Croatia and Slovenia/Mostar vs Hvar

Old Mar 26th, 2013, 07:18 AM
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Croatia and Slovenia/Mostar vs Hvar

We will be traveling to Crotia and Slovenia in September.
This is our itinerary: My question is should we keep Mostar in it, and Hvar, or choose between them. we are traveling by car, once we leave Dubrovnik. We have the car, and will have to leave it somewhere in Split when we take the ferry to Hvar? Does anyone know where we could leave the car?? Are any of these drives too long....Can we combine any areas? Should we definitely do the stay in Lake Bled? or visit there while in Ljubljana?

Arr Dubrovnik 2pm

Dubrovnik 3 nights
Mostar 2 nights
Hvar 2 nights
Plitvice 2 nights
Rovinj 2 nights
Ljubljana 3 nights
Lake Bled 2 nights
Italy, Fruili area 2 nights
Venice 2 nights
home
alisonmary is offline  
Old Mar 26th, 2013, 07:45 AM
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Sounds like a great trip.

The only suggestion I would make is to substitute Korcula for Hvar. I choose it because it seemed like a more interesting place and we really did enjoy it. I have not been to Hvar so cannot comment on it, but - in your case Korcula may make more sense because I think you can take your car. I think there is a very short ferry crossing from the mainland. We did the whole trip by ferry (did not have a car) but I've seen numerous posts talking about taking a car so you might want to look into that. It might be easier than leaving your car in Split. Everything else looks great.
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Old Mar 26th, 2013, 09:38 AM
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We did a similar trip last October except we went to neither Mostar or Hvar so can't help you there. But I can comment on some of your itinerary. We also spent 3 nights in Dubrovnik and then picked up a car--that was just about a perfect amount of time. we then spent two nights in trogir and visited Split from there. Trogir was good for us----a lovely little town. We tend to like smaller towns rather than cities.
Next one night at Plitvice. that was plenty for us to see pretty much the highlights. We drove from Trogir and were in Plitvice late morning so had quite a few hours to explore. I think one night is plenty. We also spent two nights in Rovinj and liked it very much--visited some of the hill towns near by and just enjoyed the area. we spent two nights in Lake Bled partly because we visited the caves on our way and so didn't arrive in Bled until late afternoon.(can't think of the name of the caves, sorry. well worth visiting.) We spent two nights in Ljubljana and loved it. You could combine Bled and Ljublana as they are quite close but we were happy we spent time in both. Spending the night in Bled allows you time for the little boat trip to the island and to walk around the lake and really see it. But if you don't combine, two nights in Ljubljana may be enough.
So I would suggest only one night in Plitvice and maybe 3 in Rovinj, 2 in Ljubljana.
The roads are quite good and you can make good time if you want to and none of the distances you're considering are huge. We had a great trip and hope you will too!
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Old Mar 26th, 2013, 11:55 AM
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We had a car in Croatia, and took it to Hvar on the ferry. We really did not need it on the island, but because we had it, we explored more, not just the town.

We did not go to Mostar, so I cannot comment on that.

1 night in Plitvice lakes would be enough (assuming you have a full day to enjoy there), and add the extra day to either Rovinj or Bled or Venice.

Sounds like a great trip.
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Old Mar 26th, 2013, 02:02 PM
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> My question is should we keep Mostar in it, and Hvar, or choose between them.

That'll depend on your priorities.

I loved Mostar, but found being there in 2009 very bittersweet, as the signs of the war that ravaged it in the 1990s were still evident. But the old bridge (Stari Most) has been beautifully rebuilt, as have a number of mosques and ottoman-style houses, and the setting is stunningly gorgeous. I'm definitely glad to have been there.

For Hvar, I stayed in Stari Grad (not Hvar Town) because I wanted to see Tvrdalj Castle. I thought Stari Grad a charming and very laid-back fishing village/town with a very well-restored medieval core at the end of a lovely inlet.

In contrast, Hvar Town, which I visited for only a few hours, is a stunningly gorgeous town that has a number of high-end accommodations and lots of well-heeled visitors. I was very glad to see its architecture (Renaissance influences in the core, some more medieval streets off the main path).

As Isabel suggested, you might consider Korcula instead of Hvar if the ferry shcedules work better for you. Korcula Town is very small and very beautifully situated, it has some amazing and (I believe) unusual medieval stone carvings, and is the only place where the moresca is still performed.

If you go to either island, check the ferry schedules carefully and make sure you are looking at a schedule for the time that you will be there. (I know that sounds obvious, but it's all-too-easy to see a schedule and neglect to check the dates.)

> Are any of these drives too long

You can check viamichelin.com and mappy.com

> Should we definitely do the stay in Lake Bled? or visit there while in Ljubljana?

Like MaggieOB, I'm glad a stayed in both.

> Venice 2 nights

Is this your first visit to Venice? If so, you might want a bit more time there.

I'm not sure how your days work out (as 2 nights can mean anything from 1 to 3 days), but in general, Plitvice Lakes can be seen with a single night (as long as you make sure you have plenty of time to explore them, preferably in a single chunk of time).

Enjoy!
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Old Mar 26th, 2013, 04:30 PM
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When are you dropping the car? In Italy? Have you checked on the rates? Usually there's a big surcharge for dropping in a different country. I researched renting in Croatia, dropping in Slovenia and found the surcharge prohibitive.

BTW you need to buy a vignette to drive in Slovenia. That's a timed sticker on your windshield, usually purchaseable at the border or at nearby gas stations.

And you need an International Drivers' Permit, a translation of your license, to drive in Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy. An IDP is easily and cheaply available at your local AAA/CAA office.

To my mind you are moving too quickly. Part of the charm of this part of the world is the easy-going laid-back lifestyle. It's like stepping back 30 years in time. But you're rushing through. Two nights in one place is 1.5 days at most. I'd like to see you slow down, spend more time at some of your stops, like Rovinj.

Have you been to Venice before? It deserves more time. I'd skip Friuli.
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Old Mar 26th, 2013, 08:01 PM
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@MaggieOB.....Could you tell me what your drive time was from Trogir to Plitvice? Michelin says it takes about 3 hours...was that your experience? Also, when you left Plitvice and went to Rovinj how long did that trip take you? Do you remember what time you left Plitvice and whether it was an easy drive. Thanks for any details you can provide?
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Old Mar 27th, 2013, 03:36 AM
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Wow you got some great responses here already. We did a very similar trip a few years ago and we routed it a different way in order to include both Hvar, Korcula and Mostar. We flew into Split and took the ferry from here to Hvar, stayed a few days and took the ferry to Korcula for an overnight stay. They we did a one way private tour with Secret Dalmatia which took us from Korcula to Dubrovnik with an amazing day spent tasting wine and visiting local winemakers.You could also go by ferry or bus between Korcula and Dubrovnik. Then we had a couple of days in Dubrivnik then rented a car to go up the coast to Mostar. We found this the most memorable part of the trip and we deeply moved by staying here and seeing the town with a local guide names Alma. I highly recommend contacting her. WE also stayed in a lovely old converted house.

WE stopped at Plitvice for a walk and swim on the way up the coast and stayed at Zadar which was FAR less touristy than the other sites (less well preserved but interesting none the less.

I agree with the person above who said look at the rates to return in Italy. We dropped the car in Pula and took a bus to Rovinj where we stayed for a couple of days and then took a ferry to Trieste - from here we went to Hisa Franko a lovely slow food hotel in Slovenia, highly recommended. Using the combination of ferries, buses and a rental car was fun and made it more afforable as well as creating a more direct itinerary.
Hope this helps.

Just one more thing - in season there is a ferry that runs from the Rovinj area to Venice. It could be an option for you.
http://almasguidedtours.blogspot.fr/
http://www.secretdalmatia.com/
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Old Mar 27th, 2013, 04:13 AM
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Thank you so much to all of you who have responded!!! You really have helped us so much!!
I am thinking that we will cancel Mostar, even though I know that it is wondeful, and add a night to Hvar. I am thinking that we might take a ferry ride to another island for a day.

My car is the isssue. I don't want to take it on the Island. I want to leave it in Split. I am hoping that our hotel might let us park it there for the 3 nights, otherwise we can return it and rent another when we return. We would ferry from Dubrovnik, but it doesn't run on the day we are traveling.

We are leaving the car in Ljubljana, and training to Italy, the Fruili area, north of Venice. I love the pino grigio wines from this area!! We have been to Venice before , twice, so one and a half days should be fine. Restaurant suggestions would be great!! We usually go to a la Madonna for dinner for the baby clams and wine!!

Should we decrease Ljubljana to 2 nights??

This is my new itinerary!! I am always up for new suggestions!

Dubrovnik 3 nights ( maybe a day trip to Mostar)
Split 1 night
Hvar 3 nights ( day trip to another island)
Plitvice 2 nights
Rivinj 2 nights
Lake Bled 2 nights
Ljubljana 3 nights
Fruili 2 nights
Venice 2 nights
Home

Thanks!!
Alison
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Old Mar 27th, 2013, 06:03 AM
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We drove from Split to Plitvice in about 3 hours and from Plitvice to Rovinj in an afternoon that included a long, unplanned detour through the length of Rijeka. The toll roads were very good.

There's a ferry from Orebic to Korcula several times every day. Orebic is a 2 hour drive north of Dubrovnik. Without a car, you can also get to Korcula from Dubrovnik by bus and the Orebic ferry. We took the 6AM Jadrolinija catamaran from Korcula town to Split, explored Split for half a day, then picked up a car and drove to Plitvice.

We loved Korcula. Here's a useful website: www.korculainfo.com.
Mimar is offline  
Old Mar 27th, 2013, 07:17 AM
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Hello,

Does anyone know if there is a catamaran or ferry service from Dubrovnik to Korkula on September 24, 2013?? I am concerned that we are too late for the ferries.

Also, a catamaran or ferry service from Korkula to Hvar on Sept. 25, 2013?

Thank you so much

Alison
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Old Mar 27th, 2013, 07:36 AM
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We visited Mostar when we were in Croatia (we stopped there on our way from Dubrovnik to Split) and it was very much worth the overnight stop. We enjoyed the quiet streets in the evening when we arrived, found a great place for dinner and then got an early start to visit some of the sites in the morning before all the tour busses arrived. I would highly recommend stopping in Mostar.
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Old Mar 27th, 2013, 09:03 AM
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The island is probably the one place where you will want/need the car! If I was going to bother with the car everywhere else I'd certainly take it onto the island.
Remember you can always get to Korcula because there is a short commuter ferry that connects Korcula with the mainland--so you do not need to look for Dubrovnik-Korcula ferries. You can drive (you are planning on having the car the entire time, right?) to Orebic and ferry over from there to the Korcula port of Domince. This should be year round.
From Korcula to Hvar will be more complicated, but worse case scenario is you drive to Vela Luka (opposite side of island from Korcula) and take the ferry to Split from there.
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Old Mar 27th, 2013, 05:50 PM
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Your itinerary is good, but I think 2 nights in Plitvice is too much. it's beautiful but can be seen in one day and there is nothing else to do. When visiting Ljubljana you can visit Brda on Italy border with superb vine roads,superb vine makers. Also visit Postojna and Skocjan caves. It's very easy drive from Ljubljana. When in Bled, visit Soca valley and Gostilna Hvala in Kobarid. Superb dining,one of the best in region. Piran is also very charming with superb fish food restaurants.
I can also recommend Motovun in Istria and also other villages in istria are nice.
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Old Mar 27th, 2013, 05:53 PM
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kja
 
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> maybe a day trip to Mostar

Like Snowflake, I'd encourage you to spend overnight in Mostar if at all possible - it is so much more enjoyable after day trippers leave and the heat of the day subsides!
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Old Mar 28th, 2013, 06:39 AM
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Originally you were planning to park your car while on Hvar. Instead, you could avoid renting a car until you get to Split. Take the bus from Dubrovnik to Korcula town (goes on the ferry from Orebic). Take the catamaran from Korcula town to Hvar and from Hvar to Split.
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Old Mar 28th, 2013, 07:28 PM
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I have been to Mostar in 2011 and the signs of the war were still alive - the city is wonderful, we enjoyed our stay there, but it was a strong experience. I have also been to Korcula - it is an nice old city, but Hvar is more vibrant, happier. If I had to choose, I would take Hvar.

From Dubrovnik, take a day trip to Mljet - wonderful place, not to be missed. It is a National Park, with two lakes with crystal clear waters, where you can swim, bike, walk. No crowds. The boat departs from the Gruz port early in the morning.

From Bled, try to visit Lake Bohinj. It is very different from Bled - quieter, peaceful, just a few houses nearby. It is a short trip from Bled, if you have a car you can easily spend an afternoon there.

If you have time, the Soca Valley is also very nice. Kobarid is a small city with good accomodations and restaurants (if you are interested take a look in Hisa Franko), it is close to the Italian border (you can visit Italy from there or vice-versa), and the Soca river is so blue that you will never forget it.
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