Discover the Secrets of Croatia
Croatia small group tour: Experience the Croatian lifestyle with a private tour! Croatia forms a meeting point between the Mediterranean and central Europe, and between the Alps and the Pannonian Plain. Its relatively small territory is made up of a wide variety of landscapes. A stunningly beautiful country, it has re-emerged from the difficult years of conflict and regained its role as a popular holiday destination.
Travel to Croatia with its idyllic climate, archaeology treasures, dramatic vistas and hearty cuisine that embodies all things Croatian. On this private tour journey, you’ll delve into one of the most fascinating and coveted countries in Europe. A wide variety of landscapes can be found in Croatia,from wild uninhabited craggy gorges to steep river valleys and a stunningly beautiful indented coastline stretching into the lower Adriatic,dotted with hundreds of islands. A plateau stretches from the Istrian peninsula towards Gorski kotar and ends in the hilly vine-growing region of Zagorje.For centuries Croatian art has combined elements from eastern and western Europe.The coast was ruled by Venice for 400 years,and between the Middle Ages and the 17th century,Croatia was in regular contact with the other side of the Adriatic. Italian artists came to the islands to work,and the Dalmatians crossed the sea and brought Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles back to their country. Croatian architecture, like its art, has also been influenced by Croatia’s position in Europe.Secular and religious buildings display a fusion of elements from nearby Italy and Germany and other forms originating in the Byzantine or Slavic works.
We have a real passion for Croatia and look forward to sharing it with you !
Make an Enquiry
8 Days/ 7 Nights
Pricing: € 5,900
Price is per person based on double room occupancy
Single supplement available on request
Experience the beauty
Tour Highlights
- More than 15 included sightseeing tours & cultural experiences
- Discover the best of the “City of the thousand hearts”-the stunning Zagreb
- Visit Varaždin, the former capital town of Croatia which today is a true baroque gem
- Discover Trakoscan, the most romantic castle in Croatia
- Sample a variety of Croatia’s top-quality wines
- Get to know some of the most representative Croatian dishes, their tradition and preparation
- Explore the most visited European cave system-Postojna Caves
Tour Itinerary
historical hotel, close to the city’s architectural treasures. This evening enjoy an included dinner in a local restaurant.Overnight in Zagreb
Meals: Breakfast and lunch on your own, dinner included
Accommodation: Overnight in Zagreb
Art, culture and a vibrant cafe’ scene are the keynotes of this easy-going Central European metropolis.Close in style to Vienna and Budapest,Croatia’s laid-back capital city is very different to the Mediterranean flavoured towns of the Adriatic coast.Embark on a tour of this fascinating city that has marked the intersection of Eastern and Central Europe for more than 1000 years.Begin on the city’s central square, perpetually busy with pedestrians and passing trams.From here it is a short walk to the Neo-Gothic Cathedral and then the Dolac Market, one of Central Europe’s most colourful collections of fruit and veg stalls.Stroll up Radiceva street to the atmospheric Upper town, a well-preserved Baroque quarter where the church of St Mark’s is a popular landmark. After an included street food experience in a cosy wine bar, we’ll visit the National Theater, completed in 1895, a blend of Neo-Baroque and Rococo.The interior is richly decorated with works by Croatian and Viennese artists.The remainder of the day is at leisure for more personal discoveries.
Meals: Breakfast included, lunch and dinner on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Zagreb
Today’s drive takes you to visit the nearby Zagorje Region,a hilly region filled with Medieval and Renaissance fortresses and numerous Baroque castles all blending into a memorable, romantic landscape.With more than 50 castles, some with most mesmeric parks, this is one of the richest regions in the whole of Croatia! Here we will visit the charming so-called “Little Vienna” of Varazdin, a city of baroque, young people, music, flowers and bicycles, including the 17th century Sermage Palace, displaying Croatian, international old masters and modern paintings.We conclude the visit by discovering the romantic Trakoscan Castle, where you can enjoy the surrounding nature and a picturesque lake. Lunch is included today in the heart of Zagorje paired with well-known local wines.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch included, dinner on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Zagreb
Returning to the mainland,scenic roads wind their way over the Velebit mountain range, a dramatically dry and rocky place on its seaward side,lush and forested further east.On the far side of the Velebit’s main ridge lies the stunning UNESCO Plitvice Lakes National Park, known as the “Falling lakes”, a frothing sequence of waterfalls,lakes and streams.Walkways weaver their way around the water,while trails lead into the wilder,woodland parts of the park in the surrounding hills.After time on your own for lunch,continue to the town of Trogir, a beautiful tiny island treasure declared a UNESCO World Heritage. Trogir’s roots are Greek, not Roman like Split, and its crown jewel is the spectacular 13th Cathedral of St. Lawrence. Its daring portal, carved in 1280 is just a precursor of the wonders inside.Late afternoon,we depart for Split where we spend the next two nights at a central hotel.
Meals: Breakfast included, lunch and dinner on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Split
Welcome to Split, one of the oldest cities in this historic region.Explore ancient Diocletian’s Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which the emperor chose as his retirement home because of the area’s spectacular beauty. Your special tour also takes you into the mysterious passages in the lower levels of the palace’s massive structure — Game of Thrones fans will recognize this site as one of the show’s filming locations! You’ll have the balance of the day free to explore Split on your own.Dinner is included this evening in a local restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner included, lunch on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Split
After breakfast today, we’ll spend the day exploring one of the Mediterranean’s most celebrated islands. We’ll start by taking a private speedboat to the lavender-covered Hvar, one of only three European islands included in the World’s Ten Most Beautiful Islands List.Upon arrival, we’ll take a guided tour of Hvar’s Old Town, then we’ll have time to explore the island: we can enjoy the many secret beaches and coves, walk up to the medieval castle overlooking the town, walk among the lavender fields and olive groves below the castle and right outside the town’s medieval gate, spend time in a café people watching or shop for unusual jewelry, lavender and olive oil for which Hvar is famous.Then we visit a local winery for a tasting and lunch.We continue our journey south today, leaving Hvar for the mainland then traveling along the scenic Dalmatian coast to popular and beloved historic walled-city of Dubrovnik for the last two nights at a seaside hotel.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch included, dinner on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Dubrovnik
George Bernard Shaw was so enchanted by this beautiful city, about which he said “those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik and see Dubrovnik”, as well as famously describes it as “the pearl of the Adriatic”.Dubrovnik is a stunning city with its amazing Old Town, which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.Today we discover the city whose ancient walls have withstood both time and tide for hundreds of years. We begin with a walking tour around the city walls, whose original ramparts and bastions date to the 12th and 13th centuries (Dubrovnik itself was founded in the 7th century). Then we continue through the Old City, paying a visit to the stately Baroque Cathedral (c. 1672), the Treasury, whose gilded shelves and historic relics sit behind locked wooden doors; and the Franciscan monastery with a 14th-century pharmacy.Rest of the day is at leisure for more discoveries.In the evening celebrate your Croatian adventure with an Good-bye dinner sharing travel memories.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner included, lunch on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Dubrovnik
Additional Information
- Private tour of minimum 2 participants
- Knowledgeable English-speaking tour director
- Entrance fees for all sites
- Tour transportation in a private air-conditioned motor coach
- Local guides in the outlined cities and towns
- Hotel city and service taxes at all accommodations and restaurants are included
- Transfers to Zagreb and Dubrovnik Airport at scheduled times
- Baggage transfers and porters are included
- All breakfasts, two lunches, and three dinners are covered.Main meals include wine, mineral water, espresso, or tea
- Activity level: Light/Moderate
- Terms & Conditions/single supplement and FAQ
- Travel insurance and visa fees/Trip Interruption & Cancellation Insurance
- Any charges for extras not listed in the itinerary
- Room services, telephone charges, laundry fees
- Gratuities for the tour director and local driver
- Single room supplement
- Airfares
Tour Reviews
Such a Stunning country
Bongiorno Manuela
My apologies for taking so long to reply to your email. We have both been very busy since we returned to Australia at the end of October. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Croatia and Slovenia. Jelena was a wonderful tour host. She imparted lots of interesting information about the countries and the places we visited, but knew when we just needed to sit back and relax. More than that, she is a lovely person and made us feel very welcome. We especially appreciated her assistance when we were were without our luggage when the tour began. We really enjoyed our stays at the Secret Italia hotels and all the included food and wine was first class. We particularly enjoyed the lunch at the winery near Pula and our farewell dinner in Dubrovnik. Another highlight was the cooking class in Split – it was so much fun. The pace of the tour was perfect and we appreciated having multiple nights in fewer cities/towns rather than moving on every day or two. It is no surprise that you have so many repeat guests. We are really looking forward to our two Secret Italia tours next year.
In love with Croatia and Slovenia
The tour of Slovenia and Croatia was wonderful and surpassed my expectations! I had never traveled with a tour group before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. We were able to see a nice mix of highlights of both beautiful countries in such a short time! I don’t believe we could have done that on our own. Our guide, Jelena, was amazing! Her knowledge and love of her country was obvious and she was so entertaining – so many funny and interesting stories! She took her responsibilities seriously and took good care of all of us! I liked that she kept things running on schedule, protecting the free time to explore on our own, but always available if we needed her! Overall, this was a very positive experience for me and I truly fell in love with Slovenia and Croatia! I will highly recommend this company to my friends and family!
Magical Croatia!!!
We have just returned from another fantastic tour with Secret Travels. The 12 days in Croatia and Slovenia tour was a tremendous introduction to these two beautiful countries and their rich cultural heritage. The itinerary featured both interior mountain and forest ranges as well as the beautiful Adriatic coastline. The tour was led by our exceptional guide, Jelena, who made the country come alive with her historical knowledge and storytelling ability. She is clearly passionate about her country and especially her home city of Dubrovnik, and shared this passion with the group. She was always ready to offer a whole host of ideas for places to explore during our time on our own. All of the hotel accommodations were excellent especially the final three in Opatua, Split, and Dubrovnik. They were strategically located in city centers or on the waterfront to provide easy access for exploring on our free time. The included meals were well chosen and gave a very good sampling of the local cuisine. Jelena’s numerous recommendations for good restaurants for meals on our own always resulted in great meals in interesting venues. Highlights of the tour included: The incredible city center of Ljubljana with its river, bridges, marketplace, Cathedral, and Castle. A picture perfect place for a leisurely stroll. The Roman arena in Pula, the Plitvice National Park with its beautiful lakes connected by a series of waterfalls, a ferry ride to the island of Hvar, a group cooking lesson, and a tour of the Old Town area of Dubrovnik. This was our seventh tour with Secret Travels. Each one has been a very special experience. The itineraries are well designed to offer an inside glimpse into the region of interest with exposure to nuances that would be difficult to discover on your own. The main tour guide and local guides are always fantastic. Secret Travels is definitely highly recommended. We will be booking a 2026 tour soon.
Another Incredible Tour from Aldo!
This is the third tour that my wife and I have taken through Secret Italia Tours; the first being a private tour of Tuscany and the second a small group tour of Puglia. They were incredible, and consequently, since my wife had wanted to visit Croatia for a very long time we booked this Small Group Tour of Croatia, a very wise decision. Seven nights in three cities; the Capital city Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik, as well as a day trip to Hvar, and the Plitvice Lakes National Park. During this vacation we were provided with a private tour in each city. Each guide was knowledgable, personable and on time, and each of these experiences was very enjoyable. The hotels were top notch, and the included breakfasts delicious. Lunches were also included during at least two of the tours. One of the high points was the included dinners. In each city Aldo finds the perfect restaurant. For us this included a Michelin Star venue at the Vapor Restaurant in the Bellevue Hotel, Dubrovnik. There was a wine tour on the Island of Hvar which included more great food as well as the tasting of a number of wines. (I might add that all of the pours were significant). Croatia boasts excellent wines which are not exported to the US due to a simple lack of available product. As stated previously, on our final evening in Dubrovnik we enjoyed a seven course tasting dinner complete with seven wines at the Hotel Bellevue, where we stayed. The dinner took place outside on a beautiful patio overlooking the sea. We were served by Petra, the sommelier and Mario, who actually runs the restaurant. I should also mention Antonio, Mario’s assistant, and Victor who I go to know from breakfast, as well as our drivers Patrick and Buje.
This was just a remarkable trip. How Aldo manages to create such amazing adventures is hard to ascertain. The hotels, restaurants, tours and tour guides, as well as the nuts and bolts of moving from city to city, are all done seamlessly. There is absolutely nothing for you to do but relax and enjoy the experience.
Thank you Aldo, once again.
Experience the Best
Why Book with Us?
Authentic Travel Experiences
We believe in showcasing the true heart of the Mediterranean. Our meticulously crafted tours delve beyond the surface, immersing you in the local culture, cuisine, and hidden gems that only true insiders know.
Small Group Exclusivity
Our tours are limited to a maximum of 12-15 travelers, ensuring a personalized and intimate experience. You'll enjoy meaningful interactions, flexibility, and the chance to forge genuine connections with both locals and fellow travelers.
Passionate Local Expertise
Our team is deeply rooted in Europe, with extensive knowledge and a love for sharing our homeland. We take pride in hand-selecting accommodations, activities, and experiences that reflect our passion for authentic Mediterranean living.
Stress-Free Travel
Leave the planning to us! We handle every detail, from logistics to unique cultural encounters, allowing you to relax and fully savor every moment of your Italian adventure.
Sustainable Tourism
We are dedicated to responsible travel practices that respect the environment and support local communities. We strive to leave a positive impact wherever we go.
Competitive Rates
Enjoy exceptional value on your European journey. We offer transparent pricing and zero booking fees, ensuring you get the best possible experience for your budget.