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Croatia - 10 day itinerary

Expert Guidance



This is an incredible Croatia north → south → island → north loop, but one thing upfront: doing all of this in strict order with a relaxed pace requires smart pacing + a slight route optimization (especially Dubrovnik → Split → islands).



Smart Stay Split

  • Base 1 (1 night): Zagreb 
  • Base 2 (2 nights): Dubrovnik 
  • Base 3 (2 nights): Split 
  • Base 4 (2 nights): Islands – Hvar / Brač 
  • Base 5 (1 night): Zadar 
  • Base 6 (1 night): Near Plitvice Lakes National Park 
  • Final (optional): Zagreb 

👉 Balanced between coast, islands, and nature, with minimal backtracking stress


Scenic Highlights

  • Dubrovnik → Split coastal drive 🌊 
  • Island ferries (best views of Adriatic) 
  • Kornati islands (raw nature) 
  • Plitvice waterfalls 🌿


Smart Travel Tips

  • Use flight Zagreb → Dubrovnik to save time 
  • Ferries are frequent but check schedules 
  • Parking is tricky in Dubrovnik & Split → stay central 
  • Carry cash for islands 



🍽️ Croatian Food Trail

🐟 Seafood:

  • Black risotto 
  • Grilled fish 

🍖 Traditional:

  • Peka (must try) 
  • Ćevapi 

🧀 Local:

  • Pag cheese 
  • Olive oils 

🍷 Drinks:

  • Dalmatian wines 
  • Rakija (local spirit)

Routemap

Why this itinerary works

  • Covers entire Croatian highlights in one loop 
  • Mix of: 
    • Historic cities 🏰 
    • Islands 🌴 
    • Nature 🌿 
  • Built-in relaxation (Hvar, Brač) 
  • Avoids excessive hotel hopping 

Day by Day Plan

Day 1: Arrival in Zagreb

  • Land in Zagreb 
  • Relax + short old town walk 

👉 Explore:

  • Upper Town streets 
  • Cathedral area 

👉 Food:

  • Ćevapi (grilled meat) 
  • Local pastries 

🚗 Day 2: Zagreb → Dubrovnik (Travel Day)

  • Long drive (~6–7 hr) OR take a short flight (recommended) 
  • Check-in at Dubrovnik 

🌅 Evening:

  • Walk city walls (sunset!) 

👉 Food:

  • Seafood risotto 
  • Dalmatian wine 

🏰 Day 3: Dubrovnik (Architecture + Sea)

  • Explore: 
    • Old Town 
    • Fort Lovrijenac 
  • Relax: 
    • Beach time (Banje Beach) 

👉 Food:

  • Black risotto (cuttlefish) 
  • Fresh grilled fish 

🚗 Day 4: Dubrovnik → Split (Scenic Coastal Drive)

  • Drive (~4–5 hr) along Adriatic coast 🌊 
  • Check-in at Split 

Evening:

  • Explore: 
    • Diocletian's Palace 

🌊 Day 5: Split (Relax + Culture)

  • Morning: 
    • Old town exploration 
  • Afternoon: 
    • Beach time (Bacvice Beach) 

👉 Food:

  • Peka (slow-cooked meat/seafood) 
  • Local olive oil dishes 

⛴️ Day 6: Split → Hvar (Island Life Begins)

  • Ferry to Hvar 

🌅 Experience:

  • Lavender fields (seasonal) 
  • Sunset views 

👉 Food:

  • Fresh seafood 
  • Hvar wines 

🌴 Day 7: Hvar → Brač (Island Hopping)

  • Ferry to Brač 

🌊 Highlight:

  • Zlatni Rat Beach (iconic shape-changing beach) 

👉 Relax day:

  • Swim, sun, slow lunch 

🚗 Day 8: Brač → Split → Zadar

  • Ferry back to Split → drive (~2.5 hr) to
    Zadar 

🌅 Evening:

  • Sea Organ + sunset (famous!) 

👉 Food:

  • Dalmatian seafood 
  • Pag cheese 

🛥️ Day 9: Kornati + Plitvice

Option A (More Relaxed):

  • Morning boat trip to
    Kornati National Park 

Then:

  • Drive (~2 hr) to
    Plitvice Lakes National Park 

👉 Stay nearby

🌿 Day 10: Plitvice → Zagreb

  • Morning: 
    • Explore waterfalls + lakes (UNESCO site) 
  • Drive (~2 hr) to
    Zagreb 

👉 Departure

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Our Experience

Top Things to do in Dubrovnik

We kick start our road trip across the beautiful country of Croatia. And what better way to start this journey with the fascinating and amazing city of Dubrovnik. Hugely popular for its link to the epic Game of Thrones series, there is a lot more to Dubrovnik and nearby which we try and explore, and also share our experience with you. In fact, there is so much that one could do here, thats it would be very challenging to chalk out a perfect itinerary for Dubrovnik. There are multiple tour options to nearby islands, lots of beautiful beaches within the city and in the nearby islands, and of course there is this mesmerising city itself surrounded by the enchanting city walls. We have a great time and would love to come back here. Hopefully you will like our experience as well!

Things to do in Split!

After our fabulous time spent in Dubrovnik, we head north to the second biggest city of Croatia - Split! Initially we only intended to spend a couple of days in this vibrant and buzzing city, but after coming here, we realised that this city has so much to offer, not only in the form of its active city center and night life, but also there is so much to explore around Split, given its close proximity to some beautiful islands nearby. Nevertheless we optimise our itinerary for Split to explore as much as possible and share all the information for you on how you could maximise your trip to Split. We highly recommend staying in Split for at least 3-4 days to be able to enjoy it and nearby islands of Brac and Hvar. One more place not be missed when in Split is the town of Trogir which dates back to the 2nd century BC and will blow you away with its enchanting little, very well preserved old town.

Zadar and Kornati National Park

After our fabulous time spent in Split, we head north to the fifth biggest city of Croatia - Zadar! We must admit that this city of Croatia also took us by surprise with its charm. With loads of history, art, culture, breathtakingly beautiful coastline and stunning islands and National park, Zadar has a lot for everyone. Also known as the mini Split, Zadar is much clam and quieter and lets you explore at your own pace! With the biggest Roman forum along the east cost of Adriatic, also the biggest in Croatia, there are also some very nice modern art installations built with just the perfect fusion of modern science and nature, together! We enjoy perhaps the most beautiful sunset of the world here in Zadar and next day take an adventure trip to the fascinating Kornati National Park which will surely blow you away with its unique topography. We highly recommend visiting Zadar and the Kornati National Park. 

A Guide to Plitvice Lakes National Park!

After having a fabulous time exploring the historical cities of Croatia along the Adriatic sea, we chose to close our Croatia road trip with an episode fully dedicated to the beautiful mother nature, and what better place than perhaps the biggest and most beautiful national park of Croatia  - the Plitvice Lakes. In this episode we share with you all the information that you would need to make a perfect trip to the park. We use one of the maps of the lakes, and chalk out different route maps for you that you may chose depending on your personal preferences. Hope you like this episode as much as we did shooting for it, in the middle of this stunningly beautiful national park.

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