On a wing and a prayer! We leave for Croatia & Montenegro in 3 days!
Feb 26th, 2007, 08:27 AM
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On a wing and a prayer! We leave for Croatia & Montenegro in 3 days!
Hello!
Due to a family medical situation, we only made the decision to go on our trip we scheduled to Croatia!
AND, we leave on Wednesday!
I truly like the spontaneity of traveling without a lot of planning and we've been across the ponds lots and have used rental cars in many countries.
That said, we're staying in Zagreb a couple of days and then shall pick up our car we booked with Autoeurope. We plan to head to Plitvice Lake, spend an half day, perhaps an whole day, and then drive through Bosnia until we reach Dubrovnik. We'd planned to stay there for a few days and take day trips to Montenegro. However, after researching the two, I'm not sure Montenegro doesn't suit our need for out-of-the-way places with small villages, quiet, and great scenery.
As an artist, I relish the sites I've seen at:
http://www.photo-montenegro.com/gallery/free/Budva/
The help I seek, please,
recommendations for:
Zagreb, hotels, sites, museums
Dubrovnik, same
Montenegro, apartment, drives, restaurants, markets
And, finally, I'd like ideas for the most scenic route to return to Zagreb where we catch our plane home.
We shall have a total of 16 days.
Thanks in advance, all help appreciated!
Due to a family medical situation, we only made the decision to go on our trip we scheduled to Croatia!
AND, we leave on Wednesday!
I truly like the spontaneity of traveling without a lot of planning and we've been across the ponds lots and have used rental cars in many countries.
That said, we're staying in Zagreb a couple of days and then shall pick up our car we booked with Autoeurope. We plan to head to Plitvice Lake, spend an half day, perhaps an whole day, and then drive through Bosnia until we reach Dubrovnik. We'd planned to stay there for a few days and take day trips to Montenegro. However, after researching the two, I'm not sure Montenegro doesn't suit our need for out-of-the-way places with small villages, quiet, and great scenery.
As an artist, I relish the sites I've seen at:
http://www.photo-montenegro.com/gallery/free/Budva/
The help I seek, please,
recommendations for:
Zagreb, hotels, sites, museums
Dubrovnik, same
Montenegro, apartment, drives, restaurants, markets
And, finally, I'd like ideas for the most scenic route to return to Zagreb where we catch our plane home.
We shall have a total of 16 days.
Thanks in advance, all help appreciated!
Feb 28th, 2007, 06:10 PM
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i don't have time for a long reply today, but have a few quick thoughts after our trip there last summer.
dubrovnik is not quiet, but it is amazing. worth going there just to stay at the villa adriatica http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/villa_adriatica/
we stayed there last summer and remember so fondly having a beer on the rooftop, overlooking the old town and port, while the owner's son showed the soccer game on the cracked wall from his computer.
we had planned to go to montenegro, but were just too relaxed in dubrovnik to move at all!
we liked zagreb-- but it's a city. reminded me a bit of san francisco. we stayed at the hotel dubrovnik (in zagreb, yes) and it was a modern hotel, which we don't usually do, but the central location made everything so easy... and no sound problems at all, to our amazement.
i would NOT plan to drive up or down the coast from dubrovnik.. it's not all that gorgeous and is horribly slow and busy with both cars and pedestrians through every coastal tourist town.
you will probably want more time in plitvice. if you want a real treat, stay at the hotel i talk about 30 minutes away on another post. or just go there for lunch, so you can walk around their amazing grounds (which they usually charge for) or follow the river along that area.
we took a ferry over to italy when we left... a ferry is an option, as it won't be as busy now. schedules very weird. ocean24.com is jadroninija's booking agent and they are amazing. we got our tickets in 4 days.. no charge to mail from germany.
anything help at all?
k.
dubrovnik is not quiet, but it is amazing. worth going there just to stay at the villa adriatica http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/villa_adriatica/
we stayed there last summer and remember so fondly having a beer on the rooftop, overlooking the old town and port, while the owner's son showed the soccer game on the cracked wall from his computer.
we had planned to go to montenegro, but were just too relaxed in dubrovnik to move at all!
we liked zagreb-- but it's a city. reminded me a bit of san francisco. we stayed at the hotel dubrovnik (in zagreb, yes) and it was a modern hotel, which we don't usually do, but the central location made everything so easy... and no sound problems at all, to our amazement.
i would NOT plan to drive up or down the coast from dubrovnik.. it's not all that gorgeous and is horribly slow and busy with both cars and pedestrians through every coastal tourist town.
you will probably want more time in plitvice. if you want a real treat, stay at the hotel i talk about 30 minutes away on another post. or just go there for lunch, so you can walk around their amazing grounds (which they usually charge for) or follow the river along that area.
we took a ferry over to italy when we left... a ferry is an option, as it won't be as busy now. schedules very weird. ocean24.com is jadroninija's booking agent and they are amazing. we got our tickets in 4 days.. no charge to mail from germany.
anything help at all?
k.
Feb 28th, 2007, 09:47 PM
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We stayed at the Adriatica, too. We
would stay there again, Great loca-
tion. Don't be put off by the bullet
holes in the front of the building.
I would give Zagreb a day. We
went to some islands and then to
Dubrovnik. On the way back we took
an overnight ferry to Italy.
would stay there again, Great loca-
tion. Don't be put off by the bullet
holes in the front of the building.
I would give Zagreb a day. We
went to some islands and then to
Dubrovnik. On the way back we took
an overnight ferry to Italy.
Mar 19th, 2007, 05:10 PM
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kawh - did you say the wonderful place you stayed in Plitvice had cabins available also? My husband and I will be traveling with our 1 year old and it sounds like the rooms you stayed in will be a little cramped. Thanks, Julie
Mar 20th, 2007, 07:41 AM
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The sights in Zagreb are compact and linked by trams, you'll have no trouble finding what to do. I loved the cafes and architecture--and the restaurant Stari Puntjar. The cemetary is lovely. Driving in the area north of Zagreb would be nice.
In Plitvice, I recommend the Hotel Plitvice, and a stay of more than a day. It is amazing!
That is going to be quite a drive through Bosnia I imagine. The B-H tourism website is helpful.
For route planning, the viamichelin website is invaluable. I cannot believe someone said the Croatian coastal drive north of Dubrovnik was unimpressive--it rivals the Pacific Coast Highway and was one of the most amazing bus rides of my life! (They must have been on the main highway in summer) Definitely drive into the Peljesac Peninsula.
In Dubrovnik, rent an apartment through a tourist agency (Atlas is one). It is easy to find quiet outside of the main cities in Croatia, and no problem even in cities in March.
I head to Montenegro for the first time this May, but I hear the drive from Kotor to Budva to Cetinje is amazing.
Happy Trails!
In Plitvice, I recommend the Hotel Plitvice, and a stay of more than a day. It is amazing!
That is going to be quite a drive through Bosnia I imagine. The B-H tourism website is helpful.
For route planning, the viamichelin website is invaluable. I cannot believe someone said the Croatian coastal drive north of Dubrovnik was unimpressive--it rivals the Pacific Coast Highway and was one of the most amazing bus rides of my life! (They must have been on the main highway in summer) Definitely drive into the Peljesac Peninsula.
In Dubrovnik, rent an apartment through a tourist agency (Atlas is one). It is easy to find quiet outside of the main cities in Croatia, and no problem even in cities in March.
I head to Montenegro for the first time this May, but I hear the drive from Kotor to Budva to Cetinje is amazing.
Happy Trails!
Apr 16th, 2007, 12:18 AM
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jck4-
sorry, i haven't been on this board for a while... yes, the rooms were tiny, but they had two cabins-- unattached rooms that may have had kitchens-- that would probably be good for you. the web address (which does not do it ANY justice...it is such a gorgeous place... i mean breathtaking) is
http://www.slunj-rastoke.com/eng/
This place is FAR superior to anything else we saw in that area and we just lucked upon it. my husband called it the unicorn effect-- it was just magic and luck. k. & j. sebastopol, ca.
sorry, i haven't been on this board for a while... yes, the rooms were tiny, but they had two cabins-- unattached rooms that may have had kitchens-- that would probably be good for you. the web address (which does not do it ANY justice...it is such a gorgeous place... i mean breathtaking) is
http://www.slunj-rastoke.com/eng/
This place is FAR superior to anything else we saw in that area and we just lucked upon it. my husband called it the unicorn effect-- it was just magic and luck. k. & j. sebastopol, ca.
Apr 16th, 2007, 02:49 PM
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thanks - i think we're now going to try to make this trip in April or May of 2008. Turns out we're buying a house in June so a 2 week trip in Sept might be too much. Hopefully Croatia/Slovenia with a 20 month won't be too much harder than with a 12 month old...
