Slovania & Croatia

Old Jun 30th, 2016, 07:57 AM
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Slovania & Croatia

We (my wife ,my son & me) plan to visit East Europe next
May 17. We plan to land in Vienna and then visit llubjana and lake bled. From there we plan to move towards Split and on the way see plitvice. Once we reach Split we would like to ferry to kvar, korcula , mljet and then reach Dubrovnik. For all the islands we thought of a night each. We were planning as followsbr /> Vienna. ..3 night
Llubjana ...2 nights.
Lake bled ....1 night.
Pletvice / some other place close to pletvice....1 night
Split ...2 nights
Hvar ...1 night
Korcula ...2 nights
Mljet....1 night
Dubrovnik. ...3 nights...
Fly out..
Is this possible... would require your valuable advice. I can't drive , so have to use public transport. Our son is 11 years old ...thanks..
Sanjoy08 is offline  
Old Jun 30th, 2016, 08:36 AM
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You can probably take the train from Vienna to Ljubljana.

There are buses between Ljubljana and Bled.

I'd probably consider taking a shuttle service like GoOpti between Slovenia and Plitvice, because otherwise the public transportation connection might be long. There are hotels right in the park at Plitvice, and you might stay in one. They are overpriced but convenient - you can walk right into the park from the hotels.

I seem to recall that there isn't a late direct bus to Split from Plitvice. Normally it would be ideal to arrive late in the day at Plitvice and see the park the next morning, but in your case you might not be able to do that well because the bus to Split might leave fairly early. Maybe you could arrive at Plitvice mid-day, see some of the park the first afternoon and some the second morning before leaving. Staying at a park hotel would allow you to enter the park twice on one ticket - they will stamp your previous day's ticket at the hotel front desk. (Another advantage to staying at a park hotel.)

Check www.buscrotia.com for Croatia bus times.
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Old Jun 30th, 2016, 08:56 AM
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Thanks Andrew..
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Old Jun 30th, 2016, 04:44 PM
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I would describe this itinerary as potentially do-able, but ambitious, particularly with an 11-year-old. Whether it is do-able for you and your family depends on your interests and your transportation options.

You will need to pay careful attention to travel options – although I think (no guarantees) that you can use public transportation for all of these connections, your options for times will generally be limited. Check rome2rio.com to learn more about your options. And be careful with dates – there is normally a change in ferry schedules within Croatia around 1 June, so you’ll need to be certain you are looking at the information for the dates you will be there.

And even if there is transportation that you can use for each connection, will you then have enough time to see what you want to see and experience? Andrew has already noted the snag you will face with your plan for the Plitvice Lakes. As a possible solution, subract one night from Dubrovnik and add it to Lake Bled or the Plitvice Lakes, whichever works to make sure that you have sufficient time there. (IMO, the best way to see the lakes and the differences between them in their colors is to make a single, long loop through the park -- something on the order of 6 hours or more, including time for the boat that connects the lower and upper lakes; I’m not sure whether your son would be up to that.)

It’s a beautiful part of the world – enjoy!
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Old Jul 1st, 2016, 02:48 AM
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I agree with kja - subtract a night in Dubrovnik and add it to Bled or Plitvice. Both require one full day, which you don't really have at the moment.

Regarding the islands, they're not really suited for one night stays IMO, I would stay at least two nights on an island. That said, Mljet can be done as a day trip from Korcula. That still leaves the single night in Hvar, though.
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Old Jul 1st, 2016, 03:15 AM
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Kja,rtt0921, thanks to all of you for your valuable advises. Things are hotting up. Actually my days and stops at each location is very flexible and I am open to suggestions. I agree with kja , that we might have to reconsider so many stops considering my son's age.
1)Do you think , it would be better to stay in Korcula for 3 nights and have a day trip to Hvar on one day and Mljet on another day. saves on hopping around.

I also accept your idea of staying a night inside Pletvice to be able to see and feel the place..
regards,
Sanjoy
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Old Jul 1st, 2016, 03:55 PM
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kja
 
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If the ferry schedules permit a day trip from Korcula to Hvar, that would, I think, be worth considering. Or skip Hvar and add a night to Split so you have time to visit Trogir. And when you check your ferry options, consider whether it makes most sense to visit Mljet from Korcula or Dubrovnik.
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Old Jul 27th, 2016, 05:09 PM
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I just returned from a guided tour of Slovenia/Croatia. We spend four nights in Lake Bled with some 1/2 day tours away. I could have spent a week here just walking around the lake and enjoying the scenery. We stayed at Hotel Park right by the lake--nice hotel and we all had lakefront rooms. May I recommend some dining options: Gallus Restaurant for wonderful pizza; Pensione Berc for cozy and charming atmosphere and elegant dining; and the restaurant at the top of the castle; I think there are two restaurants up there. We had reservations for outside and had a wonderful lunch overlooking the lake and the island in the center of the lake. The indoor restaurant looked a bit institutional. Pensione Berc (not inexpensive) is rated #1 on TripAdvisor and the castle restaurant is rated #3.

Ljubljana was inviting. We were there on a Sunday and were informed in advance that a lot things would be closed on Sundays, but we found many shops/restaurants open. Interesting architecture. People filled the cafes, folks out with families. I was sorry we had only four hours here. This was a day tour from Lake Bled.

The area around the Diocletian Palace in Split was enjoyable. We had a guided tour of the palace and then several hours on our own and it didn't feel like enough time. There is a waterfront promenade and lots of shops/cafes/ice cream vendors. A street market is at one end. At noon they have a short show in the main square with actors portraying Roman soldiers, emperor, etc. Everyone out with their cameras. We stayed in neighboring Solin at the Hotel President, but that would only work if you have a car.

We had only about four hours at Plitvice Lakes along with a lot of other tour groups. I found I had to watch my step and not fall (someone in our group did fall but was quickly rescued; no harm done). Had to keep up with the group and not linger to take photos. Still got a few nice shots. If you can stay here and go into the park before the tour groups arrive or after they leave you will have a more enjoyable experience.
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Old Jul 27th, 2016, 05:48 PM
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You don't need much time to explore little Ljubljana, but it's such a lovely city that I think at least a night there is needed to get a good feel for it. The city really lights up at night. It's a place for slow strolls, not a place to check off a list of sites. It's one of my favorites in Europe.

I've been to Plitvice twice, and you're right about the tour groups and the timing. As a photographer, a tour group that hurries me along would never work, because the reason I went in the first place was to linger and take those perfect shots, many with a tripod. Serious photographers will want to stay over the night before and enter the park when it opens at 7am. The park is easy to tour alone without a guide.
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