Bought visions of the Med dancing in your head?
Are you able to see your self winding via white-washed alleys to the soundtrack of ABBA? Or perhaps you’re like me and also you watch waaaay an excessive amount of TV, through which case it’s time to press pause and plan a real-life journey.
With modern-day CGI and particular results, few locations sparkle as a lot in actual life as they do on the massive display screen, however Greece and Croatia are two exceptions.
However which nation do you choose when each have sleepy islands, historical historical past and a mouthwatering delicacies?
On this helpful information, we’ll examine the highlights that will help you select the suitable vacation spot to your voyage off the sofa.
Movie and TV
The Greek Islands are identified for luring in dreamers and romantics. From the coming-of-age film The Sisterhood of the Touring Pants to the 80s’ Summer season Lovers, loads of iconic movies are set and filmed in Greece. However we will’t discuss movie and TV with out mentioning Mamma Mia, a whirlwind romance film set to the timeless 70s soundtrack.
The fashionable musical takes place on a fictional Greek island known as Kalokairi. It options Meryl Streep because the free-spirited Donna, who belts ABBA anthems whereas making an attempt to dodge three ex-lovers. If you wish to dwell out your personal Dancing Queen fantasy, you possibly can take a look at the movie’s precise set areas: the islands of Skiathos and Skopelos within the Sporades archipelago.
Different movies that transport you to this Aegean paradise embrace cult traditional Zorba the Greek (filmed in Crete), Bond blockbuster For Your Eyes Solely (filmed in Corfu) or cinematic masterpiece The Large Blue (filmed on Amorgos and Ios).
Croatia’s medieval cities and picturesque islands shot to stardom because the backdrop for a unique sort of fantasy: HBO’s record-breaking Recreation of Thrones. Based mostly on the novels by George R. R. Martin, the fictional sequence depicts noble households preventing for management of the ‘Iron Throne’ and options spectacular pictures of castles and church buildings that seem frozen in time – no particular results wanted.
Dubrovnik – a medieval walled metropolis on the Dalmatian Coast with distinctive purple roof tiles – stands in for some of the recognisable areas for present followers: King’s Touchdown, the capital metropolis of the Seven Kingdoms. You’ll be able to join a Recreation of Thrones tour, however even in the event you’ve by no means seen the sequence, town’s UNESCO-listed Previous City is properly value exploring.
Cut up, Croatia’s second largest metropolis, homes the medieval Kliss Fortress – the capturing location for the fictional city of Meereen, the residence of beloved Recreation of Thrones protagonist Daenerys Targaryen. Diocletian’s Palace, additionally a UNESCO web site, is featured in a few of Daenerys’ crucial scenes, with the palace cellar standing in for her throne room and the place she skilled her treasured dragons.
Whether or not you’re a Donna or a Daenerys, using dragons or hiding from ex-husbands, Greece and Croatia are each incredible locations if you wish to go to your favorite silver display screen websites in actual life.
Islands
Greece and Croatia haven’t any scarcity of island escapes. Seaside villages, crystal-clear water and plentiful wine and seafood – you’ll discover all of it right here.
The Greek islands are grouped into six distinctive chains: the Argo-Saronic Islands, the North Aegean Islands, the Ionian Islands, the Dodecanese, the Sporades, and (arguably probably the most well-known) the Cyclades – dwelling to hotspots like Santorini, Mykonos, Naxos and Delos. They appeal to everybody from sunset-swooning honeymooners to historical past buffs, boutique consumers and solitude seekers.
Just some islands have airports, however all are accessible by boat. You should use the intensive ferry community to get round, however our favorite (and headache-free) method is on a small group crusing journey. With a neighborhood skipper on the helm, you’ll discover lesser-known spots together with extra in style islands with extra of a vibe.
Croatia’s Adriatic Islands hug the mainland and are nearer collectively, so in the event you love the thought of island-hopping however nonetheless wish to be near shore, a Croatia cruise could possibly be proper up your alley.
A leisurely cruise alongside the glowing Dalmatian Coast contains stops at Hvar (the sunniest island within the Adriatic), pine-tree-covered Korcula and lake-laden Mljet – all whereas stopping to swim in scenic grottos. Because the distance between islands is brief, itineraries may be pretty customisable. Really feel like exploring Roman relics someday however blissing out on a white sand seaside the following? Accomplished and achieved.
Landscapes
Typically ignored in favour of the islands, mainland Greece has its justifiable share of pure magnificence – particularly in the event you’re trying to find historic websites. In historical Greece, steep cliffs and rocky slopes had been typically chosen because the websites for temples, church buildings and sky-high monasteries in order that meditation might occur nearer to the heavens.
Meteora is arguably some of the spectacular. These 24 monasteries sit on karst pinnacles that attain as much as 300 metres. Six are nonetheless occupied and open to guests, however the actual wow issue is the view. The roads between the monasteries have loads of lookout spots to get pleasure from a chicken’s eye view of the encompassing forests and terracotta rooftops. In the event you time it proper, you may additionally see what could possibly be one of many prettiest sunsets of your life.
Croatia may not have hanging monasteries, nevertheless it does have unbelievable waterfalls – particularly within the UNESCO-listed Plitvice Lakes Nationwide Park. The park has a community of 16 trails, boardwalks and jewel-toned lakes that cascade into 90 waterfalls. In the event you search ‘epic waterfalls’ on Google or Instagram, there’s a superb probability not less than one shot of Plitvice will come up.
Krka Nationwide Park is simply as spectacular, with mighty falls that spill into emerald swimming pools. Whereas swimming is now restricted in Plitvice and Krka to guard the ecosystems, each parks are about an hour’s drive inland from the coastal cities of Zadar and Cut up – so there’s no want to decide on between recent and seawater swims.
Delicacies
One space the place these two international locations are really neck and neck? The delicacies.
Greece is thought for a lot of cooking staples like feta cheese, olive oil and honey. And if consuming the catch of the day at a seaside taverna is your thought of heaven, that is the place for you. There are additionally loads of alternatives to pop into family-run olive groves and wineries to style refined flavour adjustments in numerous areas.
Greek dishes typically deal with native produce and recent flavours, so each vegetarians and meat lovers can be pleased. We love a Greek meze feast (an array of small plates much like tapas) that includes classics like dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), tangy dips, olives and fried saganaki cheese. Make sure to attempt moussaka (layers of eggplant, spiced mince and creamy bechamel) and chargrilled octopus. And don’t overlook to clean it down with a chilly glass of ouzo, the nationwide drink.
With a variety of microclimates, Croatian meals is the proper instance of terroir, or meals that tastes just like the land. The island of Pag is thought for Paški sir (Pag cheese), made out of the milk of native sheep that graze on herbs and salty grasses, giving the cheese a definite flavour.
Like Greece, Croatia has loads of regionally grown or made produce, with heaps of locations to see (and style) the place your meals comes from. Suppose: touring fish markets, and digging into grilled sardines and black risotto on the Dalmatian coast, and sampling silky olive oils in Brac.
Historical past
Relating to historical past, few locations can compete with historical Greece. It is without doubt one of the cradles of civilisation, in any case! So many issues in life immediately – from philosophy to democracy, fashionable drugs to astronomy – all got here from Greece.
This overachieving little nation holds an unbelievable assortment of remnants from the traditional world, and its spectacular ruins make it a prime vacation spot for historical past and mythology buffs alike.
Mainland Greece is dwelling to historical monuments just like the Temple of Apollo, the Sanctuary of Delphi, the Acropolis in Athens and Historical Olympia. Athens alone has over 70 museums. The islands are steeped in historical past too. In Crete, stroll via what’s rumored to be Europe’s oldest metropolis at Knossos, or go to the uninhabited and UNESCO-listed island of Delos – the mythological birthplace of Apollo and Artemis – to see some of the intensive excavations within the Med.
Croatia clocks a good 10 World Heritage websites, so historical past fans definitely shouldn’t low cost this Balkan nation. If getting misplaced in medieval streets set towards a turquoise backdrop is the way you image spending your time, Dubrovnik is the plain selection. However there’s additionally Korcula and Motovun – each simply as attention-grabbing however much less crowded.
Or step again even additional to the Roman period on the iconic Diocletian Palace in Cut up or Pula the place you’ll discover a remarkably well-preserved Roman amphitheatre.
Verdict
Don’t blame us for taking the simple route, however we actually can’t select a favorite in the case of these two Mediterranean gems. Beautiful coastlines, unbelievable recent meals and historical cobblestone cities have us daydreaming about each.
Why not mix the 2 on a visit from Dubrovnik to Santorini? Or take a look at Intrepid’s Greece and Croatia journeys.
