A City Break in Croatia

Why Croatia?

In recent years, tourism in Croatia has been increasingly rising. The popularity of the country is founded on its beautiful coast lines, picturesque cities, and magnificent waterfalls. In addition, Game of Thrones has filmed in many of the cities (Split, Dubrovnik, etc.). With all of these components, I knew I wanted to spend a weekend here. At the time, I was living in Florence, Italy. The bus ride to Split is 12 hours, but it was worth it. Other options of getting to split include flying into the Split Airport or taking a ferry over from nearby countries (like Italy).

Krka National Park

The Breakdown

For my first activity in Croatia, I chose to go river rafting down the Cetina River. I had never rafted before, but I loved every second of it. The river is surrounded by lush, green trees and bushes. Our guide, Ivan, was fun and informative. He was my age and a local of Split, so I really enjoyed asking him questions about his life in Croatia and comparing it to my life back in the USA. About half way through the rafting trip, we all pulled over to do some cliff jumping and to swim in the river. This rafting trip was a highlight of my semester abroad and I recommend river rafting for anyone looking for a bit of adventure.

Going over a small waterfall while rafting

For our second day in Croatia, we took a boat cruise over to the nearby island of Brac. The cruise provided amazing views of the Dalmatian Coast. Brac was perfect for relaxing on the beach and enjoying the sun. A group of people chose to go jet skiing, but my friends and I saw a water obstacle course and decided to try it out. It ended up being hilariously embarrassing for us as we continuously wiped out trying to run the course.

After returning to Split after our day in Brac, we drove over to Trogir to grab dinner and view some Game of Thrones filming locations.

The view of the Dalmation Coast from the cruise

For our third day, we drove to Krka National Park, one of Croatia's many beautiful parks with gorgeous waterfalls. Walking through the park was incredible and I can only dream of returning. The main waterfall was unbelievably stunning. My friends and I immediately jumped into the water and spent the day lounging here. Even if the weather is not warm enough for swimming, the waterfall is definitely worth visiting.

Walking to the waterfalls

Things to Know

Croatia uses the Kuna as its currency, with 1 Kuna equaling about 0.13 Euro. Prices of meals and souvenirs were about equal (after the exchange rate) for what I would pay in Italy (about 80 Kuna for a meal, which is just over 10 Euro).

Our rafting guides were extremely helpful and encouraging about Croatian culture. After the rafting adventure, the whole group got dinner at a restaurant on the river. Our guides were eager to show us how to properly eat a fish (they give you the whole thing... tail, eyeballs!). If you go to Croatia, talking to and being around the locals is a great way to truly get the full experience.

The Krka waterfall from the side

Overall

Croatia was one of my favorite trips during my time abroad in Italy. If you have heard the hype about Croatia and are considering going, I highly recommend it. It is a destination I hope to return to one day and truly experience for weeks on end.

Dreaming of a trip to Croatia?

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