Split, Croatia

Our day in Split was a scorcher so we opted to take a 3 island speedboat tour out to the Blue Lagoon, Ciovo and Trogir, a very popular option for local travelers. For us, the entire trip was underwhelming. The area is so heavily touristed that the 'Blue Lagoon' ended up being a few dozen boats crammed next to each other with brave snorkelers trying to navigate between the boats. Compared to the gorgeous Blue Cave at Montenegro or even the emerald waters surrounding Dubrovnik, the Blue Lagoon didn't impress. After that we went to a beach on Ciovo, a little island off the coast of Croatia. The beach was also overcrowded with a college age party crowd and beachfront bar. We enjoyed the refreshing swim, but there wasn't much to see.

From here it was on to Trogir, a truly adorable UNESCO World Heritage Site with narrow alleyways and well preserved medieval architecture. Had it not been 100 degrees, this stop would have definitely been a highlight and I can imagine it is a favorite of many travelers arriving in spring or fall. We enjoyed wandering the maze of cobblestone streets in Old Town and browsing the shops, but the heat eventually was too much for us and we returned to the speedboat to rest in the shade.

It's difficult to give a fair assessment of Split given the heat and tour we chose, but it was my least favorite of our Croatia stops.