• The route of our tour from Dubrovnik to Venice, masterfully planned by Customized Journeys and perfectly executed by Jasmina and Boris. Along Croatia's 1,166 miles of mainland coastline (327 miles between the extreme points), there are more than 1,000 islands.

• Our travels in broader context

• The Dubrovnik Palace Hotel, our lodging in Dubrovnik, is located west of the old city on the Lapad Peninsula.

• The sunset over the islands in the Adriatic Sea on our first night in Dubrovnik

• The sea and islands the next morning

• A view of the Adriatic from Forest Park, at the edge of which sits the Dubrovnik Palace Hotel.

• The rocky south shore of Forest Park

• Beaches in Croatia are stones, not sand. This beach is a short walk from our hotel.

• We took advantage of arriving in Dubrovnik two days before the official start of the tour to explore the old city and the area around it. This is the Pile Gate, one of three gates into the old walled city of Dubrovnik, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• Saint Blaise keeps a watchful eye over the inner Pile Gate.

• Saint Blaise (Sveti Vlaho), the patron saint of Dubrovnik, holds the city in his left hand.

• We began our visit to the old city by walking the walls. This is the access point to the top of the walls near the Pile Gate.

• This view from the wall is looking out over the Pile Gate.

• At the top of the hill on the left, and outside the old city walls, is Fort Lovrijenac or St. Lawrence Fortress. It played a key role in protecting Dubrovnik from the Venetians.

• Air drying clothes is the standard in this part of the world. Electric clothes dryers are not common.

• Kathryn atop the city wall

• The old city's harbor

• The tower at the Dominican Monastery

• Doug on the wall walk with the Minčeta fortress in the background

• Rooftops of the old city

• The Minčeta fortress was the stronghold of the old city and is the highest point on the wall.

• After walking the city wall, we enjoyed gelato at Rick Steves' favorite spot.

• We began our guided group tour of the old city on the Stradun, the old city's main street.

• Our local guide Marina (second from right) stands next to our tour guide, Jasmina (center).

• This photo of Vivian and Michelle with our tour guide Jasmina and our driver Boris is courtesy of Michelle Bassett.

• Our tour group with our local guide Marina in the old city

• Just a week after Easter, large decorative eggs were still displayed throughout the old city. This Easter egg is in front of the Rector's Palace, now a museum.

• The Baroque style Dubrovnik Cathedral and Treasury

• The dome of the Cathedral

• Cats are a thing in Dubrovnik!

• So are touristy shops!

• These are the Jesuit Stairs. They are featured as the 'Walk of Shame' in Season Five of the Game of Thrones.

• Exiting the old city

• Enjoying coffee after our tour of old town Dubrovnik - Photo courtesy of Jovanna Petrie

• Arriving in Ston, famous for this wall

• The fort at the top of the stone wall

• The village of Ston

• Beginning our walk in Ston

• The fortress at Ston

• The fortress at Ston

• The church at Ston

• The church at Ston

• A drive-by photo of the salt evaporators at Ston

• We stopped for wine tasting and lunch at Winery Mikulić

• Our host at Winery Mikulić opening a bottle of their Methode Traditionnelle brut sparkling wine

• Our pre-lunch tour of the museum at Winery Mikulić

• The table set for lunch

• Photo courtesy of Michelle Bassett

• Apetizers at our lunch

• Preparing to board our ferry to Korćula

• Arriving on the island of Korćula with Boris at the wheel of our tour bus

• Korćula Heritage Hotel, our lodging in Korćula

• The main entrance to the old walled city of Korćula.

• Ivan, our local guide in Korćula, at the Church of St Michael

• St Mark's Church in Korćula

• St Mark's Church in Korćula

• The St Mark's Church Parish Office

• Entrance to St Mark's Church

• Doug takes a photo of the marble column (ca 1515) and mast from which the flag of Korćula city flies with the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in the background.

• Interior of the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

• A retail and residential building opposite St Mark's

• Church of St Peter

• A map of Marco Polo's travels. Both Korćula and Venice claim Marco Polo as a native son.

• Boarding a boat for a tour of the islands and sea around Korćula

• Approaching an island town, akin to what we in the USA would call a company town, that grew up around a stone quarry,

• Docked at the island with the quarry

• Buildings on the quarry island are in varying condition.

• After our boat tour of the islands, we returned to the island of Korćula where we visited Bire Winery.

• Entering the Bire Winery complex

• We had lunch at Bire Winery and tasted their excellent wines.

• Our next stop was the Skatula Bakery on Korćula. The bakery owner, here with our local guide Ivan, welcomed us.

• Enjoying pastries at Skatula Bakery

• A drive-by photo of old town Korćula from above

• A view of the old town of Korćula from the ferry as we departed for the mainland

• One of the many long modern tunnels through which we passed.

• A drive-by photo of Croatian farmland

• A rest stop on our drive north

• The rest stop was next to a popular vacation spot for Croatians where there are ten linked lakes.

• Our next stop was herba Croatica, a start-up funded by an EU program that kickstarts new businesses.

• The herba Croatica campus blends historic and modern buildings.

• We had an olive oil lesson,

• an olive oil tasting,

• and lunch.

• A drive-by photo enroute to Trogir

• Trogir is a medieval walled city on an island.

• Crossing from the mainland to the island of Trogir

• Located on Trogir's main square, the Cathedral of St. Lawrence is a Roman Catholic triple-naved basilica constructed in Romanesque-Gothic.

• The main west portal of the cathedral is this Romanesque-Gothic style masterpiece by Radovan (1240 CE).

• A rear view of the Cathedral of St. Lawrence

• Trogir town hall on the main square

• Cipiko Palace from the 13th century

• Trogir

• Trogir

• Trogir

• Small domiciles along the waterfront in Trogir

• Hotel Cornaro, our lodging in Split

• Looking into the walled old town of Split from our hotel room

• The fish market in Split, Croatia

• Inside the fish market in Split, Croatia

• The Sulphur Spa, designed by Kamilo Tončić, is an example of Croatian Art Nouveau architecture from 1903.

• Art Nouveau detail on Sulphur Spa

• Split harbor promenade

• Split harbor

• An illustration of Diocletian's Palace

• Entering Diocletian's Palace

• Our local guide in Trogir and Split

• We began our tour of Diocletian's Palace on the lowest level.

• The Cathedral of St Domnius, the patron saint of Split, as seen from Diocletian's Palace

• The Cathedral of St Domnius

• Diocletian's Palace ruins below modern buildings

• One of the open courtyards in Diocletian's Palace. The tree roots on the column were placed by a filming crew.

• Looking back along the Split waterfront as we begin a walk through Forest Park Marjan

• A GPS track of our walk in Forest Park Marjan near Split's old city

• Kathryn and Doug with Split in the background

• A view of the old city of Split with the modern city of high-rise buildings in the background

• Near the beginning of the walk

• The Chapel of St Nickolas the Traveler (1219)

• The Split harbor

• Grandma Marta's house

• Vidikovac Lookout Tower and Observation Deck (under construction)

• Looking north from the Marjan peninsula across the Gulf of Castelan between Split and Trogir

• Poljud Stadium

• At the rooftop bar of the hotel in Split - Photo courtesy of Vivian Weaver

• The bell tower of St Domnius in old town Split from the hotel's rooftop bar at dusk

• Enroute from Split to Croatia's Plitvička Jezera National Park

• Lička kuća Restaurant, our lunch stop at Plitvička Jezera National Park

• Restaurant interior

• Off for our walk in Plitvička Jezera

• Plitvička Jezera National Park in Croatia

• Plitvička Jezera National Park is noted for its magnificent waterfalls and lakes.

• On the boat ride across one of the lakes - Photo courtesy of Jessica Broadley

• On the boat ride across one of the lakes - Photo courtesy of Jessica Broadley

• A GPS track of our walk and boat rides in Plitvička Jezera National Park

• Hotel Degenija, our lodging near Plitvička Jezera National Park

• At Hotel Degenija, Jessica and Morgan provided us with a tasting of Broadley Pinot Noirs. Photo courtesy of Michele Bassett

• A drive-by photo entering Zagreb, the capitol of Croatia, over the Sava River. The tall buildings to the right are Yugoslavian communist era worker housing.

• The Zagreb City Library is the former home of Ante Starĉević, a controversial 19th century politician credited with laying the foundations for Croatian Nationalism

• The Art Pavilion on King Tomislav Square

• Zagreb City Hall

• Nicola Tesla is a famous son of Croatia

• Ban Josip Jelačić Square, the main square in Zagreb

• Josip Jelaĉić, a Croatian national hero and 17th century governor who expanded citizen's rights and united the Croats

• Josip Jelaĉić detail

• Our group preparing to board the funicular to the upper town

• On board the funicular

• Looking down from the top of the funicular

• A view of Zagreb's lower town from the older upper town. In 2020, Zagreb was severely damaged by an earthquake and recovery is ongoing. Many historic buildings are still closed.

• Ban's Palace, the offices for the Croatian Prime Minister

• St Mark's Church

• The main entrance to St Mark's Church

• Sabor, the Croatian parliament

• A lane in the upper town

• Part of Zagreb's public market

• Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saintly Kings Stephen and Ladislav is closed for earthquake repairs

• The entrance to the Cathedral

• Statue of the Virgin Mary on the plaza next to the Cathedral