… to the begin “Croatia in 10 days”
From the restaurant “Gradina” in Lika to Rovinj 199 km or a little over 2 hours drive on a good highway.
Day 5: the mysterious Rovinj, or a little “Croatian Venice”
In the evening, you should reach the wonderful town of Rovinj, located in the Istrian Peninsula.
The town of Rovinj is a romantic and alluring site, listed as one of the TOP 10 of the best places to visit in Croatia.
The main tourist attractions of the town of Rovinj are located in its historic centre on the peninsula – the Old Town of Rovinj. The Old Town of Rovinj is a historic centre of the city, located on the peninsula, with the Church of St. Euphemia at its heart.
The town is also known for its widescale seaside, consisting of 22 scenic islands.
The secret of the uniqueness of the town of Rovinj is hiding in the harmonic combination of the styles from different historical eras – the Gothic, the Renaissance, the Barocco and the neo-classical styles.
Last time I’ve travelled to Rovinj, I’ve stayed in the hotel and was highly satisfied with the price and the quality of living .
Rating is composed based on the 2885 reviews by the guests of the hotel
Distance to the nearest beach: 200 meters
Distance to the centre of Rovinj: 15 minutes on foot
Distance to the airport of Pula: 40 km
Additionally: covered and uncovered swimming pools with a large relaxation zone and a beach bar, as well as the Wellness & Spa area, the mini-playground for kids and the table tennis are available for the guests of the hotel. There are also tennis courts near the hotel. In just 100 meters from the hotel lies the forest park Zlatni Rit with its hundred-years trees.
The price of the hotel room: from 107 euro per night
… more photos and descriptions of the hotels in Rovinj
… more about the town of Rovinj
In the evening, consider paying a visit to the town of Porec, in 35 km from Rovinj.
Porec is a small seaside town, famous for the Church of St. Euphemia (built in the 16th century), which was included in the list of UNESCO world heritage monuments. If you get lucky, you may even find yourself stumbling across one of the musical concerts that are organized there every now and again throughout the tourist season.
Day 6: the cities of artists and truffles – hello, Dalmatia!
Before you leave the Istrian Peninsula, don’t forget to pay a visit to the Grozhnjan – a town of artists, and Motovun – the town of truffles.
Don’t deny youself the pleasure to have a lunch of pasta with the famous Istrian truffles accompanied with a glass of white Istrian Malvasija – one of best and most celebrated Croatian wines.
If after all these adventures you’ve still got some strength left in you, visit the town of Hum on your way.
The town of Hum is listed in the World Record Guinness Book as the smallest town in the world. Its population only consists of 17 people.
The next stop – Dalmatia! The distance from Hum to Zadar is 361 km or 4 hours of driving – that will be the longest drive through our entire 10-day long journey.
Upon arrival to Zadar, head straight to the hotel cause we do need some rest to continue adventuring on the following day.
… more about the hotels in Zadar
Day 7: North and Middle Dalmatia
When you wake up in the morning you’ll be able to tell the difference straight away: Dalmatia has its unique architecture, climate, even the colour of the sea and the smell of the air.
Zadar is the fifth biggest town in Croatia. Built in the 1st century B.C. by the Roman Empire, it became known as the best tourist destination in Europe in 2016.
The old town of Zadar is located on the picturesque peninsula. It is surrounded by the mighty fortress walls, protecting it since the dawn of time.
… more about the town of Zadar
After visiting Zadar, we continue our movement south. In an hour’s ride from Zadar lies the town of Sibenik. The Cathedral of St James in Šibenik is considered to be the visiting card of the town; it is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage.
50 more kilometres, and we will be approaching the town of Trogir. Trogir is a historic town, which is also included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage.
The final destination of the day is the city of Split – the heart and soul of Dalmatia. But we’ll continue with that tomorrow…
Day 8: Split – the heart and soul of Dalmatia
The city of Split has been raised gradually, since the year 295 A.C., near the luxurious palace of Emperor Diocletian.
Gradually, the grand palace included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage monuments has turned into the fortress town, which is considered the main sight of Split today. The centre of town is so well-preserved, that if you listen closely while the streets are ablaze with the setting sun, you might just hear the majestic walk of the great Roman Emperor Diocletian.
… more about the hotels in Split
Day 9: The Island of Hvar – the “Croatian Madeira”
Hvar is one of the sunniest islands of the Adriatic. The dreamy island with a soft Mediterranean climate; the island of olives, lavender and numerous springs.
Speedy catamarans are going from the centre of Split to Hvar.
The town of Hvar, where the catamaran arrives, is a beautiful ancient town included in the list of the historic towns of the Mediterranean. Hvar is an aesthetic and colourful town, with narrow streets and squares, full of life – no wonder it occupies a special place in the literature heritage of Croatia.
The journey from Split to Durbovnik is 262 km long and will take close to 3 hours of driving. Nonetheless, I don’t recommend spending the night in Dubrovnik or anywhere nearby. The hotel and apartment prices in Dubrovnik are way too high. In my opinion, your best option is to get to Dubrovnik at 12:00 or 13:00 and spend about 3-4 hours exploring its historical centre – the time you can afford to spend in Dubrovnik highly depends on when your plane back to Zagreb is; don’t forget to set at least half-an-hour aside to return the rented car.
Day 10: the cherry on top – the town of Dubrovnik – the pearl of the Adriatic
On your way to Dubrovnik, be sure to stop for a couple of hours to visit Stone. That’s where you will find the “Great Wall of Europe” and the best oyster farm in the region, known all over the world ;))
The oysters of Stone are considered to be of a world-class quality. Most of the oysters grown there are being shipped off to Italy and France.
There are a few restaurants in Stone, specializing in serving meals made of oysters; anybody can try these elite oysters at a low, local price. You could also take a tour of the farm, but that’s another story ;)
Bernard Shaw: ” If you want to see heaven on earth, come to Dubrovnik”
Dubrovnik is a man-made wonder, deserving of its high recognition. The huge port city of Dubrovnik is always ready to compete with the ports of Venice and Amsterdam with its size. The city walls of Dubrovnik were being built and strengthened for six centuries – the quality of their construction is the reason why they are so well-preserved up to this day. The old town of Dubrovnik is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage monuments.
Conclusion: we have travelled a journey of nearly 1500 km
What we saw: 5 of the UNESCO World Heritage monuments and 4 of the wonderfully diverse Croatian regions
Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to visit multiple fortresses and old towns… or unique mountain and seaside nature parks, all of which are the Croatian visiting cards… we didn’t get to see the Croatian “Grand Canyon” and didn’t try the Limski Canal oysters… we didn’t get to have a blast in the thermal springs and aquaparks and we didn’t get to sail a boat through the Adriatic sea…
To end this article on a positive note, I can confidently say that if you manage to complete the said 10-day journey through Croatia (or something similar), you will create life-long memories of this unforgettable country! You will want to come back here over and over in the future, and I can promise you that you’ll be able to find something new to see and explore every time )))
Welcome to Croatia!
… to the begin “Croatia in 10 days”
All text and photos on this page by authors OlgaK
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