North Croatia Itinerary – A long weekend getway

Visiting Croatia had been on my bucket list for several years but the occasion was never right to go there. Some time ago there were no direct flights from Malta, so we always prefered other destinations. Finally I got the occasion to visit!

When to visit:

The weather is a very important factor when planning a trip. It can make or break your entire holiday. Even though there is no control on the weather, there are some trends that may help you with having a greater chance of finding good weather. Late spring is in my opinion the best time to visit. We visited in June and we found the perfect weather conditions: it was not too hot to go around and explore but it was warm enough during the day to enjoy swimming. The forests were green and the colours of the water in the lakes were turquoise reflecting the surroundings.

Where to stay:

We spent a total of 4 nights – from Friday evening until Tuesday afternoon and our trip started from Zagreb airport. We decided to stay in the northern part of the country since it did not make any sense travelling further south for such a short period of time. We still stayed in 2 different places: spending 2 nights in Karlovac and 2 nights near Plitvice lakes. I highly recommend spending at least a night near Plitvice to get there early in the morning and avoid the crowds.

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Things to do in Northern Croatia:

These are the highlights of some of the things to do in Northern Croatia. The list is far from being exhaustive as we did not venture into the Istrian Peninsula, which has some interesting places to visit. There are also the Samobor mountains that are interesting but demand some challenging hiking which we were not up to for this trip. So here are some easier places to visit for a relaxing trip in Northern Croatia.

Visit the island of Krk

Croatia has over a thousand islands and deciding which ones to visit maybe confusing. We decided to visit the island of Krk because it is connected by bridge to the mainland so it was very easy to get there. The island is quite big so you cannot expect to explore the entire island in just a day. We loved exploring slowly the village of Vrbnik, the main town of Krk and spent some time in the afternoon at Punat beach. It was a very relaxing day and we really loved the quaint atmosphere that was present in each of the places we visited (even the main town).

Kamačnik Canyon

Kamačnik Canyon is a picturesque hidden gem located near the town of Vrbovsko. We spent some time walking along the waters of this canyon and take some pictures. It is not very touristic and we were the foreign visitors here. The easy hike along the canyon is 3km long.

Rastoke

Rastoke is a charming village that combines natural beauty with historical significance, making it a must-visit destination for those exploring Northern Croatia. Rastoke is located in the town of Slunj and it is situated at the confluence of two rivers. The village is renowned for its numerous waterfalls and cascades formed by the Slunjčica River as it flows into the Korana River. The water creates a series of stunning natural terraces and pools making it similar in certain aspetcts to the much more famous Plitvice. To be honest I could not believe how quiet the place was given its beauty. A couple of hours are enough to visit the village, but if you have some more time you can also eat here as there are a couple of bars and restaurants as well.

Ranch Jelena Dolina

Ranch Deer Valley or Ranch Jelena Dolina place is a recently opened farm in the area of the famous plitvice lakes that is specially designated for families. If you do not have young kids you may wish to skip this place, however if you have young kids that love animals, you need to make sure to include this place in your itinerary. Pre booking is required and it can be done through their website here. The entrance fee includes a tour around the farm that hosts deer, pigs and horses and the possibility to get close to the animals, feed them and pet them. The area of the farm is huge and the animals live in good conditions – we would have never considered a visit if this was not the case. At the end of the tour you can also taste some of the local delicacies as well and children can enjoy themselves in their play area.

Plitvička Jezera

And finally we visited the famous Plitvice lakes on our last full day in Croatia. If there is one place in Croatia you should visit this should be it! It deserves all its fame as the beauty of these lakes is really unique. Obviously such beauty is not unknown and everyone who visits Croatia, visits this place. To avoid the queues and crowds you must prepare well your visit. We booked our accommodation right next to the lakes and bought our tickets online beforehand directly on their website. We were at the lakes on a Monday (avoid weekends if possible) at 7:00 am. The parking near Entrance 2 was still almost empty and there just a few more people. There are several trails that you can do and we opted for Trail E – which is 5.1km long visiting the upper lakes departing from Entrance 2. This is not the most popular trail as most people do the shortest trails in the lower lakes departing from Entrance 1. It was really enjoyable and apart from a couple of people here and there we were alone. We were completing the trail by 11am when most of the tourists arriving by coaches were starting theirs. Obviously if you have more time and you can walk further (we had young kids so the length of the trail was just right) and do the upper lakes and lower lakes following trails C, F or K. Keep in mind that apart from the trail you need to walk a further 1km to and from the parking and that strollers/wheelchairs are not suitable.

If you have longer time in Croatia, apart from travelling further south visiting the several seaside towns or other islands, you may wish to consider extenting your sightseeing to nearby Slovenia. The border is less than an hour away from Zagreb. If Slovenia is on your bucket list make sure to check out my blog post featuring the natural beauty of the Triglav National in Slovenia Park here.