where to go in Croatia?

Old Sep 29th, 2013, 11:24 PM
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where to go in Croatia?

My husband and I are currently travelling around in Europe, in Sarajevo right now and heading to Croatia in three days. We are on day 22 of our 72 day trip. (16 days of this will be a cruise )
I would like place to just relax, some warmer weather would be a bonus, and a place where we can walk everywhere. I was thinking of one of the islands.
We would like to spend a night or two in Split, We will arrive by train via Ploce and then head north, opting not to go to Dubrovnik.

We have six days before our booking in Opatija in northern Croatia

Which Island would you suggest?

Thanks for suggestions. They all sound lovely but this time of year there may be some better than others.
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Old Sep 30th, 2013, 12:29 AM
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i think dubrovnik is nicer than split by far...id only spend a night in split and actually stay in trogir...not far from split and top little town..old and full of colour and interest

we loved hvar...saw it on a holiday show and it didnt disappoint
we also visited vis and this is wilder and woollier and less touristy
plitvice lakes are definitely worth a visit too if youre heading north
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Old Sep 30th, 2013, 03:07 AM
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Hvar, Bol, Split, Trogir will all be in chill out mode during the shoulder season. Dubrovnik, it depends on those very cruise ships, if one is in town the place is a mob. Tourism is, I'm afraid, its own pollution.

I think Split is a must and use the hydrofoil to visit Trogir and one of the islands.
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Old Sep 30th, 2013, 12:42 PM
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Thank you both. We will research Hvar and Trogir. We have decided to spend a night In Mostar and then take the bus to Split from there.
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Old Sep 30th, 2013, 10:01 PM
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Hvar seems to be a lot more expensive than Bol. Is it worth the extra expense? thanks
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Old Sep 30th, 2013, 11:21 PM
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Not in my mind, Bol is a small harbour port with bars and restaurants very like Hvar. You can hike to the other side of either island and get a boat on to Split or elsewhere. Bol does have Zlatni Rat (google it) which is pretty dull from the beach but amazing from Google.

Hvar has a bigger brand image (sorry I must be very tired to using phrases like that).
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Old Sep 30th, 2013, 11:57 PM
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Thank you. They all look so great I guess I can't really make a bad choice can I?
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Old Oct 1st, 2013, 03:11 AM
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You may want to consider taking the train to Mostar. it leaves very early in the morning which is a minus, but it is a very interesting trip for anyone interested in trains and engineering for trains. Blagaj, which can be reached by bus from Mostar, is very a very interesting place, too.
We took a long weekend trip from Sarajevo to Mostar to Split to Bol almost exactly a year ago. I am envious.
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Old Oct 1st, 2013, 03:43 AM
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I seem to have a lot of "very interestings" and even an extra "very" in my last post.

Meant to say I have not been to Hvar so can't compare it to Bol but Bol was very pleasant and, as you have noted, less expensive. It is time for grape harvest there which adds to the interest at the local winery. We stayed in a nice very reasonable 2 BR apartment right near the harbor area, House Racic. I think the apt next to us was one BR. There were lots of restaurants although some were closing down for the season.

We really enjoyed Split, too. Diocletian's palace is amazing
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Old Oct 1st, 2013, 04:17 AM
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I would definitely go to Dubrovnik. I went in March 2012 for five days and it's a stunning destination. We also took a trip to Mostar, which is very interesting, but only warrants a few hours visit. We booked a tour for this but because of the time of year we had a man take me and my OH by car. We had a good insight into the history of the area and to hear his personal experience.
Loved Croatia and would like to head back some time.
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Old Oct 1st, 2013, 08:43 AM
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Very helpful everyone thank you. We met a couple at breakfast this morning who just stayed in Trogir and went to Dubrovnik for the day and liked it better than Split.

So, we are taking the 7am train to Mostar tomorrow morning and spending the night there. THe bus leaves early for Split and area and we booked three nights in Trogir where we will do day trips to Dubrovnik and Split.
VT House Racic only has two bedrooms, at least for the time we want anyhow. I think I will book Bol and take a day trip to Hvar.

Thanks for helping me to narrow down my search everyone. I know it will be great and looking forward to warmer weather than we have been experiencing so far.
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Old Oct 1st, 2013, 11:23 AM
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sorry but i do have one last question

It looks like a long journey but bus or train from Spltit to Opatija (near Pula)

Where would be a good place to spend one night to break the trip up do you think?

Thanks again.
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Old Oct 1st, 2013, 12:02 PM
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Vttraveller. I just found and booked a 1 br at Racic House. Thanks. It looks great.
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Old Oct 1st, 2013, 12:31 PM
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We enjoyed Korcula.
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Old Oct 3rd, 2013, 01:58 PM
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Hvar and Pag. They both are worth visiting. There is a big differenence between them but i really recommend you both.
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Old Oct 3rd, 2013, 11:18 PM
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thanks again. Thank you for suggesting Trogir. We LOVE it here
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Old Oct 4th, 2013, 05:19 AM
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Oh im
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Old Oct 4th, 2013, 05:22 AM
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..sorry...all thumbs here..im so glad youre enjoying little treasure Trogir
i am so grateful to the fodorite..his name was Ken i think who steered us to this place..he wrote a fabulous trip report which really helped us find places that we wouldnt otherwise have noticed...
have fun!hope you write a trip report upon your return
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Old Oct 4th, 2013, 05:40 AM
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I got back this past Sunday from Croatia and Slovenia. We flew from London to Dubrovnik, we stayed there 3 nights and it was so fun dining out, and the tourist boards contracts singers and bands to play all over the city and the tourists dance to the music in the streets - then we went to Split, which really surprised me - I had read not really good things about but when we got there I loved it ! - there is a gorgeous promenade with palm trees where you can sit and have drinks and look at the gorgeous color of the sea, great restaurants, I'd go back and stay there a week. Then we went to Hvar and spent 2 nights and really, that was a disappointment, I guess because I read so many good things about it that I was expecting more and it is really a very small place that you can see in a couple of hours, it just wasn't worth the effort to get there. The other surprise was Zagreb - such a great town, with beautiful people: the slavics, and so cheap it was unbelievable. Can you believe sitting in an outdoor cafe and I asked for Chivas on the rocks, and it cost $3 !! Enjoy it soon because in about 3-4 years when they start using the euro things will take a turn for the worst. You really can't go wrong with any place in Croatia. Regarding the bus trip taking so long, we broke it up by going to Plitvice for one day - then to Zagreb and then we took the train to Slovenia. You may want to look into where you can take the train. Enjoy.
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Old Oct 6th, 2013, 10:37 AM
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We are now on Brac, at Bol staying at House Racic. Thanks for the tip Vttraveller. We are really happy with it and love Brac. The weather is not great but hopefully the forcast is wrong and the torrential rain holds off.
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