---

Hostel recommendations, tours, and more!

When most people think of Croatia, they would usually be thinking of beaches, island life and perhaps a lot of cruise ships to go with them – but Croatia is so much more than your typical party holiday destination.

When you travel inland, you find incredible landscapes, cheaper hostels, and a further appreciation for this beautiful country! Then, once you reach the coast, you’re greeted by some of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

In this travel guide, I’ll highlight some of my favourite places that I travelled to, tours I did, and other recommendations from my 7 day trip!

📍STOP 1: ZAGREB

Zagreb is a city which not many people feel the need to visit, however, it makes for a great starting point for a road trip down to the coast! It’s also cheaper to catch flights here than the more popular cities like Spit and Dubrovnik.

There are some great hiking spots, and you can even take a day trip to Lake Bled in Slovenia, like the one below.

📍STOP 2: PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK

Honestly? You really can’t go wrong with a visit to Plitvice Lakes. Bright blue water, lush forests and cascading waterfalls e v e r y w h e r e. Unfortunately, you’re not able to swim in the lakes anymore due to protecting the UNESCO site, but they are still a marvel to look at.

The lakes are split into two separate hikes: the upper lakes and lower lakes. To make the most of the experience, I would recommend following one of the longer trails, which are all clearly sign posted throughout. The hike generally takes around 6-8 hours for the longest trail.

We started at entrance 2 and followed trail K “backwards”, heading to the upper lakes first and then to the lower lakes, the route recommended by the hostel staff as the upper lakes are the busiest at peak times. Arriving early, around 8am, is highly recommended for this, as you find yourself almost alone along the trail at this time. We then had a small break for lunch before heading up to the lower lakes.

It can be a long day, with a lot of walking – around 18km! Thankfully, the land is relatively flat, with most of the hills and steps situated in the upper lakes (another reason to start with these first!).

❗ A small tip – if travelling with a group, check if anyone still has a student I.D! I booked my ticket in advance, however when socialising in the hostel, there were plenty of people who hadn’t booked tickets yet. On arrival, they didn’t even check for anyone’s student I.D… so, if you want to save some money, this is a great option.

Where to stay?

🌳 Falling Lakes Hostel

I could not recommend this hostel enough – it was my favourite place to stay during my trip, and I honestly wish I had stayed longer here!

The staff were so polite, kind and helpful, as well as super fun. It was a very socialable place, with a big kitchen, dining room and a cute courtyard where we sat and had dinner, drinks and played some games (my group won the quiz too).

There are so many cool things to do in this area which I didn’t have time for – hiking, kayaking, exploring a nearby abandoned airbase (so cool!!) and many more, all organised by the hostel – some free, some with a cost.

They also organised the transfers to and from Plitvice Lakes, so you don’t need to worry about getting to and from the national park. There are always other travellers signing up to visit the lakes every single day, so if you don’t want to go on your own, there are plenty of others you can hang out with!

You can check them out using the link below!

📍STOP 3: ZADAR

I had a great time in Zadar, but I would say that if I could do this trip again, this small coastal city could be missed in favour for another night in Plitvice Lakes, to do some of the fun activities available there.

That being said, Zadar is a very chilled out, small town, with a cute old town and plenty of restaurants and cafes. It’s also a great place to do a boat trip to nearby islands, like this one I did below! We did a few snorkel spots then stopped for lunch at a tiny island – and it was still beautiful even in the rain!

Just to point out – it was not an unlimited wine tour when I did it, but no complaints there 😅

📍STOP 4: SPLIT

Split is a city that has it all, so it’s no wonder it’s so busy during the peak season! Every day huge cruise ships bring flocks of tourists to the city, so it can get very crowded during the day. That doesn’t stop you from having a wonderful time though!

Some fun things to do would be:

• Explore the old town – the old town is so beautiful and full of narrow cobbled streets and cute cafes tucked away along every turn.
• Climb to the top of the bell tower of St. Domnius Cathedral – a single ticket was around €7, a bit on the expensive side, but once you reach the top you have 360 degree views over the city and those iconic red rooftops.
• Catch a ferry to nearby islands – it is so easy to visit Hvar or Brac from Split for a perfect beach day!
• A boat trip to Trogir and other small islands nearby, as well as the blue lagoon – I did this one linked below and found it was the perfect amount of time to relax and explore Trogir!

I won’t recommend my particular hostel, as it gave off weird vibes – but I would recommend staying in the old town. You’ll be super close to the port and bus station, plus, you get to enjoy the old town every time you walk out the door.

📍STOP 5: DUBROVNIK

Game of Thrones fans will know that Dubrovnik is the place to go in Croatia! Even without the feeling of walking around in a movie set, it’s an incredible city with so much interesting history.

I’d absolutely recommend doing a walking tour here! There are plenty on Get Your Guide to choose from, I did this GoT themed one (of course).

You can also go up the cable car for incredible views over the whole city! I’d recommend going for sunset to make it extra special.

There are also some lovely beaches really close to the city – they can get busy though, so if you’re not up for the crowds, I’d recommend travelling further out of the city.

Other tips

If you are comfortable hiring a car, this would be a fantastic way to travel throughout Croatia! If not, the transport is super easy – I mean there is a FlixBus that can take you to any of the major cities and through some small towns too. Between each of my stops was about 2-4 hours.

And in my opinion, the views along the way are well worth the journey.

I’d also recommend making the most of the hostel kitchens – Croatia can be an expensive place to eat out. I ate out once in Split and for my time in Dubrovnik, and it costs a lot more to eat out for every meal (despite the food here being delicious).

I hope this post has been helpful! If you have any questions, you can follow me on instagram or comment below 🌳