Road Trip Travel Guide | Croatia Part 1
- The Tahmi Life
- Jun 15, 2019
- 7 min read
My first proper road trip ever... ah ma gosh I loved it! Travelling 2 countries, 5 destinations in the space of a week was very exciting. If you haven't seen the first part of my trip, check out my Travel Guide to Budapest. I talk about the must-see's in "Buda Buda" as well as some useful information around the total expenses for flights and accommodation.
I gotta say, Croatia was the highlight of this entire trip - it is an incredibly beautiful country. I had high expectations for this trip and I was so glad that I was not disappointed. But I have a little confession... besides the first destination in Croatia, everything was amazing. Luckily the good outweighs the bad which makes this trip a bloody amazing one. So if you are interested to find out where I went and what I did, then continue to scroll your down...
Transport
Besides our flights which were pretty darn cheap, we also had to figure out a way to get from Budapest to Croatia on our road trip. We managed to book coach seats that travelled from Budapest to Zagreb for as little as £16.99. The journey took a total of 4-5 hours, but as it was significantly cheaper than taking a flight, we went for the budget friendly option.
As the title suggests, this was obviously a road trip which meant we hired out a car in Croatia. We booked this online with Avis Budget Cars as we didn't need to spend tons on a fancy car to travel from the top to bottom of Croatia. This worked out to be just under £60 for 5 days which is very cheap.
Stop #1: Zagreb
We were only here for a day (less than actually) as majority of the day was spent travelling from Budapest to Zagreb. Zagreb is a fairly small city town with a lot of history. There is the old town Zagreb and the new town, and the best part is that everything is in walking distance. If you are someone who enjoys cobbled streets and exploring the town history then this place might be worth a visit for you. One massive travelling tip - do not wear heels in Zagreb as the streets are predominantly cobbled streets, therefore avoid potential injury. There are also a lot of hilly streets and stairs, so have fun on your own daily cardio session!
As we arrived in the late afternoon, a lot of the attractions were closing very soon and therefore we didn't get to see much. However in the time we were there, we visited their most iconic museum - The Museum of Broken Relationships - this was a really interesting museum showcasing people's sentimental objects as a form of healing and closure once a relationship with a significant other had ended. I found this museum really interesting as it shared so many heartfelt stories, something that can resonate with its reader. I loved the addition of the massive guest book for visitors to write their own messages in there. You can check out exactly what I mean through my #TahmiTravels IG Stories. We had a night stroll through the city and visited St Marks Church, and checked out the local view tops of the famous Zagreb Cathedral. The views were pretty nice in the evening. We explored the main town centre where a lot of the restaurants were open, as well as a lot of monumental statues which gave me vibes of Barcelona. The morning after we trekked through Zagreb's famous built in underground Grič Tunnel, which was made for shelter and protection during the second world war. They have now designed it with art work and lights, making it an iconic tourist attraction.
Nokturno Restaurant - we tried some traditional Croatian food called Strukli - a cheese dumpling dish that can be cooked or baked. The taste is very similar to Pierogi (a traditional Polish dish) which tastes amazing. We also had a classic pasta dish which was massive. Service was very good and food was good with big portions. (7/10)
Pekarne Dinara - this was a small bakery where we picked up some traditional pastries and pizza slices for when we were on the road. The pastries would have been nicer had they not been so oily, but the pizza slices were decent. However the staff there seemed quite rude and impatient as we asked them what the different pastries were, seeing as it was all written in Croatian. (5/10).
Overall, Zagreb is a cute little town, but I personally would not go out of my way to explore it. As we were passing through it we decided to stay for the night, but even a day trip would be more than enough before you move onto your next destination.
Stop #2: Plitvice Lakes
Oh boy, now get ready for the best parts of the trip - Plitvice Lakes National Park was one of the two most incredible must-see national parks in Croatia (don't worry the next one is coming up in my next blog post). In all the places I have travelled, I have honestly never seen anywhere that is quite like this. If you like nature, waterfalls, backpacking and whole lotta exploring, then both national parks are definitely for you. Plitvice Lakes has multiple route options with different hiking time limits, starting from 2-3 hours to 8 hours, however we chose the one in between which was Route P2 for the 5-6 hour route. Granted it was probably the most deserving hike I have done in my life and definitely worth it. I think the photos speak for themselves, but I must say it still doesn't do it any justice till you see it with your own eyes.
Entrance tickets are cheap, only costing no more than 100HRK (£12ish), then add parking costs (around 7 kuna per hour). However it is completely worth it as there is such amazing scenery to see. You have the options of going via two entrances - Entrance 1 & 2, we took entrance 2. There is a cafe there for you to grab some food to-go or even sit in and eat but the options aren't that great, so I would advice you to bring your own food and snacks. Also, go the toilet before you start your trek otherwise you will be screwed whilst en route.
There are several elements to exploring the national park - you have the upper lakes, the lower lakes and the waterfalls. We saw majority of it on our P2 route. This route takes you on a bus ride right to the top of the upper lakes which is where you start your trek, then has a boat ride to take you across the water as you reach the bottom of the lakes. However if your legs are ready for the 8 hour route, then by all means do this one as I know you can get some amazing ariel panoramic shots of the entire national park and waterfalls.
The views are beyond incredible and although it was rainy, it still looked absolutely beautiful.
Now for a few top tips:
1. Wear trainers as you will be trekking around the entire national park and you need to be wearing comfortable shoes. Also wear comfortable and warm clothing depending on the time of year you visit. As we went in April, weather was pretty cold there plus the rain on that day didn't help, so check the weather prior to going and cater accordingly.
2. Carry as minimal as possible. You don't want to have to worry about juggling so much with you so carry either a backpack, side bag or a bum bag (as I did).
3. Take some snacks and drinks with you. It can be a long time trekking around the national park so you will get hungry at times. Although there is a small cafe by the entrance, I would advise for you to take a few things along with you for the ride.
4. Go as early as possible. Especially during peak season, there can be huge crowds, so to avoid this, go as early as possible. There are tour guide buses that usually arrive there at 11am which is when the big rush begins, so to avoid waiting in the ticket queue for ages, go early. We were very lucky as it wasn't busy at the time we arrived, plus April time is off-peak season. But bear this in mind depending on when you travel.
Food was a struggle here I can't even lie to you. After our long 5 hour trek, we were hangry. There was a restaurant right by the exit of the national park that we decided to go check out called Restaurant Poljana. We ordered basic spaghetti with tomato sauce. And that's literally what it was spaghetti with tomato sauce that tasted like the sauce you get from the Heinz Hoops tin you used to have as a kid. No flavour, absolutely bland, I was actually going to feel sick. It was the worst place I have ever eaten at and the service was terrible. Would not recommend this place at all. (1/10).
Besides the horror with the food, the actual trek around the park was amazing. It 's definitely worth the visit if you are exploring Croatia. A lot of people also compare the Plitvice National Park to Krka National Park with the biggest question being "if I had to choose, which one should I visit?" If you want to know my answer to this question, these stay tuned for my Part 2 Croatia Travel Guide which will be linked here once posted!
Now for another amazing part of this trip , our apartment.
We stayed in the amazing Plitvice Hills Guest House in Korenica (host - Family Matejčić) which had its own pool and hot tub and jacuzzi, where we got to spend over an hour in there with views overlooking the mountains. Honestly, this was the best accommodation we stayed at for the entirety of the trip. We had our own big private room for the 4 of us, and although the other rooms were rented to other people, we were still able to enjoy the jacuzzi etc all to ourselves which was really nice. The place overlooked the mountains which was really refreshing and calming in the evening through our balcony. The hosts were super friendly and made us feel welcome, I cannot not recommend them enough. Its 4* for a reason darling.
What do you think of Croatia so far? Has it enticed you enough to go? If you are interested in the seeing the final half of the Croatia Travel where we visit 2 other destinations, then let me know in the comments below!
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