Croatia Travel Blog

This is the first time in a number of years that I’ve been to Croatia during the tourist season (although not at the height, which would be in July and August) and my trip held a number of surprises.

Finally, I could enjoy the pleasures of swimming in the Croatian sea which is usually too chilly in April, the time of my usual Adriatic pilgrammage. Also, the sunny weather was perfect for taking pictures.

On the other hand, I was vividly aware of how crowded with tourists some of Croatia’s highlights can be. Dubrovnik was about as crowded as I expected but at least my visit didn’t coincide with the arrival of a half-dozen cruise ships which can render the Old Town nearly impassable. Trogir, Hvar Town and Diocletian’s Palace in Split were also booming with visitors. But it’s still easy to find quieter spots. Korcula was relatively relaxed, Vis Island had relatively few visitors and there were some nearly deserted beaches on Mljet Island. And then there are places that nearly no one visits such as peaceful little Pazin in the heart of Istria and the bucolic Zagorje region around Zagreb.

Read more about my trip! See what I have to say about:

• [post="111" text="Jadrolinija Ferries"]
• [post="112" text="Krka Waterfalls National Park"]
• [post="113" text="Trogir"]
• [post="114" text="Split"]
• [post="115" text="Vis Island"]
• Accommodation in Croatia

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Dalmatia’s answer to the splendid Plitvice Lakes National Park, the impressive network of lakes, rivers and falls of Krka National Park are easily accessible from the coastal cities of Zadar, Sibenik and Split. What’s not so easy is arranging a visit that takes you all through the park, as I found out.

Despite repeated requests to the Krka National Park office, I was unable to get a schedule of the boats that allow you to see the entire park. It’s complicated. There are hourly boats to Skradinski Buk from the park’s entry point at Skradin. But I wanted to go further! I wanted to go up the river to Roski Slap and the Franciscan Monastery on Visovac Island. No dice. There were only two other boats that day: one to Roski Slam at noon and one to Visovac Island at 4pm. Both left from Skradinski Buk.

As the National Park doesn’t post the schedules on their website, all I can suggest is that you get to the park no later than 10am if you want to see everything. And, even then, it’s not sure. I was given to understand that the boats only make the run if there are enough people which means that off-season you may not be able to make the run up the river at all. Still, the falls around Skradinski Buk are pretty great.

See more on:

• Jeanne’s Croatia 2008
• Krka Waterfalls National Park

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It is a jewel of a town and a UNESCO World Heritage Site but Trogir was unbelievably crowded, even in mid-June. Pleasure boats crowded the Trogir quay; there were tour groups, gulet-cruising groups and hordes of other camera-clickers. The celebrated cathedral has been fully restored and maybe even over-restored. Parts of the facade looked just too new. I was also surprised at the 15HRK fee to enter but shouldn’t have been; it’s a bargain at twice the price. The large parking lot outside the Old Town was nearly full even though parking is a steep 15HRK/hour, the most expensive on the coast.

The best way to visit Trogir is either by taking the bus from Split or, even better, staying in Ciovo and strolling into town early in the morning before the tourists arrive.

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• Trogir
• [post="108" text="Villa Pape, Trogir"]
• Jeanne’s Croatia 2008

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I always enjoy visiting Split, the Adriatic’s most vibrant city. The town is all hustle and bustle even as the seaside Promenade makes for a relaxing stroll.

Split is becoming highly sought after by property hunters with the result that real estate values have skyrocketed. Few bargains are to be had anymore and the town has become a more expensive place in which to live.

Meals are still reasonably priced though. I made my usual stop at Galija which still serves up the best pizza in town. Sperun is also good despite appearing in nearly every single guidebook.

Parking remains a problem in the town centre. The promenade is closed to traffic which means that if you’re staying in the Old Town, you must park in the lot near the bus and train stations which might not be so convenient. As always, it’s best to travel light!

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• Split
• Jeanne’s Croatia 2008

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Vis Island has always been one of my favourites and it didn’t disappoint me this time. Even as the rest of the coast is crowded with visitors, Vis remains relatively relaxed probably because it takes nearly 3 hours to get there by ferry from Split.

Much as I enjoy Vis Town, I couldn’t wait to get to Komiza which really retains  the atmosphere of an old fishing village. Arriving at around 11am in Vis Town, I was too late to take the boat trip to the Blue Cave at Bisevo Island which was a disappointment. To see this awesome blue-lit cave you need to stay overnight on the island in order to get an early boat to Bisevo. Plenty of agencies arrange the excursion but it’s a little more complicated than it once was. You now take the excursion boat to Bisevo island and then change to a much smaller boat that can enter the cave. I was told that at the height of the season, you may need to wait several hours to get on the small boat but do it! It’s really worth it.

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• Vis Island
• Jeanne’s Croatia 2008

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