3 weeks in Croatia- any ideas???
 

Hi everybody,

My boyfriend and I are departing for Croatia at the end of May for 3 weeks. I have been reading around but would love some itinerary ideas as we want to take advantage of the fact that we have so long.

We fly in and out of Split, want to see Dubrovnik, Hvar and Plitvice and really want to do a lot of the islands in the South to make sure we get some sunshine! Other than that completely open to suggestions. Could we also get to Pula and back in the time?

What mode of transport would you recommend and can we camp anywhere?

Thanks everybody!

Zoe

With 3 weeks, I see no need to do much planning, but here's what I would do--note you can do this in any different order, I will just give some random selections, trying to give you somewhat of a circular route back to Split.
You'll have to spend some time with ferry schedules to work out your plan--most, but not all, are operated by Jadrolinija. The schedule increases June 1, for one thing including more catamarans between islands--which are faster.
Split (3)--give it a couple days and see how you like it. You can do day trip to Brac or stay there too (3).
Next, Hvar (3), then Korcula (3). If you really want to get off the beaten path, you can visit Lastovo (3). From Korcula, to Dubrovnik (3).
Then from Dbv, take overnight ferry
to Rijeka, then you'll have to bus from there to Pula. Rovinj (3) is supposed to be a nicer place to stay, but I have not been to Itsria.
After exploring Istria, bus to Plitvice (2), then back to Split, staying last couple nights in Trogir (2).
From Split, you can also visit the island of Vis (3).

The numbers are guess of how long you should stay in each place, so you would obviously not do all of these nor stay in each place that long. Just estimates as a guide.

Google for campsites, you can wild camp if you want to take a chance--it is not legal.

Thanks for your tips. they are really helpful in getting my head around an itinerary. I think we may invert it though in order to do the North first and then end up in the South doing the islands, then back to split to fly home. This way it will hopefully be much warmer by the time we get south.

Thanks again!

Another question if anyone can help in terms of accommodation? Are we going to spend an absolute fortune trying to sleep somewhere for three weeks? what is the cheapest way to find accommodation? are there deals to stay somewhere a week or is everywhere per night?

thanks

If you are looking for budget accommodations in Croatia you may want to look into apartments. The prices are usually much lower than standard hotels, and many will rent by the night if you inquire. Hotel prices in Croatia can certainly be pricy, especially when considering the quality of what you are paying for.

I found that the best way to do this is to go to the tourist website for that city and click on "accommodations". For instance, Dubrovnik Online has tons of apartments listed (http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/engl...ommodation.php). Same goes for Trogir (http://www.trogironline.com/) and so on.

B&Bs are also options. We stayed in a lovely B&B (well, kind of a B&B but without the breakfast and the owners live next door so very private) in Dubrovnik called Villa Adriatica and I cannot recommend this place more. The views are stunning and it's literally steps away from Ploce gate. The price was very low (I think somewhere around $80 euros, although that was in November of 06). http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/villa_adriatica/.

Best wishes,
Tracy

As you can tell we Fodorites love Croatia! My favourite place in the entire country is Istria so I would highly recommend Rovinj. I would also recommend spending about 5 days in Istria - it is pure magic. Many believe that Pula is worth about half a day or so (including myself). My husband and I like to start out in Istria (spending much of our time there), drive down to Plitvice - a must see, to Trogir, doing islands along the way, ending up in Dubrovnik and flying back to Zagreb. Flights from Dubrovnik to Zagreb are very cheap (about 50 euros).

We find Split not nearly as quaint and pretty and charming as Trogir but has interesting history. I personally would not spend lots of time in Split but then some others would disagree.

I would definitely rent a car if you are going to be seeing Istria. You cannot get to several of the atmospheric medieval villages otherwise.

My favourite island is Mljet - tranquil and beautiful. Hvar and Korcula are pretty as well.

It is true that B&B's, apartments and sobes are inexpensive. In our trips to Croatia we have never paid more than 50 euros for a double and have found some very beautiful gems. (But then I research for about 200 hours per trip for the perfect places to stay!) Some of our favourite accommodations on the planet are in Istria.

Unfortunately I cannot comment on camping as I have not done it there.

Yes, good call--as it will be warmer, and there will be more ferries, and June should not be too hectic. (If it was July I'd say go south immediately).

The cheapest way will be to book upon arrival. People offering rooms greet most bus/ferry arrivals. Make sure you know where the place is before looking at it, and don't hesitate to refuse if you don't like the looks of the place. I have found both terrible and quite excellent rooms this way.
For more quality control, head straight to a tourist office, where they have files of rooms/apartments on offer.
Croatia is getting more expensive and in summer prices are highest. And staying in the "main towns" is always more expensive than outside of town. Some places only rent by the week, some require 3 nights minimum, some offer by the night.
It all depends on how picky you are. I require a good view and balcony, and I prebook because I am traveling so far and generally know where I am going to be--and I have generally paid around 50 euro per night, but you can def. do better with the time and flexibility you have.
Since you are probably going to move where whim takes you, you might just explore the prices and options online, but then book upon arrival.
If you need to prebook anywhere, there are thousands listed online.
Once you sketch out an itinerary, feel free to ask more about links for finding accommodations.

Hi all,

the trip is looming and as of yet I have made no accommodation plans! We are planning to book most on arrival but to book an apartment perhaps in the places we wish to stay for a while. Any recommendations for cheap apartments in Istria/rovinj or down south in Dubrovnik?
we like cheap and near beaches!

many thanks

We stayed in Rovinj for 5 days in an apartment. One of the sites we used to find it was http://www.rovinj.info/eng/private/index.asp

There are many to choose from depending on what you are looking for. Istria was wonderful, we drove from one end to another in our time there exploring little towns along the way.

Noodaw, did you click on the links I posted above to do any searches? There are literally tons of apartments to choose from in Dubrovnik and most are relatively inexpensive.

We stayed at Villa Adriatica (http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/villa_adriatica/) in Dubrovnik and loved it; cheap, clean, one minute walk to Ploce gate and the view was amazing. It's not really an apartment though, although the kitchen is downstairs and available for all guests to use. The owners live in their private home next door.

Tracy

If you are searching for accommodation in Istria, you can use this website http://www.traveladriatic.net/istria

We dealt directly with the owners of a lovely apartment with a pool. The location is in a villiage about 4 miles from Rovinj and there is a good local bus service. Minimum stay is 2 nights in high season but is often booked up because of the reasonable rates, i think we paid 40 euro in 07
Email [email protected]

Hi,
Sounds like a great trip and Croatia is a FABULOUS place to camp.

We spent over 46 days last summer in Croatia ( mostly in RV) so you might want to check out our website at:

http://www.soultravelers3.com

Click on blog archives or Croatia.

I would not miss Rovinj and bay of kotor and sword fight in Korcula ( home of marco polo) ....add them to your good must see list.

The coast road between Dubrovnik and Split is one of the prettiest in the world. It is also easy and cheap to rent a car and easy to find places to stay if you go that route. ( We did some of that).

Happy travels!

Hi Fodorites,
You picked a great time to visit and you have set aside the proper amount of time to vacation in Croatia!US-born, I have been living in the beach town of Selce (near Crkvenica or spelled sometimes Crikvenica)which is 20 mins south of Rijeka and 90 mins from Zagreb on the A-1. Most of my suggestions are going to be contrasts with the US West Coast because I have mostly traveled in Asia and this is my first European adventure.

Selce has an "autocamp" and last summer it was packed to the gills with RVs. Not my style at all.

I have been to Plitvice, you can't camp in the national parks and they are very group oriented. Although Plitvice has park-like paths (think city park) you can make it a workout because there are so many ways to walk around, not all of them are flat. My trip to Plitvice was a day drive from Selce in my ancient Renault 4GL. On the way I saw lots of places I would stay overnight but in the park it was a bit grim with concrete hotels and big bus parking lots. It is so beautiful there I really can't fault the parks people making sure that there is lots of places to accomodate large numbers of guests, however pre-fab it looks.

If you are flying in and out of Split, Plitvice is the farthest north you should go, save Istria/Pula and all for another trip.
The overnight ferry always sounds good when you plan an itinerary (I've done it 3 times on various routes up and down the coast)but honestly, Croatia is better seen putting around in the smaller towns and as you mentioned, the islands. Its not the kind of European country where you jet around to see the highlights because the traveling between spots can be time consuming. Even the faster ways of getting from South to North in Croatia like flying require more time than you think. For example, both the Dubrovnik and Split airports are rather far from the charming parts or beaches of those cities. And I wouldn't say there is so much traffic (again, I'm from the US) but there is frequently only one road so if its got a little contruction or any volume, you can crawl along at 20 km/h for quite a while.

Saturday lots of shops close early and Sunday some places like groceries are only open for the morning even in tourist places. Weekends are not the best time to travel, seems to be when everyone is already where they want to be so lots of transportation options on Friday and Monday so you can plop for the 2 days off.

Breakfast is usually coffee and a cigarette.That's why the "soba" isn't really a B&B. Lunch and dinner (at 8 pm) are the big meals and are always cooked, there is not a big business in take away food so be prepared to sit and eat at a table.

Cafe bars do not serve food but you can get a pastry at a nearby bakery and eat it out of the bag while you have coffee (kavu), just take the trash when you leave the cafe as a courtesy. Don't expect a plate or a knife or any butter/jam, you use the napkin under the coffee cup saucer. There is no coffee "to go" cups so the cafe by the view you want is the option unless you get a thermos and somehow sign-language the cafe bar owner to fill it up with espresso. Then I guess you can take it to the beach with your pastry.

Selce has both concrete and more natural looking beaches (rocks with some concrete in between to make flat spots). I wouldn't bother travelling to a "sand" beach because I spent time in California and Hawaii. Croatian beach is big rocks with pebbles in between so grab a foamy roll or a float and you won't miss the sand. Swimming is a joy in Croatia. Oh, by the way "FKK" means naturalist beach (its a german abbreviation)which is clothing optional.

If you get to Selce, be sure to stop at our newest restoran Barney's Bistro. Cosmik and Maja are the owners and they have been all over the world so can give you lots of secrets of their homeland. They are doing Italian food (but no pizza) and will have vegetarian dishes too. Cosmik makes the desserts.

Good luck and Sretan put (lucky travels)

Thanks everybody, this is all greadt advice. we leave in a week and I am beside myself with excitement!!

Last question though- in terms of the national parks, after looking at the pictures we really want to be able to swim! I hear you can swim in krka national park, so is it worth going there as well as Plitvice, or instead? How far are they from each other?

Haven't been to Krka, but I know you can't swim at Plitvice to protect the fragile environment--the swimming at Krka may be restricted to limited areas. It really just depends on your itinerary. You have time to see both and tell us which you liked better!
I think you'd need to investigate how to get to Krka from Sibenik.

If you need a place to stay in Korcula, I recommend www.rentadriatic.com
They can find something else for you if they don't meet your requirements.
And do try their vine!