Quick quiz — what do Game of Thrones, Succession, Star Wars, Robin Hood, Knightfall and Captain America all have in common? They were all filmed, either in whole or in part, in Croatia. Where can you enjoy scuba diving, water skiing and surfing? Croatia or one of its islands. Where can you tour ancient Roman ruins AND vineyards? Croatia.  

We know, you are intrigued… and two great Croatia destinations are on deck for a GetAway Travel group in 2023, Venice, the Adriatic and Greece has two Croatia stops. 

Croatia was a Greek colony and later a Roman province. Croatian culture is a mixture of  Venetian, Hungarian, Austrian and Mediterranean influences. It has 10 UNESCO World Heritage sites, eight cultural and two natural. 

 Delightful Dubrovnik 

 Ancient ramparts, fortresses, towers and walls surround Dubrovnik which is considered a premiere tourist destination for European residents. It is nicknamed the Pearl of the Adriatic for its stunning Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture, its fabulous Mediterranean scenery and its temperate climate year-round. 

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Dubrovnik’s Old Town area is great for people watching. The pedestrian-only walkway is lined with boutiques, cafés and restaurants. Enter Old Town through the Pile Gate, which shows up in a few Game of Thrones episodes. It is an imposing structure built in 1537. 

Visit the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary also called Assumption Cathedral or Dubrovnik Cathedral. Built on the site of several other cathedrals, it is a great example of Roman Baroque architecture. The interior is just as lovely as the exterior. 

The Square of Loggia is an historic gathering place and home to some of the city’s most famous buildings and public monuments. Orlando’s Column is there as well as a 15th Century clocktower and the Fountain of Onofrio. 

Just north of Dubrovnik is Pelješac a sort of finger-shaped peninsula along the coast. If you look up to the hillsides, you can see they are covered with vineyards. Croatian winemakers are proud of their red wines and many of the vineyards have signs inviting visitors to come in, take a tour and taste the wine. Robust reds are made from hardy grape varieties, like plavac mali and dingac that grow on the hillsides. The microclimates of the region allow vineyards to produce a variety of different wines. 

 Savor history and the sea 

 Split is the second largest city in Croatia and it was built within the ancient walls of the gigantic Diocletian’s Palace. Built by Roman Emperor Diocletian, four huge gates allowed entrance to the palace. The palace includes three areas, the center Peristyle, the Cardo or main street and the cellar. Game of Thrones fans, the cellar might look familiar because it is where Daenerys kept her dragons when she was in Meereen. 

 The Cathedral of St. Domnius is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in the world. Climb The Bell Tower for breath-taking views of the city — especially at night when the ruins are illuminated.  

Split is a bustling waterfront city and restaurants and cafes take advantage of the fabulous fresh seafood. Walk along the Riva Promenade and enjoy the sun, sea and the people. Sip a coffee, Croatia takes its coffee very seriously, and have a lavender ice cream. 

Speaking of the sea, there are hundreds of islands (ok, some are the size of a large rock) off the coast of Croatia, including the Dalmatian Islands. The Dalmatia region, which includes Split and Dubrovnik, is famous for its seafood platters which include mussels, shrimp, clams, squid, lobster and fresh octopus salad. 

Some of the larger islands have Italianesque towns and villages, each with a distinctive charm. 

If you travel along the coast, you’ll find towns and villages which offer boat tours and the tours usually include a seafood meal, free beverages and live music. 

 Speaking of food… 

 Unless you closely follow gastronomic geography, you will likely be surprised to learn some of the finest Croatian dishes are hand-made pasta called fuzi (a sort of bowtie pasta) covered in butter and white truffles.  

Gregada is a fish stew with potatoes, olive oil and fresh herbs and each area has a little twist on the stew ingredients. Peka is a roast meal of either meat or seafood with potatoes and vegetables. You can get pasta with tomato sauce, minced meat sauce or creamy mushroom sauce. Enjoy Croatian cheese dumpling soup and leave room for dessert. 

Between the boutiques and restaurants in the country’s cities and villages are bake and cake shops. Get strudel, with a variety of cheese or fruit fillings, fritules which are little round fried boozy doughnuts doused with rum, grappa or rose liqueur. Orehnjača is rolled dough with a walnut filling and makornjača is rolled dough with a poppy seed filling. Medjimurje is a custard layered cream cake with apples, walnuts, cottage cheese and poppy seed layers. Breskvice are to-die-for peach-shaped sandwich cookies. Not only is the chocolate ganache in the middle fabulous, but the peach shaped top and bottom layers are painstakingly hollowed out and filled with fruit preserves. Split is famous for Splitska Torta, it’s a layered cake with light meringue, orange-infused buttercream and sun dried figs and raisins. 

 Enjoy Croatia with a GetAway group, or talk to a GetAway Travel advisor about a visit that includes Split, Dubrovnik, the capital city of Zagreb and all things in-between. We can be reached at:  (262) 538-2140, e-mail: sue@getaway.travel or paul@getaway.travel