Let me start off my saying, going to Croatia wasn’t even on my list of intended destinations when I went abroad, but now I think it should be high up on everyone’s list. It wasn’t a much-talked-about location like London, Rome or Paris but I certainly didn’t give it the credit it deserved. I signed up for the trip the day before, and after a small mix-up over two different travel companies, what I thought was a trip of 6 of us ended up being a trip for two. We didn’t let that stop us from exploring the beautiful city of Split though (I thought we were headed to Dubrovnik but then we passed it on our bus so I was mistaken). We took a 12 hour bus ride from Florence to Croatia overnight on Thursday, arriving early afternoon Friday. I had always read about how the water there being so blue and clear but the second we stepped off the bus, I couldn’t believe it. It was so unlike any other place I had been and I couldn’t wait to explore. We checked into our hostel right down the street (that reminded me of being inside a spaceship, as you’ll see in the photos below). Weighing our options of what to do, we spent most of Friday exploring, went on a boat (booze) cruise Saturday and Sunday took a trip to the Krka National Park before heading back that was really just a small piece of heaven surrounded by waterfalls everywhere you looked – even if the water temperature was equivalent to an ice bath. Croatia was a place I never would have really thought to go, but now that I have, I can’t wait to return.
Must See Sights
Island of Brac – Boat Cruise: While we were in Croatia, we signed up for a six hour boat cruise. We didn’t realize it was a booze cruise, or that it was BYOB for that matter until we showed up and people had plastic bags of Croatian beer. We didn’t mind enjoying the sites and making new friends though seeing that it was just Damien and I, and once we got off at our first stop on the island of Brac, we found a little convenience store that sold alcohol and picked up a few things for the remaining trip. One of the funniest things was that the second we got off the boat, three little kids ran up to all of us and started shooting us with their water guns. We all laughed as did they, and then we started talking to them and they spoke perfect English. They said they do this to a lot of tour boats who come by, and I can’t really blame them! It was fun to see that even though we were so far away from home, we’re really not that different – especially when it comes to curious little kids! We spent the rest of the time having rock-skipping contests, making new friends, and swimming in the clear blue water. The weather couldn’t have been better and that day in the sun was perfect.
Walking Tour: One thing I can’t stress enough is to try and get a walking tour of whatever city/town you’re in when you get there. Yes that’s easier said than done when you’ve just been on a bus for 12 hours, but getting to know your way around the place a little can be really helpful later on. You can make points of places to go back to and your tour guide will probably have some great recommendations for food places to check out! Our tour guide was great, and even though I’m not a Game of Thrones fan (I know, I’m one of the few), he pointed out a few places where they had filmed Game of Thrones scenes and you could immediately tell who the fans were in our group.
Diocletian’s Palace: I definitely recommend taking some time to walk around Diocletian’s Palace. It was built by Roman Emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD, and takes up about half the town in Split. Everywhere you looked there were more stones and stories to be shared. Much of the palace is still preserved and it was so cool to see where all of the ancient architecture. It also didn’t take too long to walk around so you don’t have to set aside your whole day for this!
Krka National Park: On our way back to Florence on Sunday, we stopped at Krka National Park for the morning. It’s home to 16 magnificent waterfalls, including the infamous Skradinski buk waterfall, one of the most beautiful and recognizable spots along the Krka River because of its huge natural pool for swimming. To get to the main attractions, you walk on a path surrounded by other small falls and over 200 plant species. While the path to get there never seemed to end, everywhere you looked, you were just surrounded by beauty. Once we got to the main waterfall, we saw everyone climbing down the small cliff to go in the water. Everyone started jumping into the water just for the photo and then getting out because it was so cold. I wanted a photo with my feet in it for Instagram, so Damien jumped and put his feet in the water too so he could take the photo, and then we went back and forth wondering if we should jump in with everyone or not. He had a go-pro so he wanted to get some videos closer up to the waterfall and I wasn’t about to let him go in alone because we were the only two people we knew on the trip (although with him being a lifeguard, he was definitely a stronger swimmer than I was) We both canon-balled into the water and he started swimming towards the falls but I just stood there frozen, not being able to move. I chickened out after that and got out but kept an eye on him so he didn’t disappear in the falls. We both made it out alive and grabbed food after right by the falls, while I changed into a long shirt and pants, looking crazy because it was probably 80 degrees out but I couldn’t warm up. Usually the base of the falls are full of people with floats and swimming, but seeing as we went in the first weekend of April, it’s understandable that the water was still really cold. If I were to go back, I would definitely go but later in the summer at a more popular time. I would rather have to deal with a small crowd than the freezing water, but I’m so glad we ended up going in because how many people can say they swam in a waterfall in Croatia? (Or stood there, but nobody needs to know that). You can buy your tickets here, and they’re 11 – 13 euros depending on the season you go in.
*Also, as of early in the Summer of 2017, the park is now limiting entrance to a maximum of 10,000 visitors at a time into the Skradinski buk section of the park due to safety and overcrowding so just keep that in mind if you go!
Food & Drink
Lvxor Kavana & Restoran: We were lucky enough to get breakfast in our hostel every morning, but Damien and I found this place right by Diocletian’s Palace while we were exploring and grabbed some food. I don’t know if we came at an unusual time for food but we ended up being hte only two in the whole restaurant, but the service was still great! We got the bruschetta to start and then I got a grilled cheese sandwich. I know – not very exciting food choices but sometimes you’re just in the mood for comfort food when you’re far away from home! I swear I branched out more during dinner Saturday night
If you love to eat fish, Croatia the place for you. They’re known for their fish dishes and I so wish I liked fish but I just don’t. One of my friends Saturday night ended up getting this pasta dish with squid ink and even though it didn’t look super appetizing, it wasn’t that bad! My advice would be to branch out and if you have one meal filled with food you know you’ll like, make the next meal something you wouldn’t normally get. I found that the waiters were always happy to share their recommendations too!
Best Kept Secrets
One thing that you probably didn’t know is that Croatia is one of the largest producers of lavender, due to the ideal climate and good soil. Our tour guide told us this and then as we started walking around, it was easy to find souvenirs of lavender everywhere. If you’re looking for some gifts for your family, a bar of lavender soap could be just the thing!
Good to Know
In Croatia, they use a currency called Kuna instead of euros. The exchange rate currently is about:
1 kuna = 13 euros = 16 US cents
I found all of our food and souvenirs to be very cheaply priced, or average. I spent maybe 100 euros the entire weekend, but that’s not to say the food or souvenirs are cheaply made – everything I found tasted great and was nice quality!