Croatia

(… Continuing from our flight departure from Greece)

NOTE: Top-10 List – Practical Travelling Tips at bottom of page

June 2026

(Note: trip expenses broken out at bottom of blog)

Day 9

Day 9. On to Croatia! Greece was wonderful but we were excited to experience Croatia as well. We’d heard so many good things about the country. But 6:30am comes quickly! It felt like I had just closed my eyes moments ago the night before. All three of our alarms went off at once and we jumped out of bed to get ready for another drive to the airport. At 6:30am the shuttle was waiting. We were still rubbing the sleep out of our eyes. Athens airport was a busy one – it was our fourth time there for a flight so we were getting used to it. After boarding the plane, it was just a quick hop to Dubrovnik – about 1.5 hours. Leaving the terminal we immediately went to the rental car area and got our car. Lo’ and behold, it was a manual stick shift! Not that it was a big deal, but I thought it was an automatic when I had booked it. I hadn’t driven a manual in thirty years! Took me about 5 minutes to get the hang of it – initially I had the gas and the clutch pedals mixed up so I kept on flooding the engine and I couldn’t figure out why I was stalling it out. The rental employee was looking at us with strange eyes (lol). Finally, I figured it out and we were on our way, albeit, after a few abrupt accelerations and braking’s before I was able to smooth it out. Probably gave the girls some whiplash. The roads in Croatia were similar to Greece but a bit more well-kept. In fact everything in Croatia seemed a bit more clean. Not to take away from Greece’s charm, but Greece had gone through alot of economic turmoil in recent decades and there was a decrepitness in areas – buildings and areas that were run-down and not so clean. Croatia, on the other hand, just had a bit more lushness and cleanliness. But, again, we would love both places for so many reasons. But the roads, still generally narrow! Not so much on the highways or main throughways, but I’ll get to the experiences of the narrow roads in Trogir and Dubrovnik in due course. It took about 3.5 hours to drive from Dubrovnik to Trogir. Our gameplan was to stay in Trogir for a few nights and enjoy the nearby sights, then drive back to Dubrovnik for a few more nights before flying back home. It was cheaper to fly out of Dubrovnik (back to Canada) and it was cheaper to fly into Dubrovnik (from Athens) so that’s why the place became our arrival/departure base. Back to the drive – another gorgeous one! half of it was along the coast – more twisty, windy roads but the coastal views were spectacular. Then during the last half of the drive, the highway moved more inland. Again, hilly, mountainous terrain but the highway itself was great with lots of tunnels to drive through. The only issues we had – at one point, 4 high-performance vehicles blew by us going at least 160 kms/hr (I was going around 120 kms/hr). One almost hit me as I was just about to pull out and pass a vehicle. Close call! Karma would play out, as usual – about 30 minutes later, two of those vehicles were pulled over by the police. Suckers! But seriously, they were playing a dangerous game – the road at that point was not twinned and it was a busy highway. A head-on could’ve easily happened at their speeds. The second issue was a toll booth – there was only one on that highway but I couldn’t speak Croatian nor could I understand the language on the signs so I accidently drove into the wrong toll lane (the one where drivers could scan monthly passes). Ooops! I was trying everything but the gate would not open and there was no employee at the booth until we saw a worker walking across the roadway in front of us. I rolled down my window and blurted out, “Sorry, but I’m from Canada.” Meaning, I don’t understand which lane I should be in. He replied, “So?” (lol) followed by an intense glare and awkward silence. Croatians and Greeks – totally unapologetic in their conversations (lol). The ol’ quote “Seek first to understand…” doesn’t jive with a chunk of the population here it seemed. I continued explaining the situation and, in a few words, he replied, “Go back… there.” pointing to my left, and then he left. He had better things to do, I guess. I put the car in reverse (luckily no cars had built up behind us) and then moved into the lane where I could pay. About $7 Euros. The gate opened and we were back on our way. For most of the last half of this drive it was a divided highway which was wonderful. We drove through Split and in another 30 minutes we were in Trogir – a coastal community. More gorgeous coastline! Within Trogir there was an Old Town which basically means an area of town built centuries ago with tons of narrow passageways, cobblestone paths, and very cool medieval-like architecture. And our Airbnb was only a few minutes from the Old Town in a district called Okrug. Once you drive through these downtown areas, you’ll have an everlasting appreciation for Canada’s wide highways and roads! Much like downtown Athens, the roads in these districts were crazy narrow. At times you’d think your side mirrors would get knocked clean off by oncoming vehicles or the stone walls. Crazy! And then in some parts, it narrows into one-vehicle widths. Those were the worst. I mean, overall our trip was so awesome, but driving in those old districts would become a stress at times… especially because the locals have no patience when driving in those areas. Especially the cabbies. So after a maze of twists, turns (think Spaghetti), one ways, one-vehicle width passageways, 45% inclines, we arrived at our new Airbnb. Like the rest of them, it was lovely and had it’s own unique charm. We unpacked and immediately went to the pool outside for a refreshing dip and sunbath to get the travel grit off us. Refreshing. The rest was certainly needed after two successive days of travel. Once we had recharged, we walked down toward the nearby promenade along the beach and popped into a nearby restaurant. Like Greece, when you’re on the coast and in those hamlets, restaurants are everywhere. And the food was just as good… we indulged heartily. Walking back, we picked up a few groceries for breakfast/lunch and then crashed into bed like so many other nights. All the daily adventures were starting to catch up to us, though. Feeling a bit more weathered and tired. A good night’s sleep was always the cure.

Day 10

Morning time in Trogir. Took some motivation but we eventually got upright and had our usual fruit/yogurt/granola bowls and scrambled eggs. A bit of dark chocolate to top it off (never too early for chocolate). Today’s itinerary had us going to the Klis Fortress high up on the hills overlooking Split – about a 30-minute drive away. I was more excited for this than the girls as there were some Game of Thrones (tv show) scenes at Klis and I had just watched Game of Thrones for the first time a few months earlier. Loved that show! One of my all-time favorites. We arrived at Klis around noon and, yup, another hot one at 32 degrees with sun. Not a cloud to be seen. We basically had 30+ weather and sun every day, except for our hike through the Acropolis in Athens where it was cloudy, but still in the 30s. The Klis tour took about 90 minutes – lots of to see and explore and the views were breathtaking. Afterward, we went to an olive museum – it was only a km or two away, and it was included in our Klis ticket so we decided to take advantage. I wasn’t so enthusiastic – the museum sounded boring to me, but how wrong I was – was very clean, had beautiful gardens, modern displays and buildings with food samples and an interesting history. Took about 40 minutes for the walk around then it was time to depart and restock our groceries on the way back to the Airbnb. We wanted to tour around the Old Town in Trogir that evening so we took it easy for a few hours in the afternoon by the pool. But we were getting hungry as the afternoon turned into the evening. We had showers, got dressed up and drove to the Old Town around 6:30pm. It was only a 5-minute drive and we found parking nearby. From there it was a quick 5-minute walk and then we took in the beauty of the place. Vibrant, I must say! Lots of action with tons of tourists from all walks of life and countries. Boats were everywhere along the harbour, restaurants were bustling – we enjoyed the energy. We roamed about the passageways with the narrow cobblestone paths (as they say there, the best way to explore the Old Town is to just get lost in the passageways) where cozy restaurants and shops sprung out at every corner. We found a comfy spot called Don Dino’s within the maze and enjoyed a dinner meal before roaming about again. We noticed quite a few Croatians wearing jerseys and then more and more were seen glued to any tv screen available around the place. Turned out Croatia was playing England that night in the FIFA World Cup soccer. And Croatians LOVE their soccer! It’s like hockey to us Canadians… tv screens springing up everywhere with people sitting back in the outdoors watching intensely. Cool to see (unfortunately for the locals, England would beat Croatia 4-2). As we found our way back to the harbour alongside the Old Town, a huge yacht was having a dance party. You could hear the live music being belted through the open windows with tons of people dancing on the ship. I would’ve loved to have been on there! By now it was pretty much sunset (close to 9pm) and our legs were getting heavy with all the walks so, time for sleep… zzzzzz Back to the Airbnb we went.

Day 11

This was going to be a big day. We were embarking upon a “5-Islands Boat Tour” starting at 6:45am with the pickup spot only 5 minutes away at the harbour in the Old Town. I couldn’t mess this up like I had with Poseidon in Greece so I made sure everything was ticking along like clockwork. We were up at 6am and out the door by 6:20. We wanted to arrive ahead of schedule… no last-minute stress! The boat, a 15-seater with a roof for shade, arrived five minutes late but, before long, we were on the boat flying westward atop the swells of the Adriatic Sea. It would be a 90-minute ride (a bumpy one at times) toward the Blue Cave, our first Island, which would be at the farthest point. We’d work our way back throughout the day before the arrival in Trogir. Another sunny day above and, of course, 30+ heat. But with the boat chugging along at a quick clip, it was a bit chilly in the early morning hours. The Blue Cave stop was incredible – we were taken on a different boat (after paying the cave entrance fee. $54 Euros for the three of us) and rowed into the cave for 10 minutes. The water was magical – crystal clear and blue, caused by the reflection of the sun but through the water, from outside the cave. A cool effect. Then it was off to Vis island for a lunch and walk-around. Beautiful! And we were told many scenes from the Abba-themed Mama Mia! movie was filmed here. Back to the boat. We continued on, venturing forth atop the swells once again, this time toward our third island with a very isolated beach – you can only reach this beach by diving off the boat about 100 yards out and swimming the rest of the way (no roads on this island and boats weren’t allowed within 100 yards)… which many of us did. We enjoyed the swim. There were other boats parked there as well – lots of swimmers in the water and suntanners on the beach. The water was crystal clear, per usual. This was probably the highlight of the day for me (Jenna said it was hers too) – just such an isolated place and so scenic. After about 40 minutes we climbed back onto the boat and made our way to Island #4 for a 1-hour stop at another beach. At this point it was early to mid-afternoon and peak heat. Man, it was hot! I needed shade and quick. The heat didn’t seem to bother the girls much. When the time was up, we were off to our final destination – Hvar Island for a 2-hr stop. This island was filled with tourists enjoying the harbor-front areas with tons of restaurants and shops jutting off in all directions. Then it was back to Trogir but the winds had picked up quite a bit and the swells had grown… very bumpy ride! The sun was going down, the driver was playing some awesome 70s and 80s music, and we were being bumped around a lot. Quite comical at times… it didn’t bother us much. I love the ocean (I grew up in Nova Scotia near the ocean. The sea is in my blood). When it was all said and done, a 12-hr excursion. Bushed, we were! But really enjoyed the day. Pricey at around $600 but we saw so much that we would never have been able to see or access otherwise. Was worth it in our opinions. We made our way back to the Airbnb for a well-deserved sleep.

Day 12

Today the destination was Krka National Park with the endless waterfalls. It looked gorgeous in the pictures online and we couldn’t wait to trek through the park and take it all in. To get there, it would be another drive, this time taking us one hour north of Trogir. And the park trekking would take about two hours. The ride there was more backcountry driving than anything – no major throughways, just some windy, twisty roads into some elevated areas in the surrounding hills. There were more Boar warning signs but we never did see one during our whole trip. We arrived amidst another hot one – 32 degrees and sunny. Not a breath of wind. Dead air. Hot. We paid about $90 Euros to enter the park (a bit pricey but we’d never be coming back, which was our standard rationale for any pricey places we’d visit) and then the trekking began. Beautiful terrain! Waterfalls and waterways everywhere, loads of fish, boardwalks throughout, ducks, frogs, even a turtle we saw on the walkway chillin’ and munching on some grass. You had to hike down a steep decline about 800m into the valley where all the waterfalls were located which was fine, but you would, then, have to walk back up at the end which was a bit nasty in the 32-degree heat. Sweat was pouring off us! Luckily, we had alot of water with us. We jumped back into the car and threw the AC on high – oh sweet mother of… felt so good. We drove back to Trogir and just took the afternoon off from anything. We needed a break from constantly moving about. I slept a bit with the AC cranked in our apt – was like being in a refrigerator (lol) and I loved it. Then I got preoccupied with some bill payments and other admin on the computer while the girls relaxed by the pool again. The evening came quick. We got showered and dressed up again before heading out for our last evening in Trogir. We ended up in a restaurant alongside the beach on the second floor with a beautiful view of the sunset. So peaceful. Afterward we walked home along the boardwalk where I found $5 before walking by a bar with a big screen TV facing us. Who was playing baseball on the screen but the Blue Jays! We didn’t stay and watch as we wanted to hit the sack – tomorrow would be a big driving day back to Dubrovnik (3.5 hours).

Day 13

Today was another checkout and another drive to a different scene – off to Dubrovnik. We checked out around 11am after the girls had one last visit to the nearby beach. 3.5 hours later, we veered off the highway, down the hill toward Dubrovnik. From the views above it looked like another beautiful location! And our drive toward the next Airbnb would be much like Trogir – normal-type roads getting more narrow as we got closer to the downtown area and nearby neighborhoods. As well, Dubrovnik also had an Old Town which was bigger and far more popular/famous than Trogir’s. Our Airbnb was about 2.4 kms from it, tucked away in another spaghetti-style neighborhood with the roads zigzagging every which way, with tons of one-car width passages… all of which was, again, like Trogir, perched on a steep hill (I stalled the car a few times trying to change gears from a stop position on a 45% angle road). Again, the driving was about the only stressful part of this trip (only occurring in these types of neighborhoods near the Old Towns). On a positive note, it certainly improved my driving skills! Parking at the Airbnb was also a test of my sanity. It couldn’t be an easy in and out… nope. It was a driveway shaped like an “L” (the driveway moving in about 50 feet then turning right behind a garage where there was space for about 3 vehicles side-by-side). But I had to back in, reversing, going around the garage and then gently cutting the wheel so that I can maneuver toward the parking stalls at an angle, still in reverse, until I’m aligned within the white lines on the pavement to fit alongside the other 2 driving stalls… with stone walls all around. Ugh! There was no other way to do it. It was not fun so over subsequent days, we basically decided we’d walk to/back from the Old Town (where all the action was) which was about a 30-minute walk, one way (2.4 kms one way). Good exercise. And today… well, you know what I’m going to say… another hot one! 34 degrees this time. After unpacking we headed off to the coast to take in the Old Town – in this case, it was a larger medieval-type town than Trogir’s and it was all walled in. Very cool to see. Tons of cozy passageways in this place too, and like Trogir, we found a cool little restaurant within the maze. Afterward we toured about and tourists were everywhere! The hustle and bustle was equivalent to Trogir’s Old Town on steroids. And we saw some Game of Thrones’ scene locations which I couldn’t get enough of. Jenna and Catharine would get sick of my Thrones’ commentary by the end of the trip if they hadn’t already! (lol) After an hour or two we had our fill and walked home. It was all uphill and full of stairs. It seemed like no matter where you walked, north, south, east, west, you were walking stairs. But on the way home, a crazy “what are the odds” moment. So we’re in a faraway land and Dubrovnik is a city of about 47,000 people. And there are tons of old homes in the adjoining neighborhoods that have been converted into Airbnb’s (Croatia learned in the 70s and 80s how lucrative the tourism business was for their economy). We’re a block away from our Airbnb and there are three guys having a beer on a second-floor patio in an apt-styled rental, talking and laughing in English (which you don’t hear much in the neighborhoods of Croatia). Jenna noticed one of them and it turns out he is the brother of one of Jenna’s friends back in Calgary. Her family lives just a few blocks from our house in Calgary. Jenna yelled up and he almost fell over… and he and his buddies were only in Dubrovnik for a few days, like us. What are the odds!

Day 14

We could feel our trip winding down but there were still two solid days left. Gotta make the best of it! One of Jenna’s friends who had been in Dubrovnik before had told her about a beach she should visit – Sveti Jakov beach about 2 kms from the Old Town. Catharine wanted to go too, but I wasn’t keen. I love beaches, but if there’s no shade and its 30+, I just can’t handle the heat for long… and from the pictures online, it looked like there wasn’t much shade at this beach. I got up the courage to drive them down there – it would be narrow passageway driving almost the whole way… ugh! My game plan was to just drop them off and then head to a nearby park or grocery parking lot for an hour or two and then head back and pick them up. But when I got to the drop-off point, I had been driving down so many narrow passageways and one-ways that I wasn’t interested in venturing too far away (to wait while the girls were enjoying the beach) in case I’d get stuck somewhere in some sticky situation. So I decided to just stay put at the beach entrance where there were about 15 parking stalls. I knew you needed a parking permit to park here (you needed a parking permit anywhere within a few kms of the Old Town, for the most part… no free parking anywhere) but I figured I’d just fire up the ignition at times, and then move around to different parking spots in case any parking authorities swung by. But after 15 minutes I noticed big camera above with a warning that vehicles “will” get charged a $140 Euro fee if parking multi-hour. I got a little nervous because I was thinking that maybe only the camera above was needed for issuing tickets (a ticket in the mail!) and when you convert Euros to Cdn dollars, we’re talkin’ $210 Cdn. Not chump change. So, Plan B. I would backtrack through those damn narrow roads about a kilometer or two where I had previously saw some parking stalls in front of a small apt. Worth a try. I drove off but, sure enough, came head-to-head with a cabbie on a stretch of road that wasn’t passable for two vehicles. Within just a second or two, the cabbie starting honking the horn and waving his hand up in frustration (wanting me to be the one to back up). Cabbies here have zero tolerances and patience. I reversed slowly, making sure I wasn’t going to scrape the mirrors along the stone walls on either side of me. After about 150 feet, there was an opening on one side where I could pull into and let him pass by which I did, but not before I stalled the car. He waited a few more seconds. As he drove by me, he actually threw out a wave which was nice, and a surprise. I put the car in gear once more and then just gunned it, driving it through that passageway like a bat out of hell, hoping I wouldn’t meet any other vehicles. This time, none. Whew. And I found the apt parking stalls – about four empty spaces. I backed into one quickly. I mean, I would obviously move if one of the tenants came along in their car, and, I was only going to be parked there for another 50 minutes or so. Hopefully no issues. Two people who exited the apt during that time did give me a serious glare. I pretended not to notice. But they would both walk off, one to have a smoke break and the other retreating back into the building’s lobby area. I was expecting her to come back out again with some words but she never did. After an hour, I flew back to the beach entrance and picked up the girls who were waiting. Then the white-knuckled drive back through the spaghetti roads of hell, up the hill toward the unforgiving driveway, where, just before entering the driveway, I came face to face with another driver. As I put it in reverse on the hill’s 45% incline, I stalled it again! Oh well. Ya roll with the punches. The lady facing me was a bit more patient than the cabbie. I got out of that jam soon enough. Breathe. We all took it easy for the afternoon while snacking on some lunch and then walked down to the Old Town where we paid a fee to “walk the wall” ($40 Euros x 3 people). It was a cool experience – you could walk the perimeter wall which was about 2 km’s in length. Took about 90 minutes with lots of great views and picture-taking. Then we headed back down to the labyrinth of passageways before finding a restaurant and ordering up some drinks. An orchestra was playing close to us in an open market area – nice, easy-listening music to boot! Later, we did some more Game of Thrones walk-abouts, checking out some areas where many scenes had played out, then it was another 2.4 km walk home. Our legs were getting lots of exercise here! We had walked about 6-7 kms that day.

Day 15

I had a sleepy head waking up this morning. This was it – our last full day here. And we couldn’t have a lazy morning because (a) our checkout time was 10am, so everything had to be packed quickly (plus having some breaky), and (b) we were slated for a tour of Lokrum Island, and the ferry leaves promptly for the island at 9am (at least the one we were hoping to catch). This ferry service departs from the Old Town – a 15-minute ride to Lokrum. This was our last tour and we wanted to do it in the morning when it wasn’t too hot – and then we’d need time for lunch afterward before heading to our final Airbnb located about 500m from the airport (the airport was about 20-30 minutes south of Dubrovnik). This was intentional – our flight the next morning was at 6:30am and being so close to the airport meant we could sleep a little more. Every extra bit of sleep was golden before an impending 12-hr flight. So, per usual, we got the day started off with some protein and then cleaned up the Airbnb. Not much to clean! Everything was packed and then the host let us keep the car parked in their stall until 1pm when we’d be returning from Lokrum. Off we went, walking back down to the Old Town but we were late – it was already about 8:40am and there was no way we’d make the 9am ferry on time. Luckily within a few hundred yards of our walk, a cab was driving by and I waved it down. For $10 Euros, he drove us to the entrance of Old Town. Safe! We were going to make it. The ferry was packed – probably a hundred people (pedestrian ferry only) and I was sitting beside this guy and his family. As we landed at the Lokrum dock, he made a funny comment to me and I thought he had a German accent so I quipped, “You’re from Germany?” He looked at me, surprised. “I’m English. England!” With all the noise of the people around me, I got a wee bit mixed up with the accents. It was another gloriously hot day. Lokrum was a small island with lots of walking pathways. Very quiet and peaceful from the hustle and bustle of Old Town. Almost like a nature reserve (no vehicles on the island as far as I could tell, except for staff ATVs). And peacocks were roaming free here, too. So cool to see. They didn’t fear humans – they’d walk close to you without any reservations, unless they had chicks nearby, and some did. Very cute. And I checked off my final Game of Thrones bucket list box – to sit on the actual throne of swords which is what all the 7 kingdoms in the TV series are vying for. Very pivotal prop for the show. And there it was in a room within an old Benedictine monastery on this island. Pictures were taken, and I was done with the Game of Thrones chatter much to Jenna and Catharine’s relief. Afterward, we headed off to one of the beaches on the western side of the island facing the Old Town across the water. Very relaxing with lots of shade. And the water was as clear and refreshing as any of the other beaches we had visited. Life was good… so relaxing and peaceful. Nice to end things off on that vibe. After getting our fill, we walked back to the dock and grabbed a ferry back to the mainland. Then our last walk up to the Airbnb… was a hot one. Peak heat, walking up countless stairs, 2.4 kms. When we arrived back at the car, my throat was parched and my whole body was dripping sweat. We hopped in and headed out through those narrow passageways one last time. Because we weren’t allowed to check into the next Airbnb until 3pm, we decided to visit another coastal community called Cavtat which was only a few kms from the airport. Cavtat was much like the rest of the coastal hamlets we had visited – picturesque, colorful, gorgeous coastlines. We enjoyed a nice meal then jumped back into the car for the ride to the Airbnb. But when I inserted the parking lot ticket, the arm wouldn’t go up. I tried everything but it just wouldn’t budge. We parked off to the side and had an employee help us. Not sure what had happened as he was tough to understand with his accent but he made the gate open up and we were off. I can’t tell you how much we were looking forward to relax in the AC after some refreshing showers! We had been in the heat all day at that point, plus the salt from the ocean. And the new place did not disappoint. So refreshing. But I forgot to mention – before we had left for Lokrum Island, I had gone online for a quick flight check-in. But KLM (airlines) wouldn’t allow me to do so. Very strange. It said I had to talk to customer service but I had no time to go online and chat for an hour with someone. I’d just go to the airport later in the day once we were settled into the Airbnb being we were only a 5-min walk away. This was before dinner time. We walked in and the airport wasn’t terribly busy. I walked up to an attendant and explained our predicament and she asked for our passports. Within a few minutes she us all booked in with side-by-side seats. Perfect. That was easy. On the walk back to the Airbnb, there was actually a chain-link fence across the pathway at some point (no entry beyond a certain point) and my head was in the clouds and I was a few steps ahead of the girls and I ended up walking right into it… ouch! Had some scrapes around the knees. Jenna laughed endlessly. Catharine questioned my cognitive abilities. We continued on. At the Airbnb, our new host suggested a nearby restaurant which we jumped at. We were hungry and it was only a km away. Was great – large portions and wonderful ambiance. Afterward, we returned the rental car to the airport (no scratches or dents despite all those crazy drives through the narrow passageways) and then walked home a second time. We hit the sack around 10pm and woke up to the alarms at 4am on June 23^rd.

Day 16

We left the Airbnb at 4:30am, walking toward the airport as the skies began to lighten toward a new sunrise. Back to Calgary (via Amsterdam) we go! As we were boarding the plane, I mentioned to the girls, “This trip was perfect… everything went so right for the most part!” – a few hours later, I realized I had forgotten 3 dress shirts back at our Trogir Airbnb… damn! And one of those shirts was my favorite! After arriving home, I looked into getting them mailed back to me but it was going to be alot of hassles – filling out forms, paying duties, asking the Host to package them up and deliver them, etc. Sunk cost. The cost of travel, sometimes. I’ll head out and buy some new shirts soon. And one more note – a week after our return, I was checking the visa to make sure the charges were legit. For both our rental cars, they over-charged. Damn! Now I’d have to go through the hassle of getting credits back. This happened during our trip to Mexico too, awhile back. For some reason, in our experiences, it’s happened often. Always check your credit cards, of course, but especially for those car rental charges.

Expenses

Because our trip involved both Greece and Croatia, I’ve combined both below. For 3 people, we were between $14K-$15K. Some things to take into consideration: (1) we didn’t include groceries because we’d also be buying groceries if we were in Calgary (a wash), (2) one’s budget can go up or down a little bit based on the purchase of seat adjustments on the airplanes (can add up when you consider it’s about $25/seat on average x 3 people x 4 flights Calgary-Amsterday-Greece/Croatia… not including the intra-Greece and Greece-Croatia flights) (3) take into account the currency exchange, of course (4) our average / night for accommodations = $290/night (Cdn $) (5) watch out for car rental overbillings. When our visa bill arrived after returning to Calgary, we saw that both car rentals overbilled us. Not an uncommon practice against tourists when travelling abroad. The car rental charges below do not include these “extra” charges as I’m currently battling the car rental agencies on this (6) we would generally eat breakfast and lunch from groceries we bought at the markets. Dinners were usually at restaurants except for 2 nights. So the meals amount ($) below is basically our dinners expense

Picture 1: After a nice seafood dinner up north at Campbell River. Andrew & Linnea trying to avoid the water!

Picture 2: A bit rainy! Our family on the boat up around the northerly tip of Cortes Island checking out this beautiful bay and waterfall

Picture 3: All of us backroadin’ on an old Ford pickup. We needed it to get us to the Medicine Bowls (set of waterfalls/swimming holes) in the backwoods near Courtney

Picture 4: Jumping into the Medicine Bowls… stunning place

Picture 5: Ryan pointing to the signs at Refuge Cove on West Redonda Island. Very cool outpost in the middle of nowhere (accessible only by bushplane or boat). Lots of rain that day but it added to the mystique of the place. Loved it

Picture 6: Visiting Parksville and the international sandcastle competition. Personally I thought this one shoulda won (The King!)

Picture 7: We rented a place (view out toward the water) for part of our trip on a 0.6 square kilometer island called Protection Island. Was so peaceful and relaxing

Picture 8: Jenna, Andrew, Linnea & Ryan enjoying the last night of holidays

Picture 9: Kayaking around Protection Island. The seals were keeping an eye on us in areas! Cute animals

TOP TEN LIST – PRACTICAL TRAVELLING TIPS

Here’s a practical Top-10 list of travelling tips for a one-week trip to Croatia from Canada:

1. Visa & Entry: No visa needed, but prepare for Schengen rules

Canadian citizens can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period (Croatia is in the Schengen Area). Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned departure. ETIAS (a simple online pre-authorization, ~€7) is expected to become mandatory in late 2026—check closer to your trip. Have proof of onward travel and sufficient funds if asked.

2. Flights & Timing: Book early and consider shoulder season

There are no direct flights from Canada; expect 1–2 stops (e.g., via Frankfurt, Munich, or Istanbul). Round-trip fares often range $900–1,800+ CAD. For a one-week trip, focus on one region (e.g., Dalmatian Coast: Split + islands + Dubrovnik) to avoid rushing. Fly into Split or Dubrovnik and out of the other for efficiency. May/June or September offer good weather, fewer crowds, and lower prices than peak July–August.

3. Currency: Euros everywhere, but carry some cash

Croatia uses the Euro (€). Cards (Visa/Mastercard) are widely accepted, but have cash for small vendors, markets, ferries, tips (~10% in restaurants), and some beach spots. Withdraw from bank ATMs to minimize fees. Avoid exchanging at airports.

4. Power & Adapters: Bring a European plug adapter

Croatia uses Type C/F outlets (230V). North American devices need a plug adapter (no voltage converter needed for most modern chargers). Leave high-power hair tools at home—they can overheat.

5. Transportation: Mix ferries, buses, or rent a car wisely

Ferries/catamarans are essential for islands (book in advance in summer). Buses are reliable for the coast. Renting a car gives flexibility for national parks or rural spots, but driving is on the right, no right turn on red, and tolls apply on highways. International Driving Permit recommended with your Canadian licence. Traffic jams are common on weekends in peak season—drive mid-week if possible.

6. Packing Essentials: Beach shoes & comfortable walking gear

Pebble beaches → bring or buy water shoes (sea urchins are a risk).
Comfortable walking shoes for cobblestones in old towns.
Lightweight clothes, swimsuits, hat, high-SPF sunscreen, reusable water bottle (tap water is safe).
Power bank, light rain jacket/layer for evenings, and a daypack. Pack light—laundry is easy.

7. Internet & Connectivity: eSIM or local SIM

Get an eSIM before arrival for easy data (5–10GB should suffice for a week). Hotel WiFi is common but can be spotty in rural/island areas. Download offline maps (Google Maps) and translation apps.

8. Safety & Petty Crime: Standard big-city awareness

Croatia is very safe with low violent crime, but watch for pickpockets in tourist areas (Dubrovnik, Split, ferries, markets). Use a cross-body bag, don’t flash valuables, and secure belongings. Normal precautions apply.

9. Food & Culture: Eat local & learn basics

Try fresh seafood, pašticada, or peka at konobas (taverns). Lunch specials (“marenda”) are great value. Learn a few phrases: Bok (hi/bye), Hvala (thank you), Molim (please). Locals appreciate the effort. Tipping: round up or ~10%.

10. Pace Yourself & Book Ahead

One week flies by—don’t try to see everything. Prioritize 2–3 bases (e.g., Split + Hvar or Dubrovnik + day trips). Book national park tickets (Plitvice/Krka), popular ferries, and accommodations early, especially in summer. Build in beach/swim time and buffer for travel delays.

Bonus: Get comprehensive travel insurance covering health, delays, and activities. Download the Canadian government’s travel app/advisories for updates. Croatia is stunning and welcoming—slow down, enjoy the views, and you’ll have an amazing trip! Safe travels!