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Croatia/Bosnia Roadtrip

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momo

A scenic drive and a couple island hops along the beautiful coast of Croatia. #ocean #island #oldtown #historic #river #boat #park #beach #swim #hike #market #scenicdrive #seafood

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Overview

Getting to and getting around Croatia takes some planning. There are 5 international airports in Croatia, one in the capital Zagreb with the other 4 on the coastline (Rijeka, Radar, Split, and Dubrovnik). We wanted to depart from Dubrovnik airport so it naturally became the end of our road trip. We then decided on Split as our arrival port because we wanted to visit a few islands on our road trip as well. Rijeka and Radar are further away from Dubrovnik which would have been tight for a 5-day road trip.

The road conditions are excellent in Croatia so self driving is pretty easy. Visiting the islands, however, is a bit more complicated because there is usually no tunnel or bridge connecting the mainland to the islands. You will have to rely heavily on Croatia's Jadrolinija ferries and be mindful of their running schedules. Ferries don't run very often so missing one could mean a wait from a couple of hours to even half a day for those less-frequent routes. Check ferry schedules (note: this is the summer schedule ... the winter one is different) before hand and always leave enough cushion for yourself. Most of the routes are run by car-ferries so you can easily take your car on and off islands.

trip-journal-location
Split, Lozovac, Skradin, Bol, Kastel Stafilic, Supetar

Day 1 Itinerary

Places visited: Krka National Park - Trattoria Bajamont - Split

Drive from Airport to Krka

Boat Ride to Krka Waterfall

Visit Krka National Park
Visit Krka National Park
Visit Krka National Park
Visit Krka National Park
Visit Krka National Park
Visit Krka National Park
Visit Krka National Park
Visit Krka National Park
Visit Krka National Park

Visit Krka National Park

With its 5,800+ kilometer coastline and over 1,000 islands, Croatia is endowed with natural beauty as well as picturesque villages rich in history. We didn’t have to do much planning ourselves for this trip because we were lucky enough to have some friends living in the area. They planned out a packed 5-day road trip for us starting in Split. And the very first stop they took us to was a beautiful national park, Krka National Park . The main attraction of the park is a huge natural-made swimming pool with cascading waterfalls in the background. We hiked for a couple of hours in the park and then took a dip near the waterfalls to cool off summer heat.

Krka has multiple entrances . We took the Skradin entrace - parked our car and got on one of the park-run sail boats. In the summer months (Jun-Aug), the boats run every hour from 8am to 6pm. The boat route is quite scenic and the sailing time is about 25 mins each way. From where the boats drop off, it is only a 5-minute walk to the bottom of the waterfalls. Please note that the return boats from the park sail at half hours from 930am to 730pm (in the summer months).

Come prepared with swimming suits/trunks so you can take a dip in the cool water. Just be careful when you jump in - the rocks on the bottom of the water are quite sharp if you don’t have water shoes on.

Drive from Krka to Split

Dinner at Trattoria Bajamont

Night Walk around Split Old Town
Night Walk around Split Old Town
Night Walk around Split Old Town
Night Walk around Split Old Town
Night Walk around Split Old Town

Night Walk around Split Old Town

Cathedral and Bell Tower of St. Domnius

Ferry from Split to Brac

trip-journal-location
Bol

Day 2 Itinerary

Places visited: Bol - Bol Vacation Home - Golden Horn Beach - Pumparela Restaurant - Stina Winery

Morning Walk around Bol Town
Morning Walk around Bol Town
Morning Walk around Bol Town
Morning Walk around Bol Town
Morning Walk around Bol Town
Morning Walk around Bol Town
Morning Walk around Bol Town

Morning Walk around Bol Town

morning tranquility ... green grape vines, red-roof houses, and deep-blue ocean

Bol Vacation Home

Bol Vacation Home

woke up to this view right outside the window

Sunbath at Zlatni Rat Beach
Sunbath at Zlatni Rat Beach
Sunbath at Zlatni Rat Beach
Sunbath at Zlatni Rat Beach
Sunbath at Zlatni Rat Beach

Sunbath at Zlatni Rat Beach

Zlatni Rat Beach (Golden Horn Beach) got its name because of its unique shape and golden color. It is located in a small town, Bol, on the island of Brac. The Adriatic Sea water is crystal clear but the beach actually has no sand at all (only pebbles and rocks), which is typical for beaches in the Mediterranean. So don't get fooled by the online pictures that make it look like a white-sand beach. Nevertheless, Zlatni Rat Beach is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Croatia and there will likely be a large crowd during the peak summer season.

The beach can get pretty windy and the wind gusts change direction throughout the day. The good part is that the beach is two-sided so no matter which direction the wind blows, there is always one side where the water remains calm for swimming while the other windy side is perfect for various water sports. Bol is internationally famous as a windsurfers' destination and Zlatni Rat Beach gets a fair share of those surfers. The beach is also family friendly and there are a few food vendors, bars, and cafes on the beach to round out the experience.

Dinner at Pumparela Restaurant

Wine Tasting at Stina Winery

trip-journal-location
Mostar, Korcula, Orebic, Ploce, Trpanj, Vela Luka, Makarska, Selca

Day 3 Itinerary

Places visited: Old Bazar Kujundziluk - Old Bridge of Mostar - Restoran Teatar - Korcula - Adio Mare

Ferry from Brac to Makarska
Ferry from Brac to Makarska
Ferry from Brac to Makarska
Ferry from Brac to Makarska
Ferry from Brac to Makarska

Ferry from Brac to Makarska

Jadrolinija ferry

Jadrolinija ferry

Drive from Makarska to Mostar

Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk
Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk

Shop at Old Bazar Kujundziluk

Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar
Visit Old Bridge of Mostar

Visit Old Bridge of Mostar

Mostar was a bit of a detour on our way from Brac Island to Korcula Island. It was actually in a different country, Bosnia, but it was totally worth the extra drive. Mostar was as picturesque as it could get for any old town in Europe. The historic town, spanning a deep valley of the Neretva River, developed in the 15th and 16th centuries as an Ottoman frontier town as well as during the Austro-Hungarian period in the 19th and 20th centuries. Mostar has long been known for its old Turkish houses and Old Bridge, Stari Most, after which the town is named. The Old Bridge area, with its pre-Ottoman, eastern Ottoman, Mediterranean and western European architectural features, is an outstanding example of a multicultural urban settlement. The Old Bridge leads to a web of narrow cobblestone streets in the old town center which today houses the Old Bazar Kujundziluk, a huge market of local crafts and eateries. We picked Restoran Teatar for lunch which has a covered terrace seating area with an unobstructed view of the Mostar bridge.

Lunch at Restoran Teatar
Lunch at Restoran Teatar
Lunch at Restoran Teatar
Lunch at Restoran Teatar
Lunch at Restoran Teatar
Lunch at Restoran Teatar
Lunch at Restoran Teatar

Lunch at Restoran Teatar

view from our table

an unobstructed view of the Old Bridge

house cat of the restaurant

Drive from Mostar to Ploce

Ferry from Ploce to Trpanj

Drive from Trpanj to Orebic

Ferry from Orebic to Korcula

Walk around Korcula Old Town

Walk around Korcula Old Town

Dinner at Adio Mare

trip-journal-location
Dubrovnik, Vela Luka, Cavtat, Korcula, Orebic, Ploce, Trpanj

Day 4 Itinerary

Places visited: Vela Luka Vacation Home - Vela Luka Beach - Dubrovnik - Buza Bar - Konoba Amoret

Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home
Vela Luka Vacation Home

Vela Luka Vacation Home

cliff blossoms

Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka
Ocean Swim at Vela Luka

Ocean Swim at Vela Luka

crystal clear water

fresh caught sea urchin

take a dip in the ocean

Ferry from Korcula to Orebic

Drive from Orebic to Trpanj

Ferry from Trpanj to Ploce

Drive from Ploce to Dubrovnik

Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town

Walk around Dubrovnik Old Town

Among all the towns we visited in Croatia, we were most excited to see Dubrovnik, not only because it was the most famous tourist destination in Croatia but also because it's where King's Landing is shot in the popular TV show, Game of Thrones. Dubrovnik was as beautiful in real life as it is on TV. It has a large old town area surrounded by massive fortress walls that protected the city from multiple attacks over the centuries. Inside the walls, we saw many well-preserved buildings ranging from Baroque Saint Blaise Church to Renaissance Rector's Palace, and the main pedestrianized Stradun (aka Placa Thoroughfare), paved with limestones and lined with shops and restaurants. We found a perfect spot for dinner, Konoba Amoret, on the open square in front of Dubrovnik Cathedral. It was our best seafood meal on the trip.

Sunset Drinks at Buza Bar

Sunset Drinks at Buza Bar

Dinner at Konoba Amoret

trip-journal-location
Cavtat, Cilipi

Day 5 Itinerary

Places visited: Cavtat Harbour - Peco Bakery

Morning Walk around Cavtat Harbour
Morning Walk around Cavtat Harbour
Morning Walk around Cavtat Harbour
Morning Walk around Cavtat Harbour
Morning Walk around Cavtat Harbour
Morning Walk around Cavtat Harbour
Morning Walk around Cavtat Harbour

Morning Walk around Cavtat Harbour

Cavtat is a small town south of Dubrovnik (less than 30 minutes by car). We chose to stay there for the night because we had an early departure flight the next day and Dubrovnik Airport is less than 15 minutes away from Cavtat.  Our 5-day trip completed with a nice morning walk along the pretty Cavtat Harbor and a big breakfast at Peco Bakery. 

Breakfast at Peco Bakery

Drive to Dubrovnik Airport

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