Croatia Travelers Recommend

Thanks to Dubrovnik's location in the southernmost part of Croatia, day trips to nearby Montenegro are easy - the border is only an hour from Croatia's most popular city. Just over the Montenegrin border lie a number of coastal towns, such as: Kotor is one of the most popular towns in Montenegro. Located in the Bay of Kotor, the city retains a strong Venetian influence and its walled Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Another Montenegrin coastal city, Herceg Novi is located at the entrance of the Bay of Kotor, at the foot of Mount Orjen. The city is one of the youngest settlements on the Adriatic coast, yet offers up plenty of sightseeing opportunities. Further down along the coast, Budva lies roughly 2.5 hours from Dubrovnik. This popular resort city is full of young sun-chasers in the summer months, making for crowded pebble beaches and a bustling nightlife scene.

Dubrovnik, with its location at the southern tip of Croatia, makes a great jumping-off point for jaunts into nearby Bosnia & Herzegovina. This mostly land-locked country on the Balkan peninsula is predicted to have one of the highest tourism growth rates in the next 10 years. The most popular Bosnian destination from Croatia (whether for a day or a week) is the city of Mostar. This UNESCO World Heritage site delivers a blend of eastern and western cultures thanks to its ties to the Turks, and also offers visitors a unique look at the consequences of the Bosnian War of the 1990s on the region. While the city is still recovering from Bosnia's revolution, this fact only helps add to the Old Town's intrigue and character.

Start your explorations in the central Jelačića square from where it’s an easy walk to all the city’s top attractions. Ride the funicular to the Upper Town (Gornji Grad) where you can take in the views from the picturesque Strossmayer Promenade, light a candle at the Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata) shrine, and pay a visit to the grand Gothic Zagreb Cathedral of the Assumption. In the Lower Town (Donji Grad), stop for coffee in Cvjetni Trg (Flower Square), then discover the scenic loop of Lenuci’s Horseshoe, stopping off to check out the Botanical gardens and the Croatian National Theatre along the way. The streets of central Zagreb are brimming with museums and art galleries, and you could easily spend an entire day taking in the highlights. The Mimara Museum is a must, housing the extensive collection of artworks and artifacts amassed by collector Ante Topic Mimara, as is the award-winning Museum of Broken Relationships, one of Europe’s most unique museums.