Travel off the beaten track and experience

Croatia is world-renowned for its gorgeous coastline, islands, and beaches of Upper Dalmatia.  Less famous?  The urban gateways to these islands: the cities of Zadar and Split. Dave and I decided to visit both cities in one day after driving down from the Plitivice Lakes. In turn, we discovered two mid-sized cities that we liked — a lot! Zadar Every publication I read about Zadar tossed out the same word: “underrated.”  Zadar doesn’t receive nearly the tourist volume of Split, and as a result, it feels more like an Croatian seaside town. Zadar’s Old Town is compact, pastel-toned, and home to two interesting works of art: the Sea Organ and the Sun Salutation . The Sea Organ is a massive instrument that creates music based on the speed and velocity of the waves rushing in, a melody alternately mournful and jubilant.  Here’s a video of it in action: The Sun Salutation is a giant solar-powered panel that blasts out designs that evoke the solar ...

Interested? PIN NOW, read later! This Split travel guide will help you navigate the city’s awesome nightlife, Roman ruins, lively markets, tasty seafood, and absolutely stunning Old Town. When I traveled across Croatia, the seaside town of Split was hands down my favorite city in the country due to its beauty, sites, nightlife, and access to countless islands in the Adriatic Sea— all of which come together to make Split the backpacker paradise of Croatia. If all of that wasn’t enough to entice you to book a plane ticket straight away, then get this: Split is only a few hours drive from several of Croatia’s most impressive national parks like Krka and Plitvice. Split is an ancient city, and once you walk around the  1,700-year-old Diocletian Palace, you’ll know you are walking through pages of history. Oh, and the city gets roughly 2800 annual hours of sunlight. You won’t find seasonal depression here.  However, upon arriving in Split, one th...