How to spend 6 heavenly days in Croatia

Simply put, Croatia is just stunning. Everywhere you turn, every road you drive, there is no part of this beautiful country that I didn't enjoy.

Let's start with the basics... DON'T MISS YOUR FLIGHT. Flights across to Dubrovnik do not run every day from Heathrow London, or multiple times a day so make sure you don't do what I did which was miss our flight by 5 mins, and have to pay a hefty last minute flight (via Istanbul) to get there the same day.

Krka Krka National Park

ONE. Hire a car.

Croatia is big, there is so much to see and do, hiring a car to get around was the best way to see it. Unlike other European countries, Croatias roads are perfect. Tolled, but reasonably priced for the distance and how clear they are. I felt completely at ease. The only mildly scary part was when you travel from Dubrovnik to Split you have to pass through Bosnia's check point. Guards with guns line up to see you passports, but other than that it's completely fineeeeeeee.

TWO. Air B&B it, rather than hotels.

A lot of the appeal for Croatia is that it's that up and coming go to holiday destination. Busy enough to have a buzz, but not busy enough to put you off. Most of the residents in the local area have seasonal jobs in the waiter/waitressing industry, and the others rent out their beautiful homes on Air B&B. You will find most just outside of the busy areas, meaning it is peaceful and quiet, local shops with actual local fresh produce in, and ample of parking for the car you've just hired.

View from our Air BNB

THREE. Create a target hit list of places to check out.

Croatia, currently popular with Game of Thrones fans and therefore a ton of scenic movie places to visit but with so much more to offer if you do your research. I created a couple of key places I absolutely had to visit, and 2 of them included a 3 hour car journey to national parks. Here's a list of some of my faves...

Dubrovnik city walls

Dubrovnik - Steps of shame (treat yourself to a shame cocktail whilst you are there)

KRKA KRKA National Park - Waterfalls (Bring your swimming costume)

Plitvice National Park - Waterfalls

Split - Historical ruins

Anywhere - taste the seafood!

Pritvlic National Park

FOUR. Have equal relaxing and exploring time.

It's very easy to get sweet up with so many sights to see and do, cram it all in and before you know it you need a holiday to recover from your holiday. I'm a sucker for this, and it took a migraine on day one for me to chill the f*** out. Explore yes, delve in and get involved yes, but chill, Croatia is THE place to chill. With so many beautiful sights, fresh seafoods and gorgeous wines, just relax.

FIVE. Have something to come back for.

I'm a firm believer to always leave something to do for a return visit. I refuse to just count the amount of countries I have been to as it truly doesn't reflect all it has to offer. So leave something to come back for, in my case its to take a boat out and see the blue waters and caves, and plan a return trip for one, three, or ten years time, your future self will appreciate it.

Relaxing in Croatia