TRAVELING THE CROATIAN COAST

I see that this and your similar earlier post are your first here so I'll respond although I probably won't tell you anything that you wouldn't see by looking at prior posts.

Most posters have praised Hvar, Trogir and Rab and have enjoyed Split, most often on a day visit.

Our favorite lodging in Trogir was Apartmani Bakica, just across the bridge from the island. Alka and Monika were good seafood restaurants in Trogir.

Split was interesting for Dimocletian's palace and the market just outside the wall. Split is also the place to catch the ferry for Hvar.

Check other Croatia threads here and you'll get lots of other ideas.

Are you traveling overland from Trieste to Rijeka, or will you be swinging down through Istria? Rovinj and Pula are a couple of great little cities with lots of sites to see and things to do, but I would highly recommend heading out to Cres island in the Kvarner gulf. The island is quite rugged and rural with plenty of places to hike. Cres Town is a great place to chill out a few days and is also a short distance from Valun and Lubenice. We spent 5 days there at the end of our trip relaxing before making the long journey home.

As for lodging, I'd recommend private apartements over hotels in Croatia. You get so much more for the money. The hotels we stayed at weren't very interesting and about 3x the price of private rooms. Look for "sobe/zimmer" signs - you will see them everywhere. Inspect and bargain.

Have a great trip, Bruce
Croatia Travel Photos -- http://www.brucegcollier.com/galleries/croatia/level2_all.htm

Thankyou so much for your help. I will make note of your suggestions. I will be booking my car this week. I will write your restaurant choices in my travel journel. Did you book your apartments before you arrived? I cant wait.Thanks! Pep

I just now had time to review the photos! Amazing. Someone is very talented and has a great "eye"!

We have not decided how we are driving from Venice to Croatia, any suggestions?

Thanks

pepnjak,
With which company are you booking your car rental? Before we decide officially on Traveltimeny I'd like to compare prices(we drive automatic only). Just a tip for Istria, stop in Motovun, a gem so typical of a town in Tuscany.

I am booked with Kemwel 1 800 678 0678 or autoeurope 1-888-223-5555 Sept 6th-24th quoated $695.00

Bruce, (bg collier)
I stumbled upon your photo link and am extremely impressed. If you aren't a professional photographer you should be. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos!
Tana

Last summer in Dubrovnik i stayed at the apartment kashe and i had a wonderful time. You can find more about the apartment here: www.dubrovnikconcierge.com/pages/kashe.htm
Cheers!
Joanna

Thanks Bruce, your photos are beautiful.

Thank you, all, for the nice comments. Hope the photos helped.

pepnjak - I missed the reply, but no, we didn't pre-book. If you are traveling in July or August, then booking ahead will give you peace of mind. Otherwise, don't bother. There's no shortage of private rooms/apartments.

Regards, Bruce

Great...we were hoping this would be the case. Just want to drive and stop and stay where ever! We will have a car from Sept 11-24.Cant wait...as you might be able to tell by our name, it is where my husband's "roots" are....Special 60th birthday celebration!!

Sounds like a great trip!

I also recommend Apartment Bakica in Trogir.

To view my Croatia photos you can go to www.windjammer.smugmug.com.

Enjoy!

Pepnjak,

I envy your trip doen the Croatian coast. We did it a couple of years ago, but used public transportation. With a car, you will be able to stop at all of those wonderful looking places we had to only admire from the bus window.

I can highly recommend the Makarska Riviera, between Split and Dubrovnik. We did get off the bus in Omis, and took a trip by small boat up the Cetina river. Simply wonderful! Crystal clear water in which you could see the fish swimming on the bottom of the river. We stopped at a superb outdoor restaurant for a meal cooked the traditional way under iron domes covered with hot coals.

Also stopped in the town of Makarska for the night. Lovely promenade and good restaurants. Stayed in a Sobe in a local home. Just followed an elderly lady who was holidng up a sign at the bus station.

Have a wonderful trip!

I would look at a couple apartment options online and have the address/phone number along with you as a back up plan. I found this link very helpful. http://www.hostelbookers.com/booking/index.cfm

The links on this thread may be of help to you.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34789839