Croatia - September 2025

 

When I said I was visiting Venice and Florence, my fellow travelers nodded their heads and seemed uninterested. When I mentioned that I was taking a side trip to Croatia, everyone perked up and was very interested. This little former Yugoslavian country has become an icon after the Game of Thrones series highlighted its natural beauty and exotic Middle Ages motif. However, my coworker has been singing the praises of his home country for years, so I figured it would be a good time to visit. No work meetings here, just a wonderful albeit short trip to a beautiful and very friendly country.

I flew from Rome to Split, Croatia on Croatia Airlines of course. The small plane was packed with a mix of locals and tourists both excited to arrive. The Split airport is new and modern, although we walked to and from the planes without jetways. It was unique to have the aircraft do a U-turn on the runway! My flight arrived in the evening, so I only had a few minutes after dark to wander around Split to grab some groceries. The apartment I rented was in the old town Diocletian Palace area which is really confusing and maze-like. My HBO finally unlocked in Croatia, so I was able to catch up on my shows before falling asleep.

The next morning, I joined a group heading to Krka National Park. This park is one hour from Split requiring a precarious journey up the steep cliffs surrounding the city heading to the interior and main highway. Croatia reminded me a lot of California, especially the area around Santa Barbara. The interior was dry scrubland with tall and rugged mountains. We arrived at the park and got some needed coffee and snacks. I chose to take the full nature hike after several days in the city. It was a very nice walk around the waterfalls and a great ending with the large falls making for great pictures. It was then time for a short boat ride down the river to the small town of Skradin for lunch and wine tasting. I was introduced to ćevapi which are like cylindrical meatballs grilled over fire and are very tasty. The wine tasting was really great hosted by the son of the owner with several local varietals not found in the United States. They matched it with their own olive oil which I bought to take home!

My iPhone worked perfectly throughout my trip. I signed up for International Roaming which allowed me to use everything like normal. This included the weather apps which warned me that heavy rain was coming into the region. Croatia is well known for their beaches and clear blue waters, but the rest of my trip would be wet from above instead of below. I quickly found the closest beach to Split and walked over. Bačvice Beach is near downtown Split and is a rather rough beach, but still popular with locals. I was able to enjoy the Adriatic Sea and get a little beach time on my trip before heading back to enjoy some local pašticada and a nice walk around town.

Dubrovnik was my destination on Wednesday. This gem of Croatia is an ancient city protected under many rulers and part of an old republic independent from most of the region. Our tour bus left early and winded its way through the interior and rugged coast to finally arrive. I understand why this area was left alone due to its remote location. This city really shines even under overcast skies. The old town is perched high above the coast surrounded by clear blue water. Our guide gave us a quick tour of the city with its history under several rulers. Croatia has a complicated recent history with war and occupation. I had some amazing Bosnian food for lunch and kicked myself for not having more time to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I found the bar hidden in the cliffs which was a much cheaper way to see the ocean and walls than the

40 Euro city ticket. I also found the Hard Rock Cafe to add another pin to my global collection. It was 

really cool walking around the city seeing all the Kings Landing filming locations and the various 

markets and shops that keep Dubrovnik running. Unfortunately, the rain arrived before our bus 

which quickly soaked us and made things quite difficult. The ride back was smooth although a bit 

scary with a large tour bus swerving up ocean cliff roads in hard rain. We made it back to Split and a 

nice night of sleep.

 My flight to Rome was late in the day. I had planned to spend the day at the beach, but the weather 

cancelled those plans. I walked around Split and saw their nice art museum and got a delicious tuna 

lunch before heading back to the airport for my flight. I met a nice Croatian on the flight and we ended 

our trip as new friends. It was a great trip to Croatia even if it was rough around the edges. Sort of like 

the country. Please enjoy the rest of my photos below.

Wine Tasting in Skradin

Stairs to Apartment in Split

Split Harbor

Leaving Split

Pasticada

Halfway to Dubrovnik

Croatian Fire Department

Ocean View from Dubrovnik

Main Gate into Dubrovnik

Cevapi and Kebabs for Lunch

Famous Steps from Game of Thrones 

Window Looking over Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik City Wall

One of many cats in Split

Downtown Split

Grilled Tuna Lunch

Roman Aqueduct Leaving Split