Croatia

---

---

20/05/2011– It was a totally spur of the moment type booking thanks to Ryanair once again offering ridiculously low fares. So Hannah and I purchased return flights to Rijeka in Croatia for only £20 each, bargain! Our airport parking was more expensive. We took a couple of days off work and were on our way for a long weekend in Croatia. Our flight arrived in the tiny airport on the island Krk, in northern Croatia, once we passed through immigration (a guy at a small desk) we picked up our hire car. It was going to be a stunning costal drive as we headed towards a city called Zadar, a 3 hour long drive. We stopped once to get some lunch but besides that spent the entire time driving, it wasn’t until late afternoon we finally arrived at our resort just outside Zadar. We checked in and headed to our room before having an afternoon swim in the many resort pools. And since it was all inclusive, drinks and dinner, although very average, were free. So after a long day of driving we headed to bed shortly after dinner.

Accommodation:
Falkensteiner Club Funimation Borik

21/05/2011 – We were up early for breakfast then checked out of the hotel and decided to drive into Zadar before making our way to Plitvice Lakes National Park. It was a short drive into the busy city centre of Zadar where we parked the car and explored the old streets. It was mainly the ancient cathedral and tower which we wanted to see which was very impressive, after a few photos we continued on. We had a brief look through some of the streets and a browse through the market stalls in the square before making our way back to the car for another long drive. We headed for Plitvice Lakes National Park located in the centre of Croatia. Plitvice Lakes were a series of 16 Lakes which sat on different levels creating hundreds of waterfalls, some of them were huge, it was some of the most picturesque landscapes in all of Europe. We arrived around mid-morning after a 2 hour drive through the Croatian countryside.

We really didn’t know where to start, it was a huge place and although it had suggested routes to take around the Lakes, most of the starting points required a free bus to get there, but frustratingly it wasn’t running today. We took the free boat across the largest lake to where many of the smaller lakes and waterfalls were. It was an amazing sight, pools of crystal clear water everywhere which were each joined by a series of waterfalls, it was beautiful. We walked along a wooden boardwalk which ran through the forest with water either side and sometimes underneath. We walked for hours and hours around and over each lake seeing loads of waterfalls along the way. There was another ferry across to the lower area of the lake so we jumped on and once there had a quick lunch at the small ferry stop.

By now we were exhausted, we’d been walking all afternoon but still had a way to go yet. We followed the boardwalk over more lakes as the scenery become more and more stunning and the water more and more blue. Eventually we saw the largest waterfall in the National Park, it was pretty impressive but there were people everywhere and after a quick look and a few photos we decided to call it a day and head back to the car. We had to walk up a steep cliff face to reach the top but as we did suddenly the views below got better and better. The views from the top were breathtaking, I took some incredible photos of the stunning Plitvice Lakes and waterfall, it was some of the best natural landscapes I’ve seen. After jumping on a shuttle bus back to the entrance we walked back to the car, we were exhausted.

By now it was late afternoon and we had yet another long drive to the coastal town of Opatija in Northern Croatia. Most of the drive was in intensely pouring rain and huge lightening. We arrived in the early evening and checked in at our hotel. Our room, although very dated had a fantastic view across the Adriatic Sea to Riekja in the distance. After an exhausting day we had a brief look around the town and found somewhere to eat. Opatija was a very cheesy version of the French Riviera, it was full of retired people and a little run down, but a nice place nonetheless. Shortly after dinner we headed back to our hotel for some much needed sleep after a huge day travelling across Croatia.

22/05/2011 – After a busy couple of days we decided not to drive anywhere today and enjoy the sights and beautiful hot weather in Opatija. We wandered around the town having a look through a few of the permanent stalls to buy some new sunglasses, then decided to check out the boat trips available today. We arrived just in time for a trip out to a small beach down the coast, so we bought tickets and had to run to the pier as they waited for us to jump aboard. It was a fantastic day and with calm seas made for some great photo opportunities as we headed down the coast. We spent just over an hour looking around the tiny beachside town before it was time to meet back at the boat and return to Opatija. We asked some of the locals where was a good place to have lunch, because anywhere along the main street was touristy, tacky and expensive. She suggested a place a short walk from where we were so we decided to have a go. To our surprise it was fantastic, really delicious food, jam packed with locals and not too pricey as well, perfect.

With little else planned for the day we decided to go on a glass bottom boat later in the afternoon. In the meantime we headed back to the hotel to have a much needed rest after such a good meal. Later that day we headed towards the pier, turns out we were the only people on the boat and there was very little to see at the bottom anyway, bit of a waste of money but never mind. Afterwards we again took some local advice and ate at an Italian on the other side of town. It was another great meal and once we were done we walked back to our hotel and collapsed.

23/05/2011 – It was an early start to catch our flight from Krk back to London. We had breakfast and checked out of our hotel before jumping back in the car and heading towards the island of Krk. We briefly drove through Riekja, but as there wasn’t too much see we continued on to Krk. Eventually we arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare and waited for our return flight to London. It was a short but sweet trip to Croatia and we will definitely return in the future.

Accommodation:
Grand Hotel Adriatic

---

Photos

Plitvice Lakes National Park
Stunning view looking down at some of the Lakes at Plitvice.

Zadar
Ancient Cathedral and Tower in the centre of Zadar.

Plitvice Lakes National Park
Beautiful crystal clear waters let you see hundreds of fish swimming around, avoid the ducks.

Plitvice Lakes National Park
Walking along the wooden boardwalk through stunning Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice Lakes National Park
Looking down one of the largest waterfalls in the National Park.

Plitvice Lakes National Park
Amazing turquoise waters at the pier of Plitvice Lakes.

Opatija
The glitzy streets of Opatija in Northern Croatia

Opatija
Beautiful views off the coast off Opatija.