Over the last few months we have been delighted to get to know several new travel bloggers around the world, in particular a couple of great folks from the beautiful nation of Croatia. Reading their blogs and following them on social media really inspired me to look into this country further and I can honestly say that I can’t wait to visit here to sample some of the amazing sights and delicacies that Croatia offers.
After following Chasing the Donkey and Frank about Croatia, here are my top 5 locations that I would love to explore for myself.
Istria
Sampling Croatian wine, relaxing along gorgeous stretches of beach and exploring some local historic architecture are all possible in the Croatian county of Istria. I started with this part of Croatia as it is located on the western coastline and also offers visitors the opportunity to take a ferry across to Venice from the town of Rovinj.
Dubrovnik
The beautiful town of Dubrovnik is appealing for many reasons, none more so than seeing the towering Franjo Tuđman Bridge (I love seeing modern piece of infrastructure). Aside from this, exploring the ‘Old Town’ and then being able to walk the walls of an official UNESCO site are all great reasons for visiting this part of Croatia.
Zagreb
I think it’s natural that whenever you visit a new country, you are likely going to want to visit the capital and Croatia is no different. Zagreb has plenty to offer but the most interesting aspect to me is seeing all of the archaic buildings and architecture throughout the city. Even the hotels such as the Regent Esplanade Zagreb are impressive structures and clearly packed full of history!
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Moving away from the urban Croatian settings into Plitvice Lakes National Park, the above picture pretty much says it all! Talk about utter beauty and bliss – this is a national park that I want to explore! The water looks crystal clear and add to this a plethora of scenic waterfalls and you have a great spot for relaxing before heading back to the hustle and bustle of exploring urban Croatia.
Hvar
As you are leaving Croatia the beautiful island of Hvar located in the Adriatic Sea offers gorgeous scenery away from the mainland.
***This post is part of the 2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge (#DreamDestinations #AtoZChallenge)***
I loved Dubrovnik so much and can’t wait to go back and visit the rest of Croatia! 🙂
At least you can say you have been to Croatia Ashley 🙂 We are still a little behind hence the reason this is on the #DreamDestinations list but I can clearly see why folks would love Dubrovnik and the other locations listed above. Plus there is so much more to see there than I have included.
We spent seven weeks exploring Croatia last year and loved every minute of it. It wasn’t long enough as we still have Istria to explore! We are hoping to do this later this year as well as have a week on our favourite island. You’ll love it when you do visit…it really is as fabulous as you read!
Thanks Jenny, I am so jealous of folks that are able to visit Croatia but at the same time wish you the best of luck as you explore this beautiful country. I really hope we can venture there sometime soon.
Croatia is a country that has recently come on my radar! I would love to go explore the cities and those lakes are absolutely gorgeous! I hear a cruise in my nearby future! Fingers crossed! 🙂
I’m looking forward to exploring Croatia this summer. We only have a week there, though, which I know isn’t enough time! We’ll be focusing on the Dubrovnik area, but also have arranged brief trips to Zagreb and hopefully Plitvice. There’s a good chance I might just never leave. I think that sounds reasonable.
I’ll take all of it! I’ve never been to Croatia, but I’m hoping to make it to the Istria region later this year, but not sure if that’s going to happen. And I just have to go to the Plitvice lakes.
Another great dream destination!
Aren’t they just gorgeous! I can imagine relaxing by Plitvice Lakes for a few days and then heading on to the more built up areas of Croatia and exploring the history and local culture there before maybe heading back again to Plitvice to cool down 🙂
Cheers for the shout out – you’ve picked well. Although I am a little sad to see Zadar missed off this list – BUT oh so glad you selected Zagreb, it never gets the attention it deserves.
Thanks Sarah-Jane, it was a tough selection just trying to pick 5 but I am happy with what we selected and also left a few others off that we hoped folks like you would recommend/suggest in comments (thanks for that by the way).
Croatia…tomorrow! Yay! It’s been on my list for a long time Chris. A long time. Of course I’m loving your C!
Wow, that’s awesome and what perfect timing for this #DreamDestination. I really hope you have an awesome time there.
I’ve been reading the posts about Croatia and they really make me to go there so bad! hopefully at some point we’ll be able to do it
Definitely agree and hope you get to go there sooner rather than later!
So proud that Croatia made a C of your A-Z challenge (and kudos for participating in it!). Thanks for the shout out. When you make it here, don’t forget to let us know and let us show you around.
Glad we could be of assistance guys! Croatia really does look beautiful and even if I wasn’t aware of your blog or Sarah-Jane’s I don’t think I would have needed much of an incentive to focus on this part of Europe which rarely gets marketed the way that it should do.
Will definitely let you know when we head on over to Croatia, I am sure there are one or two hidden spots that you need to point out to us, like the best place to find good, quality local Croatian grub.
Great C and two wonderful blogs you mentioned – the only problem is each time I visit them I want to go back to Croatia immediately! We were lucky to visit Croatia in 2012 and only love it more since. Would love to return one day and see more of what we missed
Cheers Calli, yeah both those guys over at Chasing the Donkey and Frank About Croatia really have some high quality posts on Croatia and it gave me the inspiration to do a little research for myself.
we loved Duvrovnic and the plitvice lakes. Well we loved all places we visited in Croatia.
It doesn’t surprise me Shere because everywhere in Croatia looks gorgeous. So many unique spots and attractions worth seeing!
Great post. Croatia is on my list on must-see places and has been for a while! I will get there soon and seeing all these wonderful pictures makes me want to book a flight now! 🙂
Go for it Tam!! But then again, I would probably be saying that a lot as we go through this A to Z Challenge because it’s an endless list of possibilities and just not enough time to see them all.
Plitvice is beautiful, definitely go! I’m going to Dubrovnik, Hvar and Zagreb (and Split, Korcula & Makarska) this summer, I can’t wait! Loved Croatia last summer for the few days I was there. Hoping to fit in Krka this time, too 🙂
Sammi, I wanted to include a rural area and Plitvice looks gorgeous and so serene. Combine that with the beautiful cities of Zagreb et al and you really have a perfect mixture for a relaxing vacation. I can’t recall ever hearing a bad word about Croatia so it’s all positives from my viewpoint!
Absolutely beautiful.
I’d love to have you link to my weekly link party “Oh, the PLACES I’ve been!”
– Alma, The Tablescaper
Sounds great, let us know when the link-up goes live! You can reach out to us here or on Twitter @ABritSoutherner!
Croatia looks amazing! Its on my bucket list for the next few years. I especially want to visit Dubrovnik and Plitvice Lakes but the whole country has so much to offer.
Croatia seems to be getting a lot of attention recently, and I can see why! Absolutely beautiful. I am so intrigued by the coastal countries in that region, particularly given the history of the Balkans. Plus, the food! Yes…must go. 🙂
Croatia is very high on my list! I have a trip planned for 2015, and had been planning to just focus on the the coastal towns and islands, but those lakes look stunning!
Plitvice Lakes National Park is really amazing! Such a beauty of Croatia.
Croatia is one of my favorite places to visit. I would add Trogir, Split, the island of Brac, and the Krka National Park. The entire coast, in fact. I do recommend going in the off-season – the places you list and beaches in general can get very crowded in the summer, though, of course, there are fewer services before/after the main tourist season. True of any place for sure, but if you can have the Plitvice National Park all to yourself, it’s worth it.