Slavonia Round Trip

Pack your bags guys! It is time to explore the beautiful Croatian region situated on the northeast of the country. Slavonia is ideal destination for tourist who would like to spend their holidays in peace and quiet, to enjoy the nature and get lost in endless fields of wheat. It is also very much successful in rural tourism thanks to numerous rivers and forests and nature parks. So without further waiting, we give you our list of cities for an ultimate experience, but friendly for your pocket.

1) Djakovo

Djakovo, commonly known as ‘the heart of Slavonia’ is the first city on our round trip list. The centre of Djakovo is Strossmayer Square, surrounded by cathedral, ‘corso’, bishop’s court and seminary. The cathedral is probably the most distinctive symbol of Djakovo, more than 150 years old. We could say that Djakovo is the town of J.J. Strossmayer, because he has his own sculpture, a museum, and even a park dedicated to him which every year serves as a venue for the festival Djakovacki vezovi. This year the festival celebrates 50 years of long tradition – the folklore groups from all parts of Croatia present their costumes and perform traditional songs and dances. The program also consists of horse-race of purebred Lipizzaner horses, the authentic breed of this area for the past 500 centuries.

How to get to Djakovo:

• By bus: here are some of the most popular routes to Djakovo → Zagreb – Djakovo, Split – Djakovo, Zadar – Djakovo, Dubrovnik – Djakovo
• By train: from the central railway station in Zagreb it usually takes 4-5 hours to reach Djakovo (with one transfer)

2) Slavonski Brod

Slavonski Brod is the sixth largest city in Croatia and industrial, cultural and financial centre of Brod-Posavina County. We could say that this city has a rich cultural history, considering the fact that some of the today’s settlements existed even 8000 years ago. The main monument of this city is old baroque Brod Fortress which served as a defense from Turkish invasion. Today, on the other hand, makes a great tourist attraction, especially because of its characteristic star-like shape. On the main city square you will find another important monument, the house of the famous Croatian female writer Ivana Brlic-Mazuranic whose books have been entertaining children for generations. Similar to Djakovo, Slavonski Brod also has the so-called Brodsko kolo manifestation which organizes beauty pageant for the most beautiful Croatian girl in traditional costumes. The interesting fact is that Slavonski Brod was elected as the most beautiful Croatian city in 2009.

How to get to Slavonski Brod:

• By bus from Djakovo →  Djakovo – Slavonski Brod
• Another option is taking a train from Djakovo, the trip usually takes an hour and the price of a single ticket ranges from 29-36 kunas (4-5 €)

3) Vinkovci

The city of Vinkovci is situated on the extreme northeast of Croatia, between Danube and Sava, along the river Bosut. It is a city with a very rich architectural heritage. Vinkovci are today a spatially large town with several large squares and long streets which were the basis of the urban development. While strolling through the streets of Vinkovci, don’t miss to visit the iconic Church of Saints Eusebius and Polion and the City Museum of Vinkovci where you can see everything you would like to know about history and customs of local Slavonian people. You thought Vinkovci would go without a festival? Along with Djakovacki vezovi and Brodsko kolo, Vinkovacke jeseni are probably the most popular one. It is held each year during September, in the beginning of autumn – thus the name ‘jeseni’ which in Croatian means ‘autumns’.

How to get to Vinkovci:

• By bus from Slavonski Brod →  Slavonski Brod – Vinkovci
• By train from Slavonski Brod: This is option is slightly cheaper (6-7 €) and it takes around 35-50 minutes to reach Vinkovci.

4) Vukovar

Vukovar is very special Croatian town and it is very important for Croatian history. Some like to call it ‘the heroic city’ because it suffered during the Civil War in 1990s and to this day the consequences are visible. Nonetheless, Vukovar still has a lot to offer and to see. The historic baroque centre of Vukovar consists of the Dr. Franjo Tuđman Street, Old Vukovar on the right bank of Vuka, and Josip Juraj Strossmayer Street and the County in Novi Vukovar on the left bank of Vuka. The symbol of the city is definitely Vukovar water tower, though demolished during  the war, it represents the constant fight and courage. Also don’t miss to visit the Eltz Manor  – once a house of German noblemen, today a part of City Museum of Vukovar.

How to get to Vukovar:

• By bus from Vinkovci →  Vinkovci – Vukovar
• If you opt for train from Vinkovci, the ticket will cost you a little more than 1.7€ (13 kunas) and the ride will take around 40 mins

5) Osijek

And we will finish our Slavonian trip in the largest and most vivid Slavonian city. Osijek is known for its baroque Old Town (Tvrdja) which definitely puts Osijek on the first place in terms of best preserved baroque buildings in Croatia. But, when the night falls down, Tvrdja becomes the centre of  wild nightlife and there is everything for everyone. If you’re looking to take spectacular photos, then definitely take a walk along Drava river up to the Bridge for pedestrians and once you finish your tour, treat yourself with one of traditional Croatian dishes in one of the boat-restaurants on Drava. Osijek is also known as the ‘greenest’ Croatian city with 17 parks in total, so there is a chance for you to do a picnic and rest a little bit after the exhausting, but wonderful trip.

How to get to Osijek:

• By bus from Vukovar bus terminal, the price of a single ticket will cost you 15 kunas (2€)
• By train from Vukovar, the price is slightly higher – 36 kunas in one direction (~5€)

Cost of Slavonia round trip

Transportation: If you do this trip as a bus trip, the transportation will cost your 21€ and if you do it as a train trip, it will be cheaper but it is not a big difference in price (~18.7€), so it is up to you which type of transport you prefer more.

Accommodation and food: As for the accommodation, you should expect to pay around 20-30€ per night in each of these cities and the food is really not that expensive. You can have decent meals under 4€ in local fast foods, but let’s say you will probably spend 10-15€.

All in all, this trip should not cost you more than 250€, but it might be even cheaper if you are traveling in company.