Croatia Itinerary - Two weeks along the Dalmatian Coast

In May 2023 I spent two weeks travelling along the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia with my partner. I spent a while researching and planning this trip and in the hopes of this being useful to others, I’m writing up some of our thoughts and experiences to share here.

Overall Thoughts

Overall the trip went great! Croatia was wonderful, the weather was ideal, the people were friendly and all our plans worked out. Here are some general thoughts:

• May/June is an ideal time to go, temperatures are warm, but not too hot, it wasn’t too busy and prices were cheaper than the high season.
• We spent roughly £2000, covering flights, all transport, accommodation, food and activities.
• We stayed in guest houses or apartments, ranging between £30-£50 a night, which is much cheaper than later on in summer.
• In terms of food, we did a mixture of cooking ourselves (where accommodation had cooking facilities), eating fast food and eating out at nicer restaurants.
• Public transport was good, with fast passenger catamarans between the islands and buses on land. Hiring a car wasn’t necessary.
• Croatian bakeries are a great place to grab something for breakfast or lunch. The burek was a particular favourite.
• There were lots of public water fountains, particularly in the cities to refill water bottles which you can find on the Water-Map app.
• We travelled hand luggage only, with a big backpack and small daypack. This made getting through the airports easier as we didn’t have to deal with checked luggage and made the transfers between accommodation easier.
• When we had to check out and weren’t catching the bus/ferry until later, there was always a luggage storage service near the transport terminal.
• Beaches in Croatia are pebbled, so bring flip-flops for comfort!
• Croatia has really nice ice cream, try some!
• I’m pescetarian, and never had issues finding food, even if you were fully vegetarian there were plenty of options. The food in Croatia was great :)

Useful Resources

• visit-croatia.co.uk - An amazing resource for all travel info on Croatia
• getbybus.com - Useful for finding bus times and buying tickets

Our Itinerary

Leg 1 - Dubrovnik (3 nights)

We flew into Dubrovnik from Manchester, UK with EasyJet. There’s a local bus company that runs transfers from the airport into Dubrovnik. Despite arriving in Dubrovnik at 11pm we managed to find a fast food place still open. We stayed at a guest house halfway between the old town and the ferry terminal. To get to Korčula we took the TP-Line ferry which took about 2 hours. Dubrovnik was already starting to get busy at the end of May, I imagine in July/August the old town will be completely packed!

Things to do

• Day-trip to Lokrum Island - highly recommended, consider bringing your own food as there are very limited options on the island, as you would expect! There’s plenty to explore on the island including beaches, gardens and a fortress.
• Explore Dubrovnik old town on foot
• Hike up to the top of Mount Srd, with breathtaking views down to Dubrovnik and views to Lokrum island. There’s a museum about the Croatian War of Independence and a cable car down (although a one-way ticket was €15 each which seemed steep!)
• Red History Museum - an interactive museum right next to the ferry terminal

Food

• I don’t have any particular recommendations, apart from that places outside the old town will be cheaper!

Leg 2 - Korčula (2 nights)

Korčula was one of our favourite stops. We stayed in a lovely guest house in the centre of Korčula old town. Two nights here felt about right for the length of our trip. We took the Krilo - Kapetan Luka ferry to Hvar which took about an hour.

Things to do

• Explore the old town (this won’t take long as it’s very small)
• Climb the steps to the top of the St. Marco Bell Tower for panoramic views
• Water taxi to the nearby islands - highly recommended, particularly the tranquil Badija Island where you can walk around the island in about 1-2 hours. Although careful of the deer, they aren’t afraid of you and won’t hesitate to steal your food!
• We didn’t have time but Mljet island could be worth a visit
• Hiring bikes - again didn’t have time but would be a good way to explore the island. Different types of bikes (pedal/electric/mopeds) were available.

Food

• Aurora restaurant - serves Croatian seafood in a gorgeous setting. The most expensive meal of our holiday, but it was worth it!
• Pizzeria LEUT Korčula - lovely pizza and drinks before catching our ferry

Leg 3 - Hvar (3 nights)

Hvar seems to have a reputation for being a party island, although when we were there it wasn’t too busy yet. We stayed 15 minutes out from the old town, so it was quieter. We took the Krilo - Kapetan Luka ferry to Split which took about an hour.

Things to do

• Fortica Fortress - highly recommended, a lovely view over Hvar. We paid to go into the fortress, but the view from just outside the fortress is still worth the walk up there.
• Stari Grad - we took a bus to this lovely town the other side of the Island. Our bus got there early afternoon but I’d recommend trying to get there in the morning as there were some nice-looking cafes along the quay that were unfortunately closed by then. Not a massive amount to do here, but very peaceful and worth a walk around.
• Relax on one of the beaches and watch the sunset - there’s a paved path along the coast to the west of the harbour, where there are some secluded beaches and spots to watch the sunset. It was closed when we went, but near Falko Beach Bar is a good spot to see the sunset.
• We didn’t get a chance but a boat trip to the Pakleni Islands looked interesting.

Food

• Fig Hvar - a lovely lunch spot near the ferry terminal

Leg 4 - Split (3 nights)

Split, the biggest city in Dalmatia has lots going on! We enjoyed the hustle and bustle of being in a city again after spending a while on the islands. We stayed at a guest house here, and we took a 3-hour bus to get to Zadar.

Things to do

• Explore the city on foot - there’s lots to see in the old town and it’s worth the walk up to the viewpoint in Marjan Park
• Saint Domnius Bell Tower - another bell tower with a fantastic view over Split.
• Trogir - about 30 mins by bus, a town situated on a small island accessible by bridge. Worth exploring for half a day at least. Lots of nice cafes and places to eat.
• Krka National Park - highly recommended, a stunning national park about 1.5 hours from Split. Worth noting if you visit during high season the entry price doubles. You have to pay to use the toilets inside the park, despite paying for entry which felt a little cheeky.
• Klis Fortress - didn’t have time (and think we’d seen enough fortresses at this point!) but looked impressive.

Food

• Bokamorra Pizza & Cocktails - probably the best pizza I’ve ever had, the cocktails were good too
• D16 Coffee - friendly cafe with good coffee
• Fig Split - we liked Fig Hvar so much we went to their other restaurant in Split that’s just as good!
• El Telegrafo - fast food place near our guest house serving empanadas

Leg 5 - Zadar (3 nights)

Zadar was the last stop of our trip. We stayed in an apartment in the old town. Again there is a local bus company that runs transfers to the airport, where we took a Ryanair flight back to Leeds, UK.

Things to do

• Catch a ferry to Preko, Ugljan - highly recommended, a quiet traditional village opposite Zadar. We hired kayaks here, as well as relaxing by the beach.
• Belltower of the Cathedral of St Anastasia - belltower with (you guessed it) a fantastic panoramic view over Split
• Explore the city on foot - it’s worth spending a bit of time wandering around the old town.

Food

• Restoran 4 Kantuna - we ate here on our last night, serves seafood as well as pasta and pizza.

Final Thoughts

Phew, I think that’s it. I can’t guarantee this information will remain accurate and of course, your experiences may differ, but I hope some of this information helps you plan your own trip :)