Advice on exploring the coast of Croatia?

Question

We are flying into Split and have 8 nights to enjoy the coast before taking a ferry out of Dubrovnik to Italy. We are professionals in our early 30s who like a social scene, but don't need to party like teenagers. We also enjoy the outdoors and would prefer to enjoy the culture rather than stay in resorts. I'd appreciate any advice on saving money, best ways to travel between towns, and of course 'must see' destinations in the area.

Answer 1

I've gone to Croatia every summer for the past six years. Here are the best spots and perhaps the most practical way to spend your eight days.

Starting point: Split (1 night)

Spend one night in Split. Split is a great city, but it's tough if you don't know the scene. Checking out Diocletian's palace is a must, and all the gelato, cafes, and sightseeing is perfect for the day. At night, the best club is called Tribu, but don't bother cabbing it there (too expensive). You could walk there from downtown, it's near the soccer stadium, so just ask a local where to go. Split is a very safe city, so walking around drunk in the wee hours is extremely appropriate. You could even ask a cop or local to give you a ride home. A closer nightscence would be the Bacvice (pronounced Bah-chvitz-eh). It's a complex of cafes, restaurants and mini discos. It's right by the sea, a very close walk from the downtown strip, and is a very chill and relaxing place to hang out (with various levels of uptemponess depending on which joint at Bacvice you decide to settle on). All of these options charge no cover for entry and all beverages are much cheaper (and better) than here in North America. As for accomodation, you could easily get a place for $20 per person. You will run into some little old ladies who are trying to rent their places out to you. Some of them have decent places, but make sure that it is close to the city center. You can also talk them down pricewise as well. If you want a higher quality place, just go to a tourist desk and ask for "private accomodation" and give them a quick list of what you want such as location, air conditioning, etc. As for swimming, if you don't have a car, then it will be difficult as Split is a port city and doesnt have many decent beaches in the city. but 15-20 minutes outside of it is fine. I would just recommend that you just wait and hit the beach on your next stop....

Second stop: The island of Brac (2-3 nights)

This is the closest island to Split, and beachwise, it is THE BEST. Bol is the name of the town and you can take a super fast Katamaran to this spot for only 22 kunas ( approx. $4). It takes 45 minutes to get there. the boat tickets will sell out if you try and buy them at the last minute, but you should be more than safe buying it a couple of hours in advance (there is a "Jadrolinija" Kiosk right on the port where you buy them). This island is very chill, and is more of a loungy outdoor cocktail bar environment. The beach is a freakish wonder, named the Golden Cape (Zlatni Rat), where the shoreline hits it from both sides:
http://www.adria-bol.hr/im-bol1.jpg
The pebbles are extremely small and smooth, the water is clearer than anything I've ever seen, and there is a great deal of cool activities to do (i.e. wind surfing, tubing, kite surfing, etc). The best pizza in the WORLD is at a place called "Pizzeria Skalinada". You must ask for this place when u get there, these amazing pizzas are roughly $5, but huge. Bol is extremely small, so everything is a walk away. If you want, you could rent scooters for fun, but it's kind of expensive ($20 per day). Accomodation wont cost you more than $20-25 per night, per person, just go to a tourist desk (there are like 3 of them in a 5 minutes walk span once you get off the boat). If you're a beach bum, you will LOVE Bol and I once stayed there for a week straight doing absolutely NOTHING. I also recall. foodwise there is also a place near the beach the serves the best Spagetti Pesto Mozzarella ever. Also, when you go to Pizzeria Skalinada, try the "topli sendvic". It's a Pannini hot sandwich with prosciutto, cheese, mayo, pickles on the freshest bread. Unbelievable. What you will miss beachwise in Split, you will more than make up for it on Bol. Culture-wise there are not many historic sights on Bol, as in Split, but the next stop makes up for it.

Next stop: Hvar (2 -3 nights)

This oldest inhabited island in Croatia has a lot of nice scenery. To get from Bol to Hvar Island, you can take a katamaran (for roughly $3) directly from Bol to a town called Jelsa (located on Hvar Island, 30 minutes away). You can relax in Jelsa for a bit if you'd like (it is a nice town), but I'd recommend you take a bus to Hvar. There are a lot of buses going there, and cabs are expensive. If you're lucky, there may be a kombi (a taxi van) that will take you for a very decent price and it'll get u there faster. Hvar town is one of those island port cities where everything is at least 500 years old and everything is done in cobblestone. A lot of sights, a much more uptempo nightlife than Bol, but the beaches are more of a rocky slab type. The water is extremely clean, but this is more of a place where you dive into the water. the water is almost instantaneously deep, and has a lot of nice mini cliffs and some ports to jump off of. There are nice yachts and nice restaurants here as well. Hvar is more of a chic place to be, but if you get private accomodation, it won't cost u more than $30 tops per night.

Next stop: Korcula, Makarska, and/or Dubrovnik

Of course you can't hit everything in 8 days, but these are the most practical places to check out without straying too far off from your final destination of Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik is an extremely relaxed place, with great cafes, restaurants, and the BEST place to sightsee. I can go on and on about Dubrovnik, but I will just say that you must spend at least a couple of nights here. I stayed at a friend's place when I went so I can't say how much accomodation will be, but I believe private accommodation should be comparable. You can get to Dubrovnik easily by bus from Spit, or even by ferry from Korcula.

Korcula is the next island over from Hvar. You can take a ferry or a katamaran to Korcula from Hvar for a similar price ($4-6). It's a cross between Bol and Hvar in terms of beaches and the scene. It definitely has its own flavour and many people love it for it being largely unspoiled. Oddly enough, it is the most inhabited island.

Makarska is on the mainland, between Split and Dubrovnik. It is a cool place simply because it has quite the Balkan flavour. A lot of Bosnian Croats come down to Makarska a lot, and the cafes and discos there are genuinely local. If you want to experience some hardcore local music and flavour, without the mainstream music, try Makarska. Eat foods such as Burek and Chevapi (you'll love it). The BEST, and I mean BEST, burger joint in the friggin universe is here. It's called HAMBI. YOU MUST EAT HERE. Due to Makarska's strong connection with the Bosnian communities, you can get some amazily counterfeit products (many times you can get real products!) for a very cheap price. They have name brand products, such as Diesel wear and Ray Bans, for $20. They have the tags on them and everything. I don't know why this isn't illegal, but I'll take it. Makarska is extremely cheap for accomodation. Just talk to the lil' old ladies at the bus station and you'll get a place for like 11 Euros per person. Makarska is just so fun and great, simply because of how cheap everything is, and it seems to have a great soul to the city. I even forgot to mention that there are some pretty decent beaches and sightseeing in Makarska as well!

Honestly, I don't know how you're going to fit this in eight days, but my recommendation is that you hit Split, Bol, Hvar in that order...take an early ferry back to Split (8am) and try and go to Makarska and Dubrovnik. If you're really loving the island life, then skip Makarska and go to Korcula and ferry it over to Dubrovnik from there. Don't try and do too much. If you're constantly running around, you won't enjoy the true culture of the Croats, which is simply...doing nothing and kicking back.

Answer 2

I was in Croatia about 10 years ago. The coast is the best part of Croatia. That was also true when it was part of Yugoslavia. Its just one resort after another on the coast. The best thing to see are the walled towns, especially Dubrovnik. These walled towns were built by the Italians when the coast, called the Dalmation coast, was part of the Venetian empire. The best thing is too climb the hills above to see and photograph the town, its walls, and the sea. Split has the palace remains of the Roman Emperor
Diocletion. See also the town of Trogir. As far as food is concerned the best thing I remembered was the roast meats, what we would call a mixed grill. Breakfast that comes with the room is about the worst in Europe. Also don't expect the same service in hotels that you get in western Europe. You might save money by staying with a local family.

Answer 3

Well, the first two answers are great. I can recommend you to visit Bol on the island Brac ( it's only an hour from Split ) to see the most beautiful beach in Croatia ( that's what they say about "Zlatni rat" ). Enjoy!

Answer 4

In September, I accompanied my parents and older sister on a monthlong Elderhostel trip to Croatia. This trip held special meaning because it was a trip to the island of Korcula, the birthplace of my father's parents, and his first time to see it.
My dad, who turns 81 soon, spoke of his Dalmatian heritage with mixed feelings. He has family there, but hasn't kept in touch with them; and he was heartsick about the politics and the Serbian/Croatian war. For me, the trip was an awaking to my heritage. The Dalmatian towns are charming. The city centers are paved with white stones, polished by a millennium of footsteps. The buildings are close enough to hear neighbors laugh or smell pasta and garlic cooking. Our tour focused on Croatian culture, history, politics and reconstruction efforts. We visited Rab, a town with four Roman towers; Hvar, the lavender island; Dubrovnik, a beautiful walled city which was bombed in 1991 by the Serbian army; Korcula and Pula, the site of a Roman Coliseum. The coastal towns consist of medieval stone buildings with red tile roofs. Red geraniums are a favorite flower for window boxes, and green shutters shade the afternoon sun. The Adriatic sea is cobalt blue and clear. It is easy to see schools of fish 10 feet below the surface. Our resort was a four-deck passenger ship, the Harmony G, chartered exclusively for Elderhostel. Passengers ranged in age from 50 to 92. Being on a trip with folks my parents' age was telling. Most were very fit and had traveled the world. Korcula, the birthplace of Marco Polo, is surrounded on three sides by crystal blue water, perfect for swimming. I bought local cheese and olive oil at the farmers' market. Figs are exported to the Bay Area. Croatian travel is defined by a slower lifestyle, allowing time to watch the color of the sky and water, drinking coffee and watching people.

Answer 5

Yes, that`s perfect idea. I do the same in summer, dont forget to rent a yacht (sailing boat). You have accomodation, you have something to travel with and you have perfect experience of freedom going anywhere you want. there are plenty companies renting it you dont even need a reservation in every marina (port). just ask if you can return it in another place. have a nice trip!

Answer 6

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