my feet don't want to go to sleep

You can head out to sea and explore Croatia’s incredible beautiful islands or you can rent a car and drive along the mountains roads and see some of the amazing waterfalls. In my month in Croatia I did 3 road trips.

First was from Split to Zadar for a couple nights to be closer to the Plitvice Lakes and back.

Driving in Croatia is incredibly easy. You do not need an international license if you are American. The roads are well marked and the highways easy. I like to avoid tolls and ended up taking the back roads and sides streets. Including visiting an 1,500 year old tree.

Day 1

We already had the rental car from the gorgeous Split airport. I rented through Lutar which was quick and cheap. I decided to visit Zadar and have that be the jump off place for the Plitvice lakes. These lakes were my number one bucket list item for Croatia. Adding Zadar to the equation happened drink over steins in Munich’s Oktoberfest. I met a flight attendant who had just been and gave me all the recommendations. We booked a hotel Anthony Bourdain stayed at which felt like a good start.

First stop: Klis Fortress

Located just outside of Split is a fortress which the best views of the region. It is also a filming spot for Game of Thrones. We hiked up the gravel stone side baking in the heat. The fort was beautiful to see and the views the reward. Up in one of the rooms a local high school band sat playing old melodies. They played the Game of Thrones theme song and with the breeze drifting through you can see why that show was so successful. Their filming locations were perfectly picked.

Second stop: Olive Museum Klis/ Muzej maslina Klis

Included in the cost of your fort ticket was access to the Olive Museum nearby. We jetted over excited to learn more about the delicious olive oil of the area. This is a production house slash museum. Smartly the owners converted half of their property into a museum about olive oil production with a working garden of local plant life. Everything they sold, they made, from rosemary oil, to soaps, to insane varieties of olive oil. Absolutely worth the stop.

Third stop: 1500 Year Old Olive Tree

There is much in nature that I am enraptured by but trees definitely top the list. When we were at the museum we learned about this ancient girl. On the way to Zadar, I had to add it to the list. This is the perfect example of how natural spontaneous travel is. If you leave space in your journey you will find incredible things you never knew of to fill the holes.

From there we drove straight up to Zadar. I wanted to stop at the Krka waterfalls but I was remote working and it was approaching 9am in New York. Time to switch from adventurer to account manager.

Day 2

The Plitvice lakes are so popular that buses run the 5 hour drive from Dubrovnik and the 3 hour drive from Split daily. From Zadar it was a lovely 2 hour drive. We woke up early and headed over to hit our 9am ticket time. You can enter anytime within the hour I believe. My parents were with me and were great copilots and in high spirits. I drove while my dad was a passenger princess googling all things that were curious to us.

The parking lot if basically gravel under trees. People guide you and help you find sudo parking spots. The walk from there to the entrance is a good 10-15 minutes. I wanted to hike as much as we could so we started early. The park is so large that you can hike for 10 hours here and shuttle back to your car. I wanted the more leisure 4-5 hour experience. Hike is also not really the right word. It is a park stroll, one of the most lovely I have ever experienced.

We started at entrance one and followed the well marked paths. The waterfalls are actually endless and breathtaking. The wooden pathways are gorgeous and even with how crowded it was didn’t feel overwhelming. Your ticket includes a ferry ride to take you from one side of the park to another instead of hiking around. There are also shuttles waiting in various locations to take you back to the start. Volunteers sit at all the maps ready to provide all the direction you need. 10/10 experience.

We headed back and my parents explored while I worked from the hotel lobby. The days were long but I went to bed with my heart full.

Day 3

We had most of the day to explore Zadar which I had yet to see. It is a gorgeous town with Roman ruins like most of the coast cities. There is a seaside organ which was build to play notes depending on the tide. There is a park just outside the city where you can hide from the strong Croatian sun. We had ice cream for breakfast and visited old churches.

To stay: Hotel Bastion
To eat: Kornat Restaurant, Slasticarna Donat, Ice Cream and Gelato, Restoran Bruschetta, Groppo, Foša, Orgulje Cafe
To explore: Queen Jelena Madijevka Park and the land gate, Morske orgulje, Narodni trg

We drove back to Split that night for happy hour with my friends before I set off on a week of island hopping. Details here.