The secret of Marina, Croatia is that it's quiet without being remote. You sleep in a fishing village where the loudest thing at night is the sea — but within an hour's drive you have two UNESCO World Heritage towns, a national park full of waterfalls, Croatia's prettiest wine village and a turquoise lagoon. These are the seven day trips we recommend to our guests at Holiday Home Nada, with honest notes on timing, cost and what to skip.
If you do one excursion, it's this. Trogir's entire old town — a tiny island connected by bridges, packed with 2,300 years of continuous history — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Don't miss the Cathedral of St Lawrence with Radovan's famous 13th-century portal (climb the bell tower for the view), the Kamerlengo fortress on the waterfront, and the simple pleasure of getting lost in marble lanes polished by seven centuries of feet.
Our tips: go twice. Once in daytime for the sights, once in the evening when the day-trippers from Split have left and the stone glows under the lanterns. Buses run all day along the coastal road, so you don't even need the car. Allow half a day minimum; dinner there is worth the second trip.
Split is built inside a Roman palace — Emperor Diocletian's retirement home, now a living city centre and UNESCO site. See the Peristyle square, the cathedral (originally Diocletian's mausoleum), the palace cellars, then drink coffee on the Riva promenade and judge passers-by like a local.
Our tips: start early — arrive by 8:30, before cruise-ship groups. Parking in Split is a blood sport in summer; the bus from Marina/Trogir spares you the ordeal. If you have the legs, walk up Marjan hill for the classic view over the city and islands. Escape by mid-afternoon and be swimming in Marina by five.
An old town of stone houses stacked on a round peninsula, ringed by beaches and backed by the stone-walled Babić vineyards that are so distinctive they've been proposed for UNESCO listing. Primošten is small: wander the lanes to the church at the top, swim off the town beach, drink a glass of Babić red at a terrace, done.
Our tips: perfect as an afternoon-plus-dinner trip. Combine with Šibenik for a full day, or take it lazy after a beach morning in Marina.
The Krka river drops through a series of travertine waterfalls, the most famous being Skradinski buk — a broad staircase of cascades in impossibly green water. Wooden walkways loop through the park; the classic approach is the boat ride upstream from the pretty town of Skradin.
Our tips: swimming at Skradinski buk is no longer allowed, so go for the scenery, not the dip. In July–August buy tickets online for the earliest slot — by 11 am the walkways are conveyor belts. Entry is cheaper outside peak season. Combine with lunch in Skradin (a slow-food darling) or Šibenik on the way back.
Skipped by most tourists rushing between Split and Zadar, Šibenik has a UNESCO cathedral — St James's, built entirely of stone without mortar, with a famous frieze of 71 sculpted heads of ordinary citizens — plus two dramatic fortresses (climb St Michael's for the view over the archipelago) and a real, untouristy Dalmatian old town.
Our tips: pairs naturally with Krka (same direction) or Primošten. Cheaper and calmer than Split, and locals will tell you the ice cream is better. They may be right.
Directly opposite Marina lie Drvenik Veli and Drvenik Mali, and between them the Krknjaši Blue Lagoon — shallow, sheltered, pale turquoise over a light seabed. Local skippers run half- and full-day trips from Marina's harbour with swimming stops; longer versions include lunch on board.
Our tips: book a day ahead in season and take the morning departure — the lagoon fills with boats from Split by early afternoon. This is the day your camera earns its keep. Full beach rundown in our Marina beaches guide.
Between Trogir and Split, seven villages grew around seven Renaissance castles built by Split and Trogir nobility along the shore. It's an easy, crowd-free afternoon: pick two or three castles (Kaštel Gomilica — a Game of Thrones filming location — and Kaštel Lukšić are the usual favourites), stroll the seafront promenades between them, and visit what's claimed to be the oldest olive tree in Croatia at Kaštel Štafilić, about 1,500 years old.
Our tips: best on a "recovery day" between bigger trips. Combine with an evening in Trogir on the way home.
You do not need a car to enjoy Marina, but it changes what a day trip looks like. Here is the honest breakdown so you can decide before you book a rental.
By bus. The coastal road carries regular buses linking Marina with Trogir, Split, Primošten and Šibenik. For Trogir and Split this is genuinely the smart choice — you skip the summer parking nightmare entirely and arrive in the centre. Services thin out on Sundays and in the evening, so photograph the timetable at the stop (or ask us) and plan the return before you set off.
By car. A rental unlocks the things buses can't reach: the hidden coves towards Sevid, the Babić vineyards above Primošten, an early slot at Krka before the crowds, and the freedom to chain two places together. If you plan to explore beyond the big towns, rent for a few targeted days rather than the whole stay — parking a car in the village all week just to visit Split twice is money and hassle you don't need. Book weeks ahead for July and August, when last-minute summer prices roughly double.
By boat. The Blue Lagoon and the Drvenik islands leave from Marina's own harbour, no driving involved. It is the most relaxing way to spend a day trip: someone else steers, you swim.
Guests often ask how to fit it all in without turning a holiday into a coach tour. Our standard advice for a seven-night stay: keep at least half your days for the beach and the village, and cluster the excursions so you never do two big days back to back.
That leaves days one, three and seven entirely free for the beach — which, as our returning guests will tell you, is the point of coming to Marina in the first place.
Not every UNESCO cathedral holds a six-year-old's attention, so pace the culture. Trogir works well because it is compact and full of ice-cream stops; Krka is a hit thanks to the boat ride and the spectacle of the falls (just accept you can no longer swim there); and the Blue Lagoon boat trip is the reliable crowd-pleaser — a day of swimming from a boat needs no further selling. Split is best in a short, targeted dose: the palace cellars feel like a dungeon adventure, and then everyone is happier back at the beach. Bus travel is easy with children on the shorter hops to Trogir, while a car earns its keep for Krka, where the parking-to-entrance logistics are simpler under your own steam.
Trogir, for its combination of proximity (15 minutes), a compact UNESCO old town, and a bus link that means no parking stress. It is the one excursion nobody regrets.
It's easiest with a car (about an hour to the Skradin entrance), but organised tours also run from the area. If you rely on public transport, Krka takes more planning than Trogir or Split — worth renting a car for the day.
By boat from Marina's harbour — local skippers run half- and full-day trips, usually combined with stops around the Drvenik islands. No car needed; book a day ahead in summer.
Marina wins on calm, price and parking, and Split is only 40–50 minutes away by bus or car. You get a peaceful base and still reach all the central-Dalmatia highlights easily. Only choose Split itself if you want nightlife on your doorstep.
| Trip | Time needed | Car needed? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trogir | half day (+ evening) | No — bus works | Everyone; do it first |
| Split | full morning | Bus recommended | History, city energy |
| Primošten | afternoon + dinner | Car or bus | Romantics, wine drinkers |
| Krka | full day | Car (or tour) | Nature, photographers |
| Šibenik | half–full day | Car or bus | Crowd avoiders |
| Blue Lagoon | half–full day | No — boat from Marina | Swimmers, families |
| Kaštela | afternoon | Car or bus | Lazy explorers |
A workable week: Trogir on day two, boat day mid-week, Split or Krka towards the end, beaches in between. Or ignore all of this and never leave the village beach — a choice our returning guests increasingly make. Base yourself well: apartments and rooms at Holiday Home Nada put every one of these trips within easy reach, with a live availability calendar to plan around. New to the area? Start with the complete Marina travel guide.
Family-run apartments and rooms at Holiday Home Nada, from €20 per person. Book directly with the owners — no commission, live availability calendar.
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Everything you need to plan a holiday in Marina, Croatia — a quiet fishing village near Trogir: best beaches, things to do, day trips, food, where to stay and practical tips from local hosts.
Pebble coves, pine shade and crystal-clear water: where locals actually swim in Marina, plus the best beaches within a short drive along the riviera towards Sevid and Trogir.
Split Airport is only about 17 km from Marina. Every way to reach the village — taxi, transfer, rental car, bus and ferry connections — with realistic times and prices.
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