Croatia, from the walls to the Blue Cave.
Which Krka trip includes the boat in from Skradin. Whether the five-island speedboat beats the catamaran. What a day across to Mostar actually costs. Every tour in Croatia, reviewed.
Six Croatian days that decide the whole trip.
The cave off Bisevo, the boardwalks at Plitvice and Krka, the islands from the Riva, the walls of King’s Landing, a kayak under Lokrum. Book these first and plan the rest around them.
Almost every good Croatian day starts at a jetty.
A thousand islands, a coast road that only shows you half of it, and harbours where the ferry, the speedboat and the wooden gulet all leave from the same stone quay. This is where to spend the money.
The Adriatic coast road, town by town.
Pula
Rovinj
Zadar
Sibenik
Split
Hvar
DubrovnikCroatia’s most popular days out.
Every review →Krka with the boat, the Blue Cave run, the Elaphiti cruise with lunch: the handful of trips that fill boats every morning of the season, and what each one is really like.
1
Krka Waterfalls Trip with Boat Cruise and Swimming
Krka Waterfalls from Split with a Skradin boat cruise, guided Skradinski Buk, and Primošten beach time. Great value at $31.
From · $31
Read our review →
2
Blue Cave Small-Group Boat Tour from Dubrovnik
from $84
3
Krka Waterfalls, Food & Wine Tasting Tour
from $45
4
Full-Day Dubrovnik Elaphite Islands Cruise with Lunch and Drinks
from $78
5
Mostar and Kravica Waterfall Day Trip
from $35
6
Blue cave, Mamma Mia and Hvar, 5 islands speedboat tour
from $111
7
Krka Waterfalls, Food & Wine Tasting Tour
from $44
8
Blue Cave, Mamma Mia, Hvar and 5 Island Tour
from $109
Three ways to spend a Split day.
All 182 Split tours →
Split sells the sea. Boats leave the Riva from seven, the same three itineraries dominate every quay, and the difference between them is how far out you get and how long you sit on the water.
Blue Lagoon, three islands, long lunch
Out past Ciovo to the shallow bright water off Drvenik, a swim stop or three, and back in time for the evening passeggiata on the Riva.
Krka, with the boat in from Skradin
Up the Krka gorge by boat instead of the car park shuttle, then the wooden walkway around Skradinski Buk with the falls on your right the whole way.
Five islands, the Blue Cave, back by dark
Bisevo at the light, Stiniva’s pebble cove, the Mamma Mia beach on Vis and Hvar town for an hour. Twelve hours, and the one people talk about afterwards.
Dubrovnik rewards whoever gets up first.
The walls open at eight and the shade is gone by ten. Walk the circuit early, take the cable car when the cruise crowds land, and save the harbour for the evening when the Karaka goes out.
Istria is the half of Croatia nobody books first.
A Roman arena still standing in the middle of Pula, dolphins off Vrsar most summer evenings, olive oil rooms with a tasting bench, and the Brijuni islands a short crossing away. Prices drop the moment you leave Dalmatia.
- 1Kamenjak 5h boat trip with lunch & drinks on Sandra Boatfrom $54
- 2Full-Day Boat Tour of the Medulin Archipelago from Medulinfrom $54
- 3Kayaking, Snorkeling, Cliff jumping, photos includedfrom $41
Three things you can only do in Croatia.
Old towns and boat trips exist all over the Mediterranean. A cave that turns silver at eleven, a city that played King’s Landing, and a canyon an hour from the beach do not.
The Blue Cave
Light comes into the Modra spilja through a submerged opening and turns the whole chamber silver-blue for a couple of hours either side of midday. Small tenders go in a few at a time, the sea has to be flat, and the boats that reach Bisevo early are the ones that get inside. Every operator on this coast sells the trip; not every trip makes it in.
- 1Blue Cave Small-Group Boat Tour from Dubrovnik★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 9,360 reviews
- 2Blue cave, Mamma Mia and Hvar, 5 islands speedboat tour★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 7,150 reviews
- 3Blue Cave, Mamma Mia, Hvar and 5 Island Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.6 · 6,320 reviews
The Dubrovnik Locations
Blackwater Bay is the old harbour you walk past on the way to breakfast. The walk of shame came down the Jesuit Stairs beside St Ignatius. Qarth was Lokrum, fifteen minutes out by ferry. Guides who worked the shoots point out where the green screen ended and the fourteenth-century stone begins.
- 1Epic Game of Thrones Tour + Lokrum & Saver Option★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 · 5,995 reviews
- 2The Original Game of Thrones Tour & Lokrum Option★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 · 5,064 reviews
- 3Dubrovnik Game of Thrones Tour & Optional Lokrum Island Visit★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 4,702 reviews
The Cetina Canyon
Behind Omis the Cetina cuts a gorge into the Dinaric limestone and the water stays cold all summer. Rafts put in upstream at Penscici for a mostly gentle three hours; the zipline strung across the canyon is the other way to see it. Both run on the same river, twenty-five kilometres from the middle of Split.
- 1Cetina River: Rafting and Cliff Jumping Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 · 1,774 reviews
- 2Split/Omiš: Cetina River Rafting with Cliff Jump & Swimming★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 · 1,258 reviews
- 3Zipline Croatia: Cetina Canyon Zipline Adventure from Omis★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 1,248 reviews
What a day on the Adriatic actually costs.
Every tour on the site, sorted by price. The best morning in Dubrovnik costs less than lunch on the Stradun.
Old-town walking tours, rafting on the Cetina, an evening dolphin run out of Vrsar, entry tickets.
The full days: Krka and Plitvice with tickets and transport, island cruises with lunch, Mostar and back.
Small-group speedboats, private skippers, and the days you take the whole boat and pick the stops.
Book these before you fly to Croatia.
Most of Croatia can be arranged from your apartment the night before. These four cannot: they run on ticket caps, a narrow window of light, a border crossing and an opening time.
- 01Plitvice Lakes Guided Day Tour with TicketsSummer entry runs on timed tickets with a daily ceiling, and the coach seats from Split and Zadar go weeks ahead.
- 02Blue Cave Small-Group Boat Tour from DubrovnikThe cave is only lit for a couple of hours around midday and takes small boats a few at a time. The early departures are the ones that get inside.
- 03Mostar and Kravica Waterfall Day TripTwelve hours and a border crossing each way. Take your passport, and take the seat you want while there is one.
- 04City Walls Early Morning or Sunset Walking TourThe walls open at eight and there is no shade up there by ten. The first slot is the one worth having.
The Adriatic does its best work at seven in the evening.
Every evening cruise →
Sunset Cruise with Swim Stop, Drinks, and Fruits
Read our review →
3hours all inclusive Sunset&Dolphin Tour from Medulin on Sandra
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Rain on this coast is a wine day.
The bura arrives out of a clear sky, the boats stay in and the whole coast goes indoors. That is the day for a Peljesac cellar, an olive oil bench in Istria, a konoba lunch that runs to three hours, or the cool stone basement under Diocletian’s Palace.
By town — down the coast
By day — what are you in the mood for?
The newest Croatia reviews.
Newest reviews first →
Krka National Park – Private Excursion from Dubrovnik with Mercedes Vehicle
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Montenegro Kotor Bay with Boat Ride to The Lady of the Rock
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Korcula, Ston, Wine Tasting and Lunch – Tour from Dubrovnik
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Private Boat Tours Dubrovnik to island Korcula
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Korčula & Ston: Island Charms, Pelješac Delights & Wine Tasting
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Korcula & Peljesac Full Day Private Tour from Dubrovnik
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Croatia Family Multi Activity Holiday package
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Konavle Valley Wine Tour from Dubrovnik with Train Ride and Wine Tasting
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Kolocep Island Hiking and Swimming Full Day Trip from Dubrovnik
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Half-Day Tour from Dubrovnik to Konavle with Wine Tasting
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