Sunday, 12-Apr-26:
We drove to Bristol airport and flew Easyjet from there to Dubrovnik, Croatia. We were met at the airport by a tour guide and transferred by coach to our hotel (Hotel Bella Vista, for 3 nights) in Drvenik, half-way between Split and Dubrovnik.
Monday, 13-Apr-26:
Today we traveled (by coach) to Split and Trogir, enjoying coastal scenery en route. We also passed through the little village of Omis on the way, which used to be the haunt of pirates, plundering the trade being conducted by Split: here are 2 photos of the quiet village with its fort, and a canyon into which the pirates hid. Both cities were beautiful, with lovely squares and tiny alleyways, as well as ancient structures (eg Diocletian's Palace in Split), and a lot of work has been put in over the last few years to clean up the buildings, which had become quite black. They are all made of limestone, and the effects of pollution, etc had blackened them (like Westminster Abbey - quite a shock when I first saw it so clean!). Here are several views of Split, the next post will be of Trogir.
Dioclectian's Palace and surrounds.
Taking a break in Diocletian's Palace in Split...
After Split, we boarded the coach for ther drive to Trogir, up the coast a bit. It is a small island, rigned by lkargely intact medieval walls, enclosing a mix of renaissance, baroque and romanesque buildings - very picturesque; connected to the mainland by a short bridge. Here are some of its delights.
Tuesday, 14-Apr-26:
Today was an all-day tour to the Krka National Park, to view the great array of waterfalls, cascades, etc there (rather like Plitvice). The forecast was not looking good - steady rain all day. So Lynda and Helen decided to stay put in the hotel all day (Lynda had a bit of work to do, anyway).
As it happened, the weather cleared up by the time the coach reached Maskarka; then on the other side of the mountains (through the tunnel), the weather was OK - very cloudy, but no rain. And it remained dry all day as I walked around the falls and the nearby town of Skradin.
I took a stupid number of photos, and here is a very modest sample!
After sating ourselves on the waterfalls, we took a ferry to Skradin, a little downstream from Krka.
Wednesday, 15-Apr-26:
Today we packed up and left our hotel in Drvenik,and drove to Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina; this involved a border crossing, taking 35 minutes to exit Croatia, and 15 mins to enter Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Mostar is most famous for its iconic bridge (brought down during the Bosnian war, but now fully restored). Young men will jump off the Brudge into the river below, but only when enough tourists have forked out for them to do it! Mostar also has the oldest continuously operating market/bazaar in Europe. And plenty of character buildings and cobblestone alleys, etc.
We had a brief guided tour, then left to our own devices. Here are some photos.
Thursday, 16-Apr-26:
Today we were taken into Dubrovnik (a 10-mionute drive from our hotel), given a 60-minute guided walking tour, then set free to do our own thing (coffee and cake, and even ice creams at the approipriate time/place) - we even chose to take the ferry back to Mlini (a 30-minute ride) rather than wait for the coach, which was a very pleasant way to return: ferry stop was a short walk from our hotel.
Weather promised to rain during the afternoon, but no sign of it (again!). Dubrovnik is of course stunning. We didn't walk the walls (now €40 pp - we did that in 2013, when it cost €10 pp), nor the cable car, though we did admire the view from above from our coach. Here's a selection of views, including some of the narrow alleys radiating from the main axis (Placa) of the old city.
Friday, 17-Apr-26:
Today we we were driven in the coach into Montenegro (just down the road 30 mins from Mlini). Then we crossed the border (70 mins leaving Croatia, 15 mins entering Montenegro). On our return, it took 5 mins to leave Montenegro, and 80 mins to enter Croatia! It took about 70 mins driving around the huge Bay of Kotor to reach Kotor town.
Once again, in Kotor, we had a guided walking tour for 60 mins, followed by free time.
Saturday, 18-Apr-26:
We had a free day today. The tour company encouraged us to return to Dubrovnik at our own pace (eg taking the ferry there). But we decided to stay put in the hotel, which had a very pleasant outlook over the Adriatic.
I took a long walk late afternoon along the coastal path, through Srebreno and back along the highway.
Sunday, 19-Apr-26:
Our coach took us from the hotel, where we had some leisure time after checking out, to the airport, for our 17:35 Easyjet flight back to Bristol.
Upon arrival, we collected our car and drove back to Warborough, arriving at about 21:50.
And so ended our very enjoyable and memorable Croatia adventure.
Return to Blog Home/Index page.
Alex Reid
8-Jun-26/11-Oct-26
