Europe

Croatia

59 photographs · 8 venues

Photographs

Places worth going

Blue LagoonDon't missLandmarksStandard stop on the island run, and the water really is that colour - shallow over a pale sand bar, so you can stand up a long way out. Plenty of other boats moored up doing exactly the same thing, so don't expect it to yourself. Still worth the swim.HvarDon't missTownsA long lunch and a wander, which is exactly the right way to do Hvar. I had the grilled meat - ribs, ćevapi, chops and grilled vegetables - and then walked it off in the stepped stone lanes that run down to the waterfront, bougainvillea over the walls and tables set out along the steps. The whole town funnels down to the harbour, so you keep getting these slots of blue between the buildings. Climb up to the Spanish fortress if you've got the legs for it, the view back over the Pakleni islands is the picture everyone comes for.Plitvice Lakes National ParkDon't missOutdoorsGive it a full day, and go early. Sixteen lakes stacked down a valley, each one spilling into the next over travertine barriers that are still growing, so the whole thing is a staircase of water. It's boardwalks most of the way with one flat electric boat across the big lake, and the water is an opaque green that goes properly turquoise wherever it shallows over the limestone. It was grey all day when I went and it didn't dull the colour one bit. Gets very busy in the middle of the day, so the early start is the whole game.Blue CaveWorth a stopLandmarksThe trip out to Biševo, and then a wait offshore with a line of other boats for your turn. You transfer into a little boat that ducks through a low opening, and inside the light comes up through the water from underneath so the whole cave glows blue. Ten minutes and you're back out, and the wait is long, so go knowing that.Hvar to Split crossingWorth a stopJourneysTime this one for the evening if you can. Coming back into Split with the sun dropping behind the Marjan hill, the whole waterfront went to silhouette and the light laid out flat across the water. Nicest hour of the day to be on a boat, and it costs nothing extra to book the late one.Marjan viewpointWorth a stopViewpointsWorth the climb for this. The whole of Split is laid out below you - the old town under its terracotta roofs, the Riva curving round to the harbour, and the islands sitting out across the water. There was a cruise ship in when I was up there, which gives you the scale of the place better than anything else does. I went up twice, once in the evening and once in the middle of the day, and it was worth both. Pines and cypresses frame the view so you get a slightly different picture depending on where along the path you stop. It is a proper set of steps up rather than a stroll, so take water in summer. Would go back!SplitWorth a stopTownsSplit is the one that surprised me most. The old town isn't near a Roman palace, it IS one - Diocletian built it to retire into and people simply never left, so there are flats and bars and washing lines built into fourth-century walls. Go and stand under the vestibule and look straight up: an open circle in the brick dome with the sky through it, and usually someone singing klapa underneath because the acoustics are ridiculous. Get lost in the lanes, come out on the Riva for a coffee and watch the ferries. Wonderful place.Split to Biševo crossingWorth a stopJourneysOut of Split early on a fast boat, open blue water most of the way with the islands sitting low off to one side. A good way to start a day, though it's a long way out and you feel it in a small boat.