Signature Croatia

Upon arrival in Zagreb International Airport, private transfer to the hotel. Enjoy a welcome dinner at a traditional restaurant. (D)

After breakfast, embark on a private morning sightseeing tour of Split.The story of Split is 17 centuries old, dating back to when the Roman Emperor Diocletian decided to build his Palace right on the peninsula to retire. The palace now forms the core of modern-day Split, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its history spanning ancient Rome and the Middle Ages is still visible and alive in the structure of the city. A stroll will transport you back in time as you explore ancient, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture superbly merged with the modern.Enjoy lunch on your own before joining your guide for a private guided tour of the Ivan Mestrovic Gallery. Mestrovic was a Croatian prodigy, and his ability to coax beauty and emotive drama from stone made him a worldwide sensation. You’ll have the opportunity to see his talent up close as you walk through the gallery and admire 86 bronze, marble, and wood sculptures. Afterward, enjoy a wine tasting in Split before departing for Trogir in the afternoon. Upon your arrival there, embark on a sightseeing tour with a local guide. Trogir is a picturesque town and UNESCO World Heritage Site where every stone is a monument. With jutting belfries, shambling streets, and antique central squares, Trogir’s street plan dates back to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It is often considered the best-preserved example of a Romanesque-Gothic town in Central Europe.After the tour, enjoy some free time to explore the city before returning to Split. (B)

After breakfast, catch a ferry to the beautiful island of Hvar for a private sightseeing tour. A popular summer getaway for the rich and famous, it has played host to everyone from Bill Gates to Napoleon, Prince Harry to Brad Pitt, no less than three James Bonds (Connery, Craig, and Brosnan), and Ellen DeGeneres, Beyonce, and Jay-Z! And it’s easy to see why: with a picturesque Venetian port, traffic-free marble streets, medieval towers, and a beautiful central piazza, Hvar is an old-world charm at its finest. Highlights of its port town include 13th-century walls, a hilltop fortress, and the main square anchored by the Renaissance-era Hvar Cathedral. The island also features secluded beaches, inland lavender fields, and a sun-splashed harbor known locally as the Riva, where cabana bars and open-air cocktail joints revel next to bobbing millionaire yachts into the early hours of the morning. The winding marble streets of the Stari Grad offer an assortment of refined konobos, or taverns, where mezze plates of Croatian olive oil mix with truffle pastas and other local specialties. After your tour, you will have more free time to further explore the city, or you can head out to the hiking trails, beaches, secluded coves, or the nearby Pakleni Islands. (B)

After breakfast, spend the day at your leisure. We recommend a full day private boat excursion exploring the Green and Blue caves. You will begin by cruising between Hvar and the islets of Ravnik and Biševo before visiting the Green Cave, where you can swim and enjoy the emerald light show! You’ll also visit a picturesque hidden inlet called Stiniva for more swimming or sunbathing before continuing on to experience the world-renowned Blue Cave. Its ethereal silvery-blue color is created by the sun as it bathes the inside of the cave through an opening in the roof and is reflected back by the sandy surface below. Then visit the legendary island of Vis, a charming seaside hamlet where you will have some free time to explore. Depart Vis for the Paklinski Islands, where you will enjoy a seaside Adriatic lunch, swim, relax, or even go dancing at the Laganini lounge club beach bar, a famous island hotspot where Bono enjoyed THAT 10-course lunch! (B) 

After breakfast, drive to the port of Sucuraj and take a ferry to Drvenik. Drive along coastal roads until you reach Mali Ston (“little stone”) and its larger sister village of Ston. Ston is connected to Mali Ston via 5 kilometre long walls that are regarded as a notable feat of medieval architecture. You cannot miss them: after the Great Wall of China, they are the second longest defensive walls in the world! You will enjoy a private panoramic boat ride through the Bay of Mali Ston all the way down to the oyster beds. Ston is renowned for its oysters and mussels, which are uniquely delicious due to a distinctive nutrient blend that naturally occurs in Mali Ston Bay. While the bay is already loaded with salt, the nearby Neretva River discharges fresh, mineral-heavy water from the karst springs that flow into it. Add in a sea floor that is packed with phytoplankton, and you have a natural recipe for some of the planet’s best raw oysters! Enjoy an oyster tasting on the boat, including homemade rakia (brandy), 3 oysters per person, bread, and lemon. After lunch, continue to Dubrovnik and check in to the hotel. (B,L) 

After breakfast, join your local guide for a private sightseeing tour of Dubrovnik, the Pearl of the Adriatic. Known locally as the City, a paradise on Earth, or Croatian Athens, its beauty, harmony, and cultural, artistic, and scientific significance are widely acclaimed. Historians regard Dubrovnik as a symbol of freedom, order, and harmony between desires and possibilities. Traces of past socio-economic prosperity can be seen in its wall-enclosed palaces, churches, and monasteries, which all claim place on the UNESCO World Heritage List. You will visit the famous Dubrovnik city walls (a film setting for Game of Thrones), the Franciscan monastery and pharmacy, cathedral, and treasury. After your tour, enjoy some free time to further explore the city or buy souvenirs. (B) 

After breakfast, spend the day at your leisure exploring Dubrovnik. With cobblestone streets, marble pavements, arguably the finest medieval city walls in the world, and cafes and boutiques tucked into every corner, Dubrovnik is the explorer’s aesthetic delight. Seek out those hidden gems that have inspired so many poets, savor incredibly fresh seafood and other local specialties (we recommend the famous dessert rožata, a crème brûlée-like pudding infused with homemade rose liqueur). And if you get thirsty, feel free to fill your water bottle up at one of the stone fountains in the Old Town - the water is 100% clean and safe to drink! (B) 

After breakfast, private transfer to Dubrovnik Airport for departure. (B)