Journeys

Croatia, Zagreb to Dubrovnik

From the capital to the far south, with the waterfalls of Krka on the way.

  • Eight nights
  • Three stays
  • Croatia
  • Culture, coast, wine, boat
Aerial view of a narrow wooded island with white cliffs and a turquoise lake, surrounded by blue sea.

Eight nights from Zagreb down the Dalmatian coast to Dubrovnik, by road with private guides. Between the cities come the waterfalls of Krka and a boat to the Franciscan island of Visovac, a truffle hunt in the hinterland and two family wineries, and in Dubrovnik a sunrise climb up Mount Srđ and a kayak beneath the town walls.

Length
Eight nights
Pace
Three stays
Style
Culture, coast, wine, boat
Route
Zagreb to Split to Dubrovnik
  1. ZagrebTwo nights
  2. SplitThree nights
  3. DubrovnikThree nights
Aerial view of a church with a patterned tiled roof on a square of red-roofed buildings.

01

Days 1 to 3 · two nights

Zagreb

Met at the airport and driven to the Esplanade, built in 1925 for passengers off the Orient Express. A private tour of the upper and lower town, ending in the green squares of Zrinjevac.

Where you stay

Esplanade Zagreb Hotel

The Esplanade opened in 1925 to receive passengers from the Orient Express, and reopened in 2004 after a complete renovation. It has 208 rooms and suites in the centre of Zagreb, with Zinfandel's Restaurant, Le Bistro Esplanade and a grand ballroom.

Aerial view of Split's old town and palm-lined waterfront above a turquoise harbour.

02

Days 3 to 6 · three nights

Split

A drive south to the Dalmatian coast. A day at the Krka waterfalls, with a boat to Visovac for half an hour on the island, its Franciscan monastery, church and museum, then the old town of Šibenik and lunch at a family winery. A morning hunting truffles in the Dalmatian hinterland, and a private tour of Diocletian's Palace, its substructures among the most complete Roman buildings of their kind, and the fortress at Klis. On the edge of Split, the ancient city of Salona with a professional archaeologist, then a turn digging on a working excavation; or, inland at Sinj, the Alka Museum, for the tournament on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, and a riding lesson at the Sinj Hippodrome with a past winner of the Alka.

Where you stay

Palazzo President

Palazzo President is in the centre of Split, in the foothills of Marjan, a short walk from Diocletian's Palace and the Peristyle. Green granite, stone and brass run through the building, more than 150 paintings by Croatian artists hang throughout, and the residential suites have a fireplace and a library.

Loungers on a timber sun deck above the Adriatic, potted palms at the glass rail.
Photo: Villa Dubrovnik

03

Days 6 to 9 · three nights

Dubrovnik

South along the coast and over the Pelješac peninsula, with a tasting at a family winery among the Dingač vineyards. Then a private day in Dubrovnik and the Konavle valley, with lunch in a village, and a free day in the city. Early one morning, a guided hike up Mount Srđ for sunrise, or two and a half hours by sea kayak around the town walls. One evening, a private concert can be arranged in the small 16th-century church of St Rosario, behind the Dominican Monastery.

Where you stay

Villa Dubrovnik

Villa Dubrovnik is built into a cliff in the Sveti Jakov area, looking across to the island of Lokrum and the Old Town. Mladen Frka designed it in 1961, Studio Arthur Casas did the interiors, and the Villa Kolin suite has a private pool reached through a small pine forest.

Arranged on request

Visovac by boat

A boat across the Krka to Visovac, with half an hour on the island for its Franciscan monastery, church and museum.

Sunrise on Mount Srđ

A guided hike of three to four hours up the hill above Dubrovnik for sunrise, arranged by Villa Dubrovnik.

Kayaking beneath the walls

Two and a half hours by private sea kayak around Dubrovnik's town walls.

Mljet by private boat

A full day by private boat to Mljet, the island of Odysseus.

Archaeologist for a day at Salona

The ancient city of Salona, on the outskirts of Split, with a professional archaeologist as host, then time digging on a working excavation.

A concert in St Rosario

A private concert inside the small 16th-century church of St Rosario, tucked behind Dubrovnik's Dominican Monastery, arranged on request.

Subject to availability.

Ways to make it yours

  1. Two nights on Hvar, reached by private boat from Split.
  2. A day at the Plitvice Lakes on the way from Zagreb.
  3. A day by private motorboat in Kornati National Park.

This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.

Made around you

Most travel is bought. This is designed.

Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.

The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.

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