Despite my knowledge of Croatia being limited to some pretty superficial information (amazing islands and a filming location for Game of Thrones) I was looking forward to a month exploring the country – and it didn’t disapoint.

Zagreb

Our first stop was Zagreb, the capital, and a 6 hour trip from Budapest by train.  Zagreb is a cute little city, with a heart that can easily be walked around, and many good coffee shops.  Turns out a lot of Croatian culture revolves around relaxing with friends and family and drinking coffee.  A Croatian I met said  they would think there was something seriously wrong if you ever pulled out a laptop or did work whilst in a coffee shop!

With a fleeting visit only, we joined Blue Bike Tours for a 2 hour tour of the city on wheels, which turned out to be just the two of us and a great guide!  As well as learning about the city, our guide gave an interesting overview of the history (and warring) between the neighbouring Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia and the breakdown of Yugoslavia.  Whilst on the surface all three are now ‘friendly’ there is clearly still a lot of tension and memories of war atrocities between them.

Highlights of Zagreb

1. The main square, and the many piazzas with coffee shops and restaurants
2. The ‘sun’ sculpture, a great big ball of copper that is in the centre of town.  A later sculptor also created the other planets to scale, and placed them around the city the correct (scaled) distance from the sun sculpture
3. The old town on top of the hill, and the many beautiful churches and buildings up there
4. The canon that goes off  at mid-day, deafening everyone near it
5. Whiling away the hours with a few drinks and dinner in the many bars and restaurants on buzzing Tkalciceva street

The Croatians often copied the Austrian style and colour for their buildings

Many of the beautiful buildings are on a square block in the centre of the city, with gardens in between – making it perfect for cycling around. 

One of the many churches in the city

Split

Another train trip and we were at the coastal town of Split – clearly a hub for tourists, it was packed.  The town is incredibly old, centring on the Diocletian’s House, which was built in 305 and is remarkably well preserved.

Incredibly old and slippery paving stones

The Roman Emperor was apparently quite fascinated by the Egyptians, importing a number of sphinx that are still on display on the streets (not sure why the Santa is there though).

The city walls and the large statue at the gate – you can rub the toe for good luck

Hidden inside the walls is a small church – you can reach it by taking the first right through the gates and climbing some stairs.  Only a few people can fit inside at once.

We also happened upon a very cool wine bar and restaurant for a tasting of Croatian wines.

Next stop – exploring the islands…