Croatia & Slovenia

I was really excited to go on this trip, hoping to change my perspective with which I looked at less famous countries of Eastern Europe. These two hidden gems of Europe were a part of Yugoslavian Europe, which gained independence in 1991. With beautiful and well laid cities, this region houses scenic nature and lots of history. The climate is pleasant and the people are the friendliest. We went to Croatia and Slovenia in the summer of 2017 with my entire family.

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Our Air India flight landed in Frankfurt at 7:30pm and we had to catch our connecting flight to Ljubljana, Slovenia at 9:20pm. We were waiting at the baggage claim and the luggage was not coming only. We eventually missed our flight and were stranded in Frankfurt for that night. We went to the airline counter and they gave us a complementary night stay in one of their hotels, with taxi and meals. This airport was 50 kms away but my first experience of the German autobahn drive saw us zoom to our hotel in 20 minutes!

Early next morning, we boarded our flight and crossed the border over to the land of sands, spring and snow. As we landed, we took a cab to our hotel Grand Union Palace in the heart of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The hotel was a luxury hotel with nice big rooms overlooking the canals. Ljubljana, with its historic churches, charming plazas, medieval bridges, contemporary museums, packed nightclubs, restaurants and street cafés offers you the best of Europe at half the cost. The Ljubljanica River meanders through the picturesque bridges, which is overlooked by a hilltop castle.

We were starving after our journey, so we chose Cantina Mexicana which was a small Mexican café. The food was delicious and the drinks were authentic and fresh. After a hearty lunch, we picked up our jackets and left for Postojna Caves. At Postojna, temperatures drop about 15 degrees inside the cave, so a jacket is compulsory. Postojna Caves is a network of 20 kilometers of underground passages, galleries and chambers with calcite formations, stalactites and stalagmites abounding in a variety of shapes and colors. I was very enthusiastic during the tour, so I became termed as ‘the inquisitive person of the group’. The formations inside were great and beautiful; the history behind it was equally fascinating. 45 minutes into the tour, we boarded a tunnel train which is built to give us a deeper insight into the caves in a short span of time. The overall experience was very intriguing.

After returning to the city, we explored the downtown area. We visited the square and wandered through the charming lanes through boutique shops and small pop-up cafes. The city has its own charm, which cannot be defined in any way. For dinner, we decided to dine in the best restaurant in all of Ljubljana, which is the one on the hilltop castle, called Gostlina Na Gradu. It served authentic Slovenian Yugoslavian dishes with a modern twist. The restaurant was beautiful, the food was superb and the views were to die for.

Next morning, we had booked a private van for a full-day of sightseeing. After a 45 minute ride, we reached our first spot which was the Vintgar Gorge; it is a highly recommended tourist destination of the region. The gorge is carved by the Radovna River. The gorge is filled with Instagram worthy picture spots! The trail is short and quite fun to do, so we thoroughly enjoyed it. Closeby within a 4km ride from Vintar Gorge was Lake Bled. The fairytale alpine town of Bled on the shore of a glacial lake with crystal blue-green water is Slovenia’s second-most popular destination after Postojna Caves. As we reached, we took a stroll around the circumference of the lake and settled at a nice lunch spot overlooking the lake. After lunch, we took a boat ride to the island in the center of the lake, home to a church and a bell tower. We also did a toboggan ride which is a must do if you visit Lake Bled. It was so good that I did it twice! Following Lake Bled, we headed towards Mt. Vogel which is 1,922m high peak located in the Julian ranges. Taking the cable car to the top to witness the panoramic view from Mt. Vogel should be a must on every traveller’s list. As expected, there was a nice café on the top and the desserts at the café were pretty decent. There was also a beautiful park there which we enjoyed exploring. After our descend, we headed back to Ljubljana. For dinner, we stumbled upon Da Bu Da which is an Asian fusion restaurant & bar. The restaurant had many vegetarian options and super friendly staff.

Here I wish to add that Slovenia is also famous for its all natural honey, which is produced in local apiaries. One out of 10 people in Slovenia own an apiary and as a result they produce the best quality and most choicest of honeys.

We had planned our trip ahead by road, so we set off for the small town of Split in the heart of Croatia in our rented van. On route, we stopped at Plitivice Lakes, probably one of the most famous waterfall bodies in the whole of Europe. It is known for its chain of 16 terraced lakes joined by waterfalls, which extend into a limestone canyon. Walkways and hiking trails are spread all over the park and an electric boat ride is available as well. The boat ride was awesome as it gave us a wider perspective of the waterfalls. The trails are filled with numerous view spots to capture all the sights and sounds of the waterfall.

After visiting Plitvice Lakes, we proceeded for Split which is the second largest city of Croatia; it lies on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. The city is divided into two parts, the old town and the new town. We decided to stay in the old town as it is closer to the sea, and has a unique history. What was unique about our stay was that we stayed inside a palace, called the Diocletian’s palace. Actually, this palace turned into a small town (known as old split). The palace is filled with shops, restaurant, apartments, hotels and bars. We arrived in Split at 5:30pm tired and exhausted, thus we decided to relax and just roam around the square that day. For dinner, we stumbled upon Zinfandel food & wine bar. Split is famous for its wine & cheese bars, serving just wine and cheese. This was also a new experience for us!

Next morning, we woke up early and went to Split ferry port as we had planned island hopping that day. All of us bought a few hats and hopped onto our private boat which we had booked for the entire day. My grandpa’s hat flew off minutes after the boat started sail! Our first stop was Golden Horn (Zlatini Rat) located on Brac Island. Zlatini Rat is a white-pebbled beach and is V-shaped; it is a
beautiful beach and has stunning views of the Adriatic Sea. We took a quick swim and headed on for our next stop, Hvar Island. Highlights of the port town Hvar include its 13th-century walls, a hilltop fortress and a main square anchored by the Renaissance-era Hvar Cathedral. It is filled with secluded beaches, lush lavender fields and a lot of bars. We had lunch in a nice pizza place and visited the Spanish fortress, St. Stephen Cathedral and Bell tower. The city of Hvar has a nice charm and aura to it, it is also known as the party & nightlife capital of Croatia. As the sun started to set, we had to leave for Split. We visited Paradox wine & cheese bar that day, serving a range of charcuterie boards and authentic Croatian wine.

Early morning, we went to one of the small cafes serving breakfasts, where I had crosoiants and hot chocolate, after which the men of the group did a walking tour, while the women went for shopping. We meandered through the small lanes of old town Split, learning about the rich history of the ancient medieval castle. We also came to know that a Croatian man from that very castle invented the necktie! After the walking tour, we seated ourselves for a show in the castle, which demonstrated the procession of the kings in the olden days. It was so realistic and interesting! The narrow lanes of the old castle of Split are filled with gelato shops everywhere. From chocolate to lemon to strawberry to pistachio, every flavor is available. My go to flavors are always the exotic ones! That night, we dined at Bokeria which was a famous Italian restaurant.

We had to leave for Dubrovnik the next day. On route from Split to Dubrovnik, we had the opportunity to cross the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is also a part of the erstwhile Yugoslavian country. Our first stop in Bosnia was the Kravice waterfalls. It was beautiful and the café next to it provided the best views of the waterfall with local Bosnian food. After a quick visit to Kravice waterfalls, we decided to explore Mostar.

Mostar is a city in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, straddling the Neretva River. It’s known for the iconic Stari Most (Old Bridge), a reconstructed medieval arched bridge. The alleys are full of shops and little cafes overlooking Stari Most. We chose to have lunch in a café which had awesome views of the bridge, but unfortunately terrible food! We explored the city and bought a few souvenirs. After a long wait, we chanced to see a person jump from Stari Most Bridge, which is at a height of 20m. It was incredible! We finally reached Dubrovnik and checked into our magnificent hotel, Grand Dubrovnik Palace, a beautiful hotel on the edge of the cliff with spectacular views of the sea. It had 2 pools and the rooms were very large and nice. It was actually the best hotel in the city. We decided to enjoy the hotel that day and had dinner in the hotel itself.

Dubrovnik is best known for its distinctive old town, encircled with massive stonewalls completed in the 16th century, and better know for the series ‘Game Of Thrones’.

Next morning, we went down for breakfast at 9am. The breakfast area had a magnificent spread with awesome views. Immediately after breakfast, we dived in the pool and relaxed while gazing at the amazing views. Following our swim, we booked ourselves for a Segway ride which showed us around the hidden bays and promenades of Dubrovnik. The ride was for 50 Euros and it was for about 90 minutes, and every penny worth the experience! We made our way to the promenade, a lovely street filled with bars and restaurants situated in bay Lapad. From there, we ventured along the sea through a forest rode to camp Solidoto and Copacabana coral beach where we broke the journey and had a few drinks. The last part of the tour took us back to the promenade through a beautiful walking trail just next to the sea with little bays. The Segway tour was awesome and a must do at Dubrovnik. The guide was very good as well. After our tour, we went to the old town of Dubrovnik via shuttle provided by the hotel. As we reached, we were greeted by the majestic doors to the entrance of the most well preserved and UNESCO declared world heritage site. As we entered the old town, we took a walk on the Dubrovnik city walls. There is no better way to see Dubrovnik than from its city walls. After our tour of the medieval walls, we wandered the streets of old town Dubrovnik. The main part of old town is compact and easy to walk, but there is a lot of walking if one chooses to do. The narrow streets are filled with restaurants and small shops, perfect places for pit stops on a leisurely stroll through the city. After 8 days of exotic cuisines, we were craving for some Indian food, so we settled upon Incredible India. The food reminded us of home and was an energy boost for that day. After our meal, we explored the squares, lanes and shops of old town Dubrovnik. It was a beautiful feeling to roam around the old town. We also visited the fort of Lovrijenac, which is the old castle from where we caught stunning views of Dubrovnik. We also witnessed a Croatian wedding which was amazing, as we got to delve deep into the local culture of their ceremonies. We took the last shuttle from old town and went back to our hotel.

Next morning, we had our day trip to Montenegro, a country in the Baltic. En route to Kotor in Montevideo, we stopped at a viewpoint to see a panoramic view of the city of Dubrovnik. It was a picture perfect moment! Kotor is a fortified town of Montenegro’s Adriatic coast. As we reached Kotor, we explored the old town on foot. It was wonderful, with churches and museums spread all over. We also visited the Kotor cathedral, the most famous place to visit in Kotor. After lunch in a small café, we went to the farmer’s market to get our hand at some local produce. We also took a ferry ride in the bay of Montenegro, which is the winding bay of the Adriatic Sea. It was now time for us to leave back for Dubrovnik. Upon return, we were once again starving, so we went to Bota which served Japanese cuisine. It was high end and a perfect last meal for us to say goodbye to Dubrovnik the next day, and head back home.

SLOVENIA AND CROATIA WAS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE OF EASTERN EUROPE AND I AM SURE THE REST OF THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD WILL BE AS INTRIGUING AN EXPERIENCE AS THIS ONE HAS BEEN FOR ME!