For a truly memorable honeymoon, take a road trip through Croatia.
Dubrovnik’s ancient city walls.
Photos by Alexa Brown
Bouganvillea grow abundantly in Split.
Ruins of Diocletian’s Palace.
Cherry strudel street food.
The port of Dubrovnik.
Iconic red-tiled rooftops in Dubrovnik.
Situated along the Adriatic Sea in central-most Europe, Croatia claims more than 1,000 miles of coastline, dotted with an almost equal number of islands (mostly uninhabited). Add to that the fact that this little nation typically sees a full 12 hours of sunshine each day in the months of May and June, and you might wonder why you haven’t thought of exploring it before.
Croatia is one of Europe’s better-kept secrets—and “the perfect place to road trip,” according to Vienna-based travel agent Jim Augerinos—with a rich history and idyllic old-world charm, from the romantic walled city of Dubrovnik with its iconic red tiled roofs to Plitvice Lakes National Park famous for its cascading lakes and waterfalls.
Game of Thrones fans may also recognize many of the Westeros land and cityscapes: Diocletian’s Palace in Zagreb, for example, served the backdrop for Daenerys’ throne room in season four of the TV show. Rent a car and begin your 10-day trip in the capital city of Zagreb, and travel south to hit the sites, stopping over in Pula, Plitvice, Trogir, Split, Hvar and Cavtat, and ending in Dubrovnik.
When to go: Year round What to see: The Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb; Roman amphitheater, Pula; St. Dominic Monastery, Trogir; Trsteno Arboretum, Dubrovnik Where to stay: Hotel Jägerhorn, Zagreb; Palace Judita, Split; Hotel Lapad, Dubrovnik Where to eat: Dvor, Split; Restaurant Leut, Cavtat; Nautika, Dubrovnik How to get there: Look for flights from Washington, D.C., to any of the major cities
This article originally appeared in our Weddings 2018 issue.
