The importance of history is undeniable, and although Europe has a gamut of fascinating locales that allow you to delve into its rich history and intriguing origins, Croatia is one of the most ideal destinations for history buffs or anyone that is interested in a world that is steeped in ancient lore, lovely scenery, and fascinating history. From wandering around the ancient fortress of Dubrovnik’s Old City to exploring Zagreb’s Upper Town with numerous experiences in between, this custom-crafted,...
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Dubrovnik - Arrive in Dubrovnik and Set Sail on an Authentic Karaka
Your exciting journey into Croatia’s captivating past begins in Dubrovnik, and upon your arrival, you will be met at the airport by your private driver and led to your luxurious accommodation. Once you have settled in, you will be provided with the opportunity to witness this stunning seaside city from an entirely new perspective: by water as you sail along the shoreline on a dazzling dinner cruise. The best part about your initial evening’s event is that you will not only be met on board by your personal chef, private captain, and cabin crew, but you will actually be traveling in an authentic, 16th-century karaka vessel.
As you enjoy the delicious array of local Dalmatian dishes while being regaled with the rich story of this coastal city, you will feel all of your worries and stress as they float away with the gentle sea breeze. As you witness your first dramatic sunset over the Adriatic, you will already be congratulating yourself on this stellar choice of this grand, history-lovers getaway of Croatia.
After the colors all fade into the horizon, you will make your way back to the docks of Dubrovnik and glide along the Adriatic waters beneath a starry sky. Your driver will be waiting to meet you upon your arrival at the shore, and you will be led directly to your hotel for the evening.
What's Included:
Day 2
Dubrovnik – Be Inspired by the Ancient Old City and Visit Lokrum Island
Day 3
Dubrovnik – Uncover the Intriguing Origins of Konavle Valley
Day 4
Split - See the Secret Side of Split and Learn Trogir’s Fascinating Past
Day 5
Plitvice - Be Inspired by Plitvice National Park and Rastoke Village
Day 6
Zagreb – Stroll the Upper Town and Take a History-Themed Cooking Class
Day 7
Zagreb – Say Goodbye over a Lovely Brunch
Trip Highlights
- Embark on a sunset sail on an authentic, 16th-century karaka replica where you will enjoy feasting on delectable Dalmatian dishes
- Explore Dubrovnik’s ancient Old City and marvel at its iconic landmarks as you wander among this impeccably preserved, towering fortress
- Island-Hop to Lokrum Island while being introduced to the local wildlife, including wild bunnies and peacocks
- Delve into the fascinating origins of the Konavle Valley Region via an intriguing and mysterious storytelling tour that will be complete with generations-old myths and fascinating folklore
- Unveil the secrets of Split as you are introduced to its most famous sights before venturing into the past in Trogir
- Marvel at the cascading waterfalls and pristine natural pools at Plitvice National Park before traveling to quaint Rastoke Village, where you will witness its working watermills and stroll along its charming main street
- Visit Zagreb’s iconic Upper Town and peruse its iconic landmarks, including Zagreb Cathedral, Dolac Market, St. Mark’s Church, and more
Detailed Description
Croatia is a country that is filled with ancient fortresses, towering cathedrals, luscious valleys and charming villages that are lined by cobblestone streets. Croatia is also a proverbial wonderland when it comes to piquing the interests of history buffs and those who love a great story that is filled with intrigue, mystery, and wonder because that is exactly what Croatia’s contains.
Your historically-inspired, 7-day excursion begins in the epicenter of Croatia’s ancient past, which is the stunning seaside haven of Dubrovnik. Often referred to as the “Pearl of the Adriatic,” this flattering name is no misnomer, and you will soon discover not only its vast beauty but the wealth of history that the city possesses. An evening dinner sail on an authentic, 16th-century vessel will begin your custom adventure. The dinner sail will be followed by a private walking tour of the Old City, which will offer you a window into the ancient wonders of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. An island-hop to nearby Lokrum Island offers a lovely evening out in addition to an excursion to Konavle Valley, which is where you will delve into the intriguing origins of this stunning area. After being regaled with historical facts, thrilling tales of lore, and even a few tall tales, you will fall in love with this remarkable region and leave with your memories of what makes it so special and unique.
As you depart Dubrovnik, your private driver will deliver you to Split, which is a city by the sea that is in possession of an incredible history that rivals its natural beauty. You will waste no time in exploring the historical highlights of Split before traveling further to uncover more treasures of the past in Trogir.
After a day full of sightseeing, you will depart Split and venture to the world-famous Plitvice National Park, where you will be utterly smitten after witnessing the waterfalls, idyllic lakes, and forested paths that cannot be described by anything less than the word “magical.” After being romanced by the natural beauty of Plitvice, you will stop by nearby Rastoke Village, where everything from the quaint main street to the working water mills will make you feel as if you have stepped back in time. After receiving a glimpse into what village life was like, you will enjoy a traditional meal at a local tavern.
Your final destination will be Zagreb, which awaits your exploration with a wealth of historical landmarks that will be like candy to the history buff. You will bask in the sweet sights of the city’s iconic Upper Town while being inspired by the truly breathtaking landmarks here, including Dolac Market, Zagreb Cathedral, and St. Mark’s Church. You will then spend your last evening indulging in a private cooking class that will not only delight your taste buds, but it will delve into the intriguing cultural and historical significances of the cuisine that you are preparing.
At every destination, you will be staying in luxurious accommodations while all of your transportation needs have been previously arranged with a personal driver. Your adventure is also extremely flexible, allowing you to adjust any part of this itinerary based on your moods and attitude once you are in Croatia. The only difficult decision that you will have to make is deciding which fascinating landmark is your favorite. Don’t take just our word for it - consider reading some of our travelers’ reviews of Croatia.Starting Price
$2,300 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service
4.91 stars based on 1335 reviews.
Our travel guide was excellent. Our hotels were perfect and, from the beginning, he accommodated all of my requests, including my need for gluten-free foods. And during the trip, when my daughter got sick, he arranged for a doctor to come to the hotel.
Reviewed By Julie Q.
Croatia is a beautiful country to visit. The people we met and the guides we had were all fantastic, professional, knowledgeable and incredibly friendly. Every place we visited, even the more crowded tourist areas, felt very safe.
Our Zicasso travel agent worked really closely with us right from the beginning to make sure the trip gave our family the balance of exploration, relaxation, learning, and adventure that we look for on our vacations. Every aspect of our trip – every tour, every driver, every dinner, everything – flowed exactly as we had planned it.
Reviewed By Julia S.
Our Zicasso travel agent's communication was incredible! She was fast, professional, and always thorough. Everything she planned for us was of such high quality! It was perfect!
Reviewed By Karen W.
Zicasso's travel consultant was so helpful in designing a near-perfect trip for our group of eight travelers. We visited Croatia and Greece. In the planning stages, she was patient yet persistent in moving us toward finalizing the trip. The hotel recommendations and sightseeing choices were, for the most part, outstanding. The ground transfer arrangements were perfect. Most of all, her recommendation for the right Greek island for our group's needs was spot on.
Reviewed By Ann M.
Before our trip, Zicasso's travel specialist assured us we would have an amazing, worry-free trip through Slovenia and Croatia. We most certainly did!!
She had us in beautiful, centrally located hotels, on exciting daily excursions with knowledgeable tour guides, and even on a private speedboat ride!! Our journey included historic sites, wonderful museums, and hikes through caverns, waterfalls, and fortresses!!
Any questions we had were answered in the moment, completely and respectfully! Thank you so much to our travel specialist for her caring attention to detail and for making our trip truly memorable!!
Reviewed By Darlene Z.
The entire nine days of travel from Slovenia to Montenegro were seamless as far as being picked up at the arrival airport and departure as planned. Transportaion was on schedule, which was important to me in a foreign country and eliminated any stress. Each private guide and/or driver throughout our trip was courteous and spoke English, which avoided any misunderstanding about all the wonderful sites we saw.
Lake Bled was absolutely wonderful. The guide parked the van at this family home four blocks from the lake and introduced us to his mother and sister, who welcomed us, and we saw how they lived in this beautiful village. The walk of four blocks to the lake also gave us the opportunity to see more of this quaint place to live. Since the lake does not allow power boats, we and about 20 other people were rowed to the island, where an ancient church was located. We found out that this family, in the past, were the caretakers of the island and our tour guide had to row himself to the shore to go to school and, in the winter, skate to school every day.
Next, we were driven to the castle on top of a small mountain, which had a perfect, 360-degree view of the area. Beautiful!
The next day we went to Plitvice Lakes National Park, with too many waterfalls to count and water that looked as crystal clear as any natural water I have ever seen. The four-kilometer walk upstream was nothing like I've ever seen in the USA.
We spent the night in a wonderful mountain lodge, with individual lodges and an upper-end-style bed and breakfast theme.
Split was a city with parts dating back to the third century, with many Roman influences in its many buildings.
Mostar in Bosnia was very interesting and had a central arch-style bridge which seemed to be a central point for all to see. There was so much we saw that it is too much to describe here.
We also stopped at a wine tasting at the most modern winery I've ever been to. It even had 12 guest rooms, with a pool.
On our way to Dubrovnik, we stopped at Ston to have an unbelievable lunch. At the restaurant, we had an oyster tasting of fresh oysters being farmed several hundred yards from the restaurant. We were served oysters three ways, from raw to fried and baked, and they were the best I will ever eat in my life.
We next went to Dubrovnik, which was particularly interesting to me because it is where Game of Thrones was filmed. Our guide was excellent, as he worked as a "roadie" for the film company, helping set the scenes by taking down modern signs or anything modern, and putting them back after filming. He had large screen shots in a spiral binder and would take us to a cove and hold up the screen shot of the actual scene from the movie to show us the similarity. His behind-the-scenes knowledge of the actors and the reaction from the town and church was beyond expectations. My wife and I were fans of GOT and so excited that we are going to watch if all again one day.
Our last day was in Montenegro, which again was beautiful, and we spent the day next to the water there. We were ferried to a man-made island with an old church on it.
Overall, the Adriatic Sea along the coast of these countries was one of the most beautiful stretches of water you could imagine.
Our expectations of this tour were met and exceeded.
Reviewed By Sandra H.
