GRAB GELATO & GO

9/26/23-9/30/23

My mom, sister, and brother in law helped me move into my new apartment in Germany. We all, of course, went to Oktoberfest to celebrate. My husband took the train back to our apartment because he had to work, but the rest of us decided to explore some more of Europe after Oktoberfest. Croatia is one of those places that we didn’t know much about, but once we started reading about its charm and history, we were sold.

(My mom and sister were the main planning force for this Croatia and Greece itinerary.)

Day 1: Split: Diocletian Palace, Walk Riva Promenade, Old Town

Day 2: Hvar & Pakleni Islands Boat Tour, Gelato

Day 3: Ferry Split to Dubrovnik, Walk the City Walls, Walk the Stradun, Cable Car to Mount Srd, Cliff Side Bar

Day 4: Dubrovnik: Breakfast on the Stradun, The Morning Market, Find GOT filming locations, Buza Bar, Half Day Blue Cave Boat Tour, Dinner in Old Town

Day 1: Split

We flew into Split and took the shuttle bus into the town. The first breaths of the Croatian air were medicinal, especially compared to Germany’s cold weather.

…

Check into the airbnb in Diocletian Palace. I would suggest trying to stay near Diocletian Palace in Split! It is so beautiful and you are close to the top sights.

…

Walk around Diocletian Palace (the cellar is where Game of Thrones was filmed. Specifically where the dragons were kept!)

…

Split had so much charm, especially the Old Town. It felt like the perfect combination of medieval and Mediterranean.

…

Walk Riva Promenade. The street lined with palm trees. There are restaurants, shops, and tents sent up along this walk with a view of boats and the water. The sunset here was especially beautiful.

…

We decided to eat dinner at a restaurant in the Old Town. We ordered aperol spritz, pizza, and a Croatian specialty. Lights from the buildings shine upon the tiles that line the ground.

Day 2: Split – Hvar & Pakleni Islands

My mom’s birthday! What better way to spend your special day than a boat tour around Croatia’s islands.

We found the Summer Blues boat tour online, and it was said to be a “party boat.” It was actually called
“Hvar & Pakleni Islands” Tour.

It was spacious and not overcrowded. We had the option to sit at tables or on the boat deck. Both had amazing views of the water and were comfortable. We were given a traditional Croatian breakfast, burek, a delicious cheese pastry.

.

The boat tour took us to a swimming spot off of Brač, Hvar, and another swimming spot off of Šolta.

The first stop was to swim at Brač . This water was COLD. Very refreshing if you’re into cold water. The blue of the water was unbelievable, and seemed to welcome you in. We were surprised to see ponies walking along the water.

.

Hvar was beautiful and I think I will stay there if I go back to Croatia. We walked to the Fortica Fortress to have an incredible view. On the way up, I bought lavender sachets and essential oil from a small tent on the side of the hill.

Once we were back to the center, we wandered the stores and bought a few pieces of jewelry that the owners make there in town.

.

The third stop was a swim spot in Šolta. The water was just as cold as previously, but we still got in and swam!

.

Drinks were unlimited on the boat, so we had our fill of beer and wine!

On the way back, they played “Dancing Queen” dedicated to my mom for her birthday! We danced and others from the boat danced with us, wishing my mom a happy birthday.

…

Once back in Split, we have dinner at a restaurant along the Riva Promenade with limoncello spritz!

…

Gelato from Amare for dessert.

Other things to do: Zinfandel Wine Bar (make sure to have a reservation!), Marjan Park (views of the city)

Day 3: Dubrovnik

We got up early to take the ferry from Split to Dubrovnik. It was about 4 hours, and I slept for most of it. I woke up with just enough time to order a coffee with my sister and enjoy it on the ferry.

The ferry brought us in by noon, so we had time for a full day in Dubrovnik.

…

Checked into our airbnb and got on with our day! The airbnb had connections with Cafe Festival, so we met there, which was close to the entrance of the medieval town. We were given free breakfast at this cafe for booking the apartment that we did!

…

Walk the Stradun, the Main Street of Dubrovnik, looking out for the Dubrovnik Cathedral.

…

Grab a quick lunch at Mlinar: There are multiple locations in town. They have reasonably priced and delicious sandwiches and pastries to eat! Their tuna was one of the best I’ve ever had. It was a great option before walking the city walls.

…

Walk the City Walls! I can’t recommend this enough. If you do one thing in Dubrovnik, it is this! It is so unique, so you can’t get this experience anywhere else. It took us about 2-3 hours to walk it. We did, however, stop for a drink along the wall and take a lot of pictures, so it could take less time if you go quickly. There are a few places to stop, but I think where we went had the best view, so look out for this one with the fruit smoothies (pictured below)! It was 35 euros each to walk the walls.

…

Cable Car up to Mount Srd. There were some beautiful views with this one. I believe we could even see mountains in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

…

Cliff Side/Buza Bar: This is a must do! This was amazing and a highlight of the trip for me. It is a little bit difficult to find the entrance if you don’t know what to look for. It is not labeled, but there is an archway entrance with stairs that lead you to the cliffside bar. There are more instructions on how to get there online! Watch the boats go by, or watch the sunset. Or you can go swimming off the coast! Bring a towel and lay on the rocks.

…

Day 4: Dubrovnik

Wake up in beautiful Dubrovnik to breakfast from Cafe Festival. Orange juice, coffee, and omelets are a must!

…

Follow a Game of Thrones filming location tour online: We found some free ones, and realized that where we were, by this dock, was one!

…

This gate and bridge was also in GOT:

…

Famous GOT Stairs:

…

Buy Candy from Captain Candy the unbelievable candy shop! We bought chocolate covered almonds and hazelnuts, but there is a lot to explore. Even just go in for the smells! You pay by your candy’s weight, so it is easy to buy just a few if that is all you want!

…

Catch the Morning Market in the Old Town Gundulic Square: We bought earrings, lavender sachets, and bracelets from here! There is a lot of produce and unique items to buy. They do close mid day to make sure to catch them in the morning.

…

Buza Bar: This is another cliff side bar! Have a great drink while watching the waves, the swimmers, or the kayakers float by.

…

Grab Mlinar for lunch again! You can’t go wrong.

…

Half Day Blue Cave Tour From Old Town. If there is one tour that I did not expect to do, it was this one. The description makes it seem like a calm and relaxing day trip to the beach. However, it was filled with adventure and once in a lifetime experiences!

Book it on Getyourguide.com & see other pictures of what we did that I did not capture!

We first rode to a cave on a very comfortable boat with unlimited drinks. I wish I had pictures from inside this cave because it was so beautiful. Once you enter, it is a dazzling blue light shimmering off the cave walls and you. Pictured below is the entrance to the first cave.

We then went to Sunji beach! We had to swim to the beach from where the boat was docked with our dry bag. The beach had a bar and beach chairs, so we ordered drinks.

After swimming back to the boat, the tour took us to other caves. There were 3 caves to choose from, but they recommended everyone do this amazing one that required diving to enter. We decided to all do it, especially after a few drinks.

The guide from the boat did it with us so we could follow him. It was simple at first, just swimming through narrow cave walls…that eventually got too narrow, which is why we had to dive.

I dove under the rocks, and then the guide yanked my arm and pulled me all the way under the rocks and onto the other side.

We then climbed up rocks to then jump or dive back into the water to get back to the main open area.

What an adventure. I have no pictures, so you just have to trust me! An adventurous day that was a pleasant surprise!

…

Dinner in Old Town and walking the night time streets.

…

Don’t forget your reusable water bottle! You can drink from Croatia’s public water fountains.

…

Day 5: Off to Greece

We woke up early and grabbed our breakfast from Cafe Festival. We had a flight to Athens to catch! Off to Greece! I have a separate blog post about our time in Athens, Santorini, and Paros if you want to check that out.