For the latest and most glowing testimonials, including over 220 5-star reviews and our proud achievement of 7 consecutive Certificates of Excellence, please explore our TripAdvisor listing.
My husband, another couple and I just returned from a 15 day Magic of the Adriatic Tour--Venice to Dubrovnik offered by zagrebtours.com. What a wonderful experience! We found the website on the internet and proceeded with all planning through e-mails. Davor responded promptly to all our many pre-trip questions. We appreciated how accommodating he was in addressing our special wishes. Our itinerary was tailored to allow us time in Brela-the matenal birthplace of one of our party and as well we were transported back to Venice for our homeward journey. We were fortunate to have Jakov Radman assigned to us as our tour guide and driver. He is truly a gem! Jakov is energetic, professional, friendly, knowledgeable and so passionate about every aspect of his country-Croatia. As well we enjoyed his great sense of humour.We learned so much about the geography, culture and turbulent history of the resilient Croatian people.We also commend Jakov on his excellent driving skills.Each morning we boarded the superclean van we felt safe for our day's drive in his competent hands. Mention should be made of the excellent 4 and 5 star accommodations we called "our home away from home" each night. We got a sampling of small boutique hotels in refurbished areas within the medieval city walls to a chalet-type resort in the mountains near the Plitvice National Park, to the famous 100 year old Excelsior Hotel with excellent views of Old Dubrovnik.Each hotel was memorable, immaculately clean with outstanding service from friendly staff. Jakov introduced us to a variety of Croatian foods and drinks which we enjoyed immensely.There was always a surprise whether --fresh seafood, black truffles, roasted chestnuts or lamb/pork on an outdoor spit--we tried it all! However, our culinary highlight was our wonderful traditional Dalmatian lunch prepared by Jakov's parents in their home in the lovely pastoral setting in the village of Ruda northeast of Split.The Rudman family made us feel so welcome by sharing their home and their warm hospitality. My husband and I have travelled quite extensively and have had many great travel experiences.In retrospect we find we are ranking this holiday in Croatia near the "top of our list" Croatia offers the tourist so much--magical scenery, the most UNESCO World Heritage sites in such a concentrated area, great culinary experiences, lovely climate and friendly people. We highly recomend this tour company and we most highly recommend Jakov.
My husband and I are experienced international travelers. We’ve been to many places and had many great experiences, but we have never felt compelled to write a review. Our recent trip to Croatia with Zagreb Tours made us feel differently … Croatia is an undiscovered gem. We’ve wanted to go to Dubrovnik for a while, since seeing it on a TV several years ago. We expanded our trip to two weeks, however, once we started reading about all of the things to see – more UNESCO sites within reachable distance than anywhere else I can recall visiting. Dubrovnik is, in fact, one of the most romantic and charming old towns of Europe, but Croatia more generally is the real story here. From amazing national parks with terraced lakes and hundreds of waterfalls to a breathtaking coastline that hugs the Adriatic Sea – including magnificent churches adorned with stone carvings, fertile grasslands, arid mountains spotted with ornamental cacti, fjord-like azure waters filled with oyster traps and mussel farms, salt pans, walled fortresses protecting charming towns, vineyards with unique varietals, and finally, the most beautiful islands and posh coastal towns – Croatia literally has something for everyone. There are so many things to fall in love with, one more beautiful than the next. So for anyone tempted by places like Italy, France, and Spain, try the undiscovered gem of Croatia. It has as more to offer than many other destinations … and at a much more affordable price. Croatia lacks efficient train service between towns, so getting around is best done by car. Although we’ve driven in Europe many times, I thought having a driver/guide would be more relaxing and enable us to better experience Croatia. Although I had my doubts about traveling with one person for two weeks, I made arrangements with Zagreb Tours for a private tour starting in Zagreb, traveling down the coast, and ending in Dubrovnik. Two of our friends joined us for the first few days and then it was my husband and I for the rest. Going with Zagreb Tours was a great decision – we had one of the best trips ever – compared to many previous trips - and got so much more than a driver and guide. Enter Jakov – a personable, funny, upbeat, energetic, hard-working, accommodating guy – who did everything he possibly could to make sure we had a great time. His enthusiasm and love of Croatia were infectious. While Jakov shared a great deal of knowledge about all of the historical sites we visited, more touching was the personal insight he shared about the fabric of Croatia, its people, and their experience. We did not understand a lot about this area of the world, the struggles of the people there, or how they have prevailed, rebuilt, and evolved. We had opportunities to talk with people who lived through the war, hear their stories, and even see some of their personal videos. We met Jakov’s brother and parents, saw their house, and learned some about how people actually live. As we traveled from the Istrian peninsula, sometimes reminiscent of the Italian coast and sometimes reminiscent of Tuscany, to the tranquil Caribbean-like islands of Dalmacia, we experienced many unique local specialties. In restaurants that were off-the-beaten-and-path, we had many Croatian feasts – truffles, squid ink pasta, tender grilled calamari, fresh trout from the river next to us, mussels, Croatian wine, grilled bread, great olive oils, grappa of every kind (cherry, mistletoe, dandelion, fig, and others), rozata (Croatian flan), peka – (baked dish with meat and vegetables made in a pot that is put into the embers of a fire), nuts and fruit soaked in honey, huge plates of grilled meat, sugared lemon and orange peels, and much, much more. One day when we wanted to go sailing, Jakov called “his guy” (girl in this case) Eva “the Legend,” who hooked us up for this tremendous sailing trip at half the price others were offering. Then in Dubrovnik there was another guy with a boat – just because my husband loved boating. Once Jackov got to know what we liked, he switched things up – like an unexpected day trip to Mostar in Bosnia, a fascinating war-torn confluence of Muslim and Catholic existence; regular stops for “art photos;” and live tastes and smells of goodies all along the way – figs, oranges, lavender, which surrounded us. Whatever we needed, from souvenirs to Coke Zero to new shorts (for boating), Jakov made it happen. Not only were we extremely well taken care of, but Jakov always arrived early – with a smile on his face, good sense of humor, eager to go. We did not merely “look at” Croatia as tourists, like most other places we’ve visited. Rather, we had this incredible opportunity to spend time with a special, native Croatian who gave us a glimpse into Croatia’s heart. While we could have traveled through Croatia many ways, none would have given us the unique, wonderful experience we had traveling with Zagreb Tours. This trip was special, ergo our first travel review - high value and well worth our limited vacation time. We hope to go back someday and again experience Croatia with our friend, Jakov.