How to Spend 4 Days in Croatia: Split and Dubrovnik!
How to spend 4 days in Croatia! Croatia is one of the countries I was MOST excited about. We heard so many great things about how awesome Croatia was by people we met during our travels. I was afraid Croatia wouldn’t live up to the hype. Fortunately, it did. Dubrovnik is like nothing you’ll see anywhere else!
We opted to take a road trip from Austria, through Slovenia to Croatia. We allowed for 4 days in Croatia; two days in Split and two days in Dubrovnik. Another option is to add more stops in Croatia!
Either way, this is a great way to spend for days in Split and Dubrovnik!
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Day 1: Split
Day one will likely be a partial day in Split whether you are flying into Croatia, driving from Slovenia (like us) or coming in from another Croatia town.
Rent a car for an epic road trip!
Once you get into Split, drop your luggage off at your accommodation if you aren’t driving! FYI: if you ARE driving be sure to choose an accommodation that is in walking distance from downtown Split because parking is limited!
Need a Hotel Recommendation? Hotel Kastel has a GREAT, central location in Split. They also offer parking and a shuttle to/from the airport!
Once arriving in Split, go to explore Diocletian’s Palace and the surrounding area.
- The Palace of Diocletian will be one of the first things you notice along the waterfront promenade when you arrive in downtown Split.
- The palace was built as a place of retirement for the emperor Diocletian, completed in 305. It resembles more of a fortress than a palace, however, due to part of it being a personal residence and part of it housing military personnel.
- It exudes a well-preserved example of Roman architecture.
- The palace boundaries are wide; now the old town surrounds the palace and is home to around 220 buildings housing bustling restaurants, shops and bars.
- The palace was built as a place of retirement for the emperor Diocletian, completed in 305. It resembles more of a fortress than a palace, however, due to part of it being a personal residence and part of it housing military personnel.
- For Game of Thrones fans, the basement rooms were used for filming the scenes of Daeneryโs dragons while she was in Meereen.
Big fan of GOT and its filming locations? You can take a guided tour to all of the filming locations Split has to offer!
Ready for dinner?
There are several restaurants with outdoor seating lined up along the oceanfront side of the palace, which is where cruise ships unload.
My recommendation is to get off the oceanfront road to find somewhere to eat; less crowds and lower prices!
Day 2: Split- E-Bike Tour & Boat Tour around Islands!
I recommend spending the morning (that is less busy and less hot) to explore more of Split! Split has a great views from above, but they can be tricky to get to (large inclines!). A great way to get these views is via e-bike!
You can either rent them yourselves, or take a guided e-bike tour of Split! The tour begins at 10am and lasts 3 hours, getting you done around 1pm and leaving you plenty of time for another activity in the afternoon!
- The E-bike tours are about $63 per person and a local will take you Marjanโs summit, beaches and has some wiggle room for you to customize your itinerary.
Book a guided E-bike tour of Split!
If you don’t want to do the e-bike tour, I still suggest heading to the Marjan Peninsula to get a view of Split from above! If you like hiking, you can take the hike from Varoลก to Telegrin, which is a 2.2 mile high that will give you great views!
In the afternoon, take boat tour from Split to the Blue Lagoon!
- This half-day Blue Lagoon tour was one of our favorite parts of our visit to Split! If you are in Croatia, you need to experience the beautiful waters and some of the surrounding islands. We were able to do both during this tour.
- The tour we took stopped at Solta and Trogir on the way to the Blue Lagoon.
- The stop has since changed from Solta to Beach Bar Borkko, but I’m confident it is just as amazing!
The Blue Lagoon itself was BEAUTIFUL with crystal clear, BLUE waters. However, be aware that a large portion of the beaches were formed by rock, so have the appropriate shoes to wear when wading out!
Lunch is not provided, so its good to pack a lunch to eat while sitting on the beach!
The tour is about 5 hours long and leaves at either 9:30am or 2:30 pm.
- If you opt to take the e-bike tour in the morning, you will have about an hour and a half from the end of your bike tour to the start of the afternoon boat tour!
Blue Lagoon Boat Tour
The tour is through Booker Travel Agency, a 5 star Google-rated agency located in Split!
Also, as I mentioned, they have since changed up one of the stops. But this tour VERY similar to what we did and we loved it!
Meeting Point
Day 3: Dubrovnik
Partial day in Dubrovnik!
- Get up early and drive from Split to Dubrovnik which is about a 3.5 hour drive with one stop
- The drive coming into Dubrovnik is magical, so keep your eyes peeled!
- If you don’t plan to drive, you can also take a bus from Split to Dubrovnik which is about a 4 hour ride and costs around $25, give or take.
Book a bus from Split to Dubrovnik!
Once in Dubrovnik:
- Explore the city with the best first-impression I have ever seen!
- Old Town Dubrovnik is beautiful; it feels like you’ve stepped back in time! (or King’s Landing ๐คช)
- Spend time getting lost in the streets of old town
- Once you get your feel, be sure to take a walk to the old town port located on the west side of Dubrovnik
- From the old town port, I recommend continuing along the water and up to Asimon Tower (pictured below in the third photo)
- You can continue along the north walls of Dubrovnik and get a view of St. Jacob’s tower, Buza Gate, Tvrฤava Minฤeta and the walls from the outside!
Day 4: Dubrovnik and Kayaking
After breakfast, I recommend taking a tour of Dubrovnik; I just feel like you get a better appreciation for a town when you get the history of it!
- You can opt to take a “free” (+tip) walking tour that will take you through the old town of Dubrovnik
- OR you can opt to take a guided walking + driving tour of Dubrovnik. This tour includes a walking tour of Dubrovnik but also drives you up the the viewpoints that overlook Dubrovnik from the top!
- A perk of this tour is that it will give you the view of the Dubrovnik funicular in combination with the walking tour- two birds, one stone and will give you the best bang for your buck!
- The guided tour is about $48 dollars per person and the cable car alone is typically about $27
- A perk of this tour is that it will give you the view of the Dubrovnik funicular in combination with the walking tour- two birds, one stone and will give you the best bang for your buck!
Walking + Driving panoramic Guided Tour
-About $48
-4 hours
-During peak season (around end of March), the first tour is at 8am (10am during shoulder season)
An alternative option for the morning for those of you who are visiting Dubrovnik because it is none other than King’s Landing from Game of Thrones is to take a guided tour of all of the filming locations in Dubrovnik!
You can certainly visit these sights on your own, but the tours ensure that you won’t miss any! We didn’t do this tour and ended up missing several ๐ they also show you pictures from the scenes that were shot there!
- Price: About $26 per person
- Time: 2.5 hours
- Begins at 9:30 am
Book a Game of Throne Filming Locations Tour!
Save your afternoon for a sunset kayak Tour!
One of our favorite activities we did in Dubrovnik was a sunset kayak tour! Though it was a bit of an exercise, we enjoyed being able to see the walls of Dubrovnik from the water plus the water inside the caves we visited was INCREDIBLE!
- The water around Dubrovnik is STUNNING. Some of it in the caves even looks purple due to the coral bottom.
About the tour:
- The kayak tour is about 4 hours and takes you along the city walls of Dubrovnik, into multiple caves and around Lokrum Island, ending in the bay at sunset!
- You can hop out and swim at one of the caves! Be aware, though, the beach is pretty rocky so be sure to wear the appropriate shoes!
- Also be prepared to put in some work, though. Kayaking in the ocean can be a constant fight against the waves!
Sunset Kayaking Tour
See Dubrovnik from the water and get out onto the Adriatic Sea!
-Length: 4 Hours
-Price: About 40 euros
-Times: Daytime and Sunset Options (times vary)
Meeting Point
4 Days in Croatia Recap!
There are multitudes of ways to spend 4 days in Croatia; it really has everything!
- If you are trying to decide on which place to spend more days, choose Dubrovnik!
- Here is a guide to Dubrovnik for more info on what to do, how to get around and more!
If you have some extra time:
- Consider a day trip to Hvar Island!
- The best way to get there is via ferry for about 7 euros (around an hour ride)
- Hvar is known for its yachts and fun times, especially in the summer. However, it really is a beautiful island and is easily explored in a day trip.
- Take a guided tour of the island to maximize your time there!
- OR visit Krka National Park
- It is located an hour and a half from Split and supposed to be incredibly beautiful! A highly rated tour includes a tour to Krka National Park as well as a wine tasting stop! If you have extra time in Split, this is a great option to spend your time!
I would honestly love to return to this area and do both of these! The hardest part about only having 4 days in Split and Dubrovnik is that you are going to have a hard time narrowing down what you can do in your short time!
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