Although Croatia has not always been the number one tourist destination that people consider when planning a trip to Europe, that is changing fast. This beautiful country is fast becoming a popular place to visit thanks to its rich culture, fascinating history, and beautiful landscapes. Here are ten of the best places you should visit in Croatia.
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1. Dubrovnik
The city of Dubrovnik is an increasingly popular destination and it’s easy to see why when you visit. Its distinctive Old Town area has plenty to appreciate, including the impressive 16th-century walls that surround it. The Dubrovnik Walls are one of the most famous attractions in the city and you can walk along them and admire the view of the Old Town area and climb Minceta Tower. Other highlights include the Renaissance Sponza Palace and Gothic Rector’s Palace, which is now a history museum.
Hotels in Dubrovnik City Center:
2. Krka National Park
Krka National Park is one of the most incredible natural landmarks and one of the best places in Croatia to visit. Known for its cascading waterfalls framed against the lush green forest, this park is located just under 15 kilometers away from the town of Sibenik. When you visit, you can hike, explore, take photographs, and you can even swim in certain areas including in the pools that form at the base of the waterfalls.
Click here to find a place to stay near Krka National Park.
3. Zagreb
Zagreb is Croatia’s capital city and although it’s not usually considered the top destination in the country, there is an endless supply of entertainment including world-class restaurants, a thriving nightlife, and historic sites and museums. While other places on this list such as Dubrovnik are incredible places to visit, Zagreb offers a special experience because the city sees fewer tourists than the coastal cities in Croatia. Visiting Zagreb gives you a better chance at an authentic glimpse of Croatian culture.
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4. Plitvice Lakes National Park
Plitvice Lakes National Park is Croatia’s largest and oldest national park. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 because of its outstanding natural beauty, particularly the series of lakes and caves connected by a series of bright blue waterfalls and dotted with tufa limestone formations.
It is much easier to rent a car and drive if you plan on visiting. There are no trains that stop at this park, but there are buses. You can even book a guided tour with transportation from a variety of nearby cities and towns.
There are advantages and disadvantages to visiting Plitvice Lakes at different times of the year. For example, you’ll enjoy warm weather in the summer, but you’ll also have to pay a much higher admission fee. The price drops in the winter, but it might not be the best time for you if you don’t like the cold. In any case, try to arrive as early in the day as possible to take advantage of the natural beauty of all sixteen Plitvice Lakes while avoiding the crowds.
Need a place to stay? Click here to see the list of the best hotels near Plitvice Lakes.
5. Split
Split is Croatia’s second-biggest city and is known for being a cultural hub. You can see various landmarks when you visit including the Diocletian’s Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace was built in the 4th century AD for the Roman Emperor Diocletian and today you can see a big portion of the structure as part of Split’s Old Town area. Split is also a fantastic place to be if you’re interested in exploring the outdoors as there are many hiking trails and points of natural beauty that surround the city. It’s also a sports town, with a local soccer team called HNK Hajduk Split that has an extremely passionate fan base.
Hotels in Split in the city center:
6. Krk
If you’re interested in a taste of Croatian island life, a trip to Krk may be just the thing for you. It’s the easiest island to get to as you can drive there from Rijeka using a long concrete bridge which is said to be the largest concrete bridge in the world. When you’re visiting you can relax on the beach, explore the Biserujka Cave, go for a hike, and sip some of the incredible local wine.
Popular hotels to stay in Krk:
7. Pula
Pula, a seaside city on the Istrian Peninsula of Croatia, is known for its protected harbor, beach-lined coast, and Roman ruins. It’s a well-connected city and you can easily find bus or train routes to other Croatian landmarks, and you can also take advantage of the city’s international airports. One of the highlights is the Pula Area, a Roman amphitheater that is notable for being the only one left in the world with all four sides left standing. It’s also notable for being Croatia’s best-preserved ancient landmark.
Popular Hotels in Pula:
8. Vis
Another fantastic Croatian island, Vis is a great destination for visitors who want to enjoy warm weather and a lush natural landscape. Once home to a thriving fishing village, today Vis is a great spot for relaxing, hiking, incredible food, and delicious local wine including Plavac and Vugava. Plus if you’re a fan of musicals, Vis may look familiar to you – it was a filming location for Mamma Mia 2!
Hotels in Vis Island:
9. Zadar
Zadar is another beautiful coastal city in Croatia and is a great place to visit as it’s not typically as crowded or expensive as some of the other places on this list. There are a great number of well-preserved historic sites throughout the city so Zadar is considered to be the place where ancient Croatia meets its modern counterpart. The historic People’s Square is one of the top sites to visit – it’s lined with historic structures and provides ample opportunities to experience Croatia’s thriving cafe culture.
Top Hotels in Zadar:
10. Mljet
Rounding off the list is the lush island paradise of Mljet. There is no airport on the island so you’ll have the opportunity to arrive using a ferry. It’s a great place to visit as there is no mass tourism and you’ll be able to enjoy the stunning coastline and dynamic landscape without an influx of crowds. You can explore scenic viewpoints and bays and coastal caves such as the Odysseus Cave near Babino Polje. It’s said that this is the actual cave from the Odysseus legend.
Popular Hotels in Mljet:
Video Guide: 10 Best Places to Visit in Croatia
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Additional Resources for Planning a Trip to Croatia
To make planning your trip to the most beautiful places in Croatia easier, we included some of our recommended travel resources below. You can search and find the best flights, transportation options, hotels to stay in, tours/activities, and things you can do in each destination in Croatia during your trip.
Flights:
Agoda: Search thousands of destinations around the world & quickly compare prices to find amazing deals on the best flights.
CheapOAir: You can find airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, and vacation packages all on one site!
Kiwi.com: What we like about Kiwi is the fact that they are able to create combinations of flight, train, and bus tickets and offer them in a single itinerary. Also, Kiwi has what they called “Nomad” which helps you find the best way of visiting multiple destinations, saving you time and money.
JetRadar: You can search and compare airfares from 726 airlines and dozens of travel agencies and systems.
Hotels:
Agoda: Agoda is one of the world’s largest online travel accommodation platforms with a network of over 2,000,000 vacation rentals and hotels worldwide.
Hotellook: They have more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries, working with data from more than 10 online booking systems, such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others.
Transportations:
Airport Transfers: KiwiTaxi, Viator
Train: Trainline or RailEurope
Bus: Flixbus: Very affordable (as low as $6) and convenient way to transfer between cities in Europe.
Car Rentals: AutoEurope, EconomyBookings, or GetTransfer (transfers & car rentals with a personal driver)
Bike Rental: BikesBooking (Bikes & scooter rentals)
Transportation Comparison: Omio (search, compare, and book tickets for buses, trains, and flights all in one site)
Tours & Activities:
TakeWalks (WalkofItaly): This is our favorite site for walking tours & day trips.
Tiqets: Great site for entrance tickets. It offers directly bookable, instantly available, and completely mobile tickets for museums, shows, and attractions all over the world.
Musement: They have good activities and tours in Italy and Spain, also many great day trips you can choose from.
GetYourGuide: A large number of tours, excursions, and other travel activities
Viator: The largest one. It has everything from tours, attractions, shore excursions, and private guides in over 2,700 destinations worldwide. It also has many transportations and transfers options and some unique experiences we didn’t find anywhere else.
Need help planning a trip to Croatia?
Want to plan a trip to visit these most beautiful and best places in Croatia but don’t know where to begin? If you find this type of trip planning to be too complicated to plan on your own, we’re here to help!
At MultiCityTrips, multi-destination travel and complicated itineraries such as a multi-city trip to Croatia are our specialties. Contact us today to learn more about how one of our experienced travel experts/destination specialists can personalize your multi-city vacations at the best price.
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To learn more about how our process of trip planning works in detail, please see our “How It Works” page or check out our video on “How to Plan a Multi-City Trip to Europe in 5 Easy Steps” here.
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