Croatia, from Istria to Dalmatia

The Croatia tour was our first real trip together, we were still getting to know each other, getting used to it. We organized it on a weekend in July without planning too much, just choosing where to sleep (I couldn't immediately give free rein to my obsessive compulsive mania of planning everything). We left by car and let ourselves be transported by the beauties that Croatia has to offer... sea, parks, culture... the ingredients are all there!

Tips for Trips: Even though Croatia is part of the European Union, the currency is the Croatian kuna. The word kuna means "marten" and takes us directly back to the Middle Ages when animal furs - very often martens - were used as trade goods in Croatia. One kuna is made up of one hundred lipa which in turn means "linden".

Update 01/01/2023: Croatia joined the euro area by adopting only the euro as its currency.

Itinerary in a nutshell

Our trip lasted 10 days. Driving for 2400km we explored the entire coast of Croatia starting from Istria and pushing to the edge of Dalmatia.

Tips for Trips: To get to Croatia from Italy you have to cross Slovenia, where to drive on the motorway you need to buy a vignette. This can be purchased both at petrol stations in Slovenia and in neighboring countries and must be positioned on the windshield so as to be visible to the cameras present at the entrance to each junction. Alternatively, you can take the E61 state road - the state roads are marked yellow - which connects Trieste to Rijeka and which does not require a vignette.

We slept in Rijeka, Split, Hvar, Dubrovnik, Sibenik, Zadar and Trieste. We immersed ourselves in the most luxuriant nature by visiting the Plitvice lakes and the Krka National Park. We couldn't miss the visits to the places related to the Game of Thrones (because we are a bit nerdy): the Klis Fortress aka Meereen, Dubrovnik aka King's Landing, Sibenik aka Braavos, the Lovrijenac Fortress aka the Red Fortress, the Minčeta Tower aka the House of the Undying, Diocletian's Palace aka Daenerys' Meereen Throne Room.

If you are curious to find out more, here are the stages of our journey day by day.

Day 1: River

After more than 5 hours by car, off-key songs, traffic, dancing, roadworks and stops at service stations, we arrive in Rijeka in the late afternoon. We chose it as a base to break up the journey and to be close enough to the next stop. We only stay one day so let's not waste time and go exploring.

Rijeka has a lively city center that develops around the main street, the Korzo, a long pedestrian street that in the evening is filled with stalls selling food and souvenirs. Along the walk we come across the famous one Civic Tower, built in the Middle Ages but with Baroque influences and a door full of imperial coats of arms in relief. We continue the walk along Ulica Ante Starčevića until we reach the Jelačić Square fountain where we stop to taste some typical local delights. We continue wandering up and down the alleys of the center and we find ourselves in front of what we later discover is the famous Petar Kružić Stairway, a walk of 561 steps that goes up the hill to take us to Trsat Castle an unexpected treasure that amazes us, its visit alone is worth a stop in Rijeka. It is one of the oldest fortifications in Croatia which preserves the typical characteristics of early Middle Ages buildings. In summer the castle hosts summer concerts, theatrical performances and other cultural events but is equipped with a charming venue where you can sip something cool in a suggestive setting with a breathtaking view.

Day 2: Plitvice Lakes

Woke up very early and set off straight away: i Plitvice Lakes they are the oldest and largest park in Croatia. The park is located halfway between Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and Zadar in Dalmatia and is made up of 16 lakes fed by the Bijela Rijeka and Crna Rijeka rivers – White River and Black River – and by underground springs, connected to each other by a series of waterfalls, which flow into the Korana River. Of the 16 lakes, 12 are located in the upper part, in a dolomite valley, surrounded by forests and connected by spectacular waterfalls, and 4 in the lower part are smaller and with lower vegetation. To move around the park, beyond the wooden walkways, electric boats, boats and a train are available. 

Opening hours: Summer 7am - 8pm, winter 8am - 4pm (entrance 2 closed in winter).

The park is divided into 4 paths organized into 7 routes of different duration and difficulty. Here find the details of the routes. We followed route C, the right compromise between Paolino's laziness and my desire to see everything. The route begins at the northern entrance (entrance 1) and runs for 8 km, taking in both the upper and lower lakes. Once you have crossed Lake Kozjak by ferry, you continue the excursion along three other lakes to Lake Proscansko. The return can be done with the panoramic train, we continued on foot until returning to the starting point.

It is truly difficult to describe in words the pristine beauty of the place, the breathtaking colors of the lakes and the wonder of nature all around. Without a doubt I can say that it is one of the most beautiful parks we have visited.

With beauty still in our eyes we head towards Split.

Day 3: Split

Let's start with a visit to the center of Split. We walk through the old city, starting from Piazza del Popolo – the heart of the old city – and we seem to travel through time, from ancient Rome, through the Middle Ages between Romanesque churches and Gothic palaces, Renaissance facades and Baroque palaces.

The historic center of Split is a labyrinth of alleys and narrow streets that branch around the Diocletian's Palace, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The palace is a rectangular construction with four large corner towers and four smaller towers which is accessed through four main doors: the Iron Gate, which connects Piazza del Popolo to the palace, with its Renaissance clock and bells that mark the passage of time; there Golden Gate, quadrangular in shape, with double doors whose façade is decorated with niches that housed sculptures depicting Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius and Costanzo Cloro; there Silver Gate, more modestly decorated, which from the Middle Ages until the middle of the last century was walled and on whose sides you can see the remains of the octagonal towers; there Porta Aenea, of more modest dimensions which, through the underground, allowed access to the sea but which today connects the palace to the shore, the Split seafront, always lively and full of tourists.

One of the most beautiful buildings of the palace is the Cathedral of St. Domnius in which the different historical eras are evident through the various architectural elements, from Roman times to modern times. The hexagonal pulpit is from the 13th century, the altar tabernacle, the frescoes of the four evangelists and the sarcophagus date back to the first half of the 15th century, while the main altar is from the 17th century. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, while the bell tower is actually dedicated to Saint Domnius.

Close to the cathedral Temple of Jupiter dating back to the 4th century. Since the 7th century, when the final resting place of Emperor Diocletian was transformed into a cathedral, the Temple of Jupiter has served as a baptistery. The temple is full of reliefs carved in limestone depicting various motifs of flowers, leaves and heads of Roman gods and goddesses – including Jupiter, Apollo, Victoria, Triton and Hercules – and is also adorned with the bronze statue of St. John the Baptist created by Croatia's most famous sculptor, Ivan Mestrovic.

In the center of the building the Peristyle, the central square of the palace and the place where city life takes place. The red color of the granite columns underlines its ceremonial function since purple became the color of the emperor. Today, the western part is closed by the palaces of the noble families of Split, combined with its authentic columns and arches.

At the entrance to the imperial residence is the Vestibul, first section of the imperial corridor leading from the Peristyle to the imperial apartments. Externally circular but internally circular in plan, once surmounted by a dome and adorned with four semicircular niches which have been filled with statues of unknown deities.

Through a staircase you go down to the Basements of the Palace, whose original function was to raise the spaces of the emperor's apartments above, but they also served as warehouses for the Palace. Today they are full of stalls selling everything from paintings to bracelets to used books and where exhibitions are often held. This basement was the setting for where Daenerys Targaryen kept her dragons in her palace. On the other side of the underground, through the Aenea gate, we emerge onto the shore and this is where our tour of the palace ends.

In the afternoon we treat ourselves to some relaxation and sun in the nearby one Firule Beach, until sunset and an aperitif at the end of a wonderful day.

Day 4: Klis Fortress, Žrnovnice shore and Hvar

We move from Split to Hvar, but first we make a detour to visit two symbolic places of the fourth season of GoT.

There Klis Fortress it is a medieval fortress built at an altitude of 360 meters to control the invasion of enemies. Due to its strategic location between two mountains, Kozjak and Mosor, the fortress played a very important role in the defense of the whole of Dalmatia, especially when it comes to the Ottomans and their invasions. Klis was used as the setting for the city of Meereen, the most significant metropolis of the Bay of Dragons, where Daenerys freed all the slaves from their chains.

We move towards the village of Žrnovnica and we take a walk on the banks of the river of the same name, an iconic place where a little Immaculate Gray Worm peeked at Daenerys' faithful advisor, Missandei, while she was bathing.

We get in the car, we have a ferry not to be missed!

Tips for Trips: There are two possibilities to get to the island of Hvar. The first is to get to Stari Grad, the largest port on the island, located 1.5 km from the town of the same name and 17.3 km from Hvar town. The second is to get to Sućuraj, which is 60 km from Stari Grad and 70 from Hvar town, and connects the easternmost point of the island of Hvar and the town of Drvenik on the mainland. We decide to do the Drvenik – Sućuraj route because it is less frequented. It is not necessary to book the ticket in advance, just stand in line and wait to board one of the ferries which leaves approximately every hour and a half. Upon arrival, however, you have to cross the entire island since Hvar town is on the opposite side... of course the wild and beautiful landscape makes you appreciate the road.

We spend the remainder of the day at Hvar. There city, a small jewel in Venetian style, is surrounded by 13th century walls, strengthened in the Renaissance. We walk through the streets of the centre, a succession of Gothic and Renaissance palaces, fortresses and Baroque buildings. In the center of the city is the Trg Svetog Stjepana, a rectangular square that starts from St. Stephen's Cathedral – baroque church built between the 16th and 17th centuries – and extends to the small port.

Overlooking the port is the Venetian Loggia, a Renaissance building that was once part of the Governor's palace, which was severely damaged by the Ottomans in the late 16th century. Immediately next to it Clock tower added around 1800 replacing the previous one destroyed by the Ottomans.

We spend the evening on the seafront and after an excellent dinner we take a long walk along it Fabrika – which flows into Šetalište Tonija Petrića – a long stone sidewalk that goes around the entire coast of the port between green parks, small restaurants and coves by the sea.

Day 5: Fortica Fortress and Dubovica Beach

In the morning we return to Hvar to visit the famous Fortica Fortress (Spanish) che sovrasta la città vecchia. Partendo dalla piazza centrale saliamo su per le scale che attraversano la parte vecchia della città e risaliamo la piccola serpentina intrisa del profumo della vegetazione mediterranea, fino ad arrivare in cima alla collina dove si trova la fortezza. Venne costruita agli inizi del XVI secolo e ricostruita dopo che un esplosione nel magazzino della polvere da sparo la distrusse nel 1579, ma deve il suo aspetto finale a numerose successive modifiche. Le mura vennero rinforzate dai Francesi, le baracche e le torri di sentinella vennero costruite dagli Austriaci e oggi ospita una collezione di anfore e oggetti antichi e Medievali. Il punto di forza della fortezza è sicuramente la vista mozzafiato di cui si gode una volta in cima: si domina l’intera città, il mare e le Pakleni.

Hours: Every day 9:00 - 21:00.

Afternoon dedicated to relaxation on one of the most famous and beautiful beaches of Hvar, la Dubovica beach it does not disappoint our expectations. The pebble beach is nestled inside a bay surrounded by a complex of small stone houses and a sea with intense shades. On the beach there is a small bar, poorly equipped, where y