Croatia Fall Trip Report
 

We just returned from 15 wonderful days in Croatia, starting in Zagreb and ending in Dubrovnik. This forum provided so much information that was helpful in our planning, I would like to share our experiences.
We arrived in Zagreb via train from Ljubljana on Sept.24. We spent three nights at the Regent Esplanade which reopened earlier this year after 18 months renovations.
It is an outstanding hotel in terms of facilities, service, etc. We were able to get a very good rate through an internet site because we stayed over a weekend.
Although some posters have not been impressed with Zagreb, we enjoyed our stay. It is true that there is graffiti everywhere and that many buildings need exterior cleaning, nevertheless the streets were clean, the typical Cent. Eur. architecture was attractive (if you could overlook the graffiti) and the people were friendly. It was also about the only place we stayed in Croatia where the economy was not basically dependent on tourism.
We had outstanding dinners in Zagreb. Our first night, we ate at Zinfandel's in the hotel. Dinner including salad, seabass fillets, dessert and a bottle of Croation chardonney was about $100 + tip. Our second night, we ate at Konoba Chio, within easy walking distance of the hotel, having the best scampi we had on the trip and an excellent house white which cost $4 per litre, compared to mineral water which cost $3. Our third night, we took a cab to Kod Zaca, near the Cathedral. DW had roast pork stuffed with prosut and mozzarella with truffle sauce and homemade gnocchi; I had veal with camenbert. Each was excellent. The tab each of those nights was about $50.
We spent our afternoon of arrival and the next day exploring the city and found that to be about the right amount of time, although if you want to go in the various museums you should allow more time.
The Dolac market had the best variety and, perhaps because it is not really as much touristed as other areas we visited later in the trip, the lowest prices for crafts we saw.
Our last day there, we picked up our rental car and drove to Varazdin, about 50 miles away. It is a beautiful small town with a large old town center of Baroque buildings, well maintained for the most part,including a 16th century castle. Unfortunately, we visited on Sunday and, except for the castle and a couple of taverns, the town was pretty much shut down. (For that matter,most Zagreb retail businesses were closed Sunday and many closed at noon on Saturday, so plan your schedule accordingly.)
Except for the one cab, we walked everywhere. Although Zagreb has a fairly extensive tram and bus network, the city center is compact enough that you can walk to virtually all of the prominent points of interest.
Next, Plitvicka National Park.

How nice to get this account of Zagreb! Looking forward to the rest of the trip.

We only had a late afternoon and evening in Zagreb before catching a plane out the next morning, but we too enjoyed the city. It's not Dubrovnik, but it is very nice. Glad you enjoyed it. Looking forward to more of your report.

It is always nice to read trip reports from less visited places--especially ones where I have not YET been!

DCDee

We also enjoyed Zagreb very much on our recent trip to Croatia. Also enjoyed the Esplanade and had nothing but good food the entire time.

The city had a really positive vibe and the people were super friendly. Zagreb is also unbelievably clean. We did wonder where their homeless population is? We did not see ANY panhandlers which we thought strange for a city of that size.

Looking forward to the rest.

I'm back to add to the report on our sojourn through Croatia.

Throughout Croatia, many shops, museums, even grocery stores and some gas stations are open from 9 or 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then close, reopening from 4-7 p.m. In Zagreb, most shops closed at noon on Saturday and did not reopen until Monday a.m., including the underground shopping mall near the train station.

Our last night in Zagreb, we stopped in the hotel bistro to try a strukli dessert for which the hotel is apparently famous. Everyone there said it was a national treasure that the hotel ships all over the world. It is a light pastry stuffed with cottage cheese and baked. Unfortunately, we found it to be virtually tasteless. To avoid a grave insult, we finished most of it after adding liberal doses of sugar.

The next morning we left for Plitvicka National Park. I had looked for a road atlas all over Zagreb and in a half dozen gas stations. An atlas of Zagreb was available but for the country the only thing we found was a map that opened to a size of about 3' x 4-1/2'--not the easiest size to maneuver in a car. However, it didn't matter too much in a way because in central Croatia route numbers seem to be used only on maps--not the highways. On the A toll roads, signs will tell you where to get off for a particular town but after you exit you're on your own. For example, we exited the A highway at Karlovac where the signs also said Plitvicka. We did not see another sign for Plitvicka until after we had driven through Karlovac and were about 10 miles out in the country. Leaving Zagreb was much the same. There was an early sign for Karlovac but most streets were not marked and no other signs to help point the way. The basic point is that a good map would be nice but a good sense of direction is even better.

We stopped for lunch at Slunj, a village about 20 miles north of the park, where two rivers meet with a network of small cascades and watercourses. Several homes, B and B's, restaurants and an old mill are interspersed among and over the waterways. We had a nice lunch at Petro's Restaurant where their menu was perhaps inspired by John Belushi's old Saturday Night Live cheeseburger restaurant routine, in this case trout (grilled fresh from a holding pen in the stream that flow around the restaurant), tomatoes, potato salad and bread. That's it- no substitutions because there is nothing to substitute. For non-fish lovers, there were several restaurants along the road before reaching Slunj that each had an outside grill that Petro's waitress said was for lamb or pork on a spit.

We spent the night at the Plitvicka Jezera Hotel, a short walk from the boat station near the southern end of Kozjak Lake. The hotel is 1960's motel style and was largely filled with tour bus visitors but it was clean, quiet and conveniently located for exploring the waterfall trails.

I don't recall seeing much comment about Plitvicka on Fodors so I'll just say that it really IS beautiful-- not in the grand sense of Yosemite Valley or Glacier National Park in the U.S. but in a more intimate sense. The area that I walked had by official count 15 or so waterfalls but they were so segmented and divided that you could easily count them as measuring in the hundreds. Some spilled over cliffs, others cascaded down tree-covered hillsides weaving around and through the trees and underbrush into pools, ponds and lakes which were of varying shades of teal green, jade green and blues--unique colors apparently because of the mineral composition of the rock. The walking is not difficult,mostly on boardwalks made from small trees flattened on the upperside and the climbs are relatively gentle grades. I saw several hikers who were probably in their 80's, a couple with canes, all seemingly doing fine.

If you are in this region, you will not regret taking the time to explore this beautiful area.

From my pre-trip reading, I knew reasonably what to expect when we reached the coast. I had no idea what to expect before reaching it and was surprised by the variety of terrains we encountered-- much different than the red-tile covered coastal towns for which Croatia is best known.

The area west of Plitvicka was hardwood covered low mountains with little human presence. The mountains gradually changed to hills with infrequent houses and much of the land cleared but fallow with scattered small trees growing in the fields--perhaps a consequence of what the Croatians refer to as the political troubles? This was followed by what I would describe as a wide mountain valley with small farms and surrounding tree-covered mountains, again with the valley land cleared but virtually no farming activity except for small flocks of sheep watched over by the resident farmer.

We passed through a virtually uninhabited area similar to the open rangeland you might encounter in Colorado high mountain prairie with snow topped mountains in the distance all around. After passing through (including a 3 mile tunnel) and over the last interior mountains, the land was much like the desert near Tucson, Arizona--bare mountains and scrub vegetation.

The drive from Plitvicka to Sibenik is about 4 hours. After about 90 minutes we picked up the dual lane toll highway so the driving was very easy. The toll road ended about 35 miles from Sibenik where we stopped for lunch at Kanoba Kanela on the waterfront--good grilled seatrout. After eating we walked through the old town and checked out the cathedral for which the town is known. Sibenik is attractive but small and we felt we had seen what it had to offer in that short time and drove on to Trogir where we spent the next three nights.

Trogir is a favorite of Fodorites and it is very easy to see why. It really is a gem. Because there have been a number of posts about the town previously, I'll limit comments mostly to food and lodging.

We had reservations for two nights at Vila Sikaa but arrived a day early and Vila S was fully booked so we stayed the first night at Apartmani Bakica, about 200 meters further down the same road from Vila S. It was a wonderful spot for 60Euro per night. It is a 2nd floor apt. in a fairly new building, clean and in good condition on a hillside overlooking the Old Town. There is a small balcony off the bedroom and a larger one (comfortably big enough for a table and 4 chairs) off the living room/dining room/kitchen, each balcony also overlooking the Old Town. In the rear is a large terrace, presently covered with screening material but there are vine plantings that will eventually cover it. There is free off-street parking at the apartment. The only drawback is that breakfast is not available.

We would have preferred to stay at the Bakica all three nights but had committed to the Vila Sikaa so moved there for the last two nights. It was fine although leaving the apartment for the confines of a small room with less comfortable furnishings for more money was not thrilling. It felt better after we opened the window to see our view of the Old Town directly across the water. Parking here is street parking in front of the hotel. The hotel faces a busy street but the rooms have double windows and noise is not a problem.

One heads up--the maid saw where I had washed a few articles of clothing and offered to run them through the hotel's washer and dryer, though they would need to charge for electricity. When I checked out, the charges for 6 items of clothing were the equiv. of $18-- $5 for washer and $13 for the dryer.

Both the owner of the Apartmani Bakica and the front desk clerk at Vila Sikaa recommended Alka and Monika, seafood restaurants in the Old Town. Each was excellent. The clerk at Vila S had also recommended Cibela, a restaurant located in an alley next to the hotel. We were somewhat sceptical, figuring it might just be to favor a neighboring business but by our third night there we were ready for something other than seafood so we gave it a try. We shared the mixed grill which was huge and excellent. The owner also insisted that we try some of his homemade schnappes as a starter--about 1/2" in a water glass. It was the right amount, any more and our tastebuds would have been paralyzed for a week.

One or two days is probably enough for Trogir. We spent part of our time here just reading and relaxing because we had been steadily on the move since arriving in Slovenia. Also, we drove into Split one day to explore there.

Thanks for a great report, Dcdee. I'm in the middle of planning our trip next May and can't wait to read your next installment. Would you mind telling me what site you used to find the rate at the Esplanade - the cheapest I can find so far is 200€/night. Thanks again for the report, and also for answering my question about the Villa Adriatica.

Sucaraj is a pretty but small fishing village wrapped around a small protected harbor. You can see the whole town in 30 minutes. We had a simple lunch at Tony's Cafe while waiting for the car ferry from Drvenik. We were there on Sunday. At another restaurant across the harbor from us, there was a party celebrating a grandchild's christening. They ate lunch but other than breaking for that, they sang boisterously the entire time we were in the village. Occasionally, a local eating at our restarant would join in. It would have been nice to have some idea what the songs said.

The ferry to Drvenik took about 30 minutes and it was another two hours to Dubrovnik. The coast road to Dubrovnik is as winding and pretty as many posters have noted. One interesting thing I had not heard about is the Neretva River valley. The coast road basically runs along the sibe of the coastal mountains except for several miles where the land is flat as a pancake where the Neretva River valley marshland has been drained for farming. In that few mile stretch, there must have been a hundred or more temporary roadside stands selling various fresh fruits, especially bags of oranges, and doing a brisk business.

I'll finish the trip tomorrow.

Just want you to know someone is reading and enjoying!

Sorry- this post should have followed the one about Trogir but apparently got lost in cyberspace.

The next day we drove back to Split and left our car in line for the 2 p.m. ferry to Hvar while we shopped in the market adjacent to Diocletian's Palace.

The car ferry to Stari Grad took about 1-3/4 hours. We did not have a room reservation in Hvar town. We checked the Adriatic Hotel which is only about 100 meters away from the main square. They had one room left. Perhaps it was not typical but it was dark, dingy and depressing (which might be why it was left), so we passed on it and went to the Hotel Podstine. This cliffside hotel is located on the coast outside town. The reception desk is on the top floor on the same level as the entry road/parking lot and the rooms are on the lower floors with the restaurant on the bottom floor. It has been renovated within the last few years. The rooms are quite large, clean and comfortable although not luxurious by any measure. The seaview rooms have a large balcony with views of the Pakleni Islands. The folks at the hotel say that it takes 20 minutes to walk to Hvar town along the shoreline. We didn't try so can't say one way or the other. It probably took 10 minutes to drive there but the road to town over the hills was so twisting that the walk wouldn't take that much longer.

We ate one night on the terrace at the Podstine--a very nice setting although the food wasn't anything special. The second night, at the recommendation of the hotel manager, we ate at Panorama Restaurant which apparently just opened this year. It is a few kilometers northwest of the hotel on the road to Virna and is located in an old stone building which was a military observation post which the guy at the Podstine said dates to the time of the Turkish threat. It is located at the top of a hill on the mountain spine of the island and offers a 270 degree panoramic view of the west end of Hvar island and the surrounding sea and islands. It is a spectacular place to view the sunset. Our dinner was good but even if it wasn't, dining here should be a must because of the view and setting. On top of that, the price was reasonable--400 Kn ($64) for appetizers, lamb and veal cooked "under the bell" and a carafe of good house wine.

After two nights on Hvar, we left to drive to Dubrovnik. The road from Hvar town to Jelsa is fairly good, single lane each way but reasonably wide. Immediately after Jelsa, the road narrowed and stayed that way until we reached Sucaraj at the east end of the island.It took 2 hours 15 minutes to drive 48 miles from Hvar to Sucaraj, and most was for the 30 mile stretch from Jelsa to Sucaraj. If you don't like heights, be sure to drive this road going from west to east because you are in the inside lane next to the hill. Westbound drivers (actually passengers) are next to the dropoff. If your passenger is like my DW, that is not a good state of affairs.

The road is always wide enough for two cars to meet but that is about it and there is no wall, railing or even a curb to save you if you drift a foot or so to the right. The drop may be several hundred feet in the mountainous area but even in the "flat" part of the island it might be 10 feet straight down. It appears that the island is so rocky, on the east end where the terrain is more rolling, rather than trying to grade the land to create a level roadbed, the road builders basically built a wall connecting one hilltop to another, wide enough for two cars and called it a road.

Thanks for your comments.

Alohatoall--I found a rate of $177 per night, including breakfast, on hotelscroatia.com for Fri., Sat. and Sun. nights. Otherwise it was $300 plus per night. Good luck!

You missed a lovely walk by not using the path to walk to Hvar town from your hotel. My Wife and I did the walk from the town along the paved path that leads through forested glades along the shore. Quite lovely and peaceful! Benches for resting and gazing along the way.

Nukesafe-- that's good to know; another reason to return.

DcDee, thanks again for the great report. I just want to be sure of one thing, since my husband HATES heights. You said in that case the drive on Hvar should be done west to east, so I want to confirm that means doing it from Hvar town to Sucaraj the way you did it. We're thinking about driving instead of the ferry (or the bus from Split), and I need to make sure! Thanks again.

Hi Aloha-- yes, the "safe" drive is from Hvar town to Sucaraj. I don't like to brag but my DW is one of the world's worst when it comes to heights. I did not once had to threaten to put her in the car trunk going toward Sucaraj. I may have had to do more than merely threaten if we had been going in the other direction.

One other interesting thing about this drive I did not mention on my earlier posts is the number of stone walls you will see. I know that the English and Irish countrysides are laced with stone walls but those divide farm fields and pastures. On Hvar the walls may be 10 feet apart and completely cover unfarmed mountain sides where there is no sign of habitation for miles. I have read that in times past such walls were used to shelter grapevines which were subsequently killed by a blight. Perhaps that was the reason for these walls but it is mindboggling to contemplate the time and effort that went into building these hundreds of walls that presently serve no purpose.

I did not post anything on my trip report about Dubrovnik because so many other posters have covered it and I had posted some comments about our accommodations (Villa Adriatica and the Excelsior Hotel) on other threads. However, if you drive to Dubrovnik and turn your car in at the airport, I'll mention a couple of other things that may be of interest.

We had a mid-afternoon flight (3:15 pm +/-) and figured to get fuel near the airport. There was a gas station 50 m past the entrance to the airport but it closed. Many businesses in Croatia close for several hours in early afternoon-- apparently including this station, notwithstanding that it is the only one near the airport. We had to drive about half way back to Dubrovnik to find an open station. As I recall it was the only station between Dubrovnik and the airport.

Because of the time it took to locate a gas station, we had less time than we planned to check in for our flight. When we entered the airport property, there was a police guard house where the police checked our passports. I asked where the rental car return was and the officer directed us to take the next right which I assumed would lead us to the rental return. Instead it took us into a gated parking lot. Even then I assumed we would see a sign for rental return, but-- no sign. Figuring the officer had misunderstood me, I decided to exit the lot and try again. However, there was no attendant and the machine at the exit appeared to require a magnetic swipe card to open so we were basically trapped in the parking lot. We parked and towed our luggage to the terminal and went to the rental desk and took care of things. One of the counter clerks ran out to search for our car and check it in.The clerk seemed surprised that we had left the car in the main parking lot but we never did see any other place to return the car. You might want to just drive to the terminal to drop your luggage and the car. The car rental counters are at the left side of the building as you approach from the highway.

The airport is small and you shouldn't have any problem if you allow a few extra minutes to return your car. Who knows, by the time you arrive there may actually be a marked car return.

Dcdee, you are right about stone walls. In the past they had a function of sheltering grapevines and olive trees. They were built to keep the soil not to be taken away by rain and strong winds. I believe in early 20th century many vineyards were destroyed by diseases leaving people without any income. That is the reason many people from islands emigrated to the USA, Australia, South America and elsewhere. Later tourism came and people didn’t bother to renew the vineyards. Luckily vine making nowadays experience sort of a renaissance throughout Croatia.

Jonas, thanks for confirming my supposition about the walls. We did see a number of vineyards on the island, particularly in the Jelsa/ Stari Grad area in the valleys, rather than the walled hillsides. Much easier on the growers no doubt.

Dcdee, thanks for the additional assurance that I too will not have to end up stuffing my DH into the trunk. I think we've decided to take a car to Hvar and then drive to Dubrovnik, so we'll follow your route.