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Slovenia/Northern Croatia in mid-August - hotel and other advice?

Slovenia/Northern Croatia in mid-August - hotel and other advice?

Old May 13th, 2013, 01:39 AM
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Slovenia/Northern Croatia in mid-August - hotel and other advice?

Hi - we are looking to travel to Slovenia/northern Croatia in mid-August. How busy will it be? Will we need to book all our hotels in advance?

Also, I'm wondering about distances. We will be flying into/out of Zagreb, and not counting the two flight travel days, we will have 9 days on the ground. We will be traveling with our 10 year old daughter. We want to travel around for the start of the trip and then spend about 3-4 days at the end in one place. It all looks so beautiful, that it is hard to choose what to see and not see in such a short time. We live in London, so would like to have some beautiful nature, hikes, swims, maybe some rafting/canoeing horseback riding, plus some stops in charming towns, probably as part of a day trip or en-route to somewhere else. We tend to be somewhat of slow travelers, rather than rushing around trying to see everything, but WOW, it looks all looks so beautiful, that some road-tripping is called for!

Based on initial research, these are some of the areas which interest me, but I'm not sure about distances, or if how to link them all together (apologies in advance for any spelling mistakes!)

Plitvice
Rovinj and maybe Piran or Trieste
Lipic to see the horses
Soca
Bled or Bohinj (probably end up there for our last 3-4 days)

Any thoughts, suggestions would be very welcome. Is Zagreb worth spending a day in? Or Ljubljana? Any suggestions of great places when we can stop en-route to somewhere, walk around, have lunch, then continue on to more natural beauty?

Many many thanks
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Old May 13th, 2013, 02:21 AM
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Zagreb did not impress me, though the contrast between the Austro-Hungarian area by the station and the Old Town is interesting.

The Plitlivice Lakes are beautiful and a nice day out. We also liked Pula and Opatija, in addition to Rovinj. This is a very beautiful area, much like Tuscany to my eye. Opatija is an Austro-Hungarian resort where the Von Trapps used to go on holiday and a real period piece.

I hope you will write about Trieste when you return because it is rising on my list of must sees.

It will be busy, though not like Dalmatia. I would pre-book and tour from two or three hubs. It will also be quite warm, especially compared to what you are now having in the UK.
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Old May 13th, 2013, 04:11 AM
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it will be busy,especially on the weekends.You can base you in Bled for few days and do day travels to Trieste and the caves. Slovenia is small, best to rent a car, everywhere is at most 2 hours by car. Trieste is nice but nothing special,Piran much more interesting, Ljubljana is the best small capital in Europe, Skocjan Caves out of this world and near Lipica.
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Old May 13th, 2013, 01:43 PM
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I think Zagreb and the surrounding area is worth at least a day. I've been twice for long weekends and would return. But, since you enjoy nature, you may want to spend more time outside the city.

Ljubljana is lovely and also worth a day, but I didn't find as much to see and do there as in Zagreb.

I would suggest pre-booking your hotels, especially if you have a specified budget. You don't want to waste lots of time hunting for availability in a good location and at a price you like.

Have fun.
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Old May 13th, 2013, 09:32 PM
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> Will we need to book all our hotels in advance?

As wanderfrau said, if budget is an issue, reserving in advance is well worth considering.

> Plitvice

A must-see IMHO, and well worth a day, particularly if you prefer slow travel. The rangers will work with you to plan a visit of anywhere from 2 to 8 hours (longer visits are, of course, also possible). I spent something over 6 hours and loved every minute. Consider spending the night the before you visit the park.

> Bled or Bohinj (probably end up there for our last 3-4 days)

Both are beautiful. I believe Bled has more to offer (but I could be wrong). You can easily visit Bohinj from there.

> Is Zagreb worth spending a day in?

I enjoyed close to 3 days there, but then I'm someone who can spend hours on end in museums (and Zagreb has some interesting ones). Given your goals for this trip, other places might take higher priority.

> Or Ljubljana?

I loved Ljubljana - I found it absolutely charming and playful and with architecture unlike anywhere else I've ever been.

> Any suggestions of great places when we can stop en-route to somewhere, walk around, have lunch, then continue on to more natural beauty?

The Lungomare from Lovran to Opatija? I thought it lovely. BTW, I did not like Opatija - it seemed to me to be filled with overly loud resort-style hotels and overpriced food and beverage options. I stayed in Lovran, which is decidedly beyond its prime, but which IMO retained its charm even so. You can stop at one end of this long promenade, walk, and then take a bus back. There are several towns along the way, so you don't have to walk the whole way.

> Skocjan Caves out of this world

I agree! Well worth seeing.

Hope that helps!
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Old May 15th, 2013, 03:56 AM
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You have picked some wonderful destinations and a great trip. How are you traveling between places? If driving (recommended), be aware that Slovenia requires a vignette. If relying on buses, take their schedules into consideration when planning.

We spent 2 weeks in Croatia and 1 in Slovenia, and wished we had more time in each country, they are both absolutely beauriful. Rovinj and Piran are somewhat similar, with Rovinj being my favorite out of the two. We did not spend any time in Zagreb, so can’t comment on it, but enjoyed our brief stay in Ljubljana – which deserves at least a couple of days. With only 9 days you cannot leisurely see everything you listed, and in August, I think it would be safer to pre-book hotels, so you maximize the time you have.

Click on my name for trip reports with pictures, they will give you an idea on what to see/skip. Happy travels!
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Old May 15th, 2013, 05:40 AM
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Thanks so much for all your recommendations. We will be renting a car, so don't have to depend on public transportation.

xyz99 - what is a vignette?

Do we have to pre-book the walks in Plitvice or can we just show up and go? Do we need to buy tickets/entrance fee? I think we will head straight from Zagreb to there, and walk around the lakes that afternoon or the next morning. Although I'm sure Zagreb has its charms, and we do like 'museuming' I don't think we want that for this trip, so will probably give it a miss, except maybe to stop there for lunch after the flight - any suggestions?

I like the idea of using Bled as a base to do some day trips rather than unpacking/repacking every night, so am thinking to head straight up there after Plitvice.

We may just do Ljublana/Piran as one day trip and the caves/Lipica as another, which gives us plenty of time for swimming, horseback riding, hiking and generally relaxing. Soca doesn't look that far from Bled, so probably another day trip.

Thank you all so much for your great suggestions. I will now do some homework on hotels, etc. As indicated above, two areas would be Plitvice and Bled, and possibly Ljubljana. Again, any recommendations there would be warmly welcomed.

Sam I will check out the website you recommended - thanks!
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Old May 15th, 2013, 06:44 AM
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A vignette is a sticker that you need to drive in a specific country on their highways, and it replaces the need to pay tolls; not all countries use it, in Croatia you will find the toll booths. If you start your trip in Slovenia, the rental car will definitely have it; if you start in Croatia, probably not.

You can buy them on the road, at any gas station close to border (for 7 days, a month, etc.). Try to get it before you enter the country, fines are high. Here is some more info:
http://www.slovenia.info/?faq=191

You don’t need to pre-book walks in Plitvice. Try to stay overnight, and visit in the morning before the tour buses arrive. You can easily spend the entire day in the park.
Bled as a base is a good idea, and you can do a day trip to Ljubljana from there, but I don’t think you can/should combine it with Piran on the same day…you won’t have much time to spend in any of these places. Use viamichelin or google maps to get a sense of distances and the time needed between destinations.

We loved Penzion Mayer in Bled (have dinner there, too) http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...la_Region.html

Price different options that include in/out the same place (Zagreb or Ljubljana) and an open jaw ticket – this will add a one-way fee on your rental. Have a great trip.
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Old May 15th, 2013, 07:10 AM
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We checked into renting a car in Croatia and dropping it in Slovenia. There was a large drop-off fee, so we scrapped that idea and confined our trip to Croatia.

Too bad you're missing the Dalmatian coast, Dubrovnik, and all the islands. Well, maybe next time.

But we loved Rovinj, where we rented an apartment. Here's the link: http://www.portaantica.com/en/app1-s...-4-adults.html. Great location, great view of the port. We received many looks of envy from passing tourists as we drank a glass of wine on the terrace.

In Plitvice we stayed in one of the hotels in the park, Hotel Jezero, which was fine and very convenient. And we had a memorable lunch at a nearby restaurant, Restoran Licko Kuca, across from Entrance 1. It is built like a large hunting lodge; we tried Pod Pekom, the Croatian specialty of meat, slow-cooked under a bell.
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Old May 15th, 2013, 07:29 AM
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Hi again. We are flying into/out of Zagreb, so will rent the car from the airport and return it there.

xyz99 - Thanks so much for the heads up about the vignette - really great tip. And thanks for the tip about not combining Ljubljana and Piran - on google maps, it looks like it is only about 2 hours from Bled to Piran via Ljub, so thought I could do it, but you're right it probably is a bit rushed...

Also, great advice about getting to Plitvice before the tour buses arrive. We'll definitely spend the night there and hike around the next day before starting for Bled. Mimar - your suggestion for dinner sounds delicious and I will look into that hotel too.

Sadly, no time to do the Dalmatian coast this time (unless the weather turns out to be so horrible that we ditch the mountains altogether!) We would like to do a Croatia 'proper' trip one day, with sailing around the islands - possibly next summer. I actually visited Split and Dubrovnik back when they were part of Yugoslavia, and it is a stunningly beautiful coast.
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Old May 15th, 2013, 08:08 AM
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trvlgrl: I really think you might get some useful information from our recent trip report. We stayed in many of the same areas you are considering... including Ljubliana, Rovinj, Plitvice, Zagreb, and more.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...d-slovenia.cfm

And here are our photos from that trip...

http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/f39522510

Hope this helps!
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Old May 15th, 2013, 08:15 AM
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He-he, we stayed at the same hotel as Mimar in Plitvice (nothing fancy, but conveniently located), and enjoyed the same restaurant. Here is a picture of our dinner, if was a dish for two, a combination of meats and it was delicious.
http://ioana-mark.smugmug.com/Travel...6330&k=fs58SPW
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Old May 15th, 2013, 08:31 PM
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> Do we have to pre-book the walks in Plitvice or can we just show up and go? Do we need to buy tickets/entrance fee? I think we will head straight from Zagreb to there, and walk around the lakes that afternoon or the next morning.

No pre-booking of walks, but there is an entrance fee. If you are trying to do a short visit, you will most likely see only a very small part of the lakes, and part of what is wonderful about them IMHO is that each is different and awesome in its own way. That's why I recommended that you stay near the lakes the night before your visit and then spend whatever time you want/can spare in the park. And do consider working with the rangers to plan a route that works for you.
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Old May 16th, 2013, 04:48 AM
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I will repeat one thing that has been said already re Plitvice, be at the entrance as early as you can.
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Old May 16th, 2013, 08:19 AM
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Hi - thank you guys for the photo links! Really fun looking through them, and it makes me want to go even sooner!

Mr-Go - I had read through your posting already, and that was one of the reasons I had thought about Rovinj!

Ok - so some more thoughts about the itinerary. Arrive in Zagreb, have lunch somewhere in the city, walk around, then drive down to Plitvice. Wake up early and hike around Plitvice for the day. Then, I was just looking at a map and thinking to stop in Opatija (thanks Ackislander) on our way to Bled, particularly if we have spent the day hiking around the lakes. Spend a night or two there, then visit either Rovinj or Piran for lunch/walk around on our way to Bled. Then spend the rest of the time relaxing in Bled/Bohinj, with two 'big' day trips of Ljub and the Skocjan caves/Lipic as another day trip.

Any recommendations on where to stay in Opatija?

Thanks again!
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Old May 16th, 2013, 09:12 PM
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>Any recommendations on where to stay in Opatija?

Are you fully committed to Opatija? As I said above, I didn't like it. If you don't want to walk the Lungomare, you might consider moving on to Rovinj or somewhere else in Istria instead.
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Old May 17th, 2013, 01:53 AM
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An alternative to staying in Opatija center would be in one of the fishing villages nearby, Volosko and Lovran are two these and the Lungomare walk connects them. People don't have to do the full walk either, Bus number 32 route runs parralel to the Lungomare, so it's easy to stop and take the frequent bus in either direction.
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Old May 18th, 2013, 04:31 AM
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If you like nature you should go to Pule Estate (Slovenia) it is absulutely superb and i dont think its far from Skocjan caves
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Old May 20th, 2013, 10:48 AM
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I hope you don't mind if I jump in with a related question...if wanting a base on the Istrian peninsula with water/beach - rocky is fine/swimming/sunning options along with charm, sights, restaurant choices, etc...., would you suggest staying in Porec, Rovinj, or Opatija? Thanks! If no takers, I'll post a new thread.
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Old May 20th, 2013, 05:30 PM
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fun4all4,
You should probably start a new thread...but since you asked here: we loved Rovinj, and I think it was a great base for exploring Istria. Did not go to Opatija, so I cannot compare...but Rovinj was everything that we expected, and more.

If you stay several days, you have time to visit Prec, Pula, and a few hill villages in the area.
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