{"id":48468,"date":"2026-03-30T18:31:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T18:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/i-visit-croatia-every-year-there-are-4-places-i-think-should-be-on-every-itinerary\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T18:31:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T18:31:18","slug":"i-visit-croatia-every-year-there-are-4-places-i-think-should-be-on-every-itinerary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/i-visit-croatia-every-year-there-are-4-places-i-think-should-be-on-every-itinerary\/","title":{"rendered":"I visit Croatia every year. There are 4 places I think should be on every itinerary."},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f82b2abd5e944effb2f34?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A wide shot of Rab Island in Croatia.\"\/><figcaption>One of my favorite places in Croatia is Rab Island.<\/p>\n<p>Emese Maczko<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>I&#039;ve been visiting Croatia annually for the last 30 years, and am still enamored with the country.<\/li>\n<li>&quot;Game of Thrones&quot; fans should take the ferry from Dubrovnik to Lokrum Island for a day trip.<\/li>\n<li>My family and I love visiting Rastoke, which looks like the pages of a storybook came to life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Thirty years ago, I fell in love with Croatia&#039;s rugged shoreline the moment I saw the crystal-clear waters.<\/p>\n<p>I grew up with sandy lakesides instead of tropical waters, so spending hours watching sea cucumbers, small fish, and crabs felt like nothing I&#039;d ever seen or known before.<\/p>\n<p>I&#039;ve visited Croatia almost every year since then, and it&#039;s continued to feel refreshingly authentic \u2014 unspoiled, relaxed, and not staged for tourists. Here are four of my favorite places in the country.<\/p>\n<h2>&quot;Game of Thrones&quot; fans should take a day trip to Lokrum Island to see a replica of the Iron Throne<\/h2>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/693b3ca504eda4732f2d66ed?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A wide shot overlooking Dubrovnik&#039;s old town with Lokrum Island in the distance.\"\/><figcaption>Lokrum Island was a filming location for &quot;Game of Thrones.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Hterry15\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you&#039;ve ever dreamt about sitting on the Iron Throne from HBO&#039;s &quot;Game of Thrones,&quot; I highly recommend visiting Lokrum Island, which doubled as the city of Qarth in the series.<\/p>\n<p>After a short 15-minute ferry ride from Dubrovnik, you can wander the gardens of the Benedictine monastery.<\/p>\n<p>There&#039;s also a small exhibition commemorating the series, with a replica of the Iron Throne.<\/p>\n<p>And if you&#039;re not a fan of the show, there&#039;s still plenty to do on the island. Don&#039;t miss floating in its salt lake (Mrtvo More), relaxing at one of the secluded beaches, or snapping pictures of the many free-roaming peacocks.<\/p>\n<h2>Relax on a quiet beach along Rab&#039;s seaside promenade<\/h2>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f82b2abd5e944effb2f34?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A wide shot of Rab Island in Croatia.\"\/><figcaption>One of my favorite places in Croatia is Rab Island.<\/p>\n<p>Emese Maczko<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Although many tourists flock to Lopar and its sandy beaches, I prefer spending time along the quiet seaside promenade between the towns of Palit and Rab.<\/p>\n<p>This promenade is a place for simple joys, like starting your day with a jog, enjoying a delicious breakfast with a view, or taking a refreshing swim. The energy remains high throughout the day as families swim, hunt for seashells, and grab ice cream.<\/p>\n<p>The pathway is dotted with little beaches tucked under the shade of pine trees. In the summer, I love relaxing while listening to the rhythmic hum of cicadas, a sound so quintessentially Croatian that I can&#039;t imagine the season without it.<\/p>\n<h2>Rastoke looks like a fairy tale brought to life<\/h2>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/693b3d9464858d02d216ade6?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A wide shot of homes and the Korana River in Rastoke, Croatia.\"\/><figcaption>The waterfalls in Rastoke are beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>DaLiu\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Located about 30 minutes away from Plitvice Lakes National Park, Rastoke is more than just a quaint little village.<\/p>\n<p>With over 20 waterfalls along the Slunj\u010dica River, original mills, a fairy garden, and an eco museum, visiting Rastoke is like taking a step back in time.<\/p>\n<p>My kids loved visiting the fairy garden, which featured a variety of hidden fairy sculptures. Meanwhile, I enjoyed walking along a boardwalk to explore the waterfalls.<\/p>\n<h2>Imotski is one of the best hidden gems in Croatia<\/h2>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/693b3f0b64858d02d216ae0e?format=jpeg\" alt=\"An aerial view of Blue Lake in Imotski, Croatia.\"\/><figcaption>The town of Imotski overlooks Blue Lake.<\/p>\n<p>Joachim Bago\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Perched at the top of a plateau overlooking Modro Jezero (Blue Lake) \u2014 which is located in a sinkhole \u2014 is the town of Imotski.<\/p>\n<p>I recommend starting your trip with a visit to the Blue Lake Viewpoint. When water levels are high (typically after late spring-early summer rainfall), you&#039;ll find people swimming.<\/p>\n<p>But the fun doesn&#039;t stop on the rare occasion that the lake dries out. In fact, it&#039;s tradition for the empty crater to become the stage for a soccer game between the teams Vilenjaci (Elves) and Vukodlaci (Werewolves).<\/p>\n<p>I also enjoy visiting the Topana Fortress, which is located at the town&#039;s highest point, and the nearby Crveno Jezero (Red Lake), which is in a sinkhole, too, and boasts unreal views.<\/p>\n<p>No matter where you go in Croatia, I&#039;m sure you&#039;ll be hungry to return for more \u2014 I know I am.<\/p>\n<p><em>This story was originally published on December 21, 2025, and most recently updated on March 30, 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read the original article on Business Insider<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of my favorite places in Croatia is Rab Island. Emese Maczko I&#039;ve been visiting Croatia annually for the last 30 years, and am still enamored with the country. &quot;Game of Thrones&quot; fans should take the ferry from Dubrovnik to Lokrum Island for a day trip. My family and I love visiting Rastoke, which looks [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-48468","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48468\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}