What to do on your Croatia tours?

You better have a lot of days off to see it all or plan your journey well because Croatia has it all. When we say it has it all we really do mean it. On the one side, it has this magnificent nature sights with 8 national parks and many more nature parks. Also, it has over 1200 islands that you absolutely need to explore. It has very rich culture and history, great food, and mellow wine to enjoy every moment to the fullest. Now, you would think that’s all, but it is not it has over 90 music festivals over the summer and many more other festivals that include food festivals, sports festivals and other festivals that you can attend during your visit. It really depends on what type of traveller are you, because you just have to pick your way and we guarantee you will absolutely love this country.

Here are some of our suggestions on what you MUST do while you are in Croatia

1) Explore national parks – they are everywhere!

Croatia has in total of 8 national parks. It is really hard to pick which one is the best because they all are very different. Whether you want to visit stunning views waterfalls in a national park Plitvice Lakes or you want to take a trip to national park Kornati, with 86 islands which is also called a nautical paradise, it all depends on you and the time you have to spend.

Here is a list of all national parks in Croatia:

• NP Plitvice Lakes
• NP Kornati
• NP Brioni
• NP Krka
• NP Mljet
• NP Paklenica
• NP Risnjak
• NP Velebit

Photo: NP Plitvice Lakes

Photo: NP Kornati

2) Visit Zagreb, the capital, and the old castles in Zagorje region

Visit Zagreb while you are in Croatia, it has a lot to offer and you will not be sorry. Spend 2 or three days the continental region of Croatia as we would recommend it to be your starting point of a visit. All connections with other places in Croatia go from Zagreb, so moving forward from this point should be very easy.

While you are in Zagreb go and see the Museum of broken relationships it is really unique experience. Sit down on the main square and have a coffee break like all the Croatian who can sit in bars for hours chatting and doing pretty much nothing.

Photo: Zagreb, Croatia

While in Zagreb, please take one day and go visit Zagorje region. It is 45 minutes outside Zagreb and it is really worth visiting. Visit old castles like Trakoš?an, Veliki Tabor, and MIljana. Visit the museum called ”Hušnjakovo” located in Krapina, which is also award winning museum of its kind. The museum represents the development of human beings from early stages. The ”Hušnjakovo” is also a discovery area of the first existing human beings on the planet.

Photo: Trakoscan castle

3) Explore regional food – it is so different in each region

Croatia is a very specific country when it comes down to food. It is also known as a country of many different food regions. The Croatian continental cuisine is very much typical for its early proto-Slavic roots and more recent contacts with established schools of a gastronomy – Hungarian, Viennese, and Turkish. In this region meat products, freshwater fish, and vegetables dominate.

The coastal region was under influences of the Greeks, Romans, Illyrians and later Mediterranean cuisine – Italian and French. Usually, that will include all the seafood specialties from the Adriatic sea, prepared in many different ways. Also, olive oil and prosciutto are the products that are being well known for its quality in the whole world. Croatian coastal regions are also well known for its mellow wines.

4) Get to UNESCO protected sights

In Croatia, you may find 7 UNECO World Heritage sites. Number 7 may not be big, but please take into the consideration that Croatia is a very small country with only 4.5mil people and just over 56,000 square kilometers. Here is a list of the sites:

• National Park Plitvice Lakes
• Euphrasian Basilica in Pore?
• Historic city of Trogir
• Diocletian Palace in Split
• Old city Dubrovnik
• Old city Plain, Hvar
• The Cathedral of St. James in Šibenik

5) Explore Zadar – The Romantic city 

Zadar, which is not as famous as Dubrovnik or Split, offers really something special. It was, by many, named to be the city with the most stunning sunset in the world. It also called a Romantic city. Thanks to the architect NIkola Basic, Zadar got a special and very modern dimension designs of the Sea Organ and Greeting to the sun. Sea organ produces the sound using the sea waves while Greetings to the sun just gives the sunset the spectacular experience.

6) Organize sail trip and explore the islands

Croatia has over 1244 islands and it is a perfect destination for nautics. If you are planning on doing a tour around Croatia we recommend you rent a boat for at least 1 or two days. It can work great in exchange for a car ride and you get to explore some of the Islands. You can for example, if you start from Zagreb, go to Istria down to Split where you can take a boat and continue to Dubrovnik which you really want to see if you are in Croatia. On the route you could visit island Hvar, Kor?ula, and maybe national park Mljet. Whatever you decide to do, try not to leave the country without spending at least 1-2 days on the sea, it is truly an unforgettable experience.

7)Attend events and festivals

In the past couple years, Croatia became the festival booming country. Putting aside all the natural and historical sites, there is really a lot of places where you can party and have fun. In 2014, there were just over 90 music festival in the summer period, not mentioning other theme events and other festivals. Croatia is also a host of Ultra Europe festival, which is at the same time the biggest electronic music festival in the world. Visit Zrce beach, which is not one of the best party beaches in the world. Depending on when you are going, do your research and don’t miss out on any parties.

8) Get adventurous

So let the adventure begin. Get little out of the ordinary and try going to some of the adventure and adrenaline parks- We would recommend going to Adrenaline Park Paklenica to try climbing or maybe a zip line for those who like some extra adrenaline rush. Try bungee jumping from Masleni?ki most (56m high) or maybe take an adventure and go tuna fishing. Getting out of the ordinary at times can be really fun, you should try it and Croatia is a perfect destination for that.

9)  Visit Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik truly is a jewel of Croatian coast. It is the most visited city in Croatia for many reasons, but history of the city is definitely the biggest one of all. It was the first city and the destination that was discovered by world travelers due to numerous cruise ships that stop there for many years. Dubrovnik is situated in the far south of Croatia and it is very well connected with bus transportation but also by the air and sea transportation. It is also a place where part of the show ”Game of Thrones” was filmed.