Our Week in Trogir
I spent a week in Trogir with my daughter. Neither of us had been to Croatia before and we picked Trogir because it looked like the right mix of old town charm, sea and a good base for day trips. It did not disappoint.
Where We Stayed in Trogir
We stayed at Villa Dante, an apartment in a perfect location. It had a pool, great air conditioning, was quiet, spacious and exceptionally clean. There are a variety of room sizes and some come with kitchen facilities which is handy if you want to self cater for a few meals.
Our room had a stunning hardwood herringbone floor and exposed stone walls. It felt like a proper apartment rather than a holiday let.
The location is hard to beat. It is right next door to Agape, which does the best coffee we found in Trogir. It is a few minutes walk to the Split ferry terminal and the nearest supermarket, and right next to the bridge that takes you onto the main promenade and into the old town in about five minutes. You are close to everything but tucked away enough that it feels peaceful.
Getting From Split Airport to Trogir
Bus number 37 runs from Split Airport to Trogir every 20 minutes. It costs around €2-3 and you can tap your card. The whole journey takes about 10 minutes. When you come out of the airport, turn right, cross the road and the bus stop is right there. If you would rather not wait, an Uber costs about €10.
Trogir Old Town
Trogir's old town is beautiful and compact. Cobbled streets everywhere, bright shutters on the windows in all sorts of colours, and purple and green flowers spilling over walls and balconies. It has real character. You can walk the whole thing in an afternoon but it is the kind of place where you want to take your time, stopping for coffee, wandering down side streets, sitting by the water. One thing to watch is the cobbled streets. They are quite slippery even when dry, so decent shoes are worth thinking about.
Trogir Beaches
The sea in Trogir is gorgeous. Crystal clear and a beautiful colour. But there is no sand on the seabed at some beaches, just sharp shale and slippery rocks, so water shoes are a must. We spotted a few sea urchins too, though not in the cordoned-off swimming areas close to the beach. You can pick up water shoes easily at the beach shops and supermarkets nearby.
Sunlounger and parasol prices varied wildly. The first beach we tried was €40 for two loungers and a parasol. The second beach was €20 for the same setup. Both took cards. So it is worth shopping around before you commit.
Day Trips From Trogir
3 Islands and Blue Lagoon (€60pp)
Research this one carefully before booking. The marketing brochures show luxury sun loungers on quiet beaches, free drinks on board with coffee and pastries to start, iced water in gorgeous glasses and a free lunch.
The reality was very different. We got a nasty long-life pastry, water with no ice served in plastic cups, orange squash and questionable wine. The first couple of hours were spent picking up other guests before heading to a pretty harbour at Maslinica for an hour, where there is a handful of shops and bars. Then back on the boat to the Blue Lagoon, which is just a spot where they stop at sea. There is no actual lagoon and the water is no bluer than what you get at the beaches, but it is fun to jump off the boat and you get about 30 minutes.
After that you go to Ciovo for lunch, which was packed with hundreds of other tourists from other boats. Mass-produced chicken or fish with cabbage, and beaches so full there was nowhere to sit unless you found a tree to hide under. I hated it.
There are loads of companies offering this tour from the harbour and promenade kiosks. I suspect they are all very similar, so either shop around for something genuinely different or consider a private charter if there are a few of you.
Krka National Park (€75pp)
This one I loved. You get picked up in a van and it takes about an hour to get there. The walk through the park is gorgeous, a boardwalk winding through shady trees alongside beautiful green water leading to the waterfalls. Swimming is now banned at the falls but it is still stunning.
From there you take a ferry to Skradin, a lovely colourful little town, which takes about 30 minutes. Your driver meets you there and takes you on to Sibenik, a big historical town with amazing buildings, cobbled streets and plenty of choice for lunch. The final stop is Primosten, a very pretty beach town where you get an hour to swim or wander the shops.
You pay a €10 per person cash deposit at the kiosk when you book and the balance in cash to the driver on the day, as he needs to buy the entrance tickets to the park. Highly recommended.
Do You Need Cash in Trogir?
You definitely need cash in Trogir. You can tap your card for most things but the ferry to Split is strictly cash only at €10 each way. Some takeaway places where you can sit outside, like Fish Delish, were cash only too. And if you include a tip when paying by card, it takes weeks to reach the waiter and is likely taxed, so cash tips are preferred.
Cash is also needed for the Krka trip deposit and for public and beach toilets, which cost €1-2.
Food and Drink Prices in Trogir
Eating out in Trogir is reasonably priced. Pasta dishes run from around €15-25 and pizza starts from about €12. A glass of wine is €4.50-6. A local coffee is about €2 but a latte and pastry in a coffee shop will set you back around €10.
For great coffee, go to Agape. It was our favourite and conveniently right next to where we were staying.
Our favourite restaurant was Capo. Lovely food, well priced and a nice atmosphere.
For ice cream, Gelato Bar Bella was the best we found. About €2.50 per scoop and their ricotta and orange flavour was divine.
Most restaurants would not serve tap water. The standard line was "we are not allowed to serve it" and they charged about €5 for bottled water. Only once did I manage to get tap water, and that was when I ordered a glass of wine alongside it. You can order a coffee and get a small glass of water for free, but that feels like a waste if you do not actually want the coffee.
Is Trogir Worth Visiting?
Would I recommend Trogir? Absolutely. It is a beautiful town with a gorgeous coastline, brilliant day trips and good food at fair prices. Villa Dante was the perfect base and the whole week felt easy to navigate.
Would I go back myself? Probably not, but only because there are too many other places in Croatia and the rest of the world still to see. That is not a reflection on Trogir. It is more that once you have been, you have seen the best of it, and there is a whole coastline to explore.