krka National Park
Also while staying in Slatine, we took a day trip to visit Krka National Park.
The highlight was seeing Skradinski Buk, the famous large waterfall. We were lucky enough to be one of the last to swim in it as they implemented a swimming ban starting Jan 1, 2021 “to conserve resources and the richness of the biodiversity within the park.” Check this out to read more about our visit to Krka National Park.
Makarska
For the month of October, we stayed in the beautiful coastal town of Makarska, which is South of Split.
We were there in the low season but still enjoyed the relaxing café culture along the Makarska promenade and several beautiful beaches – especially Nugal Beach.
The weather in October is not always warm and sunny like in September so we hit the beach or went hiking on the warm and sunny days and stayed inside our apartment to work extra hard on our businesses on the days that were rainy or chilly.
My favorite thing about Makarska was the beautiful coast with so many options for swimming and seeing the immense Biokovo Mountains in the background.
We also enjoyed walking around the quaint little village of Sumartin on the Braĉ island and laying on the beautiful Sumartin Beach.
Dubrovnik
While in Makarska, we learned of the Croatia Digital Nomad Conference happening in Dubrovnik. We were only a few hours away and wanted to meet new people, so we hopped on a bus to Dubrovnik to attend the conference and stay a few nights.
We stayed inside the walls of the Old Town which had a somewhat similar vibe to Diocletian’s Palace in Split. Dubrovnik’s Old Town was quite touristy with lots of references to the Game of Thrones which filmed scenes there.
We also took the ferry to Lokrum Island one day to explore the ruins there and visit the resident peacocks.
Check out Bill’s take on our stay in Dubrovnik.
Zagreb
We spent our last 4 days in Croatia in Zagreb, the capital city.
We enjoyed our time in this larger, non-coastal city with more ethnically diverse restaurants and a cool café culture. It felt like a place that would have a lot of remote workers (especially if there wasn’t a global pandemic happening).
We also took a short bus ride to Samobor which is West of Zagreb and very close to the border of Slovenia. There we hiked to what remains of the Samobor Castle which was built in the 13th century.
Conclusion
To answer the question in the title of this article…
My response is ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!
I hope you enjoyed this Croatian recap from 2020.
It was such a wonderful trip – especially since it was my first stop after leaving Corporate America.
This trip was also the impetus of this travel blog – started from our kitchen table in Slatiné! 😊
I’m really looking forward to our next visit to Croatia (hopefully in the next month or two) but this time we’re hoping to do some island-hopping too!
My question for you today is: Are you interested in visiting Croatia?
If so, message me and let me know how I can help. If not, what is holding you back?
All the best,
Kristie
Was there several years back. Loved it!
Next time we go though, you inspired me to actually go directly there instead of seeing it on day trips from a cruise ship.
Hi there,
Thanks for your comment! Yes!! We LOVED it in Croatia and talk about making it an annual voyage! I think you would really enjoy traveling around as it’s actually quite easy getting around by car and/or bus. We like using http://www.rome2rio.com to figure out navigation logistics. Please let me know how I can help you plan your trip. My email is kristieds@gmail.com. 🙂
All the best,
Kristie
Very expensive and overrated compared to peers countries. The Italian region Puglia is just opposite and it’s half as expensive as Dubrovnik and double the quality (and number of beaches). If you want to stay in the Balkans, Montenegro and even Albania are a fraction of the cost and great quality.
Very expensive and overrated compared to peers countries. The Italian region Puglia is just opposite and it’s half as expensive as Dubrovnik and double the quality in terms of food, restaurants, culture (and number of beaches). If you want to stay in the Balkans, Montenegro and even Albania are a fraction of the cost and great quality.
Hi Mark,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Puglia is such a beautiful area and I hope to return some day to spend MORE time!
I totally agree that a city like Dubrovnik (especially within the Old Town walls) can be very expensive for the value you receive. Incidentally, we ended up spending a lot more time there than expected this summer but it was really nice spending time in the quieter areas on the Lapad peninsula. Having local friends there also helped ease the burden of the higher prices since they get local discounts! 🙂
What is your favorite place in Montenegro? Since we’ve spent about 6 of the past 12 months traveling around Croatia and only about a week in Montenegro, it might not be fair for me to compare the two. In Montenegro, we only visited Kotor, Herceg Novi, and Portonovi. We found Montenegro to be very beautiful and unique but it didn’t surpass our experiences in Croatia which is why I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on Montenegro.
Best,
Kristie
In Montenegro I definitely recommend Lake Skadar (Pavlova Strana Viewpoint), Lustica Bay, Blue Cave, Bigova area. Also, for a change, Tara Canyon and Durmitor national Park (alpine lakes like the Black Lake).
In Albania, Ksamil and Sarande for the beaches
YES! There’s no way I’m going to miss those beaches when I’m in Albania. I also want to do the Theth-Valbona hike when I’m there.
Thank you for the suggestions! I will make sure I have these in my travel notes for Montenegro! Side note, have you ever been to Portonovi in Montenegro? I’m trying to figure out if it’s a good place to recommend to luxury travelers I know… Thanks! 🙂
I didn’t! But looking at the pics and reviews I probably should have! For luxury travelers I would recommend Lustica Bay. Top!
Hi Marc,
Thank you for the tip! I’ve never heard of Lustica Bay (sadly, I’m not a luxury traveler but I know others who are…) but I will definitely take a look.
Thanks and take care,
Kristie
Hello, great blog but currently not enjoying Croatia at all and wondering if you can help! Me and my friend are two backpackers on a budget and here only 9 nights. I was wondering if you have any recommendations for hikes and lakes we can swim in? Thank you, nic
Hi Nic,
I’m sorry you’re not enjoying your time in Croatia. Unfortunately, Croatia is not a good destination during July & August for people on a tight budget – especially along the coast. Where are you located? You’ll probably find the Slavonian region more cost effective with more rural areas for hiking and swimming…
Strangely click-baitey article, but if the opinion of a Croatian native means anything – yes, Croatia is ABSOLUTELY overrated. I am from Dubrovnik but moved to Zagreb for uni and live abroad now. I go back 1-2x a year and am perplexed at the amount of tourists. Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, Croatia was a charming gem but you have to understand a few things, namely that on the Dalmatian coast, not much has changed since I was born. The corrupt government has done almost nothing to improve infrastructure. The coastal highway can easily be widened in a lot of places to reduce traffic. The tourism industry is overall in dire need of digitalization. There are so many places that I wouldn’t swim at due to unregulated pollution and industrialization. Etc etc. Secondly, the locals see you tourists as absolute fools to take advantage of. This explains the general surliness – that and a lot of service workers are seasonal employees from Bosnia, overworked and underpaid. Lastly, I wish tourists would think twice before supporting a super conservative, bigoted, and racist government – tourism taxes are literally propping them up.