Adriatic Adventure - Italy & Croatia

A full day to discover Venice at your own pace. St Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace and Rialto Bridge may be the headline sights, but leave the busiest streets behind and Venice quickly reveals another side, with quiet canals, tiny squares and neighbourhood bars tucked away across its islands.

You could also take to the water, whether by vaporetto (water bus) along the Grand Canal or on a trip across the lagoon to colourful Burano and glass-making Murano. You might even like to get your first view of the Adriatic with some time at the beachfront on the barrier island of Lido.

Leave Venice for a short rail journey around the northern reaches of the Adriatic with a beautiful section along the coast before you arrive into Trieste. Check in for an overnight stay at the Starhotels Excelsior Palace (or similar).

Trieste is a fascinating port city where Italian, Austrian and Slovenian influences meet. With one night here, there’s time to explore the grand Piazza Unità d’Italia, wander along the waterfront and discover the historic cafés that are a legacy of the city’s years as one of the great ports of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Today the journey continues by bus across the Italian-Croatian border to the Istrian peninsula and Rovinj. One of Croatia’s most attractive coastal towns, Rovinj tumbles down towards the Adriatic in a maze of cobbled lanes and colourful houses. Its compact old town occupies what was once an island, crowned by the Church of St Euphemia and surrounded on three sides by the sea.

You’ll spend 2 nights here at the Spirito Santo Palazzo Storico (or similar). 

Enjoy a full day in Rovinj. Wander through the old town, follow the waterfront around the harbour or climb towards St Euphemia for views across the Adriatic and its offshore islands.

Istria is also one of Croatia’s great food regions, known for truffles, olive oil, seafood and wine, so today is as much about lingering over lunch as ticking off sights.

Today’s private transfer takes you away from the Istrian coast and into the Croatian interior, breaking the journey at spectacular Plitvice Lakes National Park.

You’ll have around two hours to explore independently, following the trails and boardwalks through a landscape of intensely coloured lakes, wooded hills and tumbling waterfalls. After your walk, your car will take you on to Zadar on the Adriatic coast, where you’ll stay for 2 nights at the Teatro Verde (or similar). 

Zadar combines a historic walled centre with one of Croatia’s most distinctive waterfronts. Roman ruins, medieval churches and Venetian architecture are juxtaposed with two much more contemporary landmarks: the wave-powered Sea Organ and the solar-powered Greeting to the Sun.

Spend the day exploring the old town before heading to the waterfront in the evening. Zadar’s sunsets are something of a local institution, and the steps beside the Sea Organ are a particularly memorable place to watch the sun dip below the Adriatic.

Travel south by bus to Split, with the Adriatic coast accompanying much of the journey. Arriving into Split, you’ll have 2 nights at the Hotel Marul (or similar). At the heart of the city is Diocletian’s Palace, built for a Roman emperor around the beginning of the 4th century and now woven into the fabric of modern Split. Rather than a preserved monument behind gates, its ancient walls contain homes, shops, cafés and restaurants.

You have a full day to explore Split and its extraordinary historic centre today. Lose yourself among the lanes and courtyards of Diocletian’s Palace, climb the bell tower of St Domnius Cathedral for views across the rooftops, or simply join the evening promenade along the Riva waterfront.

Alternatively, use Split as a base for seeing more of Dalmatia, with islands and historic coastal towns within easy reach.

Enjoy more time exploring Split today, perhaps enjoying some time on the beach or heading out of town to the imposing Klis Fortress.

Later on in the afternoon, collect your bags and head to the port where you’ll board an overnight ferry to Italy. As the Croatian coastline recedes, settle in for a night at sea, crossing the Adriatic towards Ancona.

Arrive in Ancona this morning and leave the Adriatic coast behind as you continue north by train to Bologna. You have an overnight stop here at the UNA Hotels Bologna Centro (or similar).

Spend the rest of the day discovering one of Italy’s great food cities. Bologna’s handsome historic centre is threaded with kilometres of covered porticoes, while Piazza Maggiore, the medieval Quadrilatero and leaning Two Towers are all within easy walking distance.

Travel north through Italy towards Milan before crossing into Switzerland for your final overnight stop in Zurich, at the Roxy Mimi Hotel (or similar).

You’ll have the evening to enjoy the city, whether wandering through the Altstadt beside the River Limmat, heading down to the lakefront or simply finding somewhere for dinner before the final leg of your journey tomorrow.

Complete your European circuit by rail, travelling from Zurich through France and back to London. After almost two weeks, you’ll have crossed France, Italy, Croatia and Switzerland, travelled by train, bus, private transfer and overnight ferry, and followed both shores of the Adriatic.