Croatia and Venice "good value" restaurants; getting to/from Plitvice lakes
 

Hi, We will be visiting Croatia and Vienna in October. Our itinerary is as follows:
- Dubrovnik, 4 nights
- Hvar, 2 nights
- Split, 3 nights
- Zagreb, 3 nights
- Vienna, 4 nights

Mainly wanted to see if you had any "good value" or "worth the splurge" restaurants to recommend in any of these locations.

Also, is it possible to use public transportation to go to Plitivce from Split, spend the day (or at least several hours) and then catch a train that same day or overnight to Zagreb?

Also, will it be warm enough to swim in Dubrovnik, Hvar and/or split in the first half of October?

Thanks in advance.

John H

Sorry -- that title should have been Vienna, not Venice.

Are you staying in Hvar Town on Hvar Island? Will you have a car?

My favorite restaurant in Dubrovnik is Taj Mahal - they serve Bosnian food, and it is not light fare but boy is it good.

For excellent cheese and cured meat plates, D'Vino wine bar.

They aren't really "splurge" places - more excellent food for a reasonable price. I haven't eaten there, but locals have recommended Restaurant Kopun to me - probably will check that out on my next trip.

In Hvar Town, when I want to splurge I head to Dalmatino. They have really good steak and fish. They also have a good wine list, but the house wine is good too. For "good value" check out Konoba Menego.

I can recommend a couple of places outside of Hvar Town if you will have a car.

There are no trains to Plitvice. You can take the bus, but I would recommend an overnight. Or renting a car (still staying overnight.)

The weather has been completely whackadoodle this year in Croatia, who knows what October will bring, sea temperature wise.

You'll have to check on the current status of these restaurants, but here are my notes from a trip in 2009:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...m#last-comment

Re: the Plitvice Lakes -- part of what makes them so special is that they differ from one another because of unique microbiota. To see that, you really need to take a large circuit through the park, spending 6 or even 7 hours there. Yes, you can visit for just an hour or two -- and the rangers at each entrance can help you plan a route -- but do make more time if you can. You might take a day from Dubrovnik to make more time for the Plitvice Lakes. (4 nights is EXTREMELY generous for Dubrovnik IMO.) As rialtogrl notes, you can use either a bus or (better) rental car for this park; no trains.

Thanks so very much for all the helpful suggestions. We are not planning on having a car anywhere at this point (other than, potentially, going from Split to Zagreb via Plitvice Lakes).

John H

Bus will get you from Split to Plitvice and Plitvice to Zagreb (though I would overnight if possible--the park is really magical).
I am so glad to hear Konoba Menego is still around--that was one of my favorite meals in Hvar, but that was nearly 10 years ago! Konobas in general are a good value (though I have certainly splurged on whole fish in konobas). More generalities: Splurge on seafood at least 2-3x; pizza is always great for a cheap meal; Zagreb probably has the best food scene, so I would seek out a splurge there.

Thanks for all of the replies. Is there a "best" hotel in the park that will be closest to where the bus from Split will drop us off and/or where we can catch the bus going to Zagreb. Any very specific comments or recommendations on this are appreciated. Thanks.

John

I think that would be the Hotel Plitvice, but check on google maps. Though it is not charming, it is fine--I think that even if you have a car, with only one night, it is best to stay in one of the hotels to maximize your time. The restaurant was fine as well--and also saves you time you would spend hunting down a meal. Plus, there was a big bathtub in my room--delightful after a day of hiking!