A perfect 7-day itinerary for Croatia

If you like traveling, you already know that Croatia has become one of the world’s most popular travel destinations in recent years. With fantastic beaches, towns with ancient palaces and fortresses and great weather, it remains one of Europe’s most beautiful places. Of course, the tourists visiting Croatia have gone up as well, but with more and more people traveling, that’s bound to happen. If you are planning to visit Croatia anytime soon, you can follow the below itinerary. I recently visited Croatia with my husband, and this itinerary seemed perfect for us, we had time for everything, it wasn’t too rushed and we managed to see everything we wanted to. 

Of course, I’m going to soon have detailed posts on each of the specific places we visited, but this post is to help you understand which places to go to and also how to go from one place to another. I’m also going to include which sites you can use to book buses and ferries, as these are common modes of transport in Croatia, and something which you can’t find so easily on the web. 

Day 1: Zagreb 

The first place we reached in Croatia was Zagreb. Now, since we were planning to come back to Zagreb at the end of the trip, and take our flight back to India from there, we decided not to spend too much time there, and left for Plitvice the same day itself. Plitvice National Park in Croatia is one of the world’s most stunning national parks and a must-do if you are visiting Croatia. 

If you do wish to see Zagreb properly, I suggest that you spend a day in Zagreb, and leave for Plitvice the next day. We took a bus to Plitvice and stayed overnight in Plitvice. We had the evening as well as next day to explore Plitvice properly. For details on Plitvice, check out my post here: HOW TO EXPLORE PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK

 

Plitvice National Park

Day 2: Plitvice

After exploring Plitvice next day morning, we headed to Split in the evening. We took a bus to Split and reached in the evening. Split is a beach-town which is beautiful due to its fortress-like walls, quaint lanes and the overall ancient feel to the town. 

Where we stayed: Guesthouse Ziggy Star, which is located right in the middle of the city-centre. The room was a little small, but given the very little time we actually spent in the room, it turned out to be perfect for us. Apart from the size, the apartment was perfect and our host was lovely. She came to pick us up and gave us great recommendations for the city. We also got coupons for breakfast at Fife, one of Split’s best restaurants. 

Best site for booking buses in Croatia: Bus Booking

Day 3: Split 

We spent the day exploring Split’s old town, the Diocletian’s Palace, and walked along the sea. We also visited Marjan Park in Split, from which we had great views of the sea. 

Split

Day 4 & 5: Hvar 

We took a ferry from Split to Hvar in the morning and reached in the afternoon. Hvar is an island in Croatia. We spent the next 2 days in Hvar, and explored the beaches in the town, and just lazed around in the Croatian sun. Our visit coincided with the Football World Cup 2018, and we were lucky enough to catch the semis in Croatia (which Croatia won) and witness the celebrations. 

Where we stayed: Antique Handmade Hvar Main Square Apartment, which was a perfect apartment located right in the middle of old town, and the apartment was super spacious and beautiful. 

Best site for booking ferries in Croatia: Ferry Booking 

Hvar

Day 6 & 7: Dubrovnik

We took a ferry from Hvar to Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is a city which is famous for its fortress, ancient city walls and Game of Thrones! You can’t visit Croatia and miss Dubrovnik, especially if you are a Game of Thrones fan. You need 2 days in Dubrovnik to explore the beaches, walk around the city walls, and also explore some of the Game of Thrones shooting locations. Late night (Day 7), we took a flight from Dubrovnik to Zagreb. We took a flight because we got it pretty cheap. But, you can also take an overnight bus from Dubrovnik to Zagreb. 

Dubrovnik

Where we stayed: Ragusa Apartments, which is located right outside Old Town. It had the advantage of being located right outside the City Walls, and hence, we managed to escape the hustle-bustle of tourists. 

Last Day: We spent half the day exploring Zagreb, and had our flight back to India in the evening. 

7 days seemed like the perfect time for Croatia for us. But, if you want to shave off a few days here and there, you can do that as well, and still have time for all the great places. For specific recommendations in Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik, keep a look-out for my upcoming posts!

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