9-Day Family Vacation to Croatia

We had a fantastic trip with the Zicasso travel company. They helped us plan the perfect itinerary for our family (two adults and three kids aged 17, 14, and 10). They listened to our desires for an active family vacation and went above and beyond with all of the details!

We spent two full weeks in Croatia and had so many memorable and beautiful experiences. They set up friendly, knowledgeable drivers in a comfortable air-conditioned van. The accommodations they booked were all fantastic, from boutique hotels in the middle of the old towns in Zadar and Split to larger resort hotels in Hvar and Dubrovnik.

Our favorite experiences were ones we would have never found on our own, including a private biking tour and dinner at a restaurant in old town Hvar, a boat ride to Trogir, and the Blue Lagoon out of Split, with a stop at the most marvelous island for the most impressive and fancy lunch I've ever had. Other highlights were a history and gastronomy tour in Split; a biking tour outside of Dubrovnik, followed by a cooking class and amazing home-cooked meal at a family home; a kayaking tour out of Hvar; a private boat tour to the Blue Cave, with snorkeling; and a visit to Mali Ston to enjoy fresh oysters on the boat of the oyster farm owner, who explained how they caught the oysters and treated us to the freshest oysters and mussels we've ever had!

Our contact from the travel agency was always very quick to answer questions before and during the trip.

We loved Croatia – the history is amazing, the people are friendly, the food is great, the architecture is stunning, the national parks are gorgeous, and there is so much to do and experience. Everywhere we went, we felt 100% safe, and everything was very clean. The Adriatic Sea has crystal-clear, beautiful water.

You absolutely must visit Plitvice Lakes (stunning waterfalls and lake) and Krka National Park if you have time. It is beautiful, less crowded than Plitvice, and teeming with frogs, which my boys loved finding.

Split was my absolute favorite city. It’s amazing how they have incorporated newer architecture among the centuries-old buildings for an amazing old-town experience. Dubrovnik has stunning ancient walls and fortresses, Zadar is beautiful and has a great waterfront promenade, and Hvar is a vibrant and fun beach town.

The travel agency always set us up with local guides and drivers who really added to our experience. We loved having private tours instead of being with a huge group!

I'm so glad we booked through them and would encourage others to do the same!

This is one of the best trips I have taken in my life. The travel company was very accommodating of a very last minute itinerary change and even helped with when one of our visas was delayed. They were very flexible and accommodating which made traveling with my 2 year old very easy. The itinerary started in Split where we we picked up by a driver from the airport in a very comfortable Mercedes van which was out ride for the whole trip. The driver was accommodating of helping track a lost stroller from the airline. The 5 star hotel we stayed at opened their kitchen at midnight to make food for my jetlagged daughter! We drove to Plitvice LAKES national park and the rest of the trip included sibenik at a very nice Resort, ZADAR, KRKA national park and SKRADIN. We then to a boat to hvar where we had a fantastic, very central hotel to walk into town and along the promenade. The tour planned where we visited a small winery in hvar island and lunch in a family estate in vrisnik was one of the most memorable of our trip. We then got back to split and drove to dubrovnik where the driver showed us some amazing views. We did a very nice oyster tasting experience as well

The Plitvice Lakes National Park was spectacular.  We enjoyed the tour of Split/Trogir.  The wine tasting tour and dinner on Hvar were also highlights.  The cable car ride and the walk around the top of the walls provided a different perspective of the Old Town in Dubrovnik and were well worth it.  Our tour to Montenegro was very interesting and a day well spent.

The tour company was very professional, accommodating and friendly. We never had to worry about where to go to meet the tour guides and everyone was always very prompt.

They planned the trip according to everything we were looking for, when we were in Dubrovnik the tours were more fast paced. Then when we got to Hvar they were a little more laid back so we could relax after hitting the ground running. Finally in Split we had one big tour and then the rest of the time was ours. 

It was the perfect amount of activity and relaxation which was what we were looking for. 

The coordinators were great too because they gave us tips and hints about restaurants and bars from their local perspective which helped us avoid tourist traps.