Croatia Two Centre - Zagreb and Brac

Day 1 - 3 - Zagreb

The transfer from the airport to the 4-star Astoria Hotel takes approximately 30 minutes (15km). The Astoria is an established, traditional, cosy hotel with a very good restaurant and long-serving experienced staff. Its location is ideal for exploring the city. You could say that it was a 5 to 10 minute walk from everywhere in the centre.

You have two full days to explore Zagreb. Many of the areas in the lower town resemble Vienna and the upper town, where the parliament is located, feels medieval. Trams criss-cross the city. Zagreb has always had a wonderful cultural scene with world class museums, art galleries, national theatre and, on the eclectic side, the Museum of Broken Relationships and the Museum of Illusions (neither for the faint-hearted!). Café society is serious business in this capital as locals are out sipping coffee and chatting on the many outdoor terraces for as long as it is possible. In winter, many traditional cafes have a distinct cosy feel of Vienna (legacy of the Austrian empire era). The Zagreb Christmas Advent Fair is considered to be one of the best in Europe. The city centre has two main areas, the hilltop Upper Town (Gornji Grad) and the Lower Town (Donji Grad) and a fun way to travel between the two is on the small funicular, said to be the shortest one in the world at 45 seconds. These two parts meet at the huge main square (the impressively named Trg Ban Jelacic). The medieval Upper Town is home to the cathedral modelled on the one in Cologne. There are various other ways to walk up and down. St Mark’s Church with its amazing coloured tiled roof, the Croatian Parliament building, Lotrscak Tower (a cannon blasts from here every day at noon, Croatia City Museum, and the museum of broken relationships (allow one hour minimum) are all here. When not exploring, just relax in the many cafes and watch the world go by. Don’t forget to have a drink at the famous and elegant 5-star Hotel Esplanade which opened in 1925 to cater for passengers on the Orient Express train from Istanbul to Paris via Zagreb and Milan. The botanical gardens, said to be modelled on Kew Gardens, are nearby

Three overnights at the Hotel Astoria on a bed and breakfast basis.

Zagreb, Croatia

Day 4 - 7 - Island of Brac (Wednesday or Saturday)

You will be transferred back to Zagreb Airport (30 minutes) to catch the 12.15 flight to Bol on the island of Brac which takes approximately 50 minutes. On arrival at the small airport on Bol you will be transferred to the Bol Boutique hotel in Bol resort (17 minutes, 15 km).

The owner managed, 23 roomed Bol Boutique Hotel opened in 2013. It is smart with a distinctive, creative and unusual decor with much use of beach pebbles. Located in a quiet area just 10 minutes’ walk from the centre of Bol, with a fresh market, shops, bars, restaurants, excursion boats, catamaran and the boat that operates (every half an hour or so) between Bol and the famous pebble/shingle Zlatni Rat beach and also between Bol centre and the Dominican monastery (worth a visit). If walking to Zlatni Rat beach, allow 20-25 minutes. Bol centre has a good selection of bars, restaurants and shops and some lovely cafes located along the curved stone waterfront wall. Stina Winery is housed in a vast old stone cellar and offers wine tasting and sometimes pairing tastings. A pedestrianised promenade made of the island’s white stone runs from the beginning of the Bol centre to the Zlatni Rat beach, through a beautiful pine forest. This walk takes around 20 minutes. There are smaller beaches and coves here together with some beach bistros and several places offering water sports including windsurfing and equipment hire. Bol is a very pretty place and ideal for a four day swimming and relaxation stay. If you can tear yourselves away from town and beach then do take a local excursion to Vdova Gora peak, at 780 metres the highest point in the Adriatic and with panoramic views to the island of Hvar, the Peljesac peninsula and the island of Korcula. If you hire a car you can also visit several, very pretty coastal villages on this island, the third largest in Croatia.

Four overnights at the Bol Hotel on a bed & breakfast basis.

Zlatni Rat beach, Brac, Croatia

Day 8 - Day of departure

After breakfast transfer to Supetar resort on the north coast (40 minutes) on Brac for the hydrofoil to Split (50 minutes) then taxi transfer to Split Airport (40 minutes) for your flight to the UK.