Cruising Through Croatia

Carys Reid-Davies
Nov 26, 2019
5 min read

Now I deliberated over the title of this blog for a while. The reason being, it suggests I did a cruise when I HATE the idea of ever going on a cruise. Don't get me wrong, it works for a lot of people and I'm not knocking that. For me, however, the idea of being contained on a boat and then having to scoot around a city in a day amongst flocks of crowds from the same ship is ... well hell! So whilst we did hop from island to island via boat, it most definitely was not a cruise ship holiday. So what was it?

Two weeks of backpacking through a country which has been used for the infamous Game of Thrones, a country which is to thank for the Dalmatian dog and a country which provided the location of the island in Mamma Mia 2! With an abundance of delicious food, scorching heat and breathtaking islands, I was in for a treat.

Dubrovnik

We started of in Dubrovnik, which many people mistake to be the capital city of Croatia. Whilst no capital, it's very impressive, especially the old town which is enclosed by daunting walls that stretch up to the sun. We walked these and the best advice I could give is to go either early or late because the heat during the middle of the day is pretty draining (I really can't imagine how anyone could cope traipsing around the city walls during prime sun time)! Speaking of the heat, there was no better way to relax and re-hydrate than to go to a cliff jumping bar, Beach Bar Buza, which was tucked away in the wall. It wasn't easy to find but it was so worth getting there as we watched climbers scramble to the top of magnificent cliffs and then hurtle down into the sea. All that whilst nursing a cold beer or cocktail, not bad ey!?

There was also the opportunity to grab a jet ski from 'King's Landing' which was a brilliant experience. Whizzing along the sea and seeing the city from the ocean was a real adrenaline kick but it also worked up an appetite ... So off we went on the cable car to the top of Mt Srđ where we watched the sun set. It was gorgeous and peering down at the beautifully preserved Old Town below was the perfect way to spend the night. Whilst there was food here, we decided to head back into the town to a fab fish restaurant we were recommended called Barba. We filled our tummies with what felt like all the fish in Croatia, ready for the next stop.

Korčula

A hop skip and a jump away was Korčula (okay maybe not quite a hop skip and a jump away, but a very pleasant boat journey was all it took for us to get to this island). It could not have been more of a contrast from Dubrovnik which was a bustling city. This sleepy but stunning place was a lovely bit of calm for us, and boy did we need it. Having always had a talent for cramming a lot in, it was lovely to just relax (even if we did hire bikes one day and go exploring around a hidden beach amongst ruins the other)! It had everything we needed, a quaint little Old Town to explore, the warm sea to swim in and delicious ice cream to indulge in! We didn't need more than a couple days though so before we knew it we were of to island number two.

ree — They have some good thinking out there!

Vis

For all you Mamma Mia fans this is your opportunity to fan girl. Yes, Vis is the island where the sequel to this well known musical was set. And yes, it's as brilliant as you'd expect but there aren't quite so many 1980s flares around! We hired kayaks one day and took a trip to a memorising sea cave on the other day. With plenty to see and do, this island continued to confirm that Croatia had a lot to give. However, it was time to leave the quieter islands so we were up and at 'em the next day to get a boat to Hvar, our next stop.

Hvar

This was party central. The town that never sleeps with strips along the bay and cocktail deals around every corner. My kind of place. We explored the beaches and soaked in the sea before getting a convertible car and going a little further afield. The more we drove the more we saw what this fab island had to offer. However, our time flew by and all of a sudden we were packed up and moving onto our next destination; Brac.

ree — Feeling a bit like Thelma + Lousie ...

Brac

Okay, I was really impressed with Brac. We spent our shortest amount of time here but I loved every minute. On our one full day we got a bus to Bol which had the most stunning beach and great waves that crashed into you and cooled you down. Seeing as I'm not a massive beach person, I was pleasantly surprised. It really was a spectacle going here, with the white sand stretching out into the sea in a large point that looked like a dagger piercing the ocean. Once again, after a quick explore of the Old Town we were on our way to the capital city.

ree — I can think of worse dinner spots!

Split + Trogir

Packed up and on board a boat to Split we arrived at the capital city bright-eyed and bushy tailed. We were literally here for a matter of hours as we had hired a car to drive to Trogir. However, in that short time we managed to have a wander and grab a bite to eat. I actually found it very crowded and touristy but we weren't really there long enough for me to have a real opinion.

Trogir was lovely though. A small town which twisted and turned in every direction. We spent one day at Krka National Park as it was only an hours drive away. It was beautiful and the falls were lovely to swim in but you had to pick your moment as it was a popular destination (after our island experiences, seeing such masses of people seemed so abnormal)! Somehow, the holiday had flown by and we were driving to Makarska, our final stop.

Makarska

Well where did all that time go? A mixture of eight cities and islands in two weeks, not bad going. We weren't done yet, though. I saw that we could go canyoning at a spot in between Trogir and Makarska so there was no way we were missing out on that. Climbing down a steep crevice that cut between a vertical cliff, we made our decent before floating down the river at the bottom. It was an incredible feat and one of those things I'll always remember. Not to mention it was the best way to finish off an already fabulous holiday. We really didn't have long in Makarska but a nice stroll around the town satisfied us and we felt we'd covered a lot. Then it was back to Dubrovnik for a final day of relaxation, cocktails and swimming. Bish, bash, bosh!