Travel to Croatia from the US – The Balkans
If you decide to travel to Croatia from the US, you will want to explore other countries in the Balkans as well. We did; during a cruise in 2022 we were able to visit Montenegro and Croatia. We also drove from Venice to visit Slovenia. In 2024 we plan to visit Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo as well.
The Balkans are a peninsula that consists of eleven countries. Five of them, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia and Macedonia, were once part of Yugoslavia. These former Yugoslavian countries managed to be less influenced by Russia than other USSR countries. This was because Yugoslavia was not part of the Soviet bloc, but rather a sovereign and independent state that pursued its own interests and identity. However, Yugoslavia also maintained some ties and cooperation with Russia based on shared history, culture, and geopolitics.
The Balkans – Montenegro
Montenegro borders the Adriatic Sea and is in the southeastern part of the Balkans. Given the proximity to Greece, Montenegro is predominately a Greek Orthodox country. However, given its closeness to Bosnia and the historic role of the Ottoman Empire. We visited Montenegro while on a Royal Caribbean Cruise and docked in Kotor. You can appreciate the steep landscape of the country, as evidenced from our picture looking down at the Bay of Kotor. This road, with 30 hairpin turns, is one of the most famous in the world. And hope that you do not meet a bus or construction vehicle. The views are spectacular; it’s not surprising that high-end auto commercials photograph here. Robin appears to be a little terrified.
Travel to Croatia from the US
If you wish to travel to Croatia from the US, most likely you will be either taking a cruise in the Adriatic from Athens, Venice or Rome or fly to another city before you get to Dubrovnik or Split. The one exception that we found is that United does offer a direct flight, at least in the summer, from Newark to Dubrovnik. There are plenty of one stop options either through London, Paris, Frankfort or other European cities.
Like Montenegro, Croatia borders the Adriatic, but with a much longer coastline. From a religious perspective, the country is mostly Roman Catholic. Tourism is very important to the economy. As a result, Croatia appears in the top 20 tourist destinations in the world. Our cruise ship made stops in Dubrovnik and Split.
However, to really see and enjoy Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast it is best to take a smaller boat and visit some of the 1,246 islands that make up the coastline. Hvar and Korcula are two of the more popular islands to visit. We are hoping to return to Croatia in 2024 to visit those islands, in addition to returning to Dubrovnik and Split.
Travel to Croatia from the US to see Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik is in the southern part of the country bordering Montenegro. Recently the Peljesac Bridge that crosses the Neretva Channel opened for automobile traffic on July 26, 2022 .
Dubrovnik has a true historic feel to it. A main feature of the city are the walls which run almost two kilometers around the city.
We totally enjoyed our limited time in beautiful Dubrovnik. This is clearly the case as Robin is looking quite pleased as we departed the port. See our DIY Cruises post for more details about cruising.
Travel to Croatia from the US to see Split!
Our next stop on our journey up the Adriatic Sea brought us to the port of Split. Split is the second largest city in Croatia after the capital, Zagreb. A little more than an hour from Split is the Krka National Park. It is an absolutely beautiful park with wonderful waterfalls, well worth the trip.
The Balkans – Slovenia
Our final visit in The Balkans was the country of Slovenia. Slovenia is a short drive from Venice. However, given our limited time, we were only able to visit the western part of the country. The Soca River, shown below, is an example of the absolute beauty of the region. During our visit, we stayed overnight in Kobarid at the Hisa Franko resort and restaurant in the Soca Valley. Hisa Franko is a two-star Michelin restaurant and is considered one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. The chef, Ana Ros, is self-taught and is incredibly creative. See our favorite restaurant post for more information.
