Zagreb & Split, Croatia
Our two-part train journey began with a ride from Budapest to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Our ultimate destination of Split would have been over 13 hours and rather than ride on a sleeper train, we opted to layover halfway and get a proper night’s rest. We are feeling like experienced train travelers at this point, but I was surprised when we boarded our train to discover not only was there no wifi, there was no food! We had not come prepared with anything more than a bottle of water so that was definitely a lesson learned the hard way.
Another different part of this train ride was passing from the Schengen Zone into a non-Schengen country. Crossing borders within the Schengen Zone required no border control, but at the Croatian border officials from both Hungary and Croatia boarded the train and stamped us out of the Schengen Zone and into Croatia. This is important because as a US Citizen, we only get 90 days in the Schengen Zone. So getting our for at least 1 month of our 4 month trip is essential. Last thing to note about the train ride was that Red Cross volunteers also boarded at the border control point and went through the cars asking if anyone was coming from Ukraine. There were a few in our car and they were given food and water. It was heartbreaking to think about these people’s stories and one of the only first-hand experience we have had so far with the war.
From the point that we disembarked until our train to Split we had about 16 hours in Zagreb and honestly I think we made the most of it! As soon as we checked into our hotel we went off in search of food and found some sustenance at Nocturno. We returned to our hotel where there was a rooftop bar and we were able to enjoy a nightcap before resting up in a surprisingly comfortable room at the Time Out Hotel. Our $100 per night lodging budget goes much further in Croatia!
We left our bags at the hotel in the morning to sightsee as much as we could before our 3pm train. Luckily many of the sights are very walkable from the main square where our hotel was so it was very do-able! First up was breakfast at Melt. I took a coffee to go and hit the farmers’ market at Tržinca Dolac. Having learned our lesson the day before, we stocked up on meats and cheeses, baguette, and other snacks for the train.
Many of the important buildings and sights are up a hill but luckily there is a very cute funicular you can ride to the top. It’s only about a 45 second ride from bottom to top but definitely worth doing just to save from climbing the hill! The view from the top was great and set us up to head to St Mark’s Church. The building is from the 13th century but the real stunner is the tile mosaic roof which was done in the 1800s. From there, you can easily find the Stone Gates, part of the original wall of the city. Inside there is a shrine to the Virgin Mary with a cool backstory and even its own holiday! The church bells were ringing at St Mary’s so we headed over to see the church but it was closed.
Zagreb has an abundance of museums and we had just enough time to check out one. We picked the Museum of Broken Relationships, a cathartic memorial to past loves and breakups. The museum is made up of items submitted by people hoping to let go and everything has a story to accompany it. Some were funny, like the “I’m breaking up with Pizza”, others were sad or tragic, or even shocking (a parachute, from a person whose ex died in a skydiving accident). It was a unique museum experience and definitely worth checking out in Zagreb!
With the clock ticking, we had just enough time to stop at Valhalla Beer Hall for our first Croatian beers before heading to the train. The walk to the train station took us through a beautiful park, King Tomislav Square, which had flowers, fountains, and people picnicking in the grass. With our snacks in tow, we made it onto our second train and headed for Split.
This ride was a bit more scenic, and packed to the brim with people. We were pretty chuffed with our snack selection and I was able to rip through yet another book (I’ve gotten through 5 already on this trip, nearly one a week!). Our arrival in Split was a little awkward, with 4 Ubers cancelling on us and a fifth seeing us and then peeling away, so we walked the last 15 minutes of our journey to our AirBnB.
While most of Split is based in the old town, within the walls of Diocletian’s Palace, we opted for a spot a little outside of the center. We were finally slowing down and spending an entire week in one place so we opted for something more spacious comfortable, and homey. It was also nice and close to Bacvice Beach, the primary beach in Split.
In the light of day, we were able to walk to the old town and the beach, taking note of the things we would want to explore further and how we might want to spend the week. I wouldn’t say that Split is a place where you need a week to explore, so we would have time to relax without feeling any FOMO. Our first stop by the beach revealed perfectly clear blue water, our first time at the Adriatic Sea. Beach bars lined the shore, but few were open as their tourist season doesn’t truly start until May and really pops off in June. Bacvice Beach is unique in that its one of the only sand beaches; most Croatian beaches are rocks (which attributes to the perfectly clear water).
We had a delicious lunch at Sug where we discovered the Gault&Millau ratings. Sug was well rated by this guide and had a copy of the book in their restaurant. I skimmed through the book, adding potential options to our map which wound up proving very helpful. They also have an app. We grabbed groceries and made our way to the old town to get a lay of the land.
The old town is built within the walls of a third century palace, of the former Roman emperor Diocletian. Within it are historic monuments but also houses, shops, bars and restaurants. You can find Austrian and Venetian influence in addition to the ancient Roman. Initially we explored on our own, but when we wanted more historical context, we signed up for a free walking tour with Roko. It was only about 90 minutes but it was just what we needed to get the most of our time in Split. Most interesting was that the cellars, which you can explore beneath the city, used to be used to store trash and waste. It was shocking to learn that the underground tunnels and halls, where scenes from Game of Thrones were shot, were once full to the ceiling with sewage and trash. Speaking of filming, it’s still a frequent sight in Split, and we saw some crews in the main square setting up!
Outside the walls of old town, there is a lot that most tourists don’t see. We decided to take a hike to the end of the peninsula one day, soaking up the sun and spring weather. The first stop was the best viewpoint in the city, Marjan Hill. From there, we continued on a path past the giant cross and along rock faces. Rock climbers scaled alongside old churches and hermitage caves carved into the walls. It was truly incredible and worth the hike.
We had worked up an appetite on our 7 mile walk so we headed back into old town and had a delicious dinner at Mazzgoon. Across the street is the bar Noor which has the same owners. The cocktails were delicious and the bar was cool and intimate. The owners also have another restaurant that was recommended called Kinoteca which looked amazing but we didn’t get a chance to try. Mazzgoon and Noor were two of the best places we ate and drank, but the very best were Bokeria and Sistema. Bokeria is a more upscale, yet casual, kitchen and wine bar with a fantastic menu of Croatian-inspired dishes (without being the same old Croatian menu). We loved our meal there and the service was great. Sistema was a cocktail bar we checked out at the recommendation of Noor’s manager, which had such inventive drinks. Just outside the city walls, they had a lot of cool tools they used to make different infusions and you can tell they care a lot about making you a drink that’s really special. Rounding out our culinary top 5 in Split was Corto Maltese Freestyle food. The menu was great and the vibe was just as good.
Spending a week in one place allowed us to slow down and settle into routines, which was so nice. We bought groceries and made our own breakfast each day. We spent one whole day being lazy, reading and relaxing. When the weather was nice, we could go to the beach and lay around. And when energy and inspiration would strike, we could easily walk down to old town and see something. We spread our sightseeing out, seeing the Bell Tower, cellars, landmarks, etc. over the course of the week, rather than crammed into one or two day. Not only was it more enjoyable, but I could feel it in my body. By Prague my immune system was starting to freak out, with fatigue and random pains. Split was a relaxing place for a restorative week.
