- January 2020
From elegant islands and coastal towns to dreamy parks and sleepy medieval villages
WHEN IS BEST TO TRAVEL TO CROATIA AND SLOVENIA: a simple guide that gives a score from 1 to 5 to each month, where 5 is the best and 1 is the less recommended.
Slovenia
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Croatia
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Recent Posts
WHERE TO GO WHEN: MY GUIDE TO THE BEST HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS IN THE WORLD FOR EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR
WE TRAVELLED ALL AROUND CORNWALL FOR 15 DAYS AND DISCOVERED FANTASTIC PLACES
Spectacular cities, ancient ruins, wonderful museums, wonderful mountains, great beaches, and of course food
A Week Between Palm Trees And Turtles
Picture-perfect Slovenia, with the sparkling waters of the waterfalls and stunning beaches of Croatia have become into everyone’s Europe “must-sees” in recent years. Croatia has an unusual shape that is unlike any other country in the world, from top to bottom is over 6 hours driving and you need to cross as well Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Croatia is an incredible country to explore, has a little bit of everything, from beautiful islands, historic cities and 1,778 kilometres of spectacular Mediterranean coastline, it’s no surprise that Croatia is one of Europe’s most popular summer destinations. With a country so rich in ancient towns, fascinating history and breathtaking coastline, it can be difficult to know where to start when you are planning a trip to Croatia – the good news is that Croatia is relatively small in size and all the best spots can definitely be visited in one trip.
Going on a holiday in Croatia, you will see that there’s much more in this amazing country than sun, sand and beautiful beaches. Roman, Venetian and Austro-Hungarian rulers have left their mark on the architecture and you’ll discover a strong influence in the baroque architecture of Zagreb, Croatia’s capital.
From the historic Dubrovnik city walls to the beautiful sounds of the sea organ in Zadar, exploring the ancient palace built for the Roman Emperor Diocletian the “Diocletian’s Palace” in Split, partying in the island of Pag, swim in the beautiful island of Hvar and Brač or exploring the gorgeous parks of Plitvice Lakes and Krka National Park, Croatia is full of charm and adventure.
On top of Croatia, Slovenia is really one of the hidden gems, its location in the middle of the high Alps, set between Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia this small Central European country offers a perfect combination of wild nature, which gives you a million possibilities for photography.
Due to its compactness, any sight is just a daytrip away. Hike in the Alps one day and then relax in the sun on the Adriatic Coast the next. Go rafting or kayaking on the stunning mountain rivers in the morning and then spend the afternoon tasting wines in the many wineries in the green hills. With so much diversity in such a small area, Slovenia makes an ideal holiday or short break and literally has something for everyone.
I had the opportunity to visit Croatia twice in the last 8 years, the first time was in 2012 when with my partner and some friends we spent a whole week enjoying the Island of Hvar. We arrived in Split by an overnight ferry from Ancona (Italy), there are few daily departures with Snav and Jadrolinija, the journey is approximately 11 hours long, from Split then we took another ferry to Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, (journey of 1 hour and 40 minutes). There are several daily ferries companies for this route like Kapetan Luka, Jadrolinija, in the high season it runs 16 to 18 times per day from Split.
Hvar is one of the best islands to visit in Croatia, you have amazing beaches with crystal water like Dubovica Beach, one of the most picturesque and popular beaches of the Island; the beautiful Jagodna beach in the south part of the island and the magnificent bay of Pokonji Dol.
Other amazing options are Mlini Beach where you can escape the crowds and relax peacefully (you can reach this beach with a water taxi from the harbour); Malo Zaraće beach is a small corner surrounded by turquoise sea, it is quiet and you can relax a whole afternoon or the pretty Ivan Dolac beach, the path is somewhat challenging but definitely a great spot.
If you love sailing you can spend a full day exploring the idyllic Pakleni Islands. A fantastic day out with family or friends can be spent hiring a sail boat with skipper or without for the day and exploring the nearby Pakleni Islands or discovering several of Hvar’s beautiful beaches, many of which can only be reached by boat. In Hvar Town, you can visit the fortress, the views from above are absolutely stunning. You have the view of the all town, the sea and the Pakleni islands.
My second time in Croatia was in January 2020, I was travelling solo, I wanted to visit all the main sights of Croatia and Slovenia in 8 days, was fantastic as I was in a off season month and there was almost no tourist around, just locals. I landed in Ljubljana with direct flight from London, my first stop was the gorgeous Plitvice Lakes National Park, one of the most unique places to visit in Croatia, with easy walking trails, boardwalks suspended over the turquoise water, stunning viewpoints, and photogenic waterfalls.
After a beautiful 3 hours walk in the park, I decided to drive all the way south to Dubrovnik around 5 hours drive. Dubrovnik Old Town is one of the world’s finest and most perfectly preserved medieval cities in the world, you can walk around on top of the wall and you will have a fantastic view of the city and the sea. For another amazing view of the city you can go to Mt. Srd by cable car (around 22 euro return) – there are fantastic views of the Old Town and Elaphiti Islands, here you will have the best views of Dubrovnik.
My next stop was Split, the second-largest city of Croatia, where I spent an all afternoon walking around the city, a mix of modern life and ancient history with ruins of the Roman Empire and a beautiful waterfront with cafes and restaurants. Visit the spectacular “The Diocletian’s Palace” is one of the top things to do in Split, the basement of the palace also was used as a set location for filming the Game of Thrones.
Less than 2 hours driving north and I was in Zadar, another beautiful city on the coast, a small peninsula where you find the historic old town with pedestrian-only marble streets, which are perfect for exploring on foot, and numerous medieval churches and Roman ruins, including the Church of St. Donatus, built on the site of a former ancient Roman forum.
In Zadar you will see two unique installations – the Sea Organ and the Sun Salutation – a Croatian architect designed them as a symbol of communication with the nature, the Sun Salutation communicates with light, while the nearby Sea organ communicates with sound, it is a really cool thing to hear. Right on the coast, there are also beautiful beaches where the water is fantastic and perfect for summertime swims.
I have spent my last 2 days of this trip in Slovenia, where there are amazing places to visit in just 100 km of distance. Postojna Cave, a magnificent cave formations 24km long and two million years old in the south of Slovenia and the nearby Predjama Castle, the largest cave castle in the world, today the home of a colony of bats.
Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana is compact, you easily walk everywhere, very fascinated with dragons in every corner of the city, beautiful bridges and so much life with many cafes and restaurants along the Ljubljanica river.
A visit to Slovenia would not be complete without a visit to Lake Bled, just 50 mins north of Ljubljana, with its castle on the hill, a pretty island to visit with short hiking trails.
Approximately 4 kilometres north-west from Bled you will find another magical place, the Vintgar Gorge, It is an easy and beautiful walk through some great natural scenery, there are lots of excellent photogenic viewpoints and amazing waterfalls.
Explore more about Croatia and Slovenia
Brač island
A beautiful island just next to Hvar island, Brač is most known for its beach Zlatni rat in Bol, that is one of most beautiful beaches of the country
Krka National Park
Combining amazing natural and cultural heritage. You can walk around Skradinski Waterfall, hiking trails, go on a boat trip and swim in the lakes
Lake Bohinj
Located in Triglav National Park just 30 mins from Bled, it's the largest lake in Slovenia. Lake Bohinj is perfect for water activities all year round, from swimming, boat riding, windsurfing, kayaking or canoeing
Istria
The peninsula of Istria attract many tourist each year in Croatia. Rovinj town is a true gem, and Pula is also well-worth a visit. It's home to the Arena, a very well-preserved Roman amphitheatre