10:45
getting there
Pick up the car and drive into Zagreb📍 from 🏁 Zagreb centre
25 min
Park in a public garage near Ban Jelačić Square, such as Tuškanac or Langov trg; the bags stay in the boot.
Timeline
Eight days: Zagreb and the road south, Plitvice and Zadar, Krka and Šibenik, Split's palace, Hvar, Ston on the way to Dubrovnik, a day on the walls, a kayak before the flight.
Day 1 · Sat
Zagreb's upper town and Dolac market, then to Plitvice
Zagreb to Plitviceland 10:00👟 ≈ 6,500 stepsLand at 10:00, the car, and three hours in Zagreb: Dolac market, the upper town, the Museum of Broken Relationships. Two hours south to Plitvice by evening.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →11:30
food
Dolac market and lunch📍 in Google Maps
Zagreb's main open-air market since 1930, on a terrace above the main square, under red umbrellas.
€10–20 each
Strawberries and cherries in season, cheese and cream from the hill farms in the hall below. Lunch at a bistro off Tkalčićeva street: štrukli, baked dough with cheese, is Zagreb's dish.
13:00
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The Upper Town and St Mark's Church📍 in Google Maps
Zagreb's medieval hill quarter, Gornji Grad, with St Mark's Church and its roof tiled with the coats of arms of Croatia and Zagreb.
free
Up through the Stone Gate, a chapel in a tunnel where people light candles. The funicular, one of the shortest in the world, goes down to Ilica street.
13:45
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The Museum of Broken Relationships📍 in Google Maps🎟 book brokenships.com
A museum of objects left over from ended relationships, each with the donor's story, started by two Zagreb artists after their own break-up.
about €7 eachday's highlight
Next to St Mark's. Each object, an axe, a wedding dress, a toaster, has a card in English with its story; some are funny, some hard to read.
An hour.
15:15
getting there
Drive to Plitvice📍 from 🏁 Plitvice
2 hmotorway toll
The A1 motorway to Karlovac, then the D1 road south through the hills. Fill up before leaving the motorway.
18:30
food
Dinner near the lakes📍 in Google Maps
€15–25 each
Restaurants on the D1 serve trout from the lakes and lamb on the spit. Early night: the park opens at 7:00.
If you fall behind
- Skip the museum and walk the Upper Town only.
- Eat at the guesthouse if you arrive late.
Day 2 · Sun
Plitvice Lakes at opening, then Zadar's sea organ
Plitvice to Zadarout 06:45👟 ≈ 15,500 stepsPlitvice at 7:00 for four hours of boardwalks over the lakes. On to Zadar, a swim, and the sea organ and Greeting to the Sun at sunset.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →
07:00
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Plitvice Lakes National Park📍 in Google Maps🎟 book np-plitvicka-jezera.hr
Sixteen terraced lakes joined by waterfalls in a forested valley, the oldest national park in south-east Europe and a World Heritage site.
about €40 adults in summerday's highlighttimed entry
Book Entrance 1 for 7:00 online. Route C, about 8 km and four hours: down past the Great Waterfall, along the boardwalks of the Lower Lakes, the electric boat across Lake Kozjak, then up through the Upper Lakes and the shuttle train back.
By ten the boardwalks are single file. Swimming is forbidden. Bring food and water: the cafés in the park are few.
11:30
15:00
walk
A swim in Zadar📍 in Google Maps
free
Check in, then swim off the stone quay of the old town's promenade, with ladders into the sea, or at Kolovare beach, ten minutes south. The water is about 21°C.
19:30
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The Sea Organ📍 in Google Maps
Marble steps at the tip of Zadar's peninsula with 35 pipes beneath them, played by the waves; built in 2005 by the architect Nikola Bašić.
free
Sit on the steps and listen; the sound changes with every wave. Alfred Hitchcock called the sunset here the most beautiful in the world. Sunset is about 20:30.
20:45
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The Greeting to the Sun📍 in Google Maps
A 22-metre circle of solar panels in the promenade that stores the day's sun and lights up in patterns after dark.
free
Next to the Sea Organ. Walk on it once it lights; children and teenagers dance on it. Dinner in the old town after.
21:15
food
Dinner in Zadar's old town📍 in Google Maps
€20–35 each
Konobas in the lanes off Kalelarga, the main street. Black risotto, octopus salad, and a maraschino, the cherry liqueur of Zadar, for the adults.
If you fall behind
- Do Plitvice's Lower Lakes only, Route A, two hours.
- Skip the swim and rest before the sunset.
Day 3 · Mon
Krka's waterfalls, Šibenik's cathedral, and on to Split
Zadar to Splitout 08:30👟 ≈ 9,000 stepsZadar to Split, about 2 h 30 min on the road. Krka's Skradinski buk falls by boardwalk, Šibenik's stone cathedral, Split by late afternoon.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →
08:30
getting there
Check out and drive to Krka📍 from 🏁 Krka, Lozovac entrance
1 h
The A1 to the Šibenik exit, then to the Lozovac entrance; a park bus runs down to the falls.
09:45
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Krka National Park and Skradinski buk📍 in Google Maps🎟 book np-krka.hr
The longest waterfall on the Krka river, 17 travertine steps over 800 metres, in a national park of gorges and lakes.
about €40 adults in summerday's highlighttimed entry
The 2 km boardwalk loop round and over the cascades, an hour and a half. Swimming under the falls has been forbidden since 2021.
The old watermills along the loop show how the river ground flour and washed wool. Book a time slot in summer.
12:00
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St James's Cathedral in Šibenik📍 in Google Maps
A cathedral built entirely of stone without brick or wood, finished in 1536, with a frieze of 71 carved heads of local people round its apse.
about €10 each
Twenty minutes on. Park above the old town and walk down. Look for the heads outside the apse: each is a different face of 15th-century Šibenik. Lunch in the lanes of the old town; Game of Thrones filmed Braavos here.
14:30
16:30
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The Riva and a swim at Bačvice📍 in Google Maps
Split's sandy city beach, ten minutes from the palace, where people play picigin, keeping a small ball in the air in the shallows.
free
Check in, then walk along the Riva, the palm-lined promenade, to Bačvice. Then dinner in the palace's lanes.
If you fall behind
- Skip Šibenik and drive from Krka straight to Split.
- Swim at the palace end of the Riva instead of Bačvice.
Day 4 · Tue
Diocletian's Palace, the cellars and Marjan hill
Splitout 08:30👟 ≈ 11,500 stepsDiocletian's Palace before the cruise crowds, its cellars where Game of Thrones filmed, the bell tower. A swim on Marjan hill in the afternoon.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →
08:30
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Diocletian's Palace and the Peristyle📍 in Google Maps
The palace the Roman emperor Diocletian built for his retirement around 305 AD, which grew into Split's old town; people still live inside its walls.
free to walkday's highlight
Enter by the Golden Gate on the north side, past the giant statue of Bishop Grgur, whose toe is rubbed for luck. The Peristyle, the colonnaded square, is the palace's heart.
Off it, the Vestibule's open dome has an echo that local klapa singers use; they often sing at about 11:00. Early mornings are empty.
09:30
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The palace cellars📍 in Google Maps🎟 book mgst.net
The vaulted substructure under the emperor's apartments, almost intact, used for Daenerys's dragon throne room in Game of Thrones.
about €10 each
Entered from the Riva or the Peristyle; the central hall is free, the side halls paid. The halls where the dragons were chained are on the west side. Forty-five minutes.
10:30
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Cathedral of St Domnius and its bell tower📍 in Google Maps
Diocletian's own mausoleum, turned into a cathedral in the 7th century, with a 57-metre Romanesque bell tower.
about €15 each for allsteep steps
The combined ticket covers the cathedral, the crypt and the tower. The last part of the tower climb is open metal steps; the top looks over the palace and the harbour. An hour.
12:30
food
Lunch at a konoba in Varoš📍 in Google Maps
€20–30 each
Varoš, the steep quarter west of the palace, has konobas with tables in the lanes. Pašticada, beef braised in wine and prunes with gnocchi, is the Split dish.
15:00
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Marjan hill and Kašjuni beach📍 in Google Maps
The wooded hill and park at the end of Split's peninsula, with viewpoints, old chapels and coves below.
freesteps
Steps from Varoš to the Telegrin viewpoint over the city and the islands, 20 minutes. Then down the other side to Kašjuni, a pebble beach under pines; bus 12 back.
20:00
food
Dinner in the palace📍 in Google Maps
€25–40 each
Restaurants in the palace lanes; a middle option. Grilled fish, and a slice of rožata, the Dalmatian crème caramel.
If you fall behind
- Skip the bell tower.
- Swim at Bačvice instead of walking over Marjan.
Day 5 · Wed
A day on Hvar: the fortress and the Pakleni islands
Hvarout 08:00👟 ≈ 8,000 stepsThe catamaran to Hvar town at about 8:30, an hour. The Spanish fortress over the harbour, a taxi boat to the Pakleni islands to swim, back to Split by evening.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →
08:15
getting there
Catamaran from Split to Hvar town📍 from 🏁 Hvar town
€15–25 each waybook ahead1 h
Passenger catamarans by Jadrolinija and Krilo leave the main harbour; buy online, they sell out in summer. Be at the pier 20 minutes early.
09:45
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The Spanish fortress📍 in Google Maps
A 16th-century Venetian fortress, known as Španjola, on the hill above Hvar town, looking over the harbour and the Pakleni islands.
about €10 eachuphill
Twenty minutes up through the lanes and a pine-wooded path, best before the heat. The terraces look straight down on the harbour. Forty-five minutes.
11:00
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Hvar town and St Stephen's Square📍 in Google Maps
A Venetian harbour town with the largest square in Dalmatia and Europe's oldest public theatre, of 1612, above the arsenal.
free
Walk the square to the cathedral and round the harbour. Lavender, Hvar's crop, is sold in little bags along the waterfront.
12:00
tourphoto ↑
Taxi boat to the Pakleni islands📍 in Google Maps
A chain of small wooded islands off Hvar town, with coves of clear water and a few restaurants.
€10–15 each returnday's highlight
Taxi boats leave the harbour front every half-hour for Palmižana and Jerolim, 20 minutes. At Palmižana, walk five minutes over the island to the quieter bay.
Lunch at a restaurant in the pines; the last boats back are about 18:00. Water shoes help on the rocks.
If you fall behind
- Skip the fortress and go straight to the islands.
- If the sea is rough, stay in Hvar town and swim at the beaches east of the harbour.
Day 6 · Thu
Over the Pelješac bridge to Ston's walls and oysters, to Dubrovnik
Split to Dubrovnikout 09:00👟 ≈ 6,500 stepsSplit to Dubrovnik, about 3 h 30 min on the road. Over the Pelješac bridge to Ston for its walls and oysters, Dubrovnik by late afternoon.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →
09:00
11:30
walkphoto ↑
The walls of Ston📍 in Google Maps🎟 book citywallsdubrovnik.hr
Five and a half kilometres of 14th-century walls across the Pelješac peninsula, built by Dubrovnik to guard its salt pans, the longest fortress walls in Europe.
about €10 eachday's highlightsteep, no shade
Walk the section from Ston over the hill to Mali Ston, about 40 minutes, steep steps up and down, with the salt pans below. Water and hats.
The salt pans are still worked by hand; the shop sells their salt.
12:45
food
Oysters at Mali Ston📍 in Google Maps
€25–40 each
Mali Ston bay has farmed oysters since Roman times. Restaurants on the little harbour serve them raw by the dozen; mussels and fish for those who will not.
14:30
getting there
Drive to Dubrovnik📍 from 🏁 Dubrovnik
1 h
The coast road over the Franjo Tuđman bridge; the first sight of the walled city is from the road above it. Parking is the host's to arrange: the old town is closed to cars.
17:00
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A swim at Banje beach and the old town at dusk📍 in Google Maps
The pebble beach just outside the Ploče Gate, facing the old harbour and the island of Lokrum.
free
Check in, swim, then walk into the old town through the Ploče Gate as the day-trippers leave. Dinner in the lanes off the Stradun.
If you fall behind
- Skip the walls and eat oysters only.
- Leave Split earlier if the motorway is busy on a summer Thursday.
Day 7 · Fri
Dubrovnik's city walls, the Game of Thrones steps and Mount Srđ
Dubrovnikout 07:45👟 ≈ 11,500 stepsThe city walls at 8:00, before the heat and the cruise passengers. Lokrum by boat in the afternoon, the cable car up Mount Srđ for sunset.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →
08:00
walkphoto ↑
Dubrovnik's city walls📍 in Google Maps🎟 book citywallsdubrovnik.hr
The two kilometres of walls, up to 25 metres high, that have ringed Dubrovnik since the Middle Ages; King's Landing in Game of Thrones.
about €40 adultsday's highlightno shade
Up from the Pile Gate at 8:00; the walk goes one way, anticlockwise, about two hours with stops. The Minčeta tower is the highest point; the sea side looks down onto the rocks and the old harbour.
There is almost no shade: water and hats. The ticket also covers the Lovrijenac fortress outside the Pile Gate, the Red Keep in the series.
10:30
walk
The Jesuit Stairs and the Stradun📍 in Google Maps
Baroque stairs of 1738 leading up to the Jesuit church, used for Cersei's walk of shame in Game of Thrones.
free
From the Gundulić market square, up to St Ignatius. Then the length of the Stradun, the polished limestone main street, to Onofrio's Fountain.
12:00
food
Lunch in the old town📍 in Google Maps
€20–35 each
The lanes north of the Stradun are cheaper and shadier than the main street. Then rest in the flat through the hottest hours.
15:00
walkphoto ↑
Boat to Lokrum📍 in Google Maps
A wooded island 15 minutes off the old harbour, with a ruined monastery, free-roaming peacocks and a small salt lake called the Dead Sea; the Iron Throne replica is in the monastery.
about €27 each with the boat
Boats every half-hour from the old harbour; the ticket includes entry. Swim in the Dead Sea lake or off the rocks; sit on the Iron Throne in the monastery's visitor centre. The last boat back is about 19:00.
19:00
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Cable car to Mount Srđ at sunset📍 in Google Maps🎟 book dubrovnikcablecar.com
The hill behind Dubrovnik, 412 metres high, with a Napoleonic fort holding a museum of the 1991–92 siege.
about €27 return each
The cable car from above the Buža Gate, four minutes. Sunset is about 20:15 over the islands. The Homeland War museum in the fort tells how the city was shelled from this hill.
20:45
food
Last dinner📍 in Google Maps
€30–45 each
A restaurant in the old town's lanes or on the old harbour; a middle option.
If you fall behind
- Skip Lokrum and swim at Banje.
- Walk up Srđ's zigzag path at dawn another time; take the cable car tonight.
Day 8 · Sat
A sea kayak round the walls, then the airport
Dubrovnikout 08:00👟 ≈ 4,000 stepsA sea kayak round the walls and Lokrum at 8:00, before the heat. Pack, drive 30 minutes to the airport, the car back by 13:00 for the 15:00 flight.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →08:00
tourphoto ↑
Sea kayak round the walls📍 in Google Maps
Guided sea-kayak trips that paddle under the city walls and round Lokrum, stopping at a cave to swim.
about €40 eachday's highlightbook ahead
Tours start at Pile or Banje beach, about three hours, with snorkels and a stop at Betina cave. Double kayaks; no experience needed.
Wear swimwear and bring sun cream and a dry bag for phones.
11:30
stay
Check out and collect the car📍 in Google Maps
Check out by 11:30, which most hosts allow for a late departure if asked; otherwise leave the bags in the car before the kayak.
12:00
food
Lunch on the way to the airport📍 in Google Maps
€20–30 each
Cavtat, the harbour town ten minutes before the airport, has a waterfront of restaurants.
13:00
getting there
Return the car at Dubrovnik airport📍 from 🏁 Dubrovnik airport
10 minat the airport by 13:00
Fill the tank in Čilipi; the rental return is by the terminal.
If you fall behind
- Do a shorter two-hour kayak.
- Skip Cavtat and eat at the airport.
