The Beauty of CROATIA: Is this your next 2024 Adventure? #croatiatravel
Channel: Mochi Overland
Date: 2024-02-11

00:00 🌞 Dreaming of Summer 2024? Explore Zadar, Croatia! 🏖️
The locals are super friendly, the accommodation amazing and you have some of the best scenery in Europe, like PLITVICE and KRKA National Parks and other incredible destinations. Here is our itinerary and tips to help you make the most of your holiday in CROATIA.

00:35 🚌 Getting There

Take the shuttle bus for less than 5€/pers and in just 20min you'll be at Zadar bus station or in the town centre. We booked our apartment on booking.com for a reasonable price. Feel free to ask us the name of this place in the comments. It was a lovely little house, clean and the owners were nice and friendly. If you're coming from Split, you can get the bus. It took us 2.5h. 

01:19 🏰 DAY 1:Relaxation and cultural exploration

Immerse yourself in Zadar's rich HISTORY with a city tour, visiting the Roman Forum, St Donatus' Church, St Anastasia's Cathedral and the People's Square. 
Head to the Five Wells Square and take a relaxing walk in the nearby PARK. You'll have plenty of opportunities to taste the LOCAL CUISINE. Don't miss The Land Gate to see our doggy 🐶 friend (min2:48). And walk along the sea 30min to enjoy the sunset at the SEA ORGAN and GREETINGS TO THE SUN.

03:05 ⛵ DAY 2: Boat trip to TELASCICA and KORNATI NP

You can go to the harbour at Gradski most (town bridge) to choose your boat. We had three options depending on the size of the boat. The owner will give you the programme for the day. We chose the medium size boat because we learned that the small boat takes more time to reach the destination, and the big boat there are many more people on it, which makes it less enjoyable for us. Whichever boat you choose for 60€/pers, you will embark on a 9h boat trip, which includes breakfast with a strong speciality 🥃 and lunch. We boarded a boat called FAZANKA, owned by a professional and friendly Croatian family. First we went to the TELASCICA Nature Park, where a short walk will take you to the impressive view from the CLIFF. Another short walk will take you to the SALT LAKE OF MIR, where you can swim before returning to the boat. The second stop is at the KORNATI National Park, where you'll be able to swim in the TURQUOISE WATERS. The boat will sail past the 89 islands and reefs of the archipelago and bring you back to Zadar in time for dinner.

05:30 🌳 DAY 3: Visit the most beautiful national park in Croatia

PLITVICE LAKES NP, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is 367m to 1,280m above sea level, so we recommend checking the forecast. It can get very crowded, so try to visit on a weekday like Monday or Tuesday. PLITVICE is a 1.5h bus ride from Zadar, and you can book the bus through Flixbus for 15€/pers. At the entrance to the park, you'll need a pass for another 25€. Trust us, it's worth it! Once inside the park, you can follow different routes depending on how much time you have. We did Route C, which was just enough for us, but we took lots of videos. The drive is beautiful and untouched, you'll pass by the nice MASLENICKI Bridge. The return journey is a good time to rest after the long walk. If you're torn between KRKA National Park and Plitvice Lakes, GO TO PLITVICE. We skiped Krka because we heard that it wasn't as spectacular and well preserved as Plitvice.

07:08 🏝️ DAY 4: Day trip to the Island of UGLJAN

We decided to go to the island of Ugljan, the closest island to Zadar. There are daily boats to PREKO. Don't forget to buy your ticket at the ticket office. Once there, we had originally planned to go to the viewpoint at Fort Saint Michael (a 1-hour walk), but we got a bit lost walking through and around the little town of Preko, so we didn't have enough time to go up there.
FUN FACT about Croatian bakeries: no matter where we go to get something, they ALWAYS put an extra pastry in our bag.

10:10 ⛪ DAY 5: Nin, the Smallest Church in the World

You can take the daily bus to the small village of Nin. The timetable is available at the bus station. A whole day is definitely needed to fully enjoy the beauty of this place. It was a great surprise to discover this village: first the historical part with the smallest church, then the lagoon with a beautiful beach and lots of small crabs. Don't worry if you decide to have a swim, they will leave you alone. At the end we also discovered a beautiful nature park where you can also watch birds. 

12:39 As your guide to Zadar comes to an end, we hope we've given you some great ideas and helpful tips for your trip.

Zadar really does have it all - friendly locals, fantastic places to stay and stunning scenery. Whether you're wandering its historic streets or exploring the nearby national parks, Zadar promises to be an unforgettable destination. So WHY WAIT? Start planning your trip today and GET READY for an amazing adventure along Croatia's Adriatic coast. Happy travels and don't forget to like, comment and subscribe for more travel inspiration. 🌞🌴

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