Croatia Bucket List: 15 Best Things to Do in Croatia

Croatia is one of the best countries to visit in the world, and I’m not only saying this because I am Croatian. As a country of only about 4 million people, we truly have a lot to offer. From mountains to beaches, to Central European to Mediterranean architecture, from seafood to a lot of pork and great wine, and the list goes on. Which is why in this blog post, I am sharing with you my 15 best things you can do in Croatia (hidden gems included!).

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📖 Read my Is Croatia Expensive to Visit? (+My Cost Breakdown) blog post.

Walk Dubrovnik City Walls

It is not a secret that Dubrovnik is my favourite coastal town in Croatia.

The Old Town of Dubrovnik is enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its city walls are among the best preserved in the world.

Which is why walking the medieval walls of Dubrovnik is a must activity in Croatia and why I started my Croatia bucket list with it.

The walls were built in the 13th century and they run uninterruptedly for almost 2 km (6360 ft), so they are encircling most of the Old Town. Expect for the walk to take approximately 2 hours!

Today, the Walls of Dubrovnik are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Croatia, especially after Dubrovnik was featured as the Kings Landing in Game of Thrones.

You can get the tickets at one of the 3 entrances (next to Pile Gate, Ploce Gate or St. John Fortress) or online (recommended).

✅ Alternatively, you can join this best rated early morning or sunset guided tour and explore the walls with a local guide.

📖 Check my The Perfect Dubrovnik 5 Days Itinerary: A Local’s Guide blog post for more.

Enjoy the Nature at Plitvice Lakes National Park

Plitvice National Park is the most beautiful nature place in Croatia and one not to be missed!

Plitvice Lakes were formed as the water was flowing over the limestone and chalk which have deposited minerals and created natural dams. It is a collection of 16 beautiful lakes alongside several caves and waterfalls.

Plitvice is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia. It was enlisted to the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

Even though the lakes have a turquoise water which is crystal clear, it is strictly forbidden to swim in the lakes!

While in Plitvice, I also recommend a stop at Rastoke, a charming village with its own waterfalls, which is overlooked by the National Park and a hidden gem of Croatia.

✅ As for visiting Plitvice, the best is to buy the ticket online or join some of the guided tours.

Do the Island Hopping

Croatia has 1244 islands, islets and crags, out of which 48 are inhibited. This is still a pretty significant number for a country as small as Croatia!

While you can spend your whole time on one island only, you can also use the opportunity of good ferry connections and guided tours and do some island hopping in Croatia.

📖 Check my 3 Islands Boat Tour in Dubrovnik: Is it Worth it? blog post.

Listen to the Sea Organ in Zadar

Alfred Hitchcock once said that Zadar has the most beautiful sunsets in the whole world, even from Key West in Florida.

One of the best things to do in Zadar is to come to the main promenade at sunset, next to the Sea Organ, an architectural sound art object which plays music by way of sea waves and tubes located underneath the set of large marble steps.

Go on a Truffle Hunting

The Istrian peninsula is super famous for its truffles, so one of the unique Croatia bucket list experiences you can have here is to go on a Truffle Hunting and Cooking Tour.

You will go on a truffle hunting with dogs specifically trained for that. Afterwards, you will enjoy a 3-course meal with truffles.

Taste the Local Wines

Surprising or not, but we make some pretty good wine here in Croatia, so joining a wine tour or doing wine tastings on your own is one of the best things to do in Croatia.

Besides these wine tours, you can also check wineries on your own, but you need to rent a car for that.

Spend a Day at Brijuni National Park

Brijuni is a National Park of Croatia. It’s a group of 14 islands recognised for its rich flora and fauna and historical and cultural heritage, from dinosaur footsteps (which you’ll see here!) to ancient Roman and medieval sites.

Brijuni became largely popular during the rule of Yugoslavian Dictator Josip Broz Tito who made the villa there and brought lots of exotic animals that were given to him as gifts (from zebras to elephants, some of them still inhabited here!).

✅ You can only get the tickets online, with a guide or self-guided (what we did). The return ferry ride is included in the price and goes from Fazana Brijuni Port. If you have a day and you’ve never been to Brijuni before, I recommend getting the tickets to Veliki Brijun only, especially if you’re there in summer time, so you can swim and relax at some of the beaches.

Additionally, you can also get a guided boat tour, though bear in mind that these do not offer exploring the island per se, you mainly pass by Veliki Brijun and other Brijuni islands, with some swimming and snorkeling spots.

📖 I wrote more about each site in Brijuni in my Istria Itinerary: How to Spend 7 Days in Istrian Peninsula blog post.

Walk the Ston Walls, 2nd Largest in the World

Ston Walls are the second largest in the world, after the Great Wall in China! They are also the longest complete fortress system in Europe. 

Yet, they are still relatively unknown and often skipped, which is why you have to add it to your Croatia bucket list.

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you’d be happy to know that this was one of the filming locations.

You can easily drive to Ston from Split or Dubrovnik and other nearby places along the Dalmatian coast, or you can join a guided tour.

Hike Velebit

Velebit is the largest mountain range in Croatia. It is split into 2 national parks: Northern Velebit and Paklenica (southern parts of Velebit).

Hiking Velebit is definitely a bucket list item, especially for nature lovers, but sadly it is very underrated. Therefore, there are limited guided tours you can do.

You can also plan the hike yourself and do it independently.

Sightsee the Capital – Zagreb

While Paris, London, Prague, Athens, Madrid are attracting visitors from around the world, for some reason, sadly, Zagreb is not! Maybe because the tourism focus in Croatia is still pretty much pointed to the coast 99% of the time.

Either way, I recommend you to spend at least a day in Zagreb on your visit to Croatia. The architecture is very Central European, resembling the great cities of Prague, Budapest & Vienna.

✅ Consider joining this Best of Zagreb with the WW2 Tunnels tour to learn more about Croatia’s capital from the local guide.

P. S. Zagreb Christmas Market won 3x in a row the prize of the best Christmas Market in Europe, so it’s definitely worth visiting in the Christmas season. I’ve been several times and it’s truly worth the hype!

Relax at Beautiful Beaches

But obviously, the Croatian coast is popular for a reason! Our Adriatic Sea is so clean and beautiful. The water is turquoise blue, crystal-clear and perfect for refreshing and swimming.

So, relaxing at the beach is definitely a great activity to add to your Croatia bucket list.

Do Cetina River Rafting with Cliff Jumping Tour

Cetina Canyon is close to Split and Omis, so if you’re an adrenaline junky, then doing the Cetina River Rafting with Cliff Jumping Tour is surely a bucket list item in Croatia!

Explore Hum, the Smallest Town in the World

Did you know that Hum in Croatia is the smallest town in the world?!

With only 50 people living there, Hum qualifies as the world’s smallest town. If you want to cross off something unique from your bucket list, then you have to visit Hum!

Trust me, it’s such a beautiful and picturesque little town where you’d feel like you ended up in Alice in Wonderland.

✅ You can get to Hum by renting a car or by joining this tour.

Visit one of the Best Preserved Roman Amphitheatres in Pula

Pula Arena is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side towers entirely preserved and is among 6 best preserved Roman amphitheatres in general.

It was built between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD during the reign of Emperor Augustus and completed under Emperor Vespasian.

While you can see the Pula Arena from the street, I highly recommend you to get your tickets and go inside Pula Arena. The tickets are inexpensive and the experience is great.

Don’t Miss Slavonia, a Hidden Gem of Croatia

As a born and raised Slavonian girl (don’t confuse it with Slovenia, the country!), I am bringing you here the ultimate hidden gem of Croatia that is rarely on any tourist map or recommended by another blogger.

Slavonija (Slavonia) is a region on the eastern continental side of Croatia, next to Serbia, Bosnia and Hungary. The architecture and culture here is a mixture of Central Europe and Middle East because these parts of Croatia have been under the Ottoman Empire for a while, or at least, heavily influenced by it!

You can expect great food (mainly pork-based), strong coffee culture and a laid-back vibe.

Here are some of the spots to visit in Slavonia, but bear in mind that no tours come here, so you need to rent a car. From Zagreb, you can expect about a 2h drive to reach Slavonia, so it’s quite easy to get to this part of Croatia and is perfect for doing a road trip.

Bucket List Hotels in Croatia

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