Croatia
Croatia is an amazing Balkans nation that is full of historic and unique cities, mountainous terrain, idyllic islands and beautiful water on the Adriatic Sea. It’s a country that has been featured in countless films and television series like “Game of Thrones”. Like all the countries in the Balkans region Croatia has seen it’s share of conflict including during the 1990s when cities like Dubrovnik were heavily damaged. We have been to Croatia twice and had the chance to see the coastal city of Dubrovnik by Ocean Cruise and cities near the Danube River in the more rural and mountainous regions.
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How to get to Croatia and Transportation
We arrived in Croatia by Ocean Cruise and by River Cruise on the Danube River when we visited. Those are popular options for getting to Croatia, but they have many more transportation options. Croatia has multiple international airports with Zagreb (the capital and largest city), Split and Dubrovnik being the largest airports. They are heavily connected to European and some Middle Eastern Destinations like Dubai. There are few North American direct flights with there being a seasonal United Flight to Split and a few flights to Canada seasonally to Zagreb. So, if you are flying to Croatia, you will most likely need to change planes in one of the major hubs in Europe. Croatia has Croatian Airlines who is state owned and serves a wide variety of European destinations and has some domestic flights.
As for getting around Croatia, they have domestic flights on Croatian Airlines, a highway system if you want to rent/hire a car, rail services, busses and ferry service. I prefer not to rent a car and take tours with locals or use public transportation as it is very good in Europe. Inside the cities there are public buses outside of Zagreb and Osijek who both have trams/light rail.
Croatia Transportation Services
Country Information
Croatia is in the Northwestern portion of the Balkans region and has a long coastline on the Adriatic Sea that is opposite from Italy. The country is not too far from the famous city of Venice. It has a population of over 3 million people with Zagreb, the capital city being the largest city. Zagreb is a city inland in Croatia. It has other larger sized cities such as Split and Dubrovnik on the coast and Osijek inland near the Danube. The currency today is the Euro and as of January 2026 its 1 Euro is equal to 1.17 US Dollars. When we first visited Croatia, the currency was the Croatian Kuna, but they have now switched to the Euro. They are part of the European Union, and NATO. They are also part of the Schengen Zone so once you enter a Schengen Zone nation you can visit any other Schengen country (until you leave the zone) without a passport check. Currently US, Canadian, and UK citizens amongst others do not need a visa to enter but as scheduled as of January 2026 in late 2026 you will need to apply for a European ETIAS which consists of security and other questions, a small fee and is good for 3 years for up to 90 day visits in a 180 day time period. The climate is relatively mild, but it can be warm during the summer.
We have found Croatia to be very safe in the areas we have been, but like any location use common precautions as theft can happen anywhere. As of this writing the US State Department lists Croatia a 1 out of 4 safety level meaning it is in the Normal Precautions/most safe level. This can change and you should always research your destination and make your own decision if you should visit.
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a small (around 40,000 people live there) city in the far Southern portion of Croatia. It is famous for its UNESCO World Heritage Site Old Town area perched on a cliff that goes into the Adriatic Sea and is surrounded by a medieval stone wall. The mountainous terrain surrounding the city and the beautiful water of the Adriatic Sea give it the name “The Queen of the Adriatic”. It’s in the Dalmatian region that the Dalmatian dog originates from. Its beauty and historic Old Town have made it a famous location for filming movies and series such as “Game of Thrones” and “Star Wars”. We visited by cruise a few years back and took a city tour.
Dubrovnik Viewpoint
As we headed up to the Viewpoint of Dubrovnik that is a high view of the beautiful old town. As we drove through the relatively mountainous/hilly terrain we got a glimpse of the mountains in the nearby nation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The hills in 1991 and the great views of Dubrovnik proved to be an issue during the 1991 war that saw Yugoslavia siege Dubrovnik for 7 months that caused a lot of damage to buildings in the city due to artillery shelling. From the Viewpoint we were able to see the entire old town of Dubrovnik and the Azure seas surrounding it. It’s a wonderful place to see that does look like you are heading into a bygone era. It’s no wonder so many movies are filmed there. We were told we could tell which buildings were damaged by war as the bright red roofs were buildings damaged and the roofs rebuilt and the darker color red (much fewer in number) were undamaged. As we finished our viewing of the city we headed down to old town itself to walk the streets of the city.
Old Town Dubrovnik
We headed to the highlight of Dubrovnik by heading to the Old Town. Dubrovnik is a century-old city that has changed hands through the ages just as much of the region has. It was even once part of the State of Venice and was once its own city State. It has been restored since the major damage during the War for Independence in the 1990s. We took a walking tour through the Old Town and saw quite a few different places.
We walked through the famous Pile Gate, that is the Western Gate, into the city that was in Game of Thrones and immediately takes you back in time. You immediately see Onofrio’s fountain that is a circular shape with a dome and carvings around the structure. I remember seeing the fountain in neon lights in Star Wars. We started walking down the main street of the old town called Stradun that has many historic buildings, shops and restaurants. It is a pedestrian only polished brick street. It is a busy street but doesn’t take long to walk it.
We headed inside a few different buildings like the Franciscan Monastery with its columned atrium and museum with many artifacts and art from the monks. We also went inside Dubrovnik Cathedral (Assumption of the Virgin Mary) which looks small but, on the inside, it has beautiful baroque architecture. We also passed by Sponza Palace and the Rector’s Palace. Our final stop inside outside of shops along the main street was to the Memorial to the Defenders of Dubrovnik. This is a small museum that memorializes those lost during the Siege in 1991 and has displays from the wartime period in the region.
We had free time, so we walked the main street fully and shopped and headed to the Famous Jesuit Stairs. They are a set of elegant baroque stairs that link a plaza with a Jesuit Church. They are beautiful and historic but in more modern history it is the location of Cersei’s walk of shame in “Game of Thrones”. Dubrovnik was part of the location for “Kings Landing” in the series. I had yet to see it when I visited but saw the entire series later. After visiting the highlights of Old Town and doing some shopping we headed out and went back to the ship. Ships at the time of our visit were only allowed for a half-day stop due to the popularity of the port and not enough berth space for the cruise ships. It does get crowded in the old town due to its popularity. I can understand why, as it’s a unique UNESCO World Heritage City that’s well worth the visit!
Dubrovnik Tour Options
Northeast Croatia
On our second visit to Croatia, we visited the far Northeastern region that borders Serbia (across the Danube). It’s a very different landscape from the coastal region, being hillier and has more forests. We spent time in two cities in the region and got to visit a local’s home to see what a more rural and agricultural area of Croatia is like. We did this visit in 2025.
Vukovar
The city we docked in was a small city of around 20,000 people in Vukovar. It’s the largest Croatian port on the Danube and is a charming city. In 1991 it was a tough place to be though as it was put under siege by the Yugoslavian army for 87 days. The Yugoslav People’s Army had 36,000 troops with tanks, rockets and artillery and the Croatian army and militia had 1,800 lightly armed soldiers. Fighting erupted in 1991 as Croatia was working to become independent from Yugoslavia. The Croats and Serbs are different ethnically, which played into the desire for separation. As many conflicts are, it was a complicated situation. In November of 1991 the Yugoslav People’s Army prevailed and captured a badly damaged Vukovar. Afterwards war crimes were committed with many Croat soldiers and civilians being executed. The scars of the fighting can be found throughout the area and especially in one of the water towers that has been left as a memorial to the fighting full of bullet holes.
For our tour in a nicely rebuilt Vukovar we headed off the ship early before the tours started skipping lunch. We headed past an old water tower and a small park to the main square where we visited a bank to get Euros, so we had cash for the rest of the trip. Our debit card worked just fine at the ATM but of course did incur fees using it our if country. The town square is flanked by a historic hotel in a baroque style and has a Vukovar Heart and a large replica pottery piece that was found in the area made by the ancient people who lived there. The main street is nearby, and we crossed a bridge to walk along the shops of the town. We passed grocery stores and other shops when we found the city tourism board and a nice gift shop. We spoke with the nice lady in the gift shop about her city and she asked us about the United States and its current climate such as the homeless situation they have been seeing on TV in Croatia. We love sharing stories, learning and helping others learn about us as we travel. We got some Rakia and other items and headed back towards the ship. On the way back we stopped to read about the bridge and it’s namesake Jean-Michel Nicolier who was a young Frenchman who came to Croatia in 1991 to help defend Yukovar. He was a volunteer who was wounded late in the siege and was captured and later executed. He was found in a mass grave outside of the town. There is a bust and plaque dedicated to him by the bridge. We were getting close to time for the departure of our tour, so I headed quickly to a White Cross on the Danube River near where the Vuko River joins the Danube. It’s peaceful that had trees with yellow and orange fall leaves approaching the memorial to all those lost in the battle. It was well worth getting off the ship early and exploring Vukovar on our own. From there we got on busses and headed to our next destinations further inland in Croatia.
Vukovar Tour Options
Osijek
Osijek was the next city we visited in Croatia and it’s the largest in the far Eastern Croatian region of Slavonia. It’s not huge at nearly 100,000 people but it’s the financial and commercial capital of the area. It has a very historic city that like much of the region has changed hands over the many years. It too was damaged in 1991 by the Yugoslavian Attack and Croatian leaders also were brought up on War Crimes for killing civilian Serbs in the area. As war usually is, it’s a complicated story.
The city has beautiful baroque architecture in many of the buildings and for a city of its size it has a great public transportation system with trams/light rail on top of buses. For an American visiting where some of our cities ten times as large don’t have as good a public transportation system is impressive! We visited multiple sites while in Osijek!
Church of the Glorious Name of Mary
Our first stop in Osijek was to visit the small and beautiful Baroque church named the Church of the Glorious Name of Mary. It’s a late 18th century Catholic Church with beautiful intricate designs inside and an alter featuring Mary. Pink is prominent at the front of the church. While the church itself is wonderful that was not the main reason we were there. We were there to see a concert by a local lady who is part of an award-winning musical choir/ensemble in Osijek that is a musical school as well. The young lady played Piano and sang in both English and Croatian. The acoustics in the Church are wonderful, and her voice and piano abilities were top notch. She sang some modern and classical songs. It was a great experience and the musical talent throughout Europe and the venues always impresses me.
Tvrđa
Our last stop in Croatia is another unique site in Osijek. Tvrđa is the Old city center of Osijek that is built into a 1600-to-1700s-star shaped fortress. Inside there is a great collection of Baroque buildings and churches. It was night by the time we arrived so there was a different kind of beauty with the old lamp lights on and the reflections on Cobblestone streets. As we started walking the relatively deserted streets of this part fortress and part city center, we could immediately see bullet holes and battle damage from the 1991 battle. This site is not yet a UNESCO World heritage site but is tentatively on the list to become one someday and by other groups is considered a threatened unique historical site. We continued to walk the streets and arrived by a large yellow church. The Church of St. Michael was built in the 1700s and has the onion dome steeples on each tower. In front of it is a small plaza where people can hang out or have small concerts. The area is not just a place for shops, restaurants and churches but also home to multiple schools such as a high, music and technology school. We continued our walk to the main square that is a feast of different fountains, statues and baroque buildings. The Monument of the Most Holy Trinity is in the center of the square that’s a beautiful piece of art. While unfortunately they were all closed for the night, there are multiple museums on the main square like the Osijek Archeological Museum and the Museum of Slavonia. The buildings and clock tower all had yellow paint that was unique. From there we walked back to our waiting bus and headed back to our ship.
Conclusion
Croatia is a wonderful country to visit full of history, culture and beauty. Croatia is mostly known for its coastal scenery, beaches and cities but the inland areas have amazing places to see as well. We would like to take a multi-day tour of the country in the future to see the capital city of Zagreb and Split that we have heard is wonderful. More time could be spent in Dubrovnik and Osijek on a day trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina from Dubrovnik. We had a great trip both times we visited Croatia for our quick stops and hopefully it won’t be the last time we visit!
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