Just back from Europe and more than happy to provide a very positive review of the 'Croatia and Dalmatian Coast' tour operated by Back Roads Touring.
We had a wonderful time on our tour, which was made all the more enjoyable by our truly outstanding guide, Justin, and talented (if quiet) driver, Senad. Nothing was too much trouble for Justin and he was attentive, informative, considerate and caring (& that continued even after the tour was over).
Our tour companions were all from Australasia and were very enjoyable and entertaining company. It made for a very happy tour. Justin kept us informed at all times particularly with his morning WhatsApp messages and weather report and keeping an eye on all of us to make sure we did not get "misplaced".
We had not been to Croatia before and the tour gave us an overview of the stunning scenery and history of the Dalmatian Coast.
The pace of the tour was great giving a short specialist tour at various historic towns and then time to oneself to for further discovery and dining.
The accommodation was generally very good although in Dubrovnik the hotel is quite a way from the Old Town. Dubrovnik is a wonderful and historic but draws a big crowd. Split was probably more enjoyable because it was more relaxed.
The included breakfasts were extensive and the included dinners were generally great (although the first one in Split was not of the same quality as the rest).
The group activities of cooking class and winery visits were generally very good and added to the understanding of the area and its people.
Overall a really good tour and introduction to the Dalmatian Coast, made excellent by the efforts of our guide, Justin.
(& by the general goodwill and positive outlook of our touring companions).

What a great time we had.
The history, the ancient buildings & ruins, the people, the food & the weather.
Accomodation & choice of restaurants was great.
Guide & driver so good.
So amazing. If we had travelled solo we’d never have got to see half the beautiful places and the intricate secrets of this beautiful land.
So Thankyou BackRoads.

Exploring Croatia is a captivating experience with its stunning Adriatic coastline, historic cities, and rich cultural heritage. Here’s a brief guide to help you plan your visit:

Top Destinations:
Dubrovnik: Known as the "Pearl of the Adriatic," this walled city boasts medieval architecture, charming streets, and breathtaking views.
Split: Home to Diocletian’s Palace, Split combines ancient Roman history with a vibrant modern lifestyle.
Plitvice Lakes National Park: Famous for its cascading lakes and lush greenery, ideal for nature lovers and photographers.

Enjoy traditional Croatian cuisine like Peka, Black Risotto, and fresh seafood.
Experience local wines and olive oils, especially in Istria.

Enjoy your Croatian adventure filled with scenic beauty, historical wonders, and warm hospitality!

We were lucky with a fantastic Tour leader, Justin, our bus driver Senad, and fellow travellers. It made the trip a wonderful experience. I enjoyed the 'experiences' the most, especially the cooking class, and wine tastings, in location and passion by our hosts.
It was at a nice pace, and we had time to enjoy it all.
Thoroughly recommend the tour

This was my first solo trip and my first experience with Back Roads. I combined two tours Croatia & Dalmation Coast & Adriatic Discovery and absolutely loved both. The small groups, fabulous Guides & drivers and the locations we visited & places we stayed were amazing! So it's a big yes, I highly recommend Back Roads.

Our guide Martina was first rate, good on knowledge and courtesy.
The tour took me to places and experiences that will be hard to forget. The accommodation was excellent as was the transportation.
Would highly recommend this tour to my family and friends.

The whole tour was extremely well planned with safe driving, excellent guides, accommodation, food and beverages. There was free time to do our own exploring too.

Stunning scenery paired with an engaging and informative guide

Fabulous scenery, cuisine, beverages, accommodation and a knowledgeable amiable guide. The pace of the tour was not exhilarating and the driver was superb

Perfect combination of planned vs having time to ourselves. Excellent accommodations and transportation. Guide was first class: personable, knowledgeable, provided individual advice when requested, always seemed to enjoy what we were doing, positive energy.

This is one of the best tours we have done. Our tour host Roz and driver Milan were excellent. Back-roads are high quality and good value.

Our tour guide Maja was excellent- knowledgeable and so passionate about Croatia. She was super organised and went above and beyond in recommending places to see in our own time. The restaurants and wine tastings were awesome and overall definitely value for money.

This tour was excellent and a great way to see parts of Croatia and Montenegro. We had a very informative guide in Maja, who also went out of her way to help everyone. Milan, our driver was great, he always had the bus in pristine condition every morning.

A wonderful tour. Martina was a knowledgeable guide and handled our very small group of 14 people with absolute professionalism.

Excellent interesting itinerary.
Knowledgeable and helpful tour leader supported by additional specialty guides. Comfortable bus.
Plenty of free time.
Varied quality accommodation experiences. Included breakfasts very good apart from one hotel - 2 nights.
Organised meals were excellent apart from two which were disappointing. Gluten free options generally not well catered for and there were three in our group of 14.
We enjoyed that most lunches and dinners were not included so we could do our own thing.
Age demographic on our trip was 70 plus.

A great tour with an excellent guide in Martina
All experiences were most enjoyable

This was out third tour with Backroads and it did not disappoint. An excellent guide. Our fellow travellers were from Australia and NZ and were great company. A varied tour that covered historical cities, national parks, wine tasting and great cuisine. Croatia was more expensive than I was expecting and was very busy in the tourist areas - even in late May.

This was my first Back-Roads tour and it was an amazing experience. Wonderful bus buddies, great hotels, local guides and food

The tour guide was informative, interesting and caring. The itinerary was extensive. I learnt a lot about Croatia and Montenegro.

Great bus and driver , just we were a bit disappointed in some of the accommodation we had , everything else was great .

The success of this tour is mainly due to the effort our tour leader MARTINA put in. She kept us informed every step of the way and shared her local knowledge in easy bites

This was our 3rd Back Roads tour and was again excellent. We had an outstanding guide, high quality hotels and an interesting itinerary. It was a good mix of activities and sights to provide an excellent sense of Croatia and Montenegro. Our companions on the tour were fun and easy to get along with and enjoying the experience. We will happily use them again for future travel.

Well-paced, excellent local tour guides throughout the trip.
Interesting stops everywhere. catered to a slighty older age group.

Martina was an excellent tour guide. The trips were memorable and the hotels lovely.

I would like to say I did 2 Backroad Tours recently and really enjoyed them both. Our guide, Maja, was very competent, friendly and so knowledgeable about the history of Malta and Croatia, I learned so much from her. She was so kind and helpful towards everyone on tour and nothing was a trouble to her.

Already recommended this tour to friends

I travelled with a friend and requested twin share accommodation. One hotel did not have twin share rooms, a second room was provided. Either a hotel that can provide twin share rooms should be used or the booking should be rejected. In a group of 17, there were three couples requesting twin share rooms. These days a lot of friends travel together.

tour vouchers need to be available through travel agents much earlier as many people imbed a BR tour within an itinerary and can be travelling for some time before the tour starts. This is the second time tour paperwork has not been available until a few days before departure and only after follow-up. this causes unnecessary pre-holiday stress.

The hotels were not the type of places most tour groups would stay. Every hotel we stayed at was a boutique hotel most often built within a castle dating back to 305 AD!

See information above re selection of places and experiences. As noted tour guide helpful and experienced

Have long wanted to visit this coast, which generally lived up to expectations. Diocletian's palace was a standout. Only flaw was with overcrowding in Kotor and Dubrovnik - too many cruise ships overwhelming small historic towns.

I thought I answered already on the previous page.

Very comfortable bus, great driver and tour guide was fantastic

Croatia was much better than expected. The people of Croatia were very friendly and great patience when it came to our language barriers. Montenegro not so good as Croatia.

Small group that bonded well. Very hood organisation.

The "back road" concept is pushed by the company and yet most roads travelled where the major roads in the country. If the major road is the only way of traversing the country then that needs to be explained.

The itinerary was good, destinations were beautiful and interesting, I think the majority of ‘must see’ places were covered.

Refer customer experience.

I loved the tour, Maja our guide and Marco our driver were both amazing. The experiences like dinners, wine tastings etc were fabulous. We went to places that you would never find if you were driving yourself. It was wonderful to just have 16 on the bus and we all got along really well. I didn’t think the tour to Our Lady on the Rock was worth the waiting around etc. Also going in the shoulder season quite a few of the hotels didn’t have their air conditioning on and pools etc weren’t working.