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Croatia for a beginner?
I'm going to Europe in July 06. I've been told to go to Croatia. If so, starting from scratch, where should i go? What should i see? How long do i need? I'm thinking of 5 days.
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Hi. Welcome to the Europe forum.
Did "the voice" (that told you to go to Croatia) not provide any other details? Not poking fun, of course, but presumably the "voice" was an actual person - - did he/she not have opinions about what was enjoyable? On what was this recommendation based? Coastal Croatia? What season (did that person go - - I see that you are going in July)? Seeking anything in particular? Ever been to Europe? Whatever additional details you can provide, let me suggest that <i><b>books</b></i> are still... generally... a better place to start than the internet for the kind of broad background information you are seeking. That aside, you will find some useful info if you click "Destinations" at the top of any screen. There is also a relatively new feature here called Search all Fodors.com (upper right hand corner) - - put in one destination after another (not all at once) and see where it takes you... Hvar, Dubrovnik and so on. And equally curious - - any other plans to go elsewhere in Europe? Are you from another continent? Presumably so, Europeans wouldn't normally use the phrase "going to Europe". Five days is a rather short time, to go all the way across an ocean. You might think about other destinations that would compliment your travels in Croatia - - plenty of other candidates come immediately to mind: Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Greece (one or two others -- not all of them!) - - but others not so close as well. Best wishes, Rex |
Gee whiz. 8-| Or you could just post a question to a very active internet site and see what you get.
Croatia seems to be one of the hot spots of 2005-2006. If you only have 5 days, I would suggest Dubrovnik for 4 (doing an excursion to an island one day)and then, head North to Plivitce for the 5th day. There! That gives you a starting point. Cheers, Jan |
I might also suggest that you do an open-jaw flight plan, such as flying into someplace like Zagreb or Split, and then out of Dubrovnik at the end; or vice versa. That way you don't have to retrace your steps, and can both cover more ground and/or stay longer in places you like.
You will love Croatia. Have a wonderful trip! :-) |
July (and August) is high season in Croatia - if you like crowds that's the time to go.
http://www.croatia.hr/ http://www.jadrolinija.hr/ For a great over view: http://www.smarttravels.tv click on Rudy Maxa - tips & links - then Croatia - great introduction If you only have 5 days go to Dubrovnik - plenty of day excursions and a couple nearby small islands available. |
Hi
I've been to Croatia, but spent most of the time on Istria. I'm just curious, is it your first time to europe? If so, is there any place that you've always wanted to visit rather than an in at the moment country? If Croatia is your choice then 5 days is like a long weekend and you barely touch the surface. Enjoy yourself wherever you decide to go. |
Thank you very much for such a quick response. I appreciate your interest in my trip.
I am Australian. Have only been to England (in Europe) and I'm planning on a summer (European) vacation. I am travelling with a good friend of mine. We are 2 males (hetero's) and will be travelling through Europe for 5 weeks. My mate wants to especially go to slovakia, slovenia and croatia. I have heard a lot of people rave over croatia. We are both 30 something males probably wanting to have a good time too. I have no idea where to start, but hoping to pick up info from here. I used fodors for a US trip and it was unbelievable (6 years ago). As far as the rest of the trip is concerned, i am looking at england, scotland, the south of france for a few weeks, the running of the bulls and the 3 i have mentioned. Ooops maybe amsterdam. The "voice" is probably a number of people that have said they heard crotia is worth seeing. i dont know to much about slovenia, slovakia as well. Thanks for you feedback!!! |
You could price an open jaw, but my experience in the region is that the price will be higher than your cheapest fare RT to Ljubljana and then travel locally. Zagreb and Ljubljana are only a couple of hours apart by road [I took the trip one foggy night, courtesy of Adria Air]. You'll get better flights to Dubrivnik from Zagreb than from Ljub. BTW Adria Air, the Slovenian carrier, is excellent! I think they codeshare with Lufthansa
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Croatia is fabulous but you only have 5 weeks to cover all the countries you want to cover.
Highlights in Croatia were Split with the history and great outdoor cafes. Also access to some of the nice islands (Brac, Hvar) with fantastic hiking and vistas. Visiting an island is a must! Istria with its Italian influence and nice wines. Beautiful Dubrovnik. Didn't make it to Zagreb. Shortening time spent traveling will be a must if you are covering England, Scotland, France, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, and Amsterdam. You may want to narrow down your choices otherwise you may be spending a lot of time just traveling instead of experiencing the places. |
Count me in as one of the voices that say Croatia is a wonderful place. I went in 2003, when there were only 111,000 American tourists that year (I remember reading that from MSNBC and being really surprised it was so low. I daresay that number is steadily rising).
My boyfriend (who is also australian, and was just a guy I met traveling at the time) and I went to Croatia. As two 30 something Aussie males, I daresay you will like Croatia. First, it's a gorgeous country with beautiful ruins (Split is a great place for that). There is fun nightlife, and there has been discussion on this board in the past that Croatians are very good looking people (worth a mention for two young guys. ;) )In fact, my boyfriend did comment on the attractive women while we were there. Since he wasn't my boyfriend at the time, it didn't faze me...but I guess in the end, he decided a crazy Korean woman was what he wanted after all..we are still together. I would really recommend the island of Hvar. Most go to Hvar town, but we stayed in Starigrad and enjoyed the slower pace. However, Hvar town is just so pretty. Rent a scooter and zip around the island. I think you need a motorcycle license for that, but you may find someone who will rent you one without it. Dubrovnik is a must see, and if you are two healthy guys, a hike up to the top of the cross for a view of the old town...it's worth it. Cavtat is a nice little town you can take the bus to from Dubrovnik...nice day trip. We spent two weeks in Croatia...it was not enough. But we did just "hang out" and wander around slowly. Bt the way, Ljubljana in Slovenia is a fun town. However I don't remember it being that cheap for the budget minded. If you're going to go to Slovenia, do visit Lake Bled. Some great hiking around there with picturesque view of the lake. See if you can get a "sobe" (room for rent). It's the way to go if you can find a good room for a good price. |
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Hi
Slovakia is a scenic country. we were there several years ago and spent a couplke of nights in the Tatras. Nice scenary. From there we drove in Krakow, Poland. Most of slovakia that we saw was rural and very hilly. Good hiking spots especially in the Tatras. |
For a short trip, skip Zagreb. Do see Plitvice National Park and stay in one of the new, nicely furnished B&B's near the park. Dubrovnik is a must, probably for the remainder of the trip. Can take a boat trip to Cavtat and Lokrum Island. Try to visit one of the other islands. If you had more time I would highly recommend Split/Trogir as well. Enjoy!
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An open invitation to all reading this thread, and interetsed in Croatia... a separate thread started by the OP, geoffspears, resulted in a tangent spun off to the notion of a "Fodorites' group trip" to Croatia in 2006.
If something like that would appeal to you, take a look at http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34695524 With any luck, the next step would be some group e-mailing" amongst the prospective participants. |
rex - why do leech on to other people's (new posters) trips and try to push your agenda? How many times have people here taken you up on your idea of a fodorites group trip? Once? If you want to organize a group to Croatia or where ever - start your own thread/trip. And let's see how many people take you up on it. A maybe you'll finally get the obvious through your head. Which may be the reason why no one takes you up on your organized trips.
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