Travel recommendations, ideas and observations from two simple travellers

Tag: croatia

The easiest way to visit a Croatian island

“Let’s spend a day on one of the islands”, we agree. We’re in Split, Croatia. Having spent a couple of days exploring the city we think it might be nice to visit one of the islands off the coast. We’ve read much about the natural beauty of the islands; the whitewashed towns and rolling hills covered in lavender and vineyards, the clear blue waters of the Adriatic Sea which lap at the edges of golden sand beaches, and the hidden coves.

It is the height of summer so the queue at the ferry ticket booth helps us change our minds and look at an alternative option. Trogir and Ciovo are small islands connected to the mainland by bridges and we can drive there.

Rain is falling when we wake the next day, lucky we didn’t buy tickets for the islands! We set off hoping it will stop by the time we arrive in Trogir. The road is busy and the 30-minute drive takes almost an hour but the rain has stopped and the sun is peeping from behind the clouds by the time we have parked.

Trogir. Croatia
The historic little town of Trogir

It’s early and few people are about. Much of the historic town is still closed so we look about without distraction. The town itself is very small and can be walked around in a matter of minutes. However, we take our time walking around the harbour and along the charming waterfront to the fortress before exploring the tight streets of the UNESCO listed historic centre.

Trogir promenade
The palm-lined promenade in Trogir

Back in the car, we drive over the new bridge to Ciovo with the aim of driving as much as we can around the island’s perimeter taking in the scenery and stopping in the main resort areas of Okrug Gornji, Okrug Dornji and Slatine. Maybe we’ll go for a swim.

Once on the island, the coastal road takes us past sheltered coves with small jetties and pebbled beaches. Our leisurely drive comes to an abrupt stop when we reach Okrug Gornji, the island’s main town. There’s a traffic jam of holidaymakers trying to find a car park to buy supplies, settle by the beach or like us, passing on the way through.

Once past the traffic, we find Okrug Dornji, only several kilometres away. It’s a small beach settlement surrounded by pine trees. The road narrows and our GPS tells us that there is no option to circumnavigate the island. Lunchtime is nearing and with limited options, we turn back to Okrug Gornji.

The traffic is still there and we are ravenous by the time we are beachside. There are plenty of eateries along the waterfront to sit, enjoy a bite to eat and people watch. Children frolic in the shallow waters while parents keep an eye on them from behind sunglasses lazing on their sun loungers. There is an air of relaxed informality. Unlike most beaches in Europe which are segregated and cordoned for paying guests, the beaches on Ciovo are mostly public. There were options to hire sun loungers etc. although we did not see them being extensively used.

Okrug Gornji beach, Ciovo, Croatia
The relaxed atmosphere beachside at Okrug Gornji

Well-fed and rehydrated we make the return journey bypassing the bridge back to Trogir to continue towards the other end of the island. The scenery is beautiful, small groups of holidaymakers are enjoying an afternoon dip or jumping off little jetties into the crystal clear waters. We reach Slatine, another small beachside area. Not too much else here either. But we can see Split across the ocean. We realise that our previous day’s circuit of Park Suma Marjan was ambitious.

Ciovo is a family-friendly island and vacationers seem to be mostly Croatian. The southern side is steep and barren making the northern coast more popular because of its varied landscape.  Pine and cypress forests intermingle with vineyards, olive and almond plantations and the beautiful coastline, without having to take a boat ride to reach it makes it a popular destination. In keeping with the relaxed atmosphere, accommodation is mostly made up of small B&B’s and guesthouses. There is no sign at all of any large hotels.

The beaches of Ciovo, Croatia

Our conclusion about Croatian islands

You would ask if it is worth the visit? Would it have been a better use of our time to go to Brac or Hvar? The ease of access in the comfort of our own car (even with the slow traffic conditions) was definitely a bonus.

Trogir was quaint and charming. After the busyness of Split, it was nice to be able to walk about without being one of a crowd.

Ciovo provided a chance to observe how the Croatians like to holiday with their families (like us, simply). The coast road was beautiful and provided another perspective of the mainland.

We were glad we provided ourselves with this unplanned opportunity to do what we love to do; follow the backroads and see what other tourists don’t.

Our plan is to visit some of Croatia’s well-known islands on a future visit; hopefully, while small boat sailing along the captivating coastline of this country.

If you liked this post and are looking for ideas for a day trip from Dubrovnik, then you’ll like this post.

 

Visiting Croatia? Be sure to include Zagreb in your itinerary

We clear Croatian border control and follow our trusty GPS, acres of fields and pastures flanking us on both sides of the road. The signage is clear and we continue our leisurely pace enjoying the scenery.

We know we are close to the city as the traffic becomes heavier but are surprised when the GPS suddenly comes to life, reminding us that our turn is up ahead. Why are we surprised? We have booked to stay in the centre of the city and there is no sign of city life even though the GPS tells us we are only a couple of kilometres from our destination!

“You have arrived at your destination on your right”, says the confident voice of the GPS as we pull up in front of a small farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. The address list is retrieved from the bag. Yes, we have plugged in the right address! If all else fails, enter the GPS coordinates and this confirms our suspicions; we are still another 30 minutes from our destination!

The Croatian capital city, Zagreb, is often bypassed by travellers who are lured to the popular cities of Split and Dubrovnik and an island or two off the coast for the ultimate Croatian experience.

We second guess ourselves as we drive into the city passing row upon row of utilitarian apartment buildings from the communist era. The roads are wide and easy to navigate but there doesn’t seem to be any old-world charm in sight.

Early impressions are quickly dispelled when a turn or two later, we are in the heart of Donji Grad, Zagreb’s historic Lower Town. Our host, “call me Porchca” is waiting to guide us into the no access area and into the apartment’s private parking area. We are not disappointed by our choice of accommodation, it is a spacious and cosy apartment just metres away from cafes and restaurants and beautiful green spaces. Bustling Jelacic Square is only a few hundred metres further.

Our highlights (in no particular order):

  • Enjoying outdoor music and activity in Park Zrinjevac, a beautiful green space in the Lower Town and just metres from our apartment which has been transformed into a night festival with food stalls and live music. No crowds and very family-friendly.

Park Zrinjevac

Summer festival in Park Zrinjevac

  • Watching international performers entertain larger audiences with classical concerts and dancing on the main stage in Jelacic Square.

Jelacic Square, Zagreb, Croatia

Evening entertainment in Jelacic Square

  • A morning walk to the expansive Maksimir Park in the middle of Zagreb through the streets and local markets peeking into doorways and shops along the way. An opportunity to observe the people of Zagreb go about their daily business. We remember a lovely older woman stopping to make sure we were okay as we tried to reorientate ourselves in a marketplace. She spoke no English and us, no Croatian.
  • An afternoon exploring Gornji Grad (Upper Town), strolling along the almost empty cobblestone streets and similarly empty St Mark’s Square allowing us to appreciate the beautiful St Mark’s Church and its multi-coloured tiled roof.

St Mark's Church, St Mark's Square, Gornji Grad, Zagreb,Croatia

St Mark’s Church with its distinctive tiled roof

  • People watching around the vibrant Dolac fruit and vegetable market.

Dolac Markets, Zagreb

The wonderful array of fresh produce at the markets

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  • A visit to the Museum of Broken Relationships. Set in a baroque palace in the Upper Town. The brainchild of a couple who remained friends after their own relationship had broken down, the couple started collecting anonymous donations of relics from Zagreb residents whose relationships had suffered a similar fate and created this interesting concept. Sounds a little quirky but well worth a visit.

Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb, Croatia

For a capital city, Zagreb still maintains a small-town feel and without the usual summer crush of tourists, we were able to wander about the Lower and Upper Towns freely.

All in all our time in Zagreb was a greater pleasure than Split or Dubrovnik.

P.S. – Our recommendations:

Located in the heart of the Lower Town, Apartment Atrium Plaza was the perfect place to stay. Newly renovated, clean and spacious, within walking distance of all attractions, numerous dining options outside the secure compound and superb hosts.

Exploring the streets a short distance from Park Zrinjevac, we found a wonderful place to have dinner. Heritage serves traditional Croatian food in the form of street food. Their menu offers the opportunity to try dishes from all the regions in Croatians accompanied by local wines and craft beers.

Have a spare day to kill? Take a day trip to the charming city of Ljubljana in Slovenia only two hours away by car and about the same by train. Explore the old city known for its beautiful bridges, green spaces, lively marketplace and Romanesque architecture. Then, take a leisurely drive back to Zagreb on the back roads which wind through some of the most picturesque scenery we have seen in Europe.

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Our exhilarating day trip to Kotor in Montenegro!

We have a spare day in Dubrovnik. Do we take a ferry ride to visit some of the charming islands off the coast or spend the day exploring the natural beauty of Montenegro away from the summer crowd?  Kotor is less than 100 km away! We decided to take the quieter option.

Still relatively untouched by mass tourism, this little country has much to offer. It is the ideal place to experience a mix of history and natural beauty.

Rather than rushing from one town to another, we idle away a few hours in the medieval town of Kotor walking along the city walls and then through the labyrinth of streets and alleyways wandering in and out of squares admiring the baroque churches and locals going about their daily life.

We are concerned about our return journey to Dubrovnik. Our Dubrovnik apartment host advised us to leave early in the morning to avoid the long queues that build up at the Croatian border as Montenegrins and Croatians move between the two countries. At times the wait can be two hours or more. The evening wait time can sometimes be longer!

We stop for lunch at a small café in a quiet square in the Kotor’s Old City and were lucky to chance upon an informative café owner. While discussing our apprehension, he suggests we make our return trip through Bosnia and Herzegovina. He often takes this route. He reassures us the journey is scenic. The travel time will be the same so we jump at the opportunity to have a taste of driving through the countryside. Of course, the idea of avoiding languishing in a long queue also helps us make the decision.

With instructions on where to turn off the main road, we set both GPS devices with the details (our lease car’s GPS is more than adequate, however, we also take our trusty TomTom GPS unit with us too when we travel – just in case!).

Both GPS devices instruct us to turn off the road just out of Kotor onto a quiet little backroad which soon turns into a country lane and then into a goat track. We wave down a decrepit ute driving past us in the opposite direction to make sure we were on the right path. He can’t speak English but he waves us on indicating we are going the right way.

We drive on expecting the road to improve and join a major arterial road. To our horror, the road narrows further as climb uphill on this vertiginous track with nowhere to safely turn back. There is no option but to crawl forward at times reaching 20km/hour.  Not to mention the 30 or so hairpin bends we encounter over this hair-raising drive with sheer mountain drops (and stunning views). However, we are intent on staying on the track and don’t dare take our eyes off the road until we reach the top where we came across two hikers taking a relaxed hike along the road. These are the only humans we have seen since the man in the ute. A little further on, join the road we are actually supposed to have been travelling on.

The bypass is so new that it didn’t feature on either GPS units.

We are fortunate.  He is an accomplished driver and contains his racing driver spirit until we arrive on the highway to continue a most enjoyable time through the Bosnia and Herzegovinian countryside surrounded by rolling hills, through green valleys alongside gently flowing streams and creeks and quaint towns arriving back in Dubrovnik without incident.

We are, however, curious. A Google search when we arrive back in Dubrovnik reveals that we have just traversed one of the most dangerous roads in Europe!

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