My husband and I are planning a 10 day trip to Croatia in mid-Sept after the summer crowds have departed.

We don't want to see the entire country but prefer to see a slice of it very well. I want to see the Roman ruins and since hubby has not been to Venice, thought we could fly there, spend a day there and then take the ferry over.

Are we crazy? We have not been to Croatia and have not really started to plan the trip since we have some time. For those that have been in this part of the world what do your recommend?

We do not want to slum it when we travel, are far beyond that stage but we are not really "tourists" either. We want to enjoy the culture, eat well, stay in nice places and really get a flavor for the country.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

sega-

No, you are not crazy!

We are going to Croatia for the first time in June, so I can't give you any first hand suggestions.

What I can tell you is to get going on your planning now. Croatia is a very popular spot, and good hotel options are rather limited in some areas. There was a thread a week or so ago about how all the rooms at Plitvice National Park were already fully booked for some dates in September.

Some of the most visited areas in Croatia include: Dubrovnik, Hvar, Korcula, Plitvice Park, and Split. By all accounts, there are many other gorgeous places as well.

Good luck.....and get goin'

Hi
We visited Croatia 3 yrs. ago. We rented a car and drove from Slovenia. we stayed most of the time in Istria staying in both Poruc and Rovinj. Rovinj is one of the best looking sites I've been to in my travels. We stayed at a resort about 10 minute walk to the waterfront and downtown. We then drove [a long drive] to Trogir. we drove before the expressway was completed. We spent 2 nights in Trogir. Felt it was overcrowded with tourists and so we drove back to Rovinj, where we spent the rest of the time. I can only imagine the crowds in trogir, Split now as compared to 3 yrs. ago before it became a hot place to visit. We also visited in mid to late Sept. as this is when we always travel. The weather was great, sunny and warm. The hotel in Trogir had just shut down the a/c for the year. It was comfortable to sleept though. Enjoy your trip, it's a beautiful country. When the Croatian found out we were American they were very pleasantr. said that they hoped more Americans would visit.

Sega...

No you are not crazy!

I will also be in Croatia in mid-late September, Hvar 4 nights and Dubrovnik 5 nights. I booked my accommodations back in January and even at that time was starting to see many places almost booked for September. I recommend starting your research now and booking as soon as possible.

I decided not to stay in hotels, but to book a studio apartment in Hvar and a private room in Dubrovnik. I felt that would allow me soak up more local color then staying in a hotel.

Happy Travels!

One of the things I like to do when I travel somewhere on my own is to check out various high-quality tour companies to see where they go and how long they spend there. I have gotten some excellent ideas that way.
I will also be in Croatia in mid-Sept with General Tours. We will be arriving 4 days earlier to be on our own and will be ending in Ljubjiana, but staying longer and then going on the Triest.
I am expecting good weather and a wonderful trip.

Sega61 - oh no, not too early to plan at all, if you like to have arrangements made before you arrive. We will be in Croatia September 3-11 and I have had my lodging for months.
We arrive in Zagreb and are flying Croatian Air to Dubrovnik for $38 US a piece.

If you plan on visiting Dubrovnik and staying in a hotel, you will find they are rather pricey and you will not be slumming it. We chose an apt there (at 90 euro per night) over a hotel. You might feel a bit less "touristy" in an apt and a nice selection can be found through www.dubrovnik-online.com/

We are staying on Hvar for three nights in a private room, and when I was emailing properties quite a few were booked or did not take ressies for less than a week. I did not find ANY hotels on Hvar that appealed to me at all. There was one resort that looked pretty cool on an island off of Hvar, but for just a three day stay I did not want the travel complications.

Some folks swear by not making any plans at all and just finding private accomodation on arrival. I guess there is usually plenty available. I am not that type of person.

The coast of Croatia is long and lovely - good luck narrowing down what you want to see!

We're also off to Slovenia Sept.10, picking up a car & going on to Piran, touring Motovun, Rovinj, Pula, & off to Plitvice, Split/Trogir,Hvar & Dubrovnik.Looking forward to a fabulous 3 weeks that we just finished planning & booking. As the others stated, major hotels all seem to be booked early.I also agree that an apartment with a view or in a great area beats hotels filled with bus tours.

Wow--is everyone going to Croatia in Sept?? We also are going to be there for almost three weeks, for the most part on a Grand Circle Tour. We do not want to drive so have chosen this company as they stay 3-4 days in each destination. We leave Chicago 9/22 and are hoping for lovely weather. Will be watching for more info and comments. Looks like a beautiful part of the world.

we were in Croatia last September and found while planning in June that some apartments etc were booked up and I wished I had planned earlier. We also found that it was quite busy, nothing like August I heard. Dubrovnik especially was packed. We did feel a palpable shift in crowds after Sept 15 (we stayed until 9/23) All this said we had a fabulous time. Especially loved Hvar (10days) wouldn't spend 6days in Dubrovnik again but glad I went for sure.

If you contact the Croatian Tourist Office
at 800-829-4416 they will send you
a list of tour operators, consolidators,
hotels etc.
And if you are near NYC go to their
office in the Empire State Bldg - Suite 4003 and you will find very helpful folks to answer your queries