Just decided to visit Croatia for 8 days this morning. Never been there. Will fly into Dubrovnik Sept 25 at noon with husband. Need to fly back from Frankfurt to the US on Oct 2nd. Nursing a bad cold now, please pardon my ignorance. Any ideas for the trip will be great. I could rent a car on Sept 27th to drive around if needs be and drop the car off any city where I can catch a flight to Frankfurt (airline employee, able to ride standby on Croatian Airlines). Not much of a swimming person. I enjoy exploring beautiful places. Wouldn't mind kayaking for a day. My husband is a great driver. We are fit, in our mid forties. Budget for hotels US$80 -100, but cheaper is better. I usually do more research before asking for help but this cold is very fatiguing. Thanks.

Sorry I have not been to Croatia yet. But, I can tell you from experience that even though your cold may be over by then, you still have congestion and airplanes can cause major discomfort and misery. Be sure to bring EarPlanes (special ear plugs for airplanes) and ask your doctor if you should take a decongestant. I know many people (and myself) who ended up in the doctor's office and suffered for months with ear pain and fluid in the ear. I don't go on an airplane without them in my bag or my ears. Google them and you will see how important they are.

Thanks for the very important tip.

If you have a car I would suggest that you do an island-hop up the coast to Split and drive on to Zagreb. You can find information on the various ferry connections you will need here:http://www.findcroatia.com/transport...es_croatia.htm

A week is a good amount of time to see some of the Dalmatia Coast. I would recommend spending 3 days in Dubrovnik, 2 or 3 nights on an island such as Korcula or Hvar, and 1 night in Split. For this, you would need to fly into Dubrovnik and out of Split, if this is possible to Frankfurt. If you need to fly in and out of Dubrovnik, then I would recommend skipping Split and Hvar and just spending the week in Dubrovnik and Korcula with day trips to Mostar, Montenegro, and the Elafiti islands.

You should be able to find good accommodation for $80 - $100 per night in October. I would suggest private apartments as they offer a more local experience and you usually get more for your money than in Croatian hotels. A good website for apartments in Dubrovnik is www.dubrovnikapartmentsource.com. There is also a good kayak operator in Dubrovnik run by an American called Adriatic Kayak Tours. They also have a website, but I'm not sure waht the URL is. You should be able to easily find it online.

I'm sure you'll have a great trip. The warm Croatian weather should help your cold!

We also have not been to Croatia, but will be there for a week from October 10 to 17. We are renting a car as it seemed to us that it is the only way to explore this country. My suggestion would be to rent from AutoEurope as there cars are reasonable and other companies have restrictions for Croatia.

Everyone I have talked to said that Dubrovnik is spectacular. We are starting in venice and working our way down to Dubrovnik and then up. Reservations only for the first night in Treiste, Italy.

Depending on what you intend to do, I don't feel you need rent a car. Last time we were there we relied entirely on public transport; clean, reliable, and cheap. Certainly, you would not need a car for your few days in Dubrovnik. Parking anywhere near the center is not convenient, and the place is really tiny. You can make excursions to nearby islands by local ferries, and longer day trips to places like Montenegro by tour bus.

I'd suggest you delay getting a car until you leave Dubrovnik, and even then, if you are headed up to Split, I feel it is better to catch the bus. You will avoid the somewhat hairy drive up the coast, during which the driver will not have time to see the spectacular scenery. The bus takes just about the same time as driving, about 4.5 hours, and if you get seats on the left side of the bus going North, you will both be able to enjoy the jaw dropping sights.

Just my opinion, but please consider it.

You will LOVE Croatia!

Thanks for the wonderful advice. I am getting better (was quite miserable the past two days but thank goodness it's not the flu) and am pleased that the weather forecast in south Croatia looks great. I may have been too ambitious in thinking I could start in Dubrovnik and end up in Zagreb seeing everything along the way. I like the idea of ending up in Spilt since there are non stop flights to Frankfurt from Split. Since we flying standby we can play it by ear and see if we end up in Split or Zagreb. I really appreciate all the replies.

Hi tangwah
I was in Croatia three years ago with my SIL and a friend. We all decided that it was the most gorgeous country we had ever visited, and we have been to every western and many eastern European countries. We had a ball. In Dubrovnic we stayed at the Villa Adriatica. http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/villa_adriatica/ It is a small hotel with one apartment and three rooms. We had rooms one and two which opened on the huge terrace with a fabulous view of Dubrovnik.

From Dubrovnik we took a day tour Montenegro and another to Mostar, Herzegovina...both were wonderful.

We then rented a car and drove to Korcula, obviously including a ferry ride. From there we spent two nights in Cavtat.
You will love your time in Croatia.
Char

We too stayed at Villa Adriatica three years ago and loved it. The views really are unbelievable, and it's literally steps to the old walled part of Dubrovnik. The location can't be beat!

We had a car that we picked up as we were leaving Dubrovnik. The drive was easy enough, and the views along the coast are stunning. We liked that we could pull over and take pictures whenever we wanted to.

I wasn't a huge fan of Split, but it may be a good place to end. We stayed in Trogir, a lovely small village just north of Split.

Good luck with your cold! I flew home from Ireland with a cold a few years back and ended up with double ear-infections. It was miserable. My doctor recommended that I take Sudafed next time I have even a hint of a cold when I have to fly.

Tracy

just surfed lonely planet and getting more ideas. Seems that the Plitvices lakes is a must do. will skipping the islands be sacrilegous? I am thinking of learning to sail (I live in Florida) and could conceivably do a sailing trip from Spilt next year.
will send an email to Villa Adriatica regarding their rates and availability. Like my husband has been saying, the weak dollar is killing us, but hopefully it will be getting off peakish in Croatia and more affordable. I read that meals in Dubrovnik may do us in. May have to be vegetarian this trip which will be good for the waistline.

We also stayed in the Villa Adriatica a few years ago, and it was indeed lovely. The rest of our trip, as I said earlier, we relied on public transport for getting around, and Sobes for housing.

A Sobe is a room in a private home. Without exception they were scrupulously clean, and quite inexpensive. There are usually people with signs at the bus station or ferry terminal holding signs advertising rooms. You ask the price, ask the location (they lie about how far it is, and how many steps there are), You follow them to the room, and if you don't like it, you don't take it. The other way is to go to the Tourist Information Office in most towns. They get your information, make a phone call, and you have a bed for the night.

I'd suggest you make reservations for the first few nights in Dubrovnik, and wing it from there. We are old and feeble, and had a blast -- of course we didn't have colds.

If you click on my screen name you can find my old trip report. (long)

We were in Dubrovnik last year, then drove to Trogir (day trip to Split) and then on to Plitvice. Here is a link to the trip report with pictures (Days 13 through 18).

Have fun. The roads are great, so the driving (5 hrs Dubrovnik to Trogir and 2 hours 45 minutes Trogir to Plitvice is a snap). Plitvice is gorgeous! Buza bar in Dubrovnik is the eighth wonder of the world. Have fun!!

http://travelswithmaitaitom.typepad.com/travels/

Kuna-dollar is 5:1. Not bad. Even though not "cheap," Croatia is still a bargain in the accommodations department, as you can rent a wonderful apartment with a view for less than a skeevy hotel would run you at home. A lot of what you will do will be free (walking and wandering). Seafood can be expensive, but I think it is priced appropriately providing they aren't wiping the Adriatic clean of fish.
Islands vs Plitvice is up to you. You can always go back!

Thanks again for all the feedback.

I don't recall the food being all that expensive, really, although as I said it's been several years and I'm not a seafood eater. And I concur with what yorkshire mentioned above; the accommodations are inexpensive (if you stay away from hotels, which are pricy especially for what you get) and many of the sites are free or at a very low cost. Croatia was cheaper than many of the other countries we have been to.

Happy travels!
Tracy

My friend and I are seniors and budget travelers. We just returned (Aug 10) from 2 weeks in Budapest and Croatia. I typed up our travelog and would be happy to email it you want . . . just let me know at [email protected].

We had a great time and hope you do, too.
Sandy (in Denton)

Why not copy and paste your travelog as a trip report here? I'm sure a lot of us would be interested.

I write the travelog for myself . . . I don't mind sharing and am willing to email to anyone who is interested. There are too many nit-pickers here (on Fodor's generally, but not you nice folks) for me to post my report . . . I'm not interested in being lambasted for my opinions.

Sandy (in Denton)

Well, delete the opinions you are afraid might be controversial, or you don't wish to share. We are more interested in travel information on the Europe Forum, anyway. The strident opinion bashing (mostly) happens in the Fodorite Lounge.

Besides, once posted, the information can be dug up later using the search function -- thus usable by many Fodor's travelers for a long time.