travel Archives - AdventureCampitelli

Beautiful Split Croatia

Accommodations

The Airbnb we rented was just outside of Split in Podstrana and it was perfect for our family (and a good price at $85 Canadian a night). It was fully renovated, modern and had a nice workout space on a large patio. A beautiful view of the Ocean was the finishing touch. The host provided a welcome package including bread, cheese, meats and a bottle of wine. We highly recommend this place. Here’s a link to their page: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/16857130

Things to Do:

Krka National Park
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Marjan Hill Park
Diocletian’s Palace & Old Town
Klis Fortress
The town of Omis
Beaches

Krka National Park

This amazing place only took about 45 minutes from Split. This is one of the places in Croatia I saw photos of on Instagram (as well as Plitvice Lakes) and knew I had to go. Krka is a river that has 7 different cascading waterfalls where you hike on a well-marked path to various lookout points to see them. You can swim at the base of the first cascade until October 1^st and then you are not allowed (not sure why) until next summer. We went after October 1^st and tried to go in to get the shot but quickly got told to get out. We were there during the low season but found it super busy so I can’t imagine what it would be like during the summer. We spent about 2-3 hours taking in the magnificent beauty.

Adventure Campitelli Tip: There is Free Parking at the park but we didn’t find it until after. There are large signs leading into the park that say Free Parking but once we got in they told us it was the property of the restaurant so we had to buy something after our hike and show our receipt. We found free parking at the very end of the road right near the entrance.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

OMG….this place is stunning! The photos and videos you see do not do it justice. The place needs to be on everyone’s bucket list to visit. It is a large forest reserve with a chain of 16 lakes that are connected by waterfalls, divided into upper and lower lakes. This park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered one of the most beautiful parks in the world and we absolutely agree! It is crazy to imagine that this place even exists…I felt like I was in a fairy tale.

We read that the park can get up to 12,000 visitors per day with people walking shoulder to shoulder along the boardwalk lining up to take photos. We were there in mid-October and experienced hardly any crowds and it was super easy to get photos. There were far fewer people than in Krka Falls so this was a nice surprise. Being Fall, we got to enjoy stunning autumn colours of reds, oranges, yellows and remaining green leaves.

There are two entrances to this park: Entrance 1 and Entrance 2. Most of the tourists from the tourist buses go to Entrance 1 making it busier. We went to Entrance 2 and hopped on a boat to take across the lake so we could see the famous Veliki waterfalls at the beginning as we didn’t know how long we would stay. At the park, there is an electric bus/train that can take you to different jump-off points as well as small boats that can take you across one of the lakes to various points. We chose to walk the main trail to see some of the Upper and lower lakes. We packed a lunch and hiked for about 4 hours. Once again we were impressed by our kids’ endurance.

We decided to do a day trip from Split which took us about 2.5 hrs to get there. We left at 7am, spent 4-5 hours at the park and drove back. If we didn’t have the kids with us, we likely would have done the park over two days so we could have hiked more of it. One day is totally doable though and you can see a lot of the park in a few hours to get a good feel for it.

Adventure Campitelli Tip: Go in low season and if you can’t go early when the park opens at 7am. Take Entrance 2, which is less busy.

Marjan Hill Park

Our family loves to hike so that is the first thing we look for on our travels. When I searched on trails near Split, Marjan Hill came up and it is so spectacular to have something this beautiful right in the city. It kind of reminded me of a Mediterranean version of Stanley Park in Vancouver. Marjan Park is known as the “Green Lung” of Split as it is a beautiful natural oasis filled with Mediterranean Pine trees and the most spectacular view from the top. We walked to the bottom through the park at the start as we weren’t sure where to go and I’m so glad we did this as the trail is lined with small sandy beaches and clear aqua blue water. We saw several swimmers and people on their boats.

The park isn’t well marked and I guess we did the trail in reverse (with the stairs at the end leading back down) but this also made it less busy and crowded on our hike. Most people start from Old Town in Split and take a path past an outdoor café called Vidilica, which has a great view part way up before heading up the hill on a wide path of stairs.

The view from the top is absolutely amazing! You get an almost 360-degree view of Split and on a clear blue day (which is what we had), you couldn’t do any better.

This is a great hike/walk with kids as the paths are wide, not very technical and have a couple of parks along the way. This hike was a breeze compared to our Cinque Terre hike in Italy.

We liked this park so much that we came a second time to rent bikes. There are bike rentals at one of the entrances and they have bikes for the whole family. They didn’t have helmets though which made me nervous. Although the bikes weren’t of great quality, we had a lot of fun biking on the flat wide pathway that followed the coast so we could take in the scenery and stop to put our toes in the Adriatic Sea. This park is a must-do!

Diocletian’s Palace & Old Town

This place was so cool! It was built to be a retirement residence and military camp for the Roman Emperor Diocletian at the end of the 13^th Century. This place is huge and now lined with cool shops and cafes. Old Town is so different than the rest of Split with all the Roman Architecture. We also visited “Cathedral of Saint Domnius” Church and the Bell Tower where we climbed the steps of this 57-metre structure. The final staircase leading to the top made me extremely nervous because the handrails were wide open between the top and bottom and I was worried one of my kids would fall through to the ground (silly mom worries!). In some parts, the staircase is also very narrow. The view is spectacular and terrifying at the same time! I’m okay with narrow spaces but uneasy with heights.

The streets in Old Town Split reminded us of Italy with narrow cobblestone streets and colourful buildings. There are lots of apartments to rent here which makes it close to everything but we were lucky to have rented a car so we enjoyed being out of town in a quieter area.

Just in front of Diocletian’s Palace was the Split waterfront called Riva. It is very busy lined with restaurants and shops and it is the main harbour for taking boat tours. We walked up and down a few times to take in the scenery.

Adventure Campitelli tip: Do not eat in Old Town or Riva Harbour as things are very expensive. We paid $5 Cdn for a 12oz slushy for the kids and $9 for a watered-down smoothie. We found prices all over the map in Croatia with some things cheap and others really expensive. We ordered in Pizza one night and it was only $20Cdn for 2 pizzas including delivery.

Klis Fortress

Used as a set location in Game of Thrones, this Fortress is a must-see! It is located about 15km North of Split and is perched up on a mountain overlooking the city of Split. Klis is a medieval fortress that is over 2000 years old. It was occupied many times over its history from being a royal palace of Croatian Kings to a large fortress during the Ottoman wars in Europe and others in between. It is quite large with various passages and the views from the top are spectacular. There is a small entrance fee but it is worth it. We love to hike so you get a pretty good workout climbing up to the top.

Visit the town of Omis

This is a cute little peaceful coastal town about 25km South of Split that used to be the home of Pirates in the 13^th and 14^th centuries. Fun Fact: It is located by the Centina River so the Pirates would use the river to attack merchant ships and then escape back through the river where the ships were unable to pass through. Omis is a fun place to visit with the family with a few things to do:

Mirabella Fortress

This fortress is behind the center of town up the mountain. It is called a “Romanesque” fortress as it resembles Roman Ruins but it was actually used by the Omis pirates as a hideout. There is a lookout with narrow steps leading up and then you have to climb a ladder in a narrow space to reach the very top. The kids and Marco did this with no problem and I was completely terrified. The ladder was secure but I felt like I would fall to the bottom. I’m glad I did it as there was a spectacular view and it’s good to face your fears. There was a small fee to get in that worked out to about $5 CDN per adult and the kids were free.

Starigrad Fortica Fortress

This fortress is also close to the center of Omis and even higher up than Mirabella. We didn’t climb this one as it was a fairly steep climb, good shoes were recommended and Marco and I were wearing sandals. It looked really cool viewing it from the town as it is amazing to see these fortresses so high up in the mountains.

Other adventure activities: From Omis there is Zip lining, white water rafting and canyoning. We didn’t have enough time to do these activities but they are very popular here.

Beach Velika Plaza

This is a pebbly beach in the centre of Omis. It was so quiet when we went mid-week in the middle of October which was perfect! The water is calm, clear and shallow, perfect for the kids. There was a playground nearby as well as an outdoor fitness park which our kids preferred.

Go to the Beach

The beaches in Croatia are mainly made up of small pebbles but they are still very beautiful. The colour of the water is aqua blue and the water is crystal clear so you can see right to the bottom. What also surprised us is how calm the water is making it great for families. We visited 3 beaches:

Bacvice Beach

This is the main central beach in Split located close to Old Town and where all the tourist attractions are. It is a sandy beach and extremely busy so if you are looking for a quieter beach this is not the one. We didn’t stay long here as we found it dirty with cigarette butts all over the place and far too busy. It is fun to stroll along it though taking in all the action. There was also a children’s park close by which was good for the kids.

Strozanac Beach

This beach was close to our place in Podstrana (just outside of split). We ended up going there at the end of the day to take in the sunset and it was so beautiful. Calm, clear waters, and hardly anyone else on the beach. It felt like our own little haven.

Staying fit while traveling

I’ve committed to a regular exercise routine at home and I certainly did not want to give it up just because I was traveling. Here are some of the things that I’ve been doing and have done in the past:

I brought a set of exercise bands with me and have a 30 minute full body routine that I have been doing a few times per week.

While I’m back working in Canada, I run the stairs a couple of times per week at lunch time. Usually anywhere you go it is easy to find a set of stairs to do whether they are stairs in an apartment building you are staying at or stairs along a pathway. I make it a treasure hunt to find good stairs wherever I go. Follow my #stairsoftheworld on Instagram to see my workout stairs. You get a great workout from repeating sets of stairs!

I’m a member of an online workout program and it has lots of great workouts that you can do in 30 minutes or less. With their App, you can download them so you don’t have to worry about having an internet connection. I brought my IPad with predownloaded workouts (the programs that don’t require weights) and all I have to do is press play…super easy!
Find a local gym or yoga studio. Every town, city, hotel or resort will have a gym you can use.
These boots (well…shoes) were made for walking….we find when we travel we get a lot of walking in each day, sometimes up to 15km. This is great exercise for your body.
Make your travel into an active vacation. Our family loves to hike and bike so we look for these activities wherever we go. You are usually rewarded with a great view and get an excellent workout without really realizing it. See link to our Cinque Terre and Elba Island hikes.

The biggest tip is to not let your exercise get in the way of your travels. What I do is get up earlier than everyone else and get it done! It’s challenging to wake up, but once you do it’s such a great start to the day.

Hiking the Cinque Terre

Accommodations

We planned for 5 nights to hike the 5 Terre (a.k.a. Cinque Terre) and we stayed in a City called La Spezia. We booked an Airbnb close to the train station to make it easy to get around. The location was convenient but the area was a bit sketchy and our apartment was above a bar….#fail on this booking. The apartment was clean and modern but the loud music and people yelling all night was brutal. I will not be recommending this Airbnb. We were also told (after the fact), not to stay too close to the train stations as the area can be a little rougher.

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre means “5 lands” and it is made up of 5 towns on a stunning hillside on the Italian Riviera. It is a very popular travel destination which is known for it’s hiking trails linking the towns. You can access the towns by train, bus or even boat. For us, the plan was to take the train to the first town and hike the towns. By train, it was only a 15 minute train ride to the first town. We lined up at the train station to buy a combo Park Pass (as it’s a National Park) + train. The cost was 42 euros per day for a family and we purchased two days. At the tourist office where you buy the tickets they give you a map and tell you if any trails are closed. Unfortunately the hike between the first two towns were closed (Riomaggiore to Manarola) so we stopped at the third town Corniglia. The train station is at the bottom so we had to climb 400 stairs just to get to the start of the hike. You can take a bus to the top but we decided to give it a go. At the top you are greeted with nice cafes and places to get fresh juices. Although expensive for Orange Juice (4 Euro), we couldn’t resist. We also splurged on our morning latte and a couple of treats for the kids before we set out.

Starting the 400 stair climb to the start of the trail

OMG our 6 hour Hike!

Yes this title is correct. We hiked from the 3rd town to the 5th town Monterosso as we heard it had an amazing sandy beach. We were determined to do the entire hike instead of taking the trains between the towns. Had we known how difficult the hike was, we would have only hiked one town. The total distance was only 7.5km but it was rocky with very steep stone pathways, huge stair climbs and narrow dangerous paths. The total 6 hours does include our stop in the 3rd town Vernazza for a quick break but the hike was crazy! Way harder than I expected. I have to admit that we did love every bit though. The views were unbelievable and the scenery was spectacular so well worth it. We were so proud of the kids! Our youngest lead the pack the entire way and had energy after….we think our hiking in the Canadian Rockies had to have helped.

Our favourite town by far was Monterosso. We arrived there about 5:30pm and were too exhausted to explore the town so we took the train back there the next day and spent the entire day at the beach under a beach umbrella.

Adventure Campitelli Tips

It is extremely touristy here and expensive so you can save $ by staying outside of Cinque Terre such as La Spezia and take a short train ride in.
The food including the Gelato in the touristy part of the towns is not very good and it is very expensive. We ate breakfast at home, packed snacks and shared a small snack (Calamari) to get us through the day after we tried the food on Day 1.
Be prepared. Bring LOTS of water! There are fountains in each town to refill and in the heat you will drink a lot of water. Also pack good footwear…runners are fine. Bring snacks especially for kids. Don’t forget sunscreen and hats as the sun is very hot.
Follow the main trail which is called the “Blue Trail” or “SVA”. It is very well marked with red & white paint in spots all along the path.
If you love sandy beaches and want to spend time in the water make sure you save time for Monterosso, our personal favourite!

Our Guide to Florence

Accommodations

We rented an apartment on Airbnb in the centre of Florence and it was perfect! It was a close walk to almost everything that we wanted to see and just far enough outside of the main tourist areas to feel like we were living like locals. We paid approximately 100 euros per night ($150 CDN) which is decent for central Florence compared to hotels. We love renting apartments so we can make many of our meals (saving $) and of course, getting the extra bedroom for the kids.

Things to do with Kids

The Duomo

This is a must see for everyone! Located in the center of Florence, the Duomo is the 4^th largest Cathedral in the world. It actually took two centuries to complete which is amazing! Don’t be scared off by the long line ups to get in as the line moves quickly. Also, there is a dress code to go inside which is basically no bare shoulders and hemlines need to be at knee level. I brought a scarf with me. If you forget a scarf, there are people selling them on the street but best to bring your own. You will be awestruck by the size and beauty of this landmark. The outside is covered in a mix of green, pink and white marble and is made up of such intricate details. I loved seeing it at night and you get great instagram pics.

Gelato Yes Please!

Everyone talks about the Gelato being the best in the world in Italy and this is entirely true. Shops line the streets so you can get it anywhere. We preferred to go out of the tourist areas as the lineups were shorter and the prices lower. My favourite was Pistaccio and Dark Chocolate. You can usually pick 2-3 flavours. With a little bit of research and recommendation by a local, we are told the best Gelato is kept in canisters (lids on top of the Gelato so it is not visible) not piled into open containers to lure in tourists. The canisters keep the Gelato at a constant temperature where the other versions are pumped full of air….apparently the canister version is also of higher quality ingredients.

See our video on our 9 Italy Surprises which gives you some useful information to help you plan your trip. Link here.

Cafe lattes and treats

If you watch our videos you know that Marco and I love our lattes. We were so excited to try them in Italy and it did not disappoint. We are extremely fussy about our coffee and have a select few places we go to in our own city but in Italy we found the coffee to be good no matter where we went. We are also prefer soy milk to cows milk in our latte and most places had soy milk. We found the coffee to be so good it was almost indescribable….smooth, with no bitter aftertaste….molto bene! The coffee (aka latte) was also cheaper than the prices we typically pay in North American ranging from 1.30-1.70 Euros depending on where you go. For the kids, the treats are sure to please…different kinds of cookies and pastries always delighted their taste buds.

Food Glorious Food!

Another well known fact about Italy is their food and we fell in love with Italy’s food. Just like Gelato places and Coffee shops, the streets are lined with Bistros/Cafes that serve delicious sandwiches, pastas and different kinds of salads and pastries. Again, we found the best and least expensive places to be outside the main tourist areas. The food was definitely better as well. If the menus are in Italian and everyone is speaking Italian you’re gold. We made the mistake of going to one restaurant that had English on the menu and the prices were outrageous. We were even charged at the end for water and $11 euros “service charge”….a BS charge in our opinion. This doesn’t happen in the restaurants where locals eat we were told by Marco’s family who live in Florence. Lesson learned.

We were close to a Mercato where we bought groceries each day like fresh fruit, fresh veggies, pasta, bread and salad mix and snacks for the kids. The prices were very reasonable and our dollar seemed to stretch far. The produce is amazing here and tastes like it was just picked from the garden. I don’t know why, but everything seems to taste better in Italy….is it the air here? Who knows?

The Best View in Florence – Piazzale Michelangelo

Do not leave Florence without seeing the view of the entire city located in Piazzale Michelangelo. It was just a short 2km from our apartment so quite easy to get to on foot (although mostly uphill in hot temperatures). Just above the Plaza is a church called Santa Maria Novella Church that you can duck into which is a nice break from the hot sun. From here you can see a breathtaking view of the city of Florence with the Duomo in the centre and the mountains on the right.

The Beautiful Bobili Gardens (Giardino di boboli)

The Bobili Gardens is a historical park and is considered a museum as it houses many old sculptures, the Pitti Palace and other old fountains and buildings. It is one of Italy’s most famous gardens and is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. It was within walking distance from our place so we took the kids for an afternoon. It has beautiful flowers and lots of shade so we could take a break from the hot sun. There are cool paths between tall perfectly manicured trees almost like you are in a maze which was fun for the kids to run through. We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed sitting and taking in the scenery. It cost us about 7 euros each and less for the kids.

Find a Swimming Pool

There is only so many monuments kids can see so we found it important to find something strictly for them. The Hidron is a recreation facility on the outskirts of Florence that has a beautiful outdoor water park and indoor pool with two water slides as well as a hot tub. It is quite busy but not too bad considering how busy Europe is. The cost was 36 euros for a family pass for a few hours. It also has a cafe that has surprisingly good food and also good coffee for a reasonable price.

There is also Costoli Pool in central Florence which is also supposed to be very good but we didn’t get a chance to visit this pool.

See our Video on Italy to get a good sense of Florence!

Paris in 3 Days

We LOVED LOVED LOVED Paris! We did some research ahead of time and visited a few cool spots that we think are great for families. We only had 3 days there so we made the most of our time.

The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel tower is a must see…and actually enjoyable for the kids. It was fun to take in the view, snap some fun pics and then walk down to ground level where it is. I haven’t seen this in other photos but there is an old fashioned Carousel that the kids went on which cost 2.50 Euros for each child. We highly recommend this to keep the kids entertained. There is also a playground nearby for the kids to play in.

Adventure Campitelli Tip: There are many “peddlers” trying to sell you trinkets and they are quite aggressive so what I felt worked best is to not make eye contact and keep walking.

Les Deux Plateaux, (a.k.a. Colonnes de Buren)

The kids loved this place and did not want to leave! It is a courtyard in the Royal Palace in Paris (Palais Royal) made up of different size black and white polygons. The kids loved to climb on the different sizes and it was such a cool place to take photos. Plus….no cost to go there!

Le Louvre

This is one of the most famous art museums in Paris and is also a must see. This is where many paintings and sculptures are housed including the famous Mona Lisa.. The glass triangle shaped building on the outside is iconic and made famous in the movie La Davinci Code. Le Louvre is enormous and has several sections to visit. The cost to get in was $9 Euros for each adult and our two kids were free. We chose to only see the Mona Lisa as the kids did not have the patience to spend a lot of time there. Our “5 Things To Do in Paris” Video gives you a tip on when Le Louvre is FREE and what else the kids loved to see. (VIDEO COMING SOON)

Jardin du Luxembourg

This is a beautiful Palace that used to be the residence of the widow of King Henry IV of France, Marie de’ Medici. It is one of the most popular parks in Paris and has a large pond where kids can rent toy sailboats for 4 Euros for half an hour. It is so pretty and the kids loved running around the park.

Adventure Campitelli Tip: We booked an Airbnb very close to central Paris to make it really easy to get around and see all the attractions. We could walk or take the train, which was only a few short steps away, to see all the major sites.