Dalmatian Coast Roadtrip: For the Budget Minded Traveler
*We booked all accommodations through Air B&B. It makes the most sense for us because most accommodations offer a kitchen so we can cook 90% of our meals. The currency here is the Kuna. 1 Kuna= approximately .14 cents.
Three Days in Split
Day 1: Walked on the Riva, Visited Dolectians Palace (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Day 2: Hiked Marjan Hill. It was free and took about 2 hours to walk, provides amazing views of the city!
Day 3: Took a day trip to Krka Falls National Park. Prices changed depending on season, it was 90 Kuna ea. for us. We spent 4 hours there but it could also be done in 30 minutes. There are numerous boat tours as well to other parts of the park and islands if you wanted to spend the entire day there. We stopped in Trogir for dinner on the way back to Split, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Four days in Makarska
Day 4: Drove from Split, stopped on the Omis Riveria for a coffee and realized we wanted to come back for a full day there. (Think rafting, kayaking, canyoning, or zip lining in the Centina river/canyon). Got settled in the apartment with an amazing terrace and sea view ($25/per night). Went to dinner at a restaurant next door and had the first good meal out since we’ve arrived (we came from Italy, after all).
Day 5: Went for a run around the peninsula in the morning, laid on the beach all day
Day 6: Went back to Omis to do to the Canyoning tour through Adventure Omis, highly recommended! (250 kuna ea.)
Day 7: More beach laying (hard life, I know)
Four days in Dubrovnik
Day 8: Drove along the coast to Dubrovnik, this is the prettiest stretch of coastline and takes about 2 hours from Makarska. Dropped our car off this day because we took a guided tour to Montenegro and after Dubrovnik we are island hopping for the next couple of weeks.
*side note. If you only have a short amount of time in Croatia (1 week or so) I would definitely recommend a sailing tour/cruise of the islands. Not because I’ve done one but because I would do it if we were short on time and high on cash. Also, you can drive the coast in a day or two if you wanted to just see the towns through your car and then hop on a sailboat. They last 7 days and you don’t have to worry about lugging your bags, meals, timing ferries (they are infrequent between islands), or planning your activities. There are ones for younger crowds on Busabout (although it just looks like a bunch of drunk 18 year olds on a boat for 7 days) or some more luxurious yacht looking ones on Sail Croatia where you can do more relaxing/exploring and less dealing with drunk teenagers (sign me up!)
Day 9: Went to the beach. Actually it was more like a slab of rock. The locals here just lay on rocks or pebbly beaches, since sandy beaches are few and far between, so we did as they do.
Day 10: Walked the City Walls (100 kuna ea. and takes about an hour or so). Despite the price, I’m so glad we did it, such amazing views of the old town.
Day 11: Day trip to Montenegro (I’ll do a separate post for that)
Day 12: Head off to our first Island of the trip, Korcula!
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