Game of Thrones meets Adriatic beauty
Picture yourself on pristine white sand, the turquoise water stretching to the horizon, a gentle breeze keeping you cool. Croatia's beaches are waiting to deliver the ultimate sun-soaked holiday. Dive in, relax, and let the ocean wash your worries away.
Dubrovnik's ancient walls meet the crystal Adriatic in a country where Game of Thrones fantasy becomes Mediterranean reality. You'll walk the city walls at sunset, sail to car-free islands for hidden-cove swims, and stand speechless before the turquoise cascades of Plitvice Lakes.
7 nights in Croatia — day by day, fact-checked
Land at Dubrovnik (DBV), meet your included transfer for the run down to the old town, and settle in. Keep the evening light — the calm, post-crowd streets are the reward for arriving on a walled-town day.
Your pre-booked driver covers the transfer. The airport sits about 21 to 22 km southeast of the old town, roughly 25 to 30 minutes by road, though peak-summer traffic can push it towards an hour. Check your own arrival time first; the rest of the day bends around it. Have some euro cash ready for the first evening.
Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) is about 21 to 22 km southeast of the old town, roughly 25 to 30 minutes by road and up to about an hour in peak summer traffic, covered by your included operator transfer.
Check whether yours is an early-morning or a late-night arrival and plan the first evening around it. The transfer is the operator's job, so you do not need to time or navigate the coastal road yourself.
Croatia uses the euro; the kuna is no longer legal tender, so ignore any kuna pricing in older guides. Carry some cash for small cafés and markets, use bank-branded ATMs, and decline any offer to be charged in pounds — choose euros.
At first entry your Dubrovnik border crossing now includes EES biometrics — a photo and fingerprints replacing the passport stamp. It is free and not blocking, but can slow the queue, so allow a buffer.
Do not buy an ETIAS for this trip. It is not yet required and no such authorisation is being issued; anyone selling you one now is selling you nothing.
The walled town empties as the cruise crowds leave, so an evening arrival lands you in its calm window. Summer light lasts late. Sunset falls at roughly 20:19 in July. Cover up out of swimwear before the old-town streets — town-centre dress is enforced by on-the-spot fines, not just frowned upon.
Summer evenings stay light late here. Sunset in Dubrovnik is roughly 20:19 in July and around 19:40 in mid-to-late August, so the calm post-crowd window for the old town runs well into the evening.
For a first meal, a Dalmatian konoba often beats a Stradun tourist terrace. Booking apps do operate in Croatia — OpenTable, plus third-party systems many top venues use (Nautika books through Seatlio) — so reserve ahead online or by phone.
Do not walk into the old-town streets in swimwear or shirtless. Croatian town centres including Dubrovnik issue on-the-spot police fines for it; cover up before you leave the water.
A dinner-only Adriatic seafood room just outside the Pile Gate, which suits the after-17:00 window once the day crowds have gone.
For a first night after travel, a small local tavern gives honest Adriatic cooking without the mark-up of the main tourist drag.
The walls and the walled town, done on the right clock. Walk the roughly 2 km circuit early before the cruise crowds arrive, then use the shaded lanes and the morning market while the Stradun is at its busiest.
Do the walls from opening, about 08:00, before the cruise passengers come ashore around 10:00. It is a self-guided walk of roughly 2 km with little shade — a guide is optional. Buy the ticket online in advance through the official Society webshop to skip the Pile Gate queue in high season.
Dubrovnik City Walls summer 2026 hours are 08:00–19:30 (1–31 July), 08:00–19:00 (1–31 August) and 08:00–18:30 (1–14 September). A self-guided walk of the roughly 2 km circuit is standard; a guide is optional, not compulsory.
The official operator is the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities; buy tickets in advance through its official webshop at shop.citywallsdubrovnik.hr to skip the queue at busy entrances such as Pile Gate. The same ticket also covers Fort Lovrijenac.
Walk the walls from the roughly 08:00 opening or after about 17:00. The town is calm early and in the evening but heavily crowded midday when cruise passengers are ashore, and the walls offer little shade in summer heat.
Check the Dubrovnik Port Authority's published daily cruise schedule before you set your morning. On a two-ship day the old town concentrates crowds roughly 10:00–16:00, so an early wall circuit matters most then.
Do not save the walls for midday. From about 10:00 to 16:00 the narrow ramparts fill with cruise crowds and there is almost no shade — the worst possible time on the circuit.
The roughly 2 km rampart circuit over the old town and the sea, walked self-guided and best done from opening before the cruise crowds.
When the Stradun is at its fullest, drop into the shaded lanes. The open-air produce market on Gundulić Square, behind the Cathedral, runs mornings for seasonal fruit, cheese, dried lavender and grappa — a cheap, walkable grazing stop. It winds down by early afternoon, so go before lunch.
The Gundulic Square open-air market runs each morning and winds down through the early afternoon (roughly Monday to Saturday), so treat it as a morning stop rather than a lunch plan.
Buy from whichever stalls are trading that morning — seasonal fruit, local cheese, dried lavender and brandy make a cheap on-foot lunch while the main squares are jammed with day crowds.
Do not shout down a price or lose your temper at a stall. Public-order offences including verbal abuse carry fines of up to 4,000 euros, issued on the spot by police.
A walkable morning produce market inside the walls for a cheap graze while the Stradun is at its most crowded.
With the walls done, pick one self-contained day: an Elaphiti islands boat cruise from Gruž, a full-day trip across the border to Kotor Bay in Montenegro, or the cable car and old town on foot. All are operator-run or on-foot — no self-driving needed.
Two justified full days leave from Dubrovnik. The Elaphiti islands cruise is a self-contained boat day from Gruz with no crowd-timing penalty. Kotor Bay in Montenegro is longer and crosses an international border, so bring your passport and expect border checks each way.
The Elaphiti islands full-day cruise departs 10:00 from Gruž port and operates daily April to end October. It is a boat day-trip from the Dubrovnik base with no long land transfer.
The Montenegro day crosses the Croatia-Montenegro border, so it needs a valid passport. It departs about 07:00 for up to 12 hours; a 3 euro Montenegro local tax is not included in the tour price.
If you app-hail a ride to the port or a pick-up point, photograph the interior where the taxi number shows and share your ride status. The FCDO advises this for any taxi because of reported assaults.
Do not treat the Montenegro trip as a casual day out and leave your passport in the hotel safe. Without it you cannot cross the border, and re-entry triggers an EES check.
A self-contained boat day from Gruž with no long land transfer and no old-town crowd-timing penalty.
An operator-run full day to Kotor and Perast, justified as a guided cross-border trip, but only if you are happy with the early start and carrying your passport across the border.
For a lower-effort day, the Dubrovnik cable car runs up Srđ hill over the walled town. It operates April to November and is closed December to March, so a summer trip is fine. Summer hours run 09:00–24:00, with the last departure 30 minutes before closing and operation subject to weather.
The Dubrovnik cable car runs April to November and is closed January, February, March and December. Summer (June to August) hours are 09:00–24:00, with the last departure from the lower station 30 minutes before closing.
The official cable car adult round-trip ticket is 30.00 euro. Operation also depends on weather and passenger demand, so check before you set out on a windy day.
Ride the cable car late in the day for the calmer, cooler light over the walled town, then walk back down into the old-town lanes once the cruise crowds have thinned after about 17:00.
Do not leave the cable car for the last half-hour before closing. The final departure from the lower station is 30 minutes before closing time, not at it.
A low-effort ride up Srđ hill for the panorama over the walled town, open through the summer season.
A rustic konoba above the old town for peka cooked under an iron bell, with panoramic views — a booked, pre-ordered meal, not a walk-in.
The long coastal leg north to Split, driven by the operator. Settle into the new base and get your bearings inside Diocletian's Palace, the living pedestrian quarter that is the heart of the old town.
Today is the big move: roughly 230 km up the coast to Split, a genuine 3 to 4 hour-plus leg. It is the operator's included transfer, so the distance and the coastal road are their problem, not yours. Split's old town is pedestrianised, so cars stop outside the historic core anyway.
Split is roughly 230 km up the coast from Dubrovnik, a long inter-city transfer of about 3 to 4 hours or more, all handled by the operator's included driver — you do not arrange or navigate this leg.
Treat this as a travel morning. Distances here are approximate background because the operator drives every leg; your job is to be ready at the pick-up time the operator sets.
Split's historic core inside Diocletian's Palace is pedestrianised and cars cannot enter, so you arrive and get around the old town on foot. Keep swimwear covered once you are in the palace streets.
Do not assume you need to sort your own transport between the two cities. This long coastal leg is pre-included in the package; arranging a separate car or coach means paying twice.
Diocletian's Palace is not a ticketed monument but a free, open, living quarter of lanes, cafés and homes — you walk straight in. The Cathedral of St Domnius, a former mausoleum in continuous use, and its 57 m bell tower rise over the Peristyle at its centre. Cover up out of swimwear in these streets.
Diocletian's Palace itself is free and open — there is no admission to enter the palace streets, which are a living pedestrian quarter. The Cathedral of St Domnius and its bell tower are separate paid entries with hours that vary by season and services.
Get your bearings from the Peristyle, the central courtyard, with the Cathedral and its 57 m bell tower rising above it. Confirm cathedral and tower hours locally, as they shift around religious services.
Do not walk the palace lanes in swimwear on the way back from the water. Split's town centre issues on-the-spot fines for swimwear or shirtless in the streets, the same as Dubrovnik.
A former Roman mausoleum now among the world's oldest cathedrals in continuous use, with a 57 m tower over the Peristyle at the palace's heart.
A Dalmatian tavern in a courtyard inside the palace walls, steps from the Cathedral, for grilled Adriatic seafood, pašticada and peka.
Split on foot: the palace quarter, the Riva waterfront, and the Pazar green market against the palace wall. Time the busy pedestrian core to the morning market and eat where locals actually do.
The Pazar green market runs against the east wall of Diocletian's Palace, right beside the walkable old town. Farmers from the Dalmatian hinterland set up from early morning, seven days a week, and the produce sellers are busiest early and clear by early afternoon. Go in the morning for the fullest stalls.
The Pazar green market sets up from early morning, reported around 06:00, seven days a week against the east palace wall. Fruit and veg sellers are busiest in the morning and many clear by early afternoon, so go early.
The market sits immediately outside the palace wall, so it pairs naturally with a walk through the pedestrianised core — buy fresh produce and local specialities on foot before the day heats up.
Do not roll up to the Pazar in the afternoon expecting a full market. The produce sellers are a morning trade and many stalls have packed up by early afternoon.
A cheap, authentic on-foot morning food stop for fresh produce and local specialities right against the palace wall.
When the pedestrianised core is fullest, eat where locals do. Konoba Kod Joze, a traditional Dalmatian tavern about a 10-minute walk northeast of the palace, opens through the midday window. Villa Spiza in the old town takes no reservations and can queue in summer, so it suits a flexible walk-up rather than a fixed slot.
Konoba Kod Joze opens Monday to Friday 10:00–23:00 and Saturday to Sunday 12:00–23:00, so it covers the midday lunch window when the old town is at its most crowded.
There is no national restaurant-booking platform in Croatia; popular Split places are booked by phone or the venue's own site. Konoba Kod Joze takes bookings on +385 21 347 397; Villa Spiza takes no reservations at all.
For a genuine local lunch, walk the 10 minutes northeast to Kod Joze rather than grabbing the first palace-adjacent terrace. It opens straight through the midday crowd peak.
Do not build a fixed lunch slot around Villa Spiza. It takes no reservations and can involve long summer queues, so it works only as a flexible walk-up, not a timed plan.
The classic where-locals-eat Dalmatian tavern that opens through the midday window when the pedestrian core is jammed.
A small daily-changing-menu konoba in the walkable core, a real local spot that suits a flexible walk-up lunch.
A guided coach day to the Krka waterfalls, an under-an-hour-each-way run that is worth it precisely because someone else drives and escorts it. Or keep it on foot in Split and save the effort for the Plitvice day.
The Krka waterfalls run as a guided coach day from the Riva, roughly an hour each way — justified because it is escorted transport, not you driving. The tour price covers the coach, escort, in-park boat ride and insurance. The Krka park entrance fee is separate and paid at the gate, so keep cash ready.
The Krka waterfalls day tour departs 08:00, with a 10:00 option, from the Riva at Obala hrvatskog narodnog preporoda 21; the drive is roughly an hour each way and the whole day runs about 8 to 9 hours.
The tour is from 35.00 euro per adult, including air-conditioned return coach, an escort, the in-park boat ride and insurance. The Krka National Park entrance fee is not included and is paid separately in cash — about 30 euro June to September.
Carry euro cash for the park gate. The Krka entrance fee is paid separately from the tour price and is stated as cash at the gate, so do not rely on a card there.
Do not assume the tour price is all-in. The Krka park entrance fee is on top and paid in cash at the gate, so budget it separately or you will be caught short.
A guided coach day to the falls with an in-park boat ride, worth the under-an-hour drive because it is escorted, not self-driven.
Back in Split, keep dinner inside the walkable core. Konoba Korta sits in a palace courtyard for peka, brudet and black risotto. Reserve by phone or the venue's own site — there is no national booking app — and cover up out of swimwear on the walk over, as town-centre dress is fined.
Reserve Split restaurants by phone or the venue's own site; there is no OpenTable-style national app. Konoba Korta takes bookings on +385 21 277 455 or online.
Eat inside the palace walls to stay on foot. Konoba Korta's courtyard sits steps from the Cathedral, so you finish dinner already in the heart of the pedestrian quarter.
Do not drink alcohol in the open street on the walk home. Croatian town centres including Split issue on-the-spot police fines for drinking alcohol in public spaces.
A palace-courtyard tavern for peka, brudet and black risotto, keeping the whole evening on foot inside the walls.
Your included guided day inland to Plitvice Lakes, roughly 2 to 2.5 hours north of Split. It is sold as a tour precisely because it is a long excursion on a timed-entry park with narrow boardwalks — the operator sets the arrival time and, almost certainly, the ticket.
Plitvice is open 365 days a year, with summer entrances at 07:00–20:00 but ticket sales stopping at 17:00. Arriving at opening beats the tour-bus congestion on the narrow boardwalks — an early start your guided tour is built to give. The panoramic train and electric boat are included in the park ticket.
Plitvice Lakes is open 365 days a year; the summer schedule runs entrances 07:00–20:00, but ticket sales stop at 17:00 daily. The long boat route runs 08:00–18:00 and the panoramic train roughly 07:30–20:00.
Your package includes the guided Plitvice tour, and the park runs a timed-entry system — you enter at the slot on your ticket. The operator handles the entry timing and the long inland transfer, so you do not arrange either.
Plitvice tickets are timed-entry: you get a set entrance and timeslot, may arrive up to an hour late but cannot enter early. The panoramic train and electric boat rides are already included in the ticket price.
Do not buy a separate Plitvice ticket before confirming with the operator. The peak summer adult day-ticket is 40.00 euro and your guided day likely already includes park entry — buying your own means paying twice.
The anchor of your guided day: a timed-entry lakes-and-boardwalks park where an early, operator-set arrival beats the tour-bus crush.
The obvious lunch on the Plitvice day is Lička kuća, the official national-park restaurant at Entrance 1, serving Lika lamb, grilled trout and lamb cooked under the bell. One catch: it is closed on Tuesdays. If your guided tour lands on a Tuesday, it is shut, so confirm the day with the operator.
Lička kuća, the official park restaurant at Entrance 1 on the D429 road, is open Monday to Sunday 11:00–23:00 but closed on Tuesdays. It seats 270 and serves traditional Lika cuisine — Lika lamb, grilled trout and lamb and potatoes under the bell.
Lička kuća sits right at Entrance 1, so it is the natural on-site lunch stop between park sections. Reservations are on +385 99 2767 406 if you want a table locked in.
Do not count on Lička kuća without checking the day. It is closed on Tuesdays, so if the operator's tour falls on a Tuesday you will need another lunch plan.
The official national-park restaurant right at Entrance 1, the obvious on-site lunch for the guided Plitvice day.
A last Split morning if time allows, then your included transfer back to Split Airport (SPU). Count back from your departure to leave enough buffer for check-in and the EES exit check at the border.
Check whether your outbound is early-morning or late-night and plan the morning around it. Split Airport sits about 24 km northwest of the centre, roughly 30 to 40 minutes, and your included transfer covers it. Count back from your departure and leave a buffer for check-in and the EES exit check.
Check whether your outbound is an early-morning or a late-night departure and count back from it, leaving a buffer for check-in and the EES exit check at the border.
Split Airport (SPU) is about 24 km northwest of the Split centre, roughly 30 to 40 minutes by road, covered by your included operator transfer — you do not arrange this leg.
With a spare morning, the Pazar market or a walk through the palace lanes fits before the airport run. A morning market stop drops you back near the old town in good time.
Do not accept a ride from anyone soliciting you inside the terminal on the way out. Use only a licensed taxi or an app-hailed ride, and photograph the interior where the taxi number shows.
The EES exit check may ask you to register your face again at the border. It is free and not blocking, but can slow the queue on a busy departure, so allow extra time.
A quick, on-foot morning stop for last local produce or a snack, easy to fit around any departure time before the airport transfer.
Practical details verified 23 July 2026. Prices and opening hours change — we re-check them monthly, but confirm anything critical before you travel.
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