Croatia has the most beautiful coastline in the Mediterranean — 1,778 islands, Dubrovnik's medieval walls, Plitvice's impossible turquoise lakes, and a newly sophisticated food and wine scene. All at a fraction of Italian prices.
📅 Day-by-Day Itinerary
📅 Dubrovnik
Walk the city walls (2km, the finest medieval walls in Europe) at sunrise before the cruise ships dock. Cable car to Mount Srđ for the full panorama. Swim from the rocks below the walls. Game of Thrones tour — King's Landing was filmed here.
📅 Hvar & the Pakleni Islands
The most glamorous island in the Adriatic — lavender fields, Renaissance loggia, and cliff-jumping into turquoise water. Rent a water taxi to the Pakleni Islands for secluded bays. Hvar's Old Town at night — dinner under the loggia, wine on the riva.
📅 Korčula & the Pelješac Wine Road
Marco Polo's alleged birthplace — a smaller, quieter Dubrovnik on a forested island. Drive the Pelješac Peninsula for Plavac Mali wine tasting (Croatia's finest red). Oysters directly from Ston's medieval saltpans.
📅 Split
Diocletian's Palace — one of the world's best-preserved Roman monuments and still a living city within its walls. Mestrović Gallery. Ferry to Brač for the famous Zlatni Rat beach (a sand spit that shifts direction with the current).
📅 Plitvice Lakes National Park
UNESCO-listed cascade of 16 turquoise lakes connected by travertine waterfalls — the most photogenic landscape in Central Europe. Walk the wooden boardwalks above and between the lakes at dawn before visitors arrive.
🏨 Where to Stay
Villa Dubrovnik
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Private beach, Adriatic terrace rooms, boat shuttle to Old Town
💡 Key tips: Dubrovnik in July and August is brutally overcrowded — May/June or September is infinitely better. City walls are coolest before 9am. Ferry network is excellent and cheap — plan island hops on Jadrolinija. Cash is still used widely in smaller towns. Parking in Dubrovnik Old Town is nearly impossible — park at Ilijina Glavica and walk.
