Croatia
Another road trip but this time to South-Central Europe to explore some of the finest cities on the Croatia coastline. This is a journey starting from Zadar through to Krka, Split and finishing off in the beautiful city of Dubrovnik. This long drive covers coastlines to bendy roads while exploring quaint old cities that serves amazing local wines and foods - definitely a trip that you won't forget anytime soon. Hope you all enjoy part one of my Croatian Coastline series!
First Stop: Zadar
It is common for holiday goers (or GoT fans) to list Dubrovnik as a priority when traveling to Croatia. But why not start yourself off in a quieter part of the coast? Especially the sleepy but beautiful city of Zadar. This less-traveled destination will give you a sense of local Croatian life, a less tourist-filled experience, and to quote Alfred Hitchcock: 'Zadar has the most beautiful sunset in the world, more beautiful than the one in Key West, in Florida, applauded at every evening.'
Flights to Zadar are also cheaper than flying straight to other cities in Croatia and makes it a perfect place to start your Croatian coastline adventure. We stayed in an apartment called Nana's Room in the middle of the old town that we found on AirBnB that is about 10 minutes walk from the water and only a few minutes away from the central attractions. We highly recommend the place hosted by Sanja, whose father was so kind to pick us up from the airport and made sure that we settled in well in the apartment. Our evening flight meant we only had enough time to go for a quick stroll around the city before retiring for an early night, ready for an early start. The city itself is beautiful with its large white stone like tiles across the Old town.
Pit Stop: Krka National Park
We decided to save Zadar to be explored in its glorious sunset and spent the second day of our Croatian holiday driving to Krka National Park. The hours drive to Krka was mainly on the motorway which was pretty much empty. Park in the carpark near Hotel Vrata Krke and get your ticket at the ticket office before hopping onto a feeder bus that brings you straight to the park entrance. Krka is an absolutely incredible park filled with rivers, lakes and beautiful sights. Absolutely breathtaking and it's like watching Monet's Water Lilies come to life. The clear refreshing water makes it a popular destination for pictures and a swim by the waterfalls.
The park is structured with wooden walkways through the walking trails, making it an easy walk with stopping points for picture taking. It is quite a fair bit of walking around but it all goes by quickly in the calm, refreshing and relaxing environment.
Lunch is not to be worried when visiting the Krka National Park because by the end of the walk you will be offered a selection of restaurants to choose from to fuel up before continuing on more trails. We settled on a restaurant around the corner at the end of the trail (the result of having a big breakfast!) and had our first proper local seafood meal. Excellent fried fish that was well seasoned, fresh and so delicious!
Before returning to Zadar, we made a quick stop at Murter and Tisno, small quiet towns on a connected island just outside Sibenik. As we went just before the summer, the shops were still in preparations for the peak of the season and very few were open for business. Probably best to head there during the summer, but nothing like some peace and quiet after a long drive.
Back to Zadar: Best Sunset in the World
Alfred Hitchcock famously praised Zadar's sunset to be the most beautiful one in the world. What a statement. And just how beautiful and breathtaking can this sunset be? Well, beautiful and breathtaking enough that you have to show up early to the seafront to grab the perfect spot to witness the show before floods of tourists arrive. We took a quick stroll around Zadar after returning from Krka and promptly made our way to the seafront which is a long coastline with an infinity view of the sea.
There is also a famous sea organ at the seafront, made of steel pipes built into the steps of the seafront which bellows soft organ-like sounds when waves hit against the harbour. Not as fascinating as the sunset, but there is something strangely therapeutic about gazing out into the empty horizon whilst listening to the soft organ-like sounds. No wonder there is always a crowd hanging about the seafront, just soaking it all in.
The sunset is best described as a phoenix dancing behind the clouds in the sky - magnificent and bright in all directions. It was a beautiful sight - the red and orange strokes in the sky reflecting against the sea. Spectacular.
After the sunset, we had another local seafood meal at 2Ribara, which was recommended by the staff at the highly popular dining place, Bruschetta (definitely would need prior bookings to dine at this restaurant). The fried fresh fish at Krka earlier in the day definitely triggered our seafood cravings and 2Ribara did not disappoint - cozy and with excellent staff that suggested great dishes with wine pairings. Croatian white wines are not to be missed here. It was surprisingly refreshing, crisp and definitely different to the ones from my Moselle road trip. The taste went so well with the seafood and had me asking for the name of the wine! (Kozlovic).
Thats the end of Part 1 for this Croatian Coastline Series! Watch out for Split and Dubrovnik coming soon!