CROATIA, a 5 day solo trip on the Adriatic coast
Two years ago, I took myself on a five-day trip. I had been dreaming for a long time to go on the Adriatic coast and I realised that sometimes you have to be a little bit selfish, go for what you want and not wait for others to follow you; otherwise you will just keep on postponing your plans.
At first, the thought of travelling solo was quite scary and the hardest part was to keep going forward til the D-Day (how many times did I ask myself « What are you doing ? Are you crazy ? »). But once you are alone with yourself, you realise that you are the only you can count on. You keep yourself together, you take one step at a time, you manage to get over your fear(s) and finally you end up enjoying your trip and your own company. Once you get back home, all you think about is leaving again, by yourself.
The whole trip was organised around two major spots: 1) the Krka national park, 2) Dubrovnik.
I made up an itinerary as follows: PARIS - SPLIT - ŠIBENIK - DUBROVNIK - PARIS
*Most of my bus tickets during this whole trip were bought on GetByBus and Flixbus websites.
** I was lucky to visit Croatia in mid-season. I never had to queue for restaurants, beaches were not too crowded and I could enjoy the most touristic attractions (like Dubrovnik’s old town or the Krka waterfalls) to their fullest.
DAY ONE
I spent most of time traveling. I landed in Split at 2:20pm and then took a shuttle bus to the city coach station in Trogir where I took another bus to Sibenik.
Split is not really part of my itinerary as I did not explore this city, it was just more like a connection, a hub. But it will definitely be part of a future trip to Croatia.
Šibenik was a strategic decision as it is only 20 minutes away from the Krka national park.
I booked a lovely double room with a private bathroom at the Splendido Hostel, located nearby Šibenik coach station and city centre.
Šibenik is an old town that has remained in its historical spirit. It has many cobbled streets to stroll where I found a charming, almost hidden, restaurant terrace called Restoran n°4. It had tables dressed with blue checkered tablecloths, tiny lanterns and some frames on the stone walls. The place was quiet, with a soft musical background and I enjoyed a delicious octopus and vegetables salad before heading back to the hostel.
DAY TWO
The main attraction of the day was the Krka national park. As it does not require a whole day, I decided to chill a little in the morning and have a walk around Šibenik. I went around the daily market and the City Life mall. I bought a sandwich at the O.DA bakery and went to catch the shuttle to the park at the coach station.
There are different entries to the park but the more convenient one from Šibenik is Lozovac.
At the ticket office, an entry to the park and its waterfalls costs 200 kunas (120 kunas for students) and you can buy optional boat excursions to the Visovac island, the Monastery and Roški Slap waterfalls.
I did not choose any optional tours and went for the basic option.
A bus picked us up at the ticket office and dropped us in the park where begins a little walking / « hiking » part. For about 30 to 60 minutes, depending on your walking speed and gazing time, you will go through a green world, admire a wide diversity of flowers and cross wooden bridges, all of this guided by the sound of flowing water.
And suddenly, at the end of the trail, the waterfalls will appear, large and majestic. Back in 2019, rumours were that it was the last year people could take a bath here. So I did take one. The water was fresh and clear but the rocks were slippery. Here nature remains unchanged: usually, we tend to modify nature to accommodate it to our needs, but this time, to get in the water, there was no stairs, or steps, or whatever that would have made it easier.
The spot is just so relaxing that I decided to have my sandwich here. If you did not bring anything with you, there is a food-on-the-go kiosk.
After spending a little while contemplating the beauty of the waterfalls, I headed back to the shuttle stop by following the rest of the trail.
I went back to my room, took a shower and had a walk along the coast where there are many restaurants.
To pick one was not that easy but I finally chose Stari Grad, had a so called « Šibenik salad » (which is more Italian than Croatian) and went back to the hostel to start packing and get some sleep.
DAY THREE
Before taking the bus to Dubrovnik, I decided to have another little tour of Šibenik as requested by the lady at the reception of my hostel. I went north along the coast. Some boats were docked, people were having breakfast on terraces and local inhabitants were opening their blinds. At some point, I was facing a sort of hill with stoned houses and an old fortress.
I turned back on my steps and get into the old town. There stands the St James Cathedral, with its gothic / renaissance style, belonging to the world’s heritage since 2000.
The streets were so quiet and empty, there was cloth hanging on window strings of stoned houses. It all looked very lovely.
I picked up my suitcase at the hostel and took the bus at the coach station for a 6 hour long journey to Dubrovnik with the Flixbus company.
I had booked an Airbnb in Dubrovnik « new town », near Gruž harbour.
I arrived around 10pm due to traffic and customs controls.
DAY FOUR
Dubrovnik has always sounded quite exciting to me and I was dying to visit the old town. Right outside of my Airbnb, there was a bus stop (Tesle, yellow line). The bus dropped me at Pile gate, one of Dubrovnik’s three doors. It felt like I was time traveling in the medieval age.
On the left, there is the entrance to the old town city walls. You will enjoy views of the new town (the city walls mark a break with modernity and history), the Adriatic Sea and Lokrum island, the secret Buza Bar, the harbour and Stradun street, the old town’s main artery. The whole tour took me about an hour.
To keep going with the panoramic views dynamic, I took a cable car ride. It led me to one of the highest spots of Dubrovnik with an absolute breathtaking sight. You can admire the old town from above in its entirety. If you feel it, you can get there by hiking.
In this peaceful decor, I had lunch in the most incredible restaurant I have ever been to. The Panorama restaurant.
I had lamb with eggplant and polenta. My table was on the terrace, with an astonishing view of Dubrovnik. The service is impeccable, the food is to die for and prices are surprisingly affordable !
I took the cable car ride back and had a little walk in Dubrovnik old town’s streets. As you may expect it, there was stoned houses everywhere. The streets are articulated with steps and occupied by cats more than locals. Clothing hanging on windows strings make it all more picturesque. You can not get lost in these streets if you use Stradun street as a point of reference. By chance, I found the famous Lady Pi-Pi’s statue. She has a dedicated orange soda in Croatian shops under the name of Pipi.
After a long day, I took the bus back to my neighbourhood, stopped by the supermarket and by a local wine and cheese shop where I got some Pag cheese known as Paški Sir (a hard sheep’s cheese with a taste similar to parmesan). I sat on a bench and watched the sunset from the harbour before getting back home to have diner and go to sleep.
DAY FIVE
September in Croatia still offers many hot days and I could not skip Dubrovnik’s beaches. And instead of picking just one, I decided to try two.
In the morning I headed to Banje beach. This one is nearby the old town, right outside the Ploče gate. The beach is pretty nice with a view on the old town and it is covered with a mixture of sand and small rocks but not too uncomfortable.
The sun was shining bright, it was very hot and the water was really refreshing, it was the perfect combo.
Before leaving for Bellevue beach, I decided to have lunch in one of the old town restaurants. As it was my last lunch in Dubrovnik, I wanted it to be singular. I picked the Barba Seafood / Streetfood restaurant and they did not disappoint. I had a tasty and incredible octopus burger served in a black bun. I know some you may be reluctant at first but trust me… I did not regret it and I highly recommend it. Fun fact: they have a wall covered with wooden forks that customers can customise to leave a trace of their visit.
Halfway from the old town and my neighbourhood, there was Bellevue beach. A nice and almost secret place, under the trees like a little cove. To reach it, you have to find the beginning of the stairs, next to a residence ; do not hesitate to ask your way. The spot is quite small and the sand is basically rocks. And if you are brave enough, you can jump from the cliffs. I literally spent the afternoon here, digesting, napping, sun bathing…
A whole day of sunbathing was enough to get tanned.
So I went back to my airbnb, I had dinner there and I started to pack because my flight back home was early in the morning.
"DAY SIX"
- not really a proper day-
My Airbnb was well located as it only took me a 20/25-minute Uber ride to get to Dubrovnik airport.
TOP 3 restaurants:
1. Panorama restaurant (Dubrovnik)
2. Barba Seafood / Streetfood (Dubrovnik)
3. Restoran n°4 (Šibenik)
TOP 3 attractions:
1. KRKA National Park
2. Dubrovnik City walls
3. Banje and Bellevue beaches
Flights and buses:
- Paris / Split: 54€
- Dubrovnik / Paris: 95€
- Split airport / Trogir: 1,75€
- Trogir / Šibenik: 4,30€
- Šibenik / Dubrovnik: 17,78€
Accommodations:
- Splendido Hostel (double room and private bathroom), 2 nights: 80€
- Airbnb, 3 nights: 176€
*** Prices are in euros but the Croatian currency is the kuna (1€ ≈ 7 kn).
Commentaires