Croatia and the Last Jedi Encounter: A Star Wars-Inspired Tour

The morning begins with a classic Croatian breakfast, offering a selection of cheeses, including Gouda, alongside a spread of beef pepperoni, smoked hams, cured bacon, salami, and a choice of freshly baked breads and delicious vegetables. Your guide greets you in the hotel lobby after the meal, eager to introduce you to the secret filming locations. Fans of the fantasy series Game of Thrones may notice some of the shared similarities between this city in the galactic universe and King’s Landing from the Game of Thrones series.

The orange roof tiles and white limestone streets emit a captivating ambiance along the historical streets and alleyways. Your guide provides insight into the ways the city transformed during the filming of the latest movie, during which the squares took on a history of their own, far removed from the medieval Venetian embellishments scattered around the city.

Spoiler Alert: It is easy to imagine the high-speed chase through the city following the resistance fighter Finn, John Boyega’s character. Dressed in intergalactic formal wear, he and his companion duck into the stables of a high-class racehorse species on which the wealthy the casino city place their bets.

The 18th-century Church of St. Blaise stands on the foundations of a Romanesque medieval church with an oblong cupola at the center. The baroque style creates a ceremonial ambiance perfect for the cultured atmosphere of the new space casino city. The sci-fi universe returns to the splendors of the city’s history in view of Stradun street, the main street of Dubrovnik, which contains outdoor cafes, restaurants, and a length of nearly 1,000 feet through Old Town.

The famous limestone paving dates back to the 15th century with renovations adding to the splendors after a large earthquake in the 17th century devastated the city. Unique homes above the shops provide views of the active daily life of the boulevard over the enchanting main doors. After exploring the different filming locations of the city, your guide leads you to a workshop dedicated to learning more about the history and tradition of the Croatian cravat, or formal neckwear. The formal ambiance of the resplendent casino city returns in the image of the formalwear first fashioned as an accessory for men in Croatia in the 17th century.

Croatian soldiers wore the cravat around their neck as a part of their uniform during the 30 Years War in France. King Louis then named the piece of clothing “La Cravate” to honor the Croatian soldiers fighting for his cause. The city offers the best place to celebrate the formal accessory in the spirit of Dubrovnik’s history. At the end of the day, you can take the cable car to the top of Mount Srd to enjoy the sunset at a summit over 1,360 feet above sea level.

In the morning, the sunlight casts a captivating shimmer across the surface of the Adriatic Sea. The scent of espresso emanates from cafes along the Stradun. The white stones of the cathedral and treasury glint against the orange rooftops decorating the antique skyline. Your private transfer greets you at the hotel after breakfast and escorts you to the pier for your brief journey to the Bay of Mali Ston. You meet with the staff of the first underwater winery in Croatia along the Peljesac Peninsula. The sea laps at the golden pebbles along the shoreline.

You dress in scuba gear and take a dive into the water to view the unique winemaking process that begins above ground with the cultivation of the grapes, and ends with two years of aging the wine in clay jugs placed into the cool depths of the sea. The water envelops you with a refreshing chill. You dive down to view the cages in which the wine is stored. The water offers favorable conditions in which the wine can age at a steady temperature while gaining a particular alluring aroma. You return to shore, dry off, and enter the tasting room for a chance to sample the unique wines offered, providing a different view of the sophisticated storage of the winery.

The ruby red hue fills the glass and emits a pinewood aroma from sitting in the sea 65 feet below the surface. You sample the drink and feel like you are sipping the famous emerald wine from another world. Continue to the city of Ston to view the famous walls reaching nearly three miles in length. The 14th-century city contained 40 towers and once had upwards of five miles of walls erected around a cluster of medieval buildings.

Korcula has immense olive groves, enchanting small villages, and lush vineyards along the landscape of the Adriatic Sea’s sixth-largest island, which has a length of nearly 30 miles. Dense woods brought the original Greek settlers along the quiet coves and small sandy beaches of the southern coast, leading to the pebbly flat shores of the northern coast. Your guide greets you at the hotel and leads you on a fabulous tour of the secrets of the medieval town, the majority of which was erected during the 15th century. The cobblestones streets lead to the crown of the skyline, St. Mark’s Cathedral.

The edifice dominates the little square at the heart of the city with a limestone façade featuring Gothic and Renaissance Italian style. Naked figures of Adam and Eve grace the door pillars, along with a two-tailed mermaid and an elephant topping the triangular cornice at the top. The interior nave reaches a height of nearly 100 feet above a twin colonnade of exposed limestone pillars. The town was the birthplace of famed explorer Marco Polo, who brought noodles from China to the Doge of Venice, giving birth to the evolution of pasta in Italy. You continue to an estate on the outskirts of the city for a delicious meal prepared with traditional, organic ingredients cultivated on the farm, including olive oil, dried figs, and succulent vegetables.

The town of Hvar is the capital of the eponymous island on Croatia’s Dalmatian archipelago. Lavender fields drape across the interior hills and give a sweet, herbaceous aroma to the landscape, while the sea breeze carries the briny scent of the water through the streets of the historical town. From the shoreline, you can view the highest ridges on the island reaching over 2,000 feet above sea level. Ancient hamlets and craggy peaks decorate the center of the island amidst vineyards and bordering isolated coves.

Yachts decorate the small harbor and the aroma of espresso drifts out of the quiet cafes in the morning. Your guide leads you on an exceptional tour introducing you to an island awakening all the senses, beginning in the town of Jelsa for a wine tasting event and ending in Stari Grad on the island’s northern coast. Jelsa is one of the oldest towns in Europe, first established in the 4th century BC by the ancient Greeks. The leisurely pace of the town offers a welcoming ambiance along a deep inlet decorated with narrow lands with views of the waterfront promenade. A small beach lines the northern bank offering respite to enjoy the sun.

Like many towns and cities in Europe, the destination itself is the draw, due to the preserved historical structures and welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. The Dominican Monastery was founded in the 15th century and contains an old library with archives and archaeological artifacts. The most notable structure in town is the Tvrdalj, a large fortified castle once home to the Croatian poet, Petar Hektorovic. The walls in the tower have Latin and Croatian inscriptions. At lunch, your guide leads you to an abandoned medieval village for a traditional konoba, a restaurant in Dalmatian culture serving regional specialties in the classic methods of Croatian cooking.

You travel to Brac Island after a sumptuous traditional breakfast of cured meats, cheeses, and deliciously rich espresso. The largest island in central Dalmatia reaches an area of nearly 155 square miles and a height of more than 2,600 feet above sea level at the tallest peak of Vidova Gora. The sunlight glints against the famous white stone quarries to build iconic structures such as the Diocletian’s Palace in Split and the White House in Washington, D.C. The water laps against one of Croatia’s most famous beaches at Zlatni Rat, known as the Golden Cape, whose bleached pebbles fade into the Adriatic Sea. The Mediterranean landscape highlights cliffs and azure waters against the backdrop of pine forests harboring sleepy villages.

The interior hides vineyards and olive groves, along with orchards growing figs, almonds, and cherries. Your tour begins at Skrip, the oldest town on the island, which contains a history nearly 5,000 years old. The town is perched on a hill overlooking the undulating stones at the heart of the island. Three layers of unearthed settlements showcase Illyrian, Roman, and Croatian presence, including the ancient walls and sarcophagi dating back to the 4th century BC. The former massive walls couldn’t defend the former city against the might of the eventual incoming Roman legions.

The archaeological museum offers excavated ruins and displays of fascinating artifacts, including two low-reliefs of Hercules dating back to the Roman period and elements of the town’s original fortifications. You continue to the Olive Oil Museum at Skrip for a private tour of the evolution of olive cultivation on the island. The exhibit has a luscious aroma blending with a hint of pine. You find an olive mill, press, and a traditional fireplace for heating the water and traditional tools. The galleries lead to the tasting room, which offers samplings of the flavorful heritage of the estate beginning in the mid-19th century. The day ends within the peaceful oasis at the peak of Vidova Gora for sunset views over the black pine forest leading to the azure water at the foot of the 13th-century church of St. Vid.

Split is Croatia’s second-largest city and has been continuously inhabited since the Greeks established a colony along the water’s edge over two millennia ago, before the Romans arrived in the 3rd century BC. The grandeur of the city reveals an exuberant ambiance balancing tradition with contemporary life taking place within the antique old walls. After breakfast, your guide leads you through the cobbled streets of the city to reach the 1,700-year-old Diocletian’s Palace. The marvelous structure facing the harbor is an imposing Roman ruin acting as the pulsing heart of the city.

Labyrinthine streets contain bars, shops, and restaurants within the former military fortress and imperial residences covering more than 416,560 square feet. The morning scent of freshly brewed coffee gives way to the savory aromas of grilled fish dressed in olive oil emanating from the cafes. The original structure was erected in the 4th century from the lustrous white stones from the island of Brac, along with marble from Italy and Greece and columns brought from Egypt. The 220 buildings fill the boundaries of the palace, which includes residences for upwards of 3,000 people hidden around the boulevards, alleyways, narrow street passages, and secret courtyards. It also resembles the buzzing streets of Meereen from the fourth season of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones, which was also filmed around the ancient and medieval architecture of the city.

You continue to the Klis Fortress, a stone castle crowning the peak of a limestone bluff at over 1,260 feet above sea level. The castle adds to the luster of the outdoor shots of Meereen. The fortress provides the best view of Split’s orange-tiled rooftops and coastal luster amidst the magnificent history established by the Illyrians in the 2nd century BC as they set the foundations for the defensive structure. After touring the sensational history and fantastical stories of Split, you continue to a Croatian barbecue at a 600-year-old water mill set alongside the Zrnovnica River.

The cafes return a jovial sound to the cobbled alleyways of the Diocletian’s Palace in the morning, filling the air with the refreshing scent of freshly brewed coffee. The sea breeze carries the aroma of the briny water through the streets. The large statue of Grgur Ninski, Gregory of Nin, resembles the staggering sculpture guarding Braavos in Game of Thrones. After breakfast, your guide escorts you to the village of Skradin, the gateway to Krka National Park.

The Illyrians founded the village located less than 10 miles from Sibenik on the Krka River, making it one of the oldest towns in Croatia. Stone structures with brightly painted facades line the streets, revealing more than 6,000 years of history leading to the central 18th-century central square. Inside Krka National Park, the sound of endlessly flowing cascades offers a soothing soundtrack to your tour. The scent of lavender fills the air amidst the park’s 54 square miles of protected landscape. The lush wilderness hosts over 200 species of birds, 800 species of plant life, and 18 different species of bats.

You travel along the well-marked path to view the Skradinski Buk, a collection of 17 waterfalls reaching nearly 150 feet tall, one of the two main waterfalls in the park. The water cascades over the tiers, weaving into ponds and creating miniature islands. The rushing water forms light whirlpools within the aquamarine and turquoise water along the travertine cliffs. You exit the park and make your way to Sibenik to explore the medieval center with a private tour guide.

The cobblestone streets lead to a collection of charming cafés in view of the towering spire of the 15th-century St. James’ Cathedral. The masterpiece of Dalmatian design was crafted using stone quarried from the islands of Brac and Korcula to form the world’s largest stone church built without using brick or wooden supports. The 71 heads decorate the exterior walls in the rear of the building with a variety of facial expressions depicting ordinary citizens of the 15th century.

The towering pine trees of Marjan Forest Park linger above the city, offering majestic views of the skyline and sporadic glimpses of the Adriatic’s azure waters. The Gallery of Fine Arts opens its café doors on the terrace for visitors to enjoy the greenery outside the walls of the Diocletian’s Palace. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee adds to the herbaceous scent of pine. After breakfast, your private transfer greets you at the hotel and escorts you to Split Airport for your flight home, bringing an end to the fantastical images of Croatia and the different universes it inspires.