Here are top 10 things to do in Croatia based on our experience. You can find full story of our road trip here.

1) Get lost in Dubrovnik Old Town

Dubrovnik Old Town is a lovely place to spend a day or two. You can see stone buildings (with a beautiful cream/yellow type of colour), arches, alleys, cute little shops, street food stalls, there is so much to explore in this historic city. Dubrovnik has been an important port for centuries and they managed to keep the old town authentic to its roots. There are street food places you can try (we tried to eat at Barba but there was a massive line), or you can enjoy one of the restaurants in the harbour (on the east side), which will be more expensive but worth the experience. We tried Gradska Kavana and we were happy with the food, view and cocktails. The overall ambiance was very nice. At the end of the day, there are usually street musicians or little bars that play music, there are much less tourists. We got our beers and sat down on the stairs of the church of Saint Blaise and enjoyed a bit of music, and relaxed after a long day of walking and exploring this wonderful place.

2) Walk on the walls of Dubrovnik Castle

After walking and exploring the streets of Dubrovnik, you should also walk on the castle walls. It is a great experience as you can see the city from a vintage point but also you can enjoy beautiful views of the Mediterranean. The walls are quite impressive and high. There are some entry points, and they charge a small fee for it. They let limited number of people at a given time so be mindful of the crowds. Plenty of photo opportunities, there are no shades so it can be hot but there is a fair amount of wind to cool off.

3) Enjoy a dip in Mediterranean just outside of Dubrovnik Castle walls

Just outside of the walls on the south side, there is a protected area where people can swim. It looks like beach club but it is made on the rocks the walls stand on. We did not have time to try it but it looks fun and it can be a different and unique experience.

4) Explore Hvar Island or beautiful coves and bays around City of Hvar

Hvar Island is one of the most popular islands for tourists near Dalmatian Coast. There are small towns and beaches all around the island. The city of Hvar (on the west side of the island) offers first-hand exploration opportunity of the coves and bays of smaller un-inhabited islands close to the city. You can rent a dinghy with an outboard engine and enjoy a day in turquoise waters.

5) City hopping alongside of Dalmatian Coast

If you start driving alongside the Croatian coast, you start with Dubrovnik and go all the way to Zadar (or even further if you have time). The coastal road is mostly right next the sea so you have beautiful views, sometimes it gets a further inland where you have forest and mountain views. The road is well-maintained and a joy to drive on as you encounter small villages which look like small monopoly cities. The architecture, the colour of the stones the buildings are made of, the roof styles, they are remarkably similar to each other. It might be a bit repetitive and less exciting after a while, but we have seen two such villages on the coast (Trogir and Primosten) and it was very pleasant to use these cities as a break from the drive. It usually takes little time to explore and walk around so such small breaks did not delay our timeline.

6) Find locations of Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik and Split

If you are a fan of the show, you can easily remember several scenes from Dubrovnik, the harbour, the castle walls are all used as a backdrop for the capital, King’s Landing. Split has also an underground palace where some of the rooms were used in the show. There are a lot of souvenir shops where you can get objects about the series and have something to remember your trip.

7) Spend a day in nature in one of the National Park(s)

Croatia is also lucky in terms of having beautiful nature parks. The most famous of them is Plitvice National Park, which is very popular among local and foreign tourists. I strongly suggest planning carefully for it, getting the ticket online in advance (a few days at least) and arriving early in order to get a good spot. We made the mistake of arriving there without a ticket. After waiting for an hour and talking to park officials, we realized we are not going to be able to get in. We were supposed to get back to Dubrovnik by the end of that day, so we decided to drive back. We found Krka National Park, who happened to be on the way back. We bought the ticket online before we arrive. It also offers beautiful walking paths in the forest with a lot of waterfalls around. It is less touristic but it would still be better if you buy the ticket online before you go there. If you like nature and would like to spend a day hiking in the forest, they can be good options.

8) Have a drink and watch the amazing sunset in Zadar

When I was researching Croatia before our trip, I encountered that the sunset in Zadar has a stunning sunset. During the day, we walked in the city and identified the best spot to watch it (marked on the map below – you can pinpoint sunset location through mobile apps). We thought there will be a lot of people to watch it as it was mentioned in many guide books, blogs and articles. After our day in Zadar, we grabbed our cold beers and decided to go to our spot about 1-1.5 hour before the sunset. It was a good decision, the sunset takes a long time there. Even an hour before the sunset, there was this beautiful reddish and orange glow in the sky, sailboats passing in front of us, clouds moving around very gracefully. It was an absolute joy to spend a bit more than two hours there, having our drinks, kicking back, enjoying fantastic weather and a majestic sunset. Be careful about people though, latecomers sometimes try to sit on places that might block your view, or they try to sit very close to you. You should be vigilant and make sure you have a comfortable space to sit and watch the view.