ZAGREB, CROATIA

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After an 11-hour night train from Munich, we arrived in Zagreb in the late morning. We checked into our Airbnb and sought out a lunch spot to refuel our bodies after a long night of little sleep and shaky train compartments. For our three stops in Croatia, we decided to spend two nights in each city, allowing us a proper chance to explore. In Zagreb, we mostly wandered around, as there weren’t many attractions that caught our eye. One night less might’ve sufficed, but here are some of our highlights:

• The Museum of Broken Relationships – While it may sound a bit unusual, this museum holds stories that resonate with anyone who visits. The exhibition consists of objects from former lovers, each accompanied by a brief description of the story behind it. Crowned Europe’s most innovative museum in 2011, I highly recommend taking the time to read, reflect, and let these stories leave their mark on how you view your own past and present relationships of any kind.
• Zagreb’s funicular is not only the shortest in the world but also the city’s first means of transportation. The website humorously advertises it as having no point at all, but for roughly €0.60, it’s worth checking out.
• Our Airbnb was a convenient 5-minute walk from the train station and not much farther from the center.
• Food Garden was our first lunch spot just around the corner from our Airbnb and the train station, offering plenty of excellent plant-based options.
• If you’re in need of good coffee, a vegan bowl or full English breakfast, look no further: Melt offers it all.
• Date night vibes at Byblos, a wonderful Libanese restaurant that offered lots of plant-based / veggie options, as well as meat dishes, ensuring everyone was happy.
• A direct train of almost 7h takes you from Zagreb to Split. Since you can’t buy the mandatory (free) seat reservations online, it is advisable to go to the ticket counter at the train station upon your arrival in Split to secure the tickets without any time pressure. Our clerk took her sweet time and almost made us miss our train.

SPLIT, CROATIA

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Split pleasantly surprised us with its charming streets, delicious food and even a little beach excursion not far from the city center. Despite the expected crowds of tourists, we found ourselves able to wander for hours, stumbling upon hidden alleys and courtyard bars every few steps. Unfortunately, the city’s charm comes at a price. For those accustomed to Amsterdam prices, you can expect to pay an additional 10-20%, resulting in a €12 Aperol or €17 main course – charming atmosphere included.

• Our Airbnb came at a fair price and was located only 10 minutes walking from the center.
• Pandora Greenbox served the delicious plant-based food featured in the picture above. The polenta sticks and brownie were my personal favourites!
• The Judita Palace Heritage Hotel boasts a charming courtyard bar in the heart of the city center. The ambiance created by the decor and the rough stone walls, paired with the taste of the unique cocktails, more than make up for the dent in your wallet after a few rounds.
• Just next to the bar, we chose Bepa! as our breakfast spot for the next morning. While they were a bit less flexible regarding vegan options from the menu, there’s something to satisfy every palate.
• Gelateria Marmont serves a good selection of plant-based and dairy ice creams.
• At Fig Split I might’ve had the best roasted veggie beetroot salad and sweet potato fries of my life! For the meat lovers out there: the burger also received approval.
• We must’ve walked past Marvlvs Library Jazz Bar a hundred times during the day without ever noticing it. Only when we heard soft jazz tunes on the street at night did we peek inside and discover the most vibrant place for some drinks and a round of cards, accompanied by live jazz music at the back of the bar.
• A 40-minute walk from our Airbnb, we discovered a secluded beach cove. There, we relaxed on our towels in the shade of a palm tree, took a dip in the Adriatic Sea, and savoured the escape from the touristy center and the city’s heat. There’s also a bus that runs every hour to the beach, but we genuinely enjoyed the walk along the water.
• Since the interrail network doesn’t extend further than Split, we booked a 5,5h ferry from Split to Dubrovnik for €55 per person. The port in Split is right opposite the train station, and so it was also just a ten minute walk from our Airbnb.

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA

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Dubrovnik, the city that screams ‘Game of Thrones’ at every corner. One step inside the majestic city walls, and you easily understand why this city was chosen for shooting numerous scenes from the popular fantasy drama series. While we ran into another ‘GoT’ sightseeing tour on every square, there were plenty of hidden alleys and side streets woven through the city that allowed for some quieter exploration and relaxed afternoon drinks. Here are our recommendations for two days in the city:

• Don’t settle for any of the restaurants right by the main streets and squares. You’ll most likely pay the tourist price for mediocre food. We enjoyed our first lunch at Soul Kitchen, with our table situated on a tiny square off the busy main pathways of the city.
• Another hidden gem we discovered was THE BAR, a cocktail bar with extraordinary signature cocktails, located in one of the steep side streets. Perfect for a round of cards and to escape the crowds for a bit.
• Boccapiena hands down serves the best pistachio ice cream I’ve ever had in my entire life.
• Hop into your athletic wear and take on the challenge of hiking up the Mount Srd. It’ll take you around 30 minutes of uphill hiking, which can be done in simple trainers. We decided to hike up for the sunset and the views we were rewarded with on our way up and upon arriving at the top were magnificent. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to some drinks at the Restaurant Panorama. A chic place, which we later found out is usually booked out months in advance. So, it’s worth making a reservation, if you plan on having dinner and don’t just want to sneak in for a cocktail and some olives, like we did.
• Right before entering the historic center via the Pile Gate, you can take a right and follow the streets down to the water. After a couple of hundred meters, you will arrive at little harbour area with a rock footbridge. The perfect spot for dangling your feet in the refreshing water and enjoying some wine and snacks as a little sunset picnic.
• On our last night, before catching the 11pm overnight bus to Tirana, we treated ourselves to some delicious (vegan) burgers at GreenGarden Burger Bar. The service was exceptional and the burgers so good, that we could’ve easily gone for seconds.
• Our Airbnb in Dubrovnik was definitely one of our highlight accommodations, thanks to our lovely host, Nada. The warm-hearted woman welcomed us with a glass of wine and made us feel right at home. That is also why we decided to have our home made breakfast underneath the grapevines at our little picnic table outside our apartment both mornings. Two different beaches also lie within ten walking minutes from the apartment and the place is conveniently located between the historic city center and the port and bus terminal.
• If you want to avoid flying and didn’t already arrive with your own vehicle to Croatia, there aren’t many options left other than the 6,5h overnight bus form Dubrovnik to Tirana for €44 per person. Depending on who you ask, some may describe the ride (which extended to a full 9 hours instead of the 6,5h that were promised) as unbearable, while others may just find it unpleasant. The general verdict, however, is that the bus is probably one of the least recommendable modes of transportation. Due to its tardiness, lack of functioning airconditioning, the chain smoking bus drivers, over bookings and having to get off and back on the bus for several border controls, I would recommend taking your own car to cross the border to Albania. As much as I love the interrail concept, the train network is sadly not yet advanced enough in these countries. Taking your own vehicle will most likely result in a cheaper and less stressful overall travel experience.

As Albania is not part of the Interrail network, we had to take a bus from Dubrovnik (Croatia) to Tirana (Albania), where we rented a car for two weeks. After returning the car in Durrës in Albania, we took the overnight ferry to Bari (Italy), from where we continued our journey via train. Find the perfect 14-day road trip itinerary for Albania here.

ROME, ITALY

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I had been to Rome before when I was eleven or twelve years old and what I remembered was plenty of Pizza, the breathtaking Colosseum and more tourists than the city seemed capable of holding. Fifteen years later, not much had changed. The audio guide at the Colosseum was worth its price to refresh my memory. The Trevi Fountain still attempted to accommodate all the tourists at once, collecting currencies from around the world. And, of course, there was an abundance of pizza. One of my personal highlights during this visit was enjoying the best yet most deceiving iced coffee I’ve ever had on the rooftop of Giulia&Sisto Roma, just around the corner from the Colosseum.

• If you want to grab a quick Aperol to go, you can get one at Antigallery in Monti for €4. You can sit down on the little brick wall next to the tables and chairs of the bar. Sitting down at one of those tables will cost you a bit more and the wall totally has its charm.
• Buddy Veggy offers delicious pizza, bowls, sweets and really anything the vegan heart could wish for.
• We were hoping to grab breakfast at Barnum Roma, but since they didn’t take any reservations and were fully booked in the morning, we settled for brunch at Reserva, which did not disappoint.
• The room we found via booking was on the cheaper end of decent accommodations, priced at €93 per night. It was only a five minute walk away from the Curia di Pompeo, the site where Julius Caesar was killed in 44 BC. While the wifi and airconditioning weren’t exactly satisfactory, the location turned out to be perfect.
• We arrived from Dürres (Albania) to Bari (Italy) via ferry, which cost around €100 per person for a private cabin and took nine hours (departure at 11pm, arrival at 8am). From Bari, it was a direct four hour train ride to Rome and reservations were easily made via the Interrail RailPlanner App, in combination with the ItaliaRail website.

FLORENCE, ITALY

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A 1:35h direct train took us from Rome to Florence and we enjoyed the swift journey in our modern and airconditioned coach. While Rome was overflowing with tourists and street vendors, Florence had a lively atmosphere, that one could savour without feeling overwhelmed by the crowds. With its vibrant market, great restaurants, a spot by the water to enjoy espresso with the locals, and the illuminated Ponte Vecchio, I find myself saying something I’ve said about many places during my travels: ‘Florence is a city where I could see myself living.’

• We stayed at Il Santo Stays, offering contemporary ensuite rooms in the historic center of the city for €128 per night for a double room, including breakfast. Just ten minutes walking from the train station and most of the city’s main attractions, we enjoyed our comfy beds, a little gym and a cozy courtyard where breakfast was served.
• Il Tempio was recommended to us as an authentic coffee bungalow within a park where locals would enjoy their afternoon espresso, and it certainly didn’t disappoint as such. Being the only tourists, we grabbed two of the run-down plastic chairs by the water and savoured our coffee.
• En route from the centre to the Piazzale Michelangelo, we stopped for an Aperol to go at Bastioni di San Niccolò Trattoria, wandered through the Giardino delle Rose, and finally arrived at the square to a stunning panoramic view of Florence.
• For a date night with delicious food and exceptional service, we found Hostaria da Fulvio. Because our initial choice, Osteria Santo Spirito, was so packed, we stumbled upon this gem by accident.
• Don’t miss out on the croissants filled with pistachio creme at Pasticceria Rimani Ferrucci (a sugar warning, but well worth the indulgence).
• The Mercato Centrale offers a wide variety of food and grocery options. Around the market hall, you can also find other stalls and vendors. I found my new favourite fanny pack here.
• From Florence, we took a six hour train to Ventimiglia, from where we crossed the border to France, and ultimately arrived at the last stop of our journey: Paris.