croatia
 

We're New Zealander needing help.
We are holidaying in Europe in May and have a gap of 6 days. We would like to fly into Croatia and spend 6 days somewhere but as it is a very short time I was wanting some help and suggestions.
We would be flying in from Amsterdam.
We have heard the Istria Coast is stunning and wonder if that would be a good choice. Where would be the best place to fly into and where would be the best base to stay or would a couple of nights in different areas be better. Have you any accomodation suggestions.
I have also been told Dubrovnic is a great area would that be a better choice ???
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, we had 4 nights in Dubrovnik a couple of years ago and loved it. We stayed in the Old Town and it was great being so central. We are headed back to Croatia in a few months time, to Istria this time. We chose to fly into Trieste, in Italy, which is quite close to Croatia.

I think the problem you will have is finding flights. I had a quick look and couldn't find anything from Amsterdam. Perhaps you could catch the train from Amsterdam to another country close by and connect from there.

To check which budget airlines fly where:
http://www.flycheapo.com/
http://www.whichbudget.com/

Also check Croatian airlines and KLM.

We stayed here in Dubrovnik:
http://www.dubrovnik-amoret.com/index.html

In Rovinj are booked in here:
http://www.portaantica.com/ENG/index.asp
(also staying in Piran, Slovenia and Opatija in Croatia)

Hope you can find some flights, it will be worth the effort I'm sure!

Would be happy to help further if I can.
Kay

you almost want a mini all in holiday. The area is mountinous with lots of small islands off the coast. Historically there are lots of roman sites and medievel sites. Might be worth searching the threads on this site, but the fligts will be the thing

You heard right - the Istrian coast is stunning! The entire country is, actually. The scenery is dramatic and wonderful. May is a glorious time to go.

We just bought a house in Istria and plan to move when we can - that is how much we love it there.

If you do decide to go that route I would highly recommend Rovinj for a night or two and Porec for a night or two. There are lots of lovely medieval hilltowns that are very beautiful including Hum, Bale, Groznjan, Draguc, Motovun, etc. If you do Istria let us know and I can list some great accommodations but just know that we avoid resorts and hotels but prefer to stay in rural areas (like agriturismos) and B&Bs.

After Istria you could perhaps spend a day at Plitvice Lakes (very unique) and/or a day at an island. There is so much to see and do that I cannot imagine trying to fit it into six days! However, I totally understand your wanting to make the very most out of each and every second you have there. :)

Dubrovnik is marvelous, too - a must see in Croatia. It is one of the most perfect cities I have ever been to, with stupendous views, great food and intriguing history.

If I had six days I would do either Istria/Plitvice or Trogir/Split/Dubrovnik/islands.

Thank you everybody for your help and suggestions.
Especially travel2live2, we have decided to stay the Istria Coast if we can get a flight. Where would be the best town to fly into and then would we bus or train to Rovinj. Some accomodation ideas in Rovinji would be helpful.

we did plitvice and trogir and dubrovnik as night stays on the land
we also visited montenegro ( kotor fjord) and many villages driving from trogir to dubrovnik
then we had a hired yacht (a week) doing islands: hvar brac vis supertar

4747, I would probably fly in to either Zagreb or Pula where you can rent a car. We fly to Zagreb and work our way south. Zagreb is an interesting spot for a night (perhaps on your way there or home).

What type of accommodations do you like? Rovinj is so utterly lovely and romantic!

Ryanair flies into Pula and Zadar in Croatia, maybe other spots too.

Fly Amsterdam to Venice and you can be in Istria a few hours later.