Croatia is a beautiful Balkan country with a long coast adorned with beautiful peaceful beaches and rich history.
Arriving to Croatia
We flew from DFW to Nice France to spend a week in the French Riviera. We decided to drive instead of flying, just because the “adventure” factor. You never know what you may find on the way. The drive from Nice, France to Croatia has the benefit of lovely scenery; however, it takes longer than what iPhone Maps or Google Maps estimate. Crossing through the northern root of Italy is time consuming because of the traffic which then doubles up the required stops. On the way there are border crossings from Italy to Slovenia then to Croatia and finally for us later in the trip to get to Dubrovnik you cross through Bosnia-Herzgovina to return back into Croatia again; given the multiple crossings, it is important to highlight that you will need a passport for each of these crossings.
The Croatian currency is the Kuna; the Croatians prefer to be paid in Kuna and to avoid dubious exchange rates I recommend to always pay in Kuna instead of Euros. Travelling on a Saturday in July we experienced big delays at the border as the Europeans often take their vacations in July and August.
Staying in Croatia 
Croatia is extremely popular nowadays; therefore, I recommended that ahead of time you define what type of vacation you would like to have. Certainly, there is plenty of history, great sailing, sea-canoeing, beaches and flora and fauna to discover. We wanted to have a week of relaxing beach holiday intermixed with visiting historic sites. We used www.booking.comanAirbnb instead of staying in hotels but there are very good hotels if you prefer to stay in in this type of accommodation. In our case, we prefer the freedom of eating when we want to, plus the privacy. I had my fair share of noisy neighbors in hotels.
Trogir
We stayed a whole week in a Villa in Seget Vranjica, very close to Trogir; no more than a five to ten minute drive. To me this was the perfect introduction to historic Croatia; an alternate for those who want to visit or stay in Split and/or Dubvronick. It is a smaller, cozier version of the other two cities. It is great for families or groups of families. Our apartment had a modern, fully equipped kitchen, dishwasher and washer machine. The sitting room had games, cable, movies and books to keep the kids entertained. All the rooms, upstairs and downstairs had balconies with a beautiful and peaceful sea view; very romantic at night. There were two great swimming pools and the Villa had five individual residences over three floors. The residence on the first floor were directly in front of the pool but the residences divided over the second and third floors had a much better view of the Adriatic Sea. While we booked “Residence A” we were given “Residence C”; no complaints as that view of the bay was to die for.
You can rent bicycles but we had young children, not too much trust of Croatian’s adherence to driving ethics and anyway we had rented a car. The residence had its own parking and so was included in the price; although finding the residence the first time is tricky because of the lack of detail provided by our GPS and the very narrow roads.
The beach was just across the street; however, there was no need to crossthe road as we were able to follow a walking path that went under the main road. We went to the beach every day. Its calm waters were great for the kids.
There were restaurants towards the beach but again we had to be aware of always carrying the local Kuna currency; many only accepted Kuna and preferred cash to credit cards.
Split was twenty one miles from our accommodation. This type of accommodations is why I prefer to look around than to be in a secluded room in a hotel.
During our stay it was the World Cup final (soccer) and Croatia had just beaten England in the semi-finals; a disappointment for my husband who is English. Nonetheless, it was fantastic to see the sense of peaceful pride around Trogir unlike my rather harrowing experience during a crowd panic in Nice, France just a week before. In Croatia, adults and children wore their red and white shirts, like their sports heroes. All the houses proudly adorned in small and large versions of the Croatian flag. Some smaller versions and other covering the entrances of the house. Croatia did not win the world cup final but the country was still united in its support and was happy with what they had achieved; to be in the semifinal, such a small country compared to the other bigger footballing nations. I was happy to share it with them.
Trogir, situated on the Adriatic coast between Croatia and the island of Ciovo, was my introduction to Croatia and my favorite town so far. It is on a small island that is connected by a small bridge to the mainland. It impressed me, the architectural mix of the buildings and the narrow alleys across the whole town confusing itwith a beautiful and picturesque labyrinth. It was founded by the Greeks and operated as a colony until the Roman period. There are plenty of restaurants, artists and souvenir shops. The town is quite touristic in some areas but you can get quickly lost in a areas that turn out to be residential. It has a Marina but this was my least favorite area although quite popular. It gets quite hot in July. The walls block the breeze and some restaurants do not offer air conditioner.
As far as I remember there are one or two banks in the town with two additional ATM machines. There are many small shops and in many of the open spaces there are street painters with beautiful pieces of art; I certainly recommend buying some art from them as you will in many cases be buying from the artist and it is cheaper than buying from stores and a beautiful keepsake memory.
On our second day in Croatia we visited the Cathedral of St. Lawrence in Trogir. They charge for adults, 25KN. This Catholic Church was constructed between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries and it has an impressive architecture. From outside you can admire the Romanesque portal completed by 1240, personally, I loved the Chapel of St John of Trogir and the baptistery. You are able to scale the bell tower with a perilous climb up the narrow stairs. and from the top there are great views of the town of Trogir with its terracotta colored roofs and a fantastic overview and appreciation of the City Hall.
On our fourth day, we visited the fortress and Castle Kamerlengo built in the fifteen century; the fortification is hard to miss at the northern corner of the town. There is a charge to go in but once inside, there is not much to see the main “room” is empty and there are very view plaques or descriptive panels. I think that there is plenty of opportunity for improvement to furnish the different areas with historic information for those of us who like to learn the history behind the building. There are some (not strongly secured) stairs that people can climb to circle the walls of the fortress with views of Trogir and the harbor.
On our sixth day we booked a tour with Ventos a local tour company and went on a boat to the island of Solda. This was one of the kids’ favorite activities and it was quite relaxing for the adults too. Not only were the views fantastically beautiful but we had the opportunity to stop for a swim in a number of places.
Where and what did we eat?
On the menu of the many restaurants were a wide variety of pasta dishes, pizza, squid, Mediterranean fish and some also had lamb; a few offered other meats but as we are not avid red meat eaters I cannot comment about the taste or quality of these dishes.
Don Dino is a very popular restaurant as I was able to see, Specially for the people who arrived on boats to Trogir. We did not eat in Don Dino because they did not accept children but the place seemed very elegant (given the outside space) and with a quick glance here and there the food seemed to be well presented and most of the time, it was full so if people vote with their feet this could be a good choice.
On the first night we ate at Caffe bar Y. The service was good taking into account that they are quite busy. I ordered pasta and it was delicious. I found the place a little pricey but it may have to do with the location. It was precisely in front of a great view and where yachts disembark.
Having children we ate most of the time at Pizzeria Kristian. They offered homemade pasta and limited Mediterranean dishes. Kristian, the owner was always around, greeting you with a smile, having conversations with his customers. We ate here mostly for the pizza. Another benefit from eating here were the fans with mist for the hot July days at noon or early evening. Pizerria Kristen is located on Obrov Street.
We had a mixed experience at another place we ate , Kanoba (restaurant) Era. Visually this is a very charming restaurant located in an alley. Although you can eat inside the restaurant and it is advertised with air conditioner, it is not the type of air conditioner that Americans would be used to. The charm of this place is eating outside. The first day they offered pizza for the kids and I ordered chicken and it was very well seasoned. The following day was a different experience, they indicated to us that they did not offer children’s portions and that we could only eat inside. To make matters worse the service was drastically lacking compared to our first day. However, with its lavender colors and flowers, it has a charming and romantic atmosphere.
The rest of the time, we cooked our own meals and drank our own wine. Rose seems quite popular around. To me, eating in the Villa was the best culinary experience with great view, the sea breeze or a functioning air conditioner when we needed it!
Split
One of our days in Seget we ventured to Split. It was the fifth day. This is the second largest city in Croatia and is located on the Dalmatian Coast. If you would like, you can take a boat ride from Trogir to Split; however, we decided to drive along the coast. Unfortunately, arriving in Split, we found a lot traffic and not much parking space and cash (Kuna coins) is needed to park. The place was packed and very touristic with many shops, restaurants and even banks inside their main attraction but as were to find out later, not as busy as Dubrovnik. The goal for our one day trip, was to visit the Diocletian Palace. The Palace was initially constructed in the fourth century by the Romans during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The palace is open all the time because it occupies half of the city of Split, around 30,000 square meters and people live within the walls of the Palace. Unfortunately, there is a fee for the Cathedral; personally, I don’t like to pay to enter a sacred place, to me it feels somehow a sacrilege. The history of this town is fascinating with an influence from the Greeks, Romans and Slavs. It is interesting to notice how the lower rooms are structured with windows close to the ceiling I wonder all the many stories carried on the walls, on the floors, with a clear effort to preserve this place; it is after all an UNESCO site. I admire the Croats forceful and patriotic mindset which can be followed and demonstrated in the more recent history. There are many lives to be remembered. Every Croat we met had lost an ancestor in one of these more recent conflicts; you can see their pain but also their hope and determination.
Gelato shops are very popular in Croatia in general rivaling my experiences Italy. The southern part of the palace does not have towers; this was where the Emperor’s apartments were in ancient times. It is not that easy to find the real gate but there are remains of where the pillars used to be.
We spent some time in the Peristyle. It is like a Plaza; it’s a beautiful and majestic area. At night the Palace is more beautiful with the benefit of lighting and some people dress up as Romans to take us back to many centuries ago.
I wish that I could have seen the Croats more during their leisure time instead of working in the shops. During their day time break periods, I did notice that they smoked a lot. The stores were attractive and the people were very friendly, exchanging stories, and a little bit of their lives. At the end of the sale they wanted always to know the destination of the pieces that I bought and were never surprised at how far they would go. I think that there was a sense of pride that a piece of Croatia would travel many miles and be a representative of their country. People seemed to be much more open to give information and chat than in other areas in Croatia. They were not pushy trying to sell you products and services but, then it is normal to have someone at the entrance of the restaurants trying to get customers inside to eat.
Dubrovnik
From Trogir we drove to Dubrovnik. I loved the beautiful view of the coast and towards the city.
We stayed four days in a Home Away apartment in the heart of Dubronik. The principal selling point of this accommodation was the location with the panoramic views of Dubrovnik Old Town and Lokrum from two balconies. The owners rent the upper apartment temporarily and someone lives there during the off season. The apartment was walking distance of the Fortress and the Old City. However, the panoramic view had its consequences; to arrive at the place, we needed to climb lot of stairs to get there from the street, but the view was worth it. This small inconvenience did not bother us. Parking in Dubrovnik is limited but we paid extra to one of the neighbor’s to have a parking spot.
I was in shock when I saw how many people were in Dubrovnik in July; too many. I found it very touristic even commercial but nonetheless, impressive because of its limestone streets, beautiful buildings and the blue shade of the Adriatic Sea as a background. The city seems catered more to singles than to families but we had a good time.
We visited St. Ignacious Church and Dubrovnik Cathedral and Church of St. Joseph. We (or I) prayed while my children lit a candle; they love to do that, I guess they think that there is a certain magic there…and there is.
I recommend the City Walls Tour. You are able to see the city from another perspective and see what parts are still original and what parts were damaged because of the recent wars and the bombardment of the city. I must add that it can be a little scary if you are afraid of heights. My kids enjoyed this tour as well.
We visited the Aquarium. This was a great idea in July because it has an air conditioner. It is not too big but a good activity for the kids to enjoy and to learn about the Mediterranean Sea and currents.
We enjoyed eating at Dubrovka; this sea-view restaurant is located on the right just before crossing the bridge and entering the Old City. The staff were great and they had a variety of dishes for everybody; I thoroughly recommend it.
There is a Hilton Hotel with a great view to the Old City. I think that the location is great probably with good views but as we did not stay I can not tell you how good or bad the hotel was. I was pretty happy with our choice although the bed was certainly no match for my own.
We left the city driving back to Nice France stopping in Italy for a day, but that will be another story to tell. Driving was great option for us and this was with two small children but we did have an Ipad or two to entertain them. To any person who is afraid of driving, I say, don’t be. There are many places where you will just want to stop and breathe it in, because Croatia is a really beautiful country.
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