Croatia: a country with only ~4 million people, and nearly 5x as many tourists in the summer months. A country famous for pristine castles, amazing weather, Game Of Thrones, untouched islands, and crystal clear beaches. Sailing in Croatia should be on anyone’s bucket list, but once you start doing research, the costs can be insane; nearly $1k for a week on a lower-end “party” boat (with every excursion costing extra), and upwards $2k-$3k for a higher-end option.

Based on these prices, and since going to Croatia was part of my larger 1-year sabbatical, I decided to DIY my Croatia experience to save some money. Check out my itinerary and tips below!

Note: If you don’t have international data, I highly recommend downloading an e-sim before your trip! While many of the huts have wifi, it’s good to have service in case of emergencies or to ensure your map loads. I use Airalo for my e-sims, which is affordable and is easy to download. Make sure your phone is e-sim compatible!

Costs in Croatia

Croatia has nearly 18 million visitors in the summer alone, nearly 6x the total population of Croatia. This, combined with the shift to the euro, has resulted in massive amounts of inflation in Croatia. You will find that tourists are charged a lot of money for tourism related activities, much more than 2 years ago.

I was pretty shocked by the costs of, well, everything. I tried my best to stick to budget friendly experiences while staying in my own room. Here’s how I did.

Hotel (8 nights, private room): $560 (~$70/night)

Ferries / buses: $77

Food / drink: $300 (I mainly got food at the grocery store to cook, but ate out a few times!)

Tours: $246

Total: $1,183

For reference, a sailing trip through Sail Croatia can range from ~$900-$3,000 (and the low-end does not include tour costs or many meals, most of the time!)

Itinerary

Day 1-2: Split

Upon arrival to the Split airport, I jumped on the 37 bus to Split. It’s pretty cheap (less than $5 each way), and is definitely the way to go if you’re on a budget.

For accommodations, I found that Hostelworld was a really great resource to find affordable private rooms in Croatia. Hotels are really expensive, but the places I stayed through Hostelworld went above and beyond my expectations.

My place in Split was super cool and I highly recommend it! I stayed in the red room at Nirvana Rooms & Apartments. The place has a full kitchen (which I cooked in one night) and AC.

Things to do in Split:

Visit Trogir

About an hour ride on the 37 bus (just past the airport for ~$5) or a ferry ride from Split, Trogir is a history city and World Heritage Site built in the 3rd century. I would spend 2 hours here walking around the gorgeous port, visiting the city center, and exploring the main square or Kamerlengo Castle.

Hike through Marjan Park

I went on a morning run through the park and it was absolutely gorgeous. This park is nearly 3 miles long and has stunning viewpoints of beaches in every direction. It gets hot early, so if you’re going to head up here, make sure to go in the morning or for sunset. The park climbs up to a high viewpoint before dropping back down to the water.

Swim at Kasjuni Beach

Byfar my favorite beach in all of Split, Kasjuni Beach can be reached by bus from the city center. It has a long spit with a pizza food truck and a vast expanse of sandy beach and water to swim in. I stayed here for a few hours. It was my first experience of the crystal blue waters that Croatia has to offer!

Explore Diocletian's Palace

Probably the most famous thing to do in Split and another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Diocletian’s palace is in the center of town and most of your trip will focus around visiting areas of the palace! There are small shops throughout the palace walls (including ice cream, souvenirs, even Game of Thrones experiences). While entering the palace is free, you can buy tickets to visit different areas in the palace. There are a variety of packages, bundles, etc for:

Vestibul
Treasury
Cellar
Jupiter’s Temple
Cathedral

Take a tour to Krka Waterfalls

Unless you have a rental car, this is something that you will need to do with a group as there is no easy public transportation here. I unfortunately did not have time for this, but I would absolutely have booked THIS tour to the waterfalls, which is affordable (<$35) and easy!

I heard that this area can get really crowded, especially if you go with a tour group. If you have your own transportation, try to go early or late to avoid the crowds.

Day trip to Vis Island

This is also something I didn’t have time for (and I really wish I did!) Vis is a less visited island as it only has a 2 hour ferry to and from Split. Because of that, it is much less crowded and gives off a more authentic experience. Plus, Vis has the best scuba diving in all of Croatia, so if you are a diver, this should be your #1 destination!

For all of my Croatia ferries, I booked 1-2 days in advance on directferries. If you have a flexible timeline, you can get cheap ferries for half the cost of other ferries (my cheapest ferry was $12, while my most expensive was $25).

Day 3-5: Ferry to Hvar

I took an afternoon ferry from Split for $12 to Hvar, which took 45 minutes. The city of Hvar is very walkable, and I walked straight to my accommodation from the ferry port. Hvar is by far the most popular island to visit, and you will find prices are very high here (higher than Split, and nearly as high as Dubrovnik!).

I stayed at ORANGE in Hvar - a really cool hostel with private rooms, a shared kitchen, and a shared patio area. I met some really great people here, who led me to a unique dinner experience in Hvar (see below).

Walk around the port at night

The nightlife is HUGE in Hvar. You may have read stories of Prince Henry partying here, or just know it as a big party culture. Walk around the port to see local merchandise, shops, restaurants, and bars open until late.

Rent a scooter

For 40 euro/day (and less than 5 euro in fuel), I rented a scooter from a local operator and rode all around the island. My main stops were:

Milna - a cute coastal town, there’s a nice beach and bakery on the water for a brief stop

Zarace - my favorite beach by far on Hvar, this beach is hidden in a cove. Many boats will come visit here in the afternoon, so try to come early. The road in is pretty steep, but you can drive down if you’re willing to try!

Plaža Dubovica - Another beach stop where you will need to park on the street and take a short hike down. This is the best beach to “chill” at with a large sandy area.

Stari Grad - Again… a UNESCO World Heritage Site (like many other places in Croatia), Stari Grad is 100% worth visiting. There are ruins, cute shops, and great restaurants on the water. It’s one of the oldest town in Europe (founded in nearly 300BC with historical items found from 3500-2500BC) and you can see old ruins in the area.

Jelsa - If you’re into wine, this is a great place to visit! Another port town but with an excess of wineries to stop by, if you’re inclined.

Selca - This is a great stop on your way back to Hvar. A small village in the mountains with a local family-owned winery, it’s a gorgeous viewpoint and gives you access to take the northern road through Brusje on your way back
Lavender Fields in Brusje - the most fun stretch of road to drive on your scooter, you’ll pass viewpoints of Hvar city and lavender fields.

Visit Konoba Stori Kobin - restaurant in the abandoned town of Malo Grablje

One of the most unique things I did the whole time I was in Europe, this is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant located in an abandoned town. The food was absolutely fantastic. If you want to try something off the beaten path, make sure you call to make reservations (and you may need to call 5x before they answer!). The ambiance and food were absolutely incredible.

Note that if you take a taxi from town, they will charge you extra because it goes on a dirt road for like 3 minutes. Best way to get here is rent your own scooter and drive yourself. The taxi each way was almost 60 euros, though we negotiated heavily to bring this down.

Hike to the remote beach Strand Mekićevica

From town, if you follow the coast you can find some really gorgeous and remote beaches. My favorite was visiting Strand Mekićevica, which has some chairs to sit in and is a nice reprieve from the crowds on Hvar.

Day 6: Hvar, ferry to Korcula

After Hvar, I used directferries to hop over to Korcula for a night. Korcula is unique because of its history and condition. Historically, Korcula has an extremely well preserved old town, has a tie to Marco Polo, and continues its tradition of the sword dance (more on that below).

I stayed at Guest House Leon for $63/night. It had everything I needed and was in the center of the downtown Korcula area. There’s also a cute garden area if you want to grab snacks at the grocery around the corner or eat breakfast.

Moreška - the traditional sword dance

The reason that most people come to Korcula, the local people perform the traditional sword dance 2-3x per week (make sure to check the Korcula city webpage for up to date performances!). It was 20 euros for about an hour, was all in Croatian, and included live music and singing. The act was a musical where a princess was captured by an opposing group, and the soldiers fought over getting her back. You can buy tickets directly from the ticket counter. Be sure to get there early for a good seat.

Cocktail Bar Massimo

This was the most unique bar I saw in Croatia! Built into an old city wall turret, there is first a ladder entering the turret and then another ladder going up to the roof of the structure.

Pebble Beach

From the port of Korcula, you can hop on a day boat to go to some of the local islands to access nice, remote beaches. Depending on how many stops you choose, you can do a hop-on hop-off tour for 20 euros.

Perfect crystal clear ocean waters in Croatia

Day 7: Mljet National Park

One of the most beautiful areas in Croatia, Mljet National Park can be accessed by taking a ferry to either Polace or Pomenta, and renting a bike to explore the main national park. Note that there are not many taxi or transportation options to travel between the two towns; most people who come in are day trippers staying on a sailboat. I took a ferry into Pomenta and was staying in Polace, and ended up having to walk with my bag because I couldn’t find a ride in the middle of the day!

The cost to enter Mljet National Park is 25 euros. You can specify how long you are staying - for example, since I was staying overnight, this covered 2 days in the park.

I stayed at Guest House Radulj for $66/night, a really cute family-owned hotel with 4-units on the water. There isn’t a ton to do in this town (only a few restaurants), but you can rent a bike from 3 of the rental places on the street towards the ferry. It is easier to explore this area with a car or by hiring a driver for the day.

This area was the hardest to meet people. Most people take sail cruises and only come here for a few hours. When the tourists all leave, there is no one around and not much to do (including not many restaurants open!). Just something to keep in mind. I liked the experience of seeing what local life was like, but it was very different compared to Hvar and Korcula.

Bike through Mljet National Park

I rented a bike from Polace and spent my first day exploring the national park. There is a few circuits to viewpoints along the water and swim spots, which is what most of the tourists do.

From the main visitors center, your entrance ticket will get you a boat ride to St Mary’s Church on an island at the center of the park. Note that while the island is close enough to shore to access via swimming, you will not be allowed to walk around without clothing, so just take the free boat!

Visit Odysseus’s Cave

A bit more off the beaten path, I heard about Odysseus’s Cave and knew I just had to go. I decided to bike there, and while the bike trip wasn’t particularly long, it was very hot and the bike I rented was not good at hills. So it was much harder than I anticipated! After a 10 mile bike ride each direction, it was 1.5 mile hike down to the cave and a short swim to get into the cave. The cool thing about this was I was the only person there, and it was quite the adventure! I eventually met 2 local people who asked me how I found out about this place, since tourists don’t generally visit.

Day 8-10: Dubrovnik

Lastly, I took a ferry from Polace to Dubrovnik. The ferry port is about 2 miles from Old Town Dubrovnik, but luckily there are many buses that run between the two spots.

I stayed at Rooms Old Town, which had an awesome location in the center of town for nearly 1/5th the price of other places in the area (I paid $82/night). If you can afford it, I highly recommend staying in the Old Town area of Dubrovnik, because there is always something happening and the other areas of the city are less lively. Plus, it’s awesome to be within the city walls (a museum in it’s own way!)

Dubrovnik is everything it’s hyped up to be. The city walls are awe-inspiring, and I loved the culture of the city. Yes, there are a TON of tourists that come here every year, but after a few nights of quiet island stops, I was excited to be in the center of everything.

Day trip to Mostar

I did the Mostar and Kravica Waterfall Day Trip from Dubrovnik, and it was really cool! Not only was it an opportunity to see Bosnia and Herzegovina, it’s was a great way to meet other travelers in Dubrovnik.

The Kravica waterfall was gorgeous. You can swim in the water, so make sure to bring a bathing suit and towel!

Mostar is a unique town with Islamic influence. You’ll find street vendors with Turkish candies and souvenirs, and even some baklava if you’re hungry for sweets. We spent 3 hours in the town, which was enough time for some lunch and to explore the small streets.

The last stop was in Počitelj, an old castle town. We only had 30 minutes here, so I hiked up to the top for a nice view before driving back.

I suggest to bring snacks - the drive can be long with traffic and crossing the border!

Elaphiti Islands

I did this Elaphiti Islands Hop-on Hop-off tour that went to Lopud and Koločep Islands. After island hopping for a week, this felt similar to many of the places I already saw, but I really enjoyed the slower pace of the islands. On both islands, you can hike to ruins / lookout points, swim at the beach, explore shops, or grab some food before heading back to Dubrovnik.

Some suggestions before you go:

Note where the tour picks up! There is a port in both Old Town and at the Gruz Port. This one leaves from Gruz - I almost missed my boat because I was waiting at the wrong port!
Start the boat tour earlier! It’s less crowded on the islands and you get more time to explore

City Walls & Old Town

I highly recommend getting the Dubrovnik City Pass for for 40 euros! You can access 12 sites (including the city walls) plus unlimited public transportation for 24 hours. Since the city walls alone are 40 euros, you might as well get all the other perks.

My absolute favorite thing was the city walls. It took about 1 hour to walk around the whole thing, and every turn was another perfect photo opportunity. There are cafes along the walk if you want to extend your visit, and technically you can walk around in circles as much as you want. I highly recommend going when they open because it gets really crowded.

Me on the castle walls with Lovrjenac Foretress behind me

Another highlight was visiting Lovrjenac Fortress - just outside the city walls, this fortress has sweeping views of the Old Town city and the ocean beyond. Plus it’s <10 minute walk from the Pile gate.

I did a free walking tour of the city (where you tip as much as you feel necessary), and I learned a lot about the history. I also met some other solo travelers on the way. I would recommend doing a free walking tour considering all the history and movies filmed here.

Finally, I enjoyed visiting the Maritime Museum in the Old City Walls. As a port city, Dubrovnik has been explored by many countries. This museum covered a lot of that history and was well done. Plus, it had AC :)

Makeshift waterpolo rinks in the ocean - so fun!

My favorite bar in Dubrovnik was called “Hole in the wall” or Buza. You walk through a literal hole in the castle wall to a bar overlooking the ocean. There’s also cliff jumping if you’re feeling up for it!