ellen75005

I’m just starting to plan an itinerary for my husband and myself, our daughter, son-in-law and our 13 year-old granddaughter to the Balkans next April. We’ll visit Croatia, Kotor, Sarajevo and Mostar. My husband and I will extend our trip to Kosovo where we have good friends. We’ve been to Croatia twice. It’s one of our favorite places and we can’t wait to introduce our daughter and her family to it! A couple of random questions…

We’re thinking about visiting Hvar. I know April can be warm or it can be cool and rainy. Is it worth spending a couple of days there during the second half of April? Will we have to make hotel reservations in advance or can we wing it and find something when we arrive? I haven’t researched the car ferry yet, but I assume it runs from Split, albeit on a reduced schedule.

And the most important question – will the Buza Bar in Dubrovnik’s Stari Grad be open in April (please say yes! )? I didn’t know about it the first two times we were there and I can’t wait to enjoy a glass of Croatian wine overlooking the Adriatic from one of their tables!

rialtogrl

I think you can get away with making fairly last minute plans for accommodation on Hvar UNLESS it is Easter week... it might be better to make reservations in advance in that case.

If you are coming from Dubrovnik, there are two ferries you can take to Hvar. One is from Split and the other is from Drvenik to Sucuraj in the far east of Hvar island. Note that if you take the Sucuraj ferry, there is a fairly curvy 1.5 hour journey to the west of Hvar where all the action is. I did this route in May and there were roadworks that made part of the drive a bit difficult - hopefully by April it would be over, but you might check with your lodgings to make sure.

I can't imagine the Buza Bar is closed in the last two weeks of April...

JoyC

My sister was in Croatia this past April, first in northern Croatia, where the weather was cold and snowy (from an email sent to me) and then later in Dubrovnik and surroundings. The weather there was much better but still cool & cloudy, with sprinkles of rain, again according to her.

The Buza Bar was open in April.

ellen75005

Thanks, rialtogrl and Joy. Good to know that the Buza Bar will be ready for us!

Thanks for the information on the ferries. I don't know yet whether we'll be approaching the ferry from Dubrovnik, but this is good info. I need to do a lot more legwork on this trip and I may have more questions.

maitaitom

To whet your appetite, here is the day I first wandered into the Eighth Wonder Of The Modern World...The Buza Bar.

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/Tom_..._Buza_Bar.html

ellen75005

maitaitom, your pictures are stunning! And I love that you call it the Eight Wonder of the World. We're counting down the days