hawaiimoon05

Hi guys,

My husband and I are planning a quick (6 day) visit to Croatia this August (we will already be elsewhere in Europe for a wedding).

We definitely want to see Dubrovnik - can you guys help us figure out what else to see in that short time? We are flying in and out of Dubrovnik, so we need to stay in that area.

My initial thoughts were 4 nights Dub, 2 in Montenegro, or perhaps we should do Hvar or Split intead in conjunction with Dub?

We love driving and have no problem renting a car and getting places on our own.

Thank you!!

yorkshire

You may need to book in advance, because that is high season, but on the other hand, you may just want to wander with a car so you can escape crowds. I'd steer clear of Hvar in August.
I loved Kotor but don't know how it gets in August. Traffic along the coast in Montenegro could be bad.
I don't want to sound negative, I've just heard horror stories about summer in Croatia so you want to be aware.
Driving through the Peljesac peninsula north of Dubrovnik would be my choice if I was exploring Dubrovnik area with a car.
Perhaps Mostar? What are your interests?

travel2live2

You're right - that IS short! You'll just have to plan to return!
I cannot comment on Montenegro as I have never been there. And I have never been to Croatia in August. As you are attending a wedding I know you have no choice.

I would recommend 3-4 nights in Dubrovnik. Be prepared for heat. We were last there in October and found it too hot and muggy (but then we are not heat lovers). Definitely walk the walls around the old town.

Hvar is lovely, too, but I cannot imagine how crowded it would be in August. Can I suggest Mljet? A gorgeous far less crowded island that is packed with large trees. Very pretty.

If you decide to go the Split direction I would recommend staying in Trogir instead. It is such a gorgeous little town and pure joy to wander around. I found a few hours in Split to be sufficient.

At this point I am not sure whether you will need a car - depends on what you do. We always fly to Zagreb, rent a car, do our thing and drop the car off in Dubrovnik. We head home from there. Driving and navigating in Croatia is very easy (except for many tiny gravel unmarked roads in Istria but we love that kind of thing).

My favourite part of Croatia is Istria but you obviously won't have time for that. Next time!

hawaiimoon05

Thank you both so much. I guess it would have been helpful to mention that we actually don't mind the crowds and busy nightlife - we are new parents travelling for the first time without the baby and are therefore looking to shake it up! ;-)

The quieter scene is not quite as appealling to us. So while don't mean to disregard your suggestions, I think we do have our sights set on Hvar as well as Dubrovnik. Kotor just sounds so intriguing to me. My initial thought is as follows:

DAY 1 (mon): Fly to Dub, drive right to Kotor. We arrive early, and will spend the night.

Day 2 (tues): Drive from Kotor to Split, Freey to Hvar. (Is this an unreasonable drive?)/

Day 3 (wed): Hvar

Day 4 (thurs): Drive to Dubrovnik, spend night.

Day 5 (fri): Dubrovnik

Day 6 (sat): Dubrovnik

danon

Makes no sense to me to drive from Kotor to Split just to take a ferry to Hvar for a day. How will you get to Dubrovnik from Hvar?
In August the roads can be jammed - most of Europe is on holidays.
If you wish to go to Split ( and Hvar) , go there first , then return to Dubrovnik and Kotor.
Take a look at the map to get a better idea .

hawaiimoon05

Thanks - I figured it would be too hard to get to Hvar from the Dubrovnik airport in one day, as opposed to Kotor which I know people often do directly from the airport. But we have a very early arrival, so it actually will not be a problem.

yorkshire

We aren't really meaning crowds in a fun exciting kind of way--think more like 1000s of tourists jamming a walled in prison. And curvy coastal highways bumper to bumper. And rooms already booked up.
The drive from Kotor to Split in one day is not realistic. (it would be nearly 8 hours without traffic.)
Why not stay in Kotor half the time and Dubrovnik the other half?
Kotor would be great for partying it up all night--there is a fantastic large outdoor roof bar that overlooks the town (and its amazing scenery). Budva is a party spot and it's close by and has nice beaches.
Going that far to Hvar would be a waste of time I am sorry to say, unless you want to spend half the trip in a car and the other half on a ferry. Definitely read more on Budva. Good Luck

julia_t

From Dubrovnik you can easily get to Lokrum, it takes about 20 mins from the harbour. Korcula is not too far, either driving or taking the ferry.
I think Hvar is unrealistic especially in peak season, as Split would be. You will just have to return!

If you want to see somewhere spectacular, then go to Mostar...
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35086450

NancyD9393

Hi - - good for you to go to Croatia on the end of your trip! Of the countries I've visited, it remains my favorite. GORGEOUS. I have been twice - in 2006 with my husband and again in 2007 alone, because his work schedule didn't permit. I felt very safe there alone. I was there in the off season (late May) which is when I prefer to go - - summer is apparently quite busy and quite hot!

I personally think 3-4 days in Dubrovnik is too long, especially if you only have 6 days. On my first trip, we spent 3 nights in Dubrovnik, and were well ready to move on - - it was a bit too long, and that included us seeing every inch of the walled city, walking the full "wall walk", etc. I'd see Dubrovnik for a full day, and have part of the next day, if you need it, and then I'd head north. And I absolutely agree that TROGIR is gorgeous. I was there alone in a little apt for 3 days last May, and the people adopted me. It is an enchanting city. The Peninsula is also indeed gorgeous, and you can sample some wonderful Croatian red wines. Or, at Split, you could cross over on Ferry to the island of Hvar, and either make the knuckle-whitening drive across the spine of the island to Hvar City (which is beautiful, but will be very busy when you are there, as it's the place that gets all the attention) or you could go to the beautiful little coastal village of Stari Grad, which is very near the ferry terminal. To go back to Dubrovnik, you can drive to the south end of Hvar island, and take that ferry back across (at the little village of Sucuraj) - - which puts you on the way to Dubrovnik, and allows you wonderful coastal views along the way (Gradac, etc.) back to Dubrovnik.

Hope that helps! By all means, don't miss Trogir.

by the way, we are all about staying in independently owned apartments - - all very clean, very nice, very friendly, and very inexpensive. So I can't help on upscale hotel accomodations.

and the majority of Croatians, especially those under 30 or so, speak English.

grouchywoman

I thought Trogir was lovely, but I really liked Split a lot and thought there was more to do. I say do both. If you only have 6 days, I think I'd keep it to those 3 places, maybe with a day trip to an island (a quieter island than Hvar, which will be crazy in August, from what I hear). I went to Croatia in October 2007, and went to Dubrovnik, Split, Trogir, Pula, Porec, and Rovinj. If you're interested in reading about my trip, check out my blog at www.paynoattention.net -- click on "Grouchy Woman on Croatia."

NancyD9393

I think going to Split to see the old town and Diocletian's Palace is a good thing to do, but otherwise, even in May, Split is too touristy, too commercialized with modern fast food joints, and too many, as my cousin in Zagreb calls them "ugly communist period high rise apartments" with zero architectural appeal. My great grandfather helped found the Croatian National Theatre in Split (the first and original is in Zagreb, where he was a principal performer for his whole life) so that's worth having a look at too, but hey, that's just my roots talking.... I personally fly to Split, and then head elsewhere almost immediately. So much of Croatia to see yet !

danon

If you can fly to Split and out of Dubrovnik would be a good solution.
I like Split a lot, and as far as crowds go - at least it is a big city. The coast will be totally jammed - getting on a ferry in August could take hours. I would not move from place to place too much.
It is very hot, not too many places have AC and traffic is a huge.

danon

P.S.
the people who visited outside the summer time may have a different impression....
- I agree with yorkshire

Jessup

I was in Croatia in August of 2006 (Dubrovnik, Hvar, Bol and Split) and while crowded, I would hardly say it was unbearable -- and I wouldn't forgo Hvar just because of the crowds. Just book the hotel ahead of time (I booked in May and was fine) and be prepared to wait sometimes for a table at a restaurant. Coming from NYC I didn't thnk the crowds were really so bad - if anything, the crowds in Hvar made for some great people watching! The only place the crowds really bothered me was in Split, which was really jam-packed.

We didn't have a car and it was no problem -- ferried from Dubrovnik to Hvar, took a day-trip boat (forgoing the return) to Bol, and took the ferry to Split.

ellencmog

We returned from our second trip to Dubrovnik last week. It's one of my favorite cities in the world and the Dalmatian coast is stunningly beautiful. August will be incredibly hot, but if you're prepared for heat, you should be fine. One taxi driver told us they're expecting 740 cruise ships this season (the first one arrived last week). That means close to 1 million tourists in the Stari Grad (Old Town). And that's not including the bus tours from other parts of Europe who were already choking the streets. Again, not to be negative because it's definitely worth the visit, but I agree with yorkshire and others that you'll really have to fight the masses.

Allow for extra travel time. The coastal road is two lanes and relatively slow in the off season (unless you're a Balkans driver!). This trip we drove to Mostar and hit a detour for the road to Split. It may be finished by August, but if you do go to Split, allow for the better part of the day to drive. The Adriatic is crystal clear with shades of blue and turquoise. Words just can't do it justice.

I agree about Kotor and Budva - just gorgeous. And arriving early, since the airport is south of Dubrovnik anyway, it may not be a bad drive down to Mongenegro.