Calling all Croatia fans
 

I originally planned our trip next May to start in Dubrovnik and work our way north (Hvar, Trogir/Split, Rab, Rovinj), ending up in Zagreb -- I thought that it would be warmer in the south when we started out the first of May. I wonder, though, if it might be better to do it the opposite way -- I guess I've read so much about the wonders of Dubrovnik that it might be good "to save the best for last." Any input or advice from those of you who know Croatia would be most welcome. And again, many thanks for all your wonderful trip reports, which have inspired me and provided incredible amounts of information.

I don't know the details of your trip(how long you are staying in Croatia, most important), but your inclination to save the best for last may work. I go to Croatia every summer and Zagreb is a large landlocked metropolitan city. It may be best to explore it while it is not quite summer yet. I can tell you that the further you get into summer-the hotter the cities are, especially Zagreb. Rovinj is on the Water and the so are the others. If you are pressed for time and just want to know whether to put Dubrovnik first or last,IMHO, Dubrovnik is better last-you can decide how many days you want to spend there. Good Luck.

ttt - Grasshopper, where are you?

Thanks, Sue -- for some reason, your response wasn't showing when I topped this.

Please refer to "Italy Slovenia Croatia" message thread.

I don't think that the two weeks difference between the start and end of a trip will matter that much. Sometimes the middle of May can be warmer than the end of May.

I returned from Croatia this past weekend and it was definitely warm in Dubrovnik. One of the advantages of being in this southern part of Croatia at the end of the trip is that you can end your stay with relaxing on the beautiful beaches (always nice on the final days) and have more energy for city touring in Zagreb area.

Hi Aloha (I guess that's redundant!)

I started to reply on this the other day and then didn't because I'm not sure my opinion isn't just my own bias here. But here goes anyway...

I would finish in Dubrovnik because for me it was such a surprise that I think I would have been disappointed in anything that followed. That said, I still haven't stayed on Hvar. Mark has sent me things that have really made me want to visit Hvar next time. I started in Rovinj, toured Istria for several days then ferried down from Reijka. The ferry ride was beautiful and very peaceful. I'm sure the coastal route is pretty special too.

But Dubrovnik was definitely the cheery on the cake. I'm just so afraid after all I've said I'll set your expectations impossibly high.

From Dubrovnik I flew to Zagreb planning to say a few days. It was 37 c and so unpleasant I couldn't wait to get out of there. I hopped on a train and headed to Bled.

Personally, I would begin in Zagreb but not spend much time there. Work your way south and end in Dub. If I had started in Dubrovnik I probably would have missed one or tow of the other fabulouse places we visited.

Once we got to Dubrovnik it was very hard to leave. We had booked a hotel in Rome for our last three nights otherwise we would have stayed in Dubrovnik until our day of flight.

I would recommend at least 5 nights in Dubrovnik. It is a wonderful city.