robertcoon

My wife and I are trying to iron out an itinerary for a trip to Croatia later this year. We realize that trying to see both the north and south ends of the country in one trip over 10 days is a lot of ground to cover, but we've decided that it's something we want to do. Our plan right now is to fly into Dubrovnik and out of Zagreb - though would consider going either in or out of Split if it made more sense.

Definite stops include Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar, and Zagreb, but the number of nights in each is still negotiable. We're also planning on one night in Kotor, Montenegro after we leave Dubrovnik.

Trying to determine if we should also consider spending time (overnight or day trip) to Mostar, BH and Zadar? Any input on those locations? Are they must sees?

How many nights should we devote to Zagreb? It seems like the type of city we would enjoy.

Also, I've seen that Trogir is a popular place to stay overnight for those visiting Split. Any particular insight from everyone on whether we should stay in Split or Trogir?

Thanks in advance for your input!

cybergeisha

In my opinion,Dubrovnik is overrated. Split and Trogir are both interesting, but you can see whole Trogir in about an hour. It's better for you to stay at Split because from there you can catch a ferry to any island. Mostar is a nice town, but as Trogir, you can see the important part in about an hour. Zadar is nice, but not a must see. Personally i would recomend you to visit national park Plitvice before you go to Zagreb. You can spend the night there and you can't even pass all the lakes in one day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plitvic..._National_Park

Zagreb is ok, but it's a normal big european type city. They have a nice zoo. Istra is also a nice part of Croatia. It would help if you would state how old are you and what type of fun are you looking for, nature peace and quiet or partying clubs etc?

robertcoon

Thanks for the feedback Cybergeisha. We are both in our 30s. We do enjoy seeing some historical and cultural attractions - churches, ruins, monuments, etc. - though not looking to go to museums all day long. We enjoy shopping and partaking in the local culture - cafe life, etc.

Definitely interested in the foodie scene. Not looking to go clubbing.

City life/local culture a greater priority than peace and quiet.

Andrew

Mostar is definitely worth a visit. As a part-Muslim city with prominent mosques everywhere, it feels very different from anywhere in Croatia. But you don't need tons of time there in my opinion. The bridge in the center is the highlight of the city for sure. It is very touristy during the day but quiet at night, like many places, after the tourists leave. So you might enjoy the city more after the tour groups leave, but I'm not sure spending a night is required. But if the option is to drive back to Dubrovnik anyway, might as well stay in Mostar.

A few people really seem to love Zagreb, but I wasn't one of them. I arrived early in the evening, spent two nights, and left early the final morning, and I had a tough time finding things to do for a whole day. Half a day would have been plenty. Zagreb isn't a bad place at all, just not particularly exciting or that interesting to me.

I didn't much care for Split, either. I didn't get to see Trogir - kind of wish I'd stayed there instead of Split, although I'd say you should definitely visit Split. One night should be plenty or at least a few hours to wander around Diocletian's Palace and hang out in the Riva.

I assume you are stopping at Plitvice National Park on the way to Zagreb? That I would consider a "must see" in Croatia especially if you are anywhere near Zagreb.

You can read my 2009 trip report (links to lots of pictures) by clicking on my name.

tower

Robert..I do not write trip reports. From my several visits dating back to Tito days... here are some old and more recent pix to familiarize you with the region, even Kosovo. Plitvice is a must, even back when it was eerily uncrowded in the 70's and 80's.
Have a great trip...

stu tower
https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...Kq1odTr3IKLHA#

cybergeisha

If you like food definetly visit Istria(famous for it's truffles) and Dalmatia. Small towns and islands have more "soul" than towns like Split which is a transit city + obligatory visit to diocletians palace, coffe on riva and restaurant called fife. If you were visiting during the winter Dubrovnik would be nice but trust me during the summer it's full of tourist you can't even get around the town and it really really expensive. Šibenik is a small town between Split and Zadar, it's old and nice with decent prices and restaurants.Hvar is nice but again prepare yourselfs for higher prices because Hvar is popular. Rather than staying in Zagreb you can stay in a region called Hrvatsko Zagorje. Mostly small towns that all look similar, really really nice wines and food and lower prices because it's not as popular as coastal part of the country. If you rent a car you can drive from Dubrovnik by the coast to Zadar then visit Plitvice go to Istria go to Zagreb and Hrvatsko Zagorje(croatian hills) and fly from zagreb home

yorkshire

What month? Do you prefer rental car or public transport?
Dbv to Zagreb in 10 days is fine if you don't try to do too much.
Dubrovnik can be seen in mere hours, but I can't say if you will be sad to leave too quickly or not. If you are not visiting at peak time, you could play it by ear for the entire trip.
Kotor is 6 hours out of your way round trip, that is the problem. Mostar would be on the way from Dbv to Split. Hvar, Trogir, and Split are all close enough that you can pick one base and see them all. I would give Zadar a miss, but I would definitely visit Plitvice in between Split and Zagreb.
It all comes down to your travel style--do you want time to relax and enjoy a sea view, or do you like to be on the go?
Search the forum for the zillion conversations about Split vs. Trogir.
Re Zagreb, I rather liked it, but again, time of year is important.

robertcoon

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

We're planning on going early/mid October.

We like some relaxation, but do learn more towards being a little on the go.

We are planning on renting a car for at least half of the trip.

Snowflake25

We visited Croatia for a week in late September to early October. We found Dubrovnik was still very busy with lots of cruise ship passengers. We walked the wall early in the morning to avoid the crowds and the heat. We took the 3 Island tour from Dubrovnik and it was one of our favourite things to do. It was nice to walk around the islands and leave the crowded streets behind. We also spent a few days in Split and went to Trogir for part of one day. I would have to say the best part of the trip was our visit to Mostar. We arrived later in the day when the tour buses etc were gone, We enjoyed strolling around the streets and did not have to wait in line to have dinner. The next morning we did the "must see" things before the tour buses arrived. We stayed at Villa Anri in Mostar and it was wonderful, close to the old town and they really made us feel welcome!! By the way, we traveled by bus while we were there.

mmodrich

My husband and I just got back from Croatia and as soon as we got to Split, we couldn't wait to get out. We ended up dropping our stuff off at the apartment and spending part of our day in Trogir. I feel like Split is just a big city, although the Diocletian palace is really cool, I feel like you could stay in Trogir and take the bus to Split and wander around for a couple hours.

robertcoon

Thanks for the feedback everyone. We've decided to definitely add Mostar to our trip. Still working to see if we can work Zadar in too.

Probably going to minimize time in Split - basically spend some time there before our ferry to Hvar, and maybe some time when we come back from Hvar, but not stay there overnight.

Vttraveler

Just wanted to put in a good word for Split. We spent a late afternoon/evening one day to noon the next day fall and really liked the old part of the city. we stayed at a B &B in the old city outside of but near Diocletan's Palace. We would like to go back for a longer stay.

Vttraveler

Also, in Mostar we really enjoyed staying overnight at the Muslibegovic House.

nfldbeothuk

I'm going to throw in my liking for Zadar, which I think is under-rated. It does have a lot of tourists, but most of them are Croatians who fill the "beach" (shingle/pebble) apartments. The 9th c. Round church, the remains of the Roman forum,the huge cathedral, and the reliquary collection of gold and silver plated bones (Google!) are interesting. The sea organ and the Greeting to the Sun are unique modern attractions. Prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is relaxed.

maitaitom

Check out Chapters Eleven through Sixteen of our 2008 trip (lots of photos, too). Dubrovnik is not overrated in my opinion. It's crowded between 8:30 and 3 with cruise ship people, but once they leave it's great. Walk the walls (after 2:30), have a drink at the Buza Bar and see the monasteries. It's great for a couple of days. Definitely visit Plitvice on the way to Zagreb. It is beautiful. Have fun.

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/Tom_...nice_2008.html

robertcoon

Thanks for the links everyone, and for all the input!

trish_glazer

My friend and I just booked tickets flying into Dubrovnik and out of Athens 10 days later. We'd prefer to travel on our own, with a few days in Corfu before going on to Athens for 2 days.
Does anyone have suggestions on the best places to stop between Dubrovnik and Corfu, within 2-3 days of travel, and the best mode of transportation to take? Should we rent a car, take trains?
or - is it more interesting to head north of Dubrovnik for a few days then fly to Corfu?

cronin85

Good thing you added Mostar, it's my hometown and you'll like it, but like few other people said, one day is enough. Old bridge is of course a must, but on the way there you could stop by river Buna's source in Blagaj that has a cool lil' restaurant with good cevapi (lil minced beef sausages).

kja

I've been to most of the places mentioned in this thread and I found things to enjoy in each of them. But they are quite different from each other, and many of these locations (like Split) elicit love/hate reactions.

If your main reason for visiting Zagreb is for the cafe culture, note that the city is dreadfully quiet on Saturday afternoons and Sundays.

> City life/local culture a greater priority than peace and quiet.

Then Split might be more to your liking than Trogir, especially in October. I thought Split wonderfully dynamic and energetic. Trogir is lovely, but was extremely quiet even in the last days of May.

> Definitely interested in the foodie scene.

The information is probably out of date, but you might find some useful observations in my notes about the restaurants I visited during my trip in 2009:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rant-notes.cfm

Vttraveler

If you are driving to Mostar, I agree with the suggestion that you try to stop in Blagaj with its tekke (dervish house) at the source of the Buna river. The restaurants there are known for trout.

In Mostar it is interesting to visit the mosques and to climb one of the minarets if possible