Srsdorsey

My family (four of us, two teenagers) are bare boating (sailing ourselves) for two weeks in Croatia in July.

We will spend a week afterwards on land.
Where to go?

I need guidance to help direct me - Slovenia? I know Ljubljana and Lake Bled would be an amazing experience.
Or all too similar to our weeks in Croatia?

OR should we venture into the Dolomites? Italian or Austrian Alps, for a different experience outside of the Balkans? Different scene and culture?

We wish to combine nature and culture. Teens want action and fun. Parents want good food/wine/peace (especially after sailing for two weeks together) We all appreciate the history, culture and beauty of Europe!

We are open to fly from Split into any major city and back home to Bainbridge Island, WA.

Your wise counsel is much appreciated!

laurie_ann

From my research for 2019 trip Slovenia has lots to offer both culture and adventure. In the end we took about 3 days and did only Ljubljana and a day trip to Lake Bled and spent other time in Croatia and Northern Italy. The city and lake were beautiful. City is very pedestrian friendly. Think teens would enjoy. And there is so much more outside the city that we did not even attempt.

Srsdorsey

Thank you very much, I really appreciate the info!

Where did you spend time in Northern Italy? I have ideas on our Croatia and Slovenia itinerary but I am not sure on the locale and lodging in Italy yet?
Anything specific you loved and would recommend? Thanks again for your time!

KarenWoo

We haven't been to northern Italy yet. But we did spend 2 weeks in Croatia and Slovenia. Our Slovenia portion was short: 3 nights in Ljubljana and that included a day trip to lake Bled. What we saw of Slovenia is very different from Croatia. Ljubljana is beautiful and architecturally, visually, and food-wise, it's very different from the places we visited in Croatia. We rented a car for a day and drove over beautiful mountains to Lake Bled. It's a very green country.

Srsdorsey

Thanks for the info! I am planing to remain in Slovenia and hope to make a nice itinerary in a week to explore.

laurie_ann

In Northern Italy we had three days in Trieste. With frequent flier miles we had to be flexible about where to fly in and out. We flew in to Venice. But we had been to Venice before and were looking for something different. Trieste was an easy shared shuttle from VCE airport. From Trieste we did a day trip into the WWI battlefields with a guide. He was an amazing young man, his hobby is reinactments, and he had a lot of detailed information and insight into that area that would have been hard to do on our own, even though we are experienced travelers. Otherwise I don't know there would be a lot that kids, even older kids, would enjoy. I had read Jan Morrison's book about the history and atmosphere of Trieste and Hemingway's Farewell to Arms and it made me want to go there. We just enjoyed walking around, having coffee, easy things. But nearby also are some hiking areas (Napoleons Way), vineyards (like Prosecco), Roman ruins and Byzantine ruins (Aquileia). We had unseasonably cold weather when we were in late May 2019. So we didn't do as much as we might have otherwise.

dreamon

Croatia varies a good deal in it's landscape and architecture but Slovenia is very different again. You could spend many, many weeks exploring Slovenia but for what you want - in about a week - I suggest you head for the Soca Valley where you can hike, kayak, etc. You could combine with a brief visit to lakes Bled and Bohinj and perhaps Ljubljana (a beautiful small city) if time permits. Heaps of other possibilities if you prefer something different. Public transport in Slovenia is generally good (not always frequent in more remote areas) or you could hire a car.

Where does your sailing trip finish? Another alternative would be a week in Istria, also very beautiful, and you could end in Trieste to fly home from Venice, Ljubljana, or Zagreb. There is a ferry between Piran, Rovinj, Pula, etc and Venice as well.

Srsdorsey

Hi and thanks for you info!

Our sailing ends in Split. We are thinking about the following itinerary:

Day 1- Rent a car in Split, drive to visit Plitvice Lakes , then continue to a hotel in Istria, Buje.

Day 2,3,4 Stay in Buje- enjoy the hotel and nearby day trips. Where ?

Day 5,6 Ljubljana (need to determine if we want to stay in the city proper, or I also found a nice place 30 min from the city in Jezersko)

Day 7 Drive to Zagreb, stay in hotel close to airport (not sure where yet?)

Day 8 Fly from Zagreb to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Seattle

*QUERY-
1- Do you recommend we make time for Plitvice Lakes?
2- Do you recommend that we stay in Ljubljana?
Or is a stay in Jezersko close enough to explore the city and also day trips?

Can we make a trip to Lake Bled from one of these locales?
Soca Valley?

Many thanks again for any guidance!

laurie_ann

Just my thoughts as we did not do the lakes, but I think there is plenty to do in Istria. We especially enjoyed Rovinj and Pula.

I would stay in Ljubljana. It is very pedestrian friendly you can enjoy cafes, etc. Here is something fun we did I think it is on Thursday nights. https://heretotravel.com/open-kitchen-ljubljana/

And another evening we enjoyed a walking tour with music and wine. https://www.viator.com/tours/Ljublja.../d5257-18489P4

But the city is also easy to get out of by rental car. There are a couple of agencies in one of the hotels in the center of town. We had cold and rain so didn't get to do the hiking we wanted. But I have a wonderful souvenir pair of small rubber boots from the street market!

KarenWoo

I would definitely visit Plitvice Lakes National Park. It is beautiful and the waterfalls are very unique. Plitvice was one of the highlights of our trip.

How long is the drive from Plitvice to Istria? Sounds like it could be a long day. If you can fit it in, I recommend spending one night in Plitvice. Ideally, the best plan for visiting Plitvice is to visit one of the lakes in late afternoon when it is less crowded. We drove from Split, checked into our hotel, and we had previously bought tickets for 4PM. We stayed at the lake until about 6:30pm. (We visited the Upper Lakes first.) Then early the next morning we were at the Lower Lakes by 9AM before the tour buses arrive. We were back in the parking lot and ready to leave around noon.

Are you spending any time in Split? We loved Split! It is a beautiful city situated right on the water. Diocletian's Palace is very interesting. We had a private guided tour.

I would stay in Ljubljana. It is a gorgeous city with lovely bridges. Such a pleasant place to stay. And lots of great restaurants! We took one of the "free" guided walking tours. Well worth it.

Srsdorsey

Thanks for all the helpful info! We will stay one night in the Park to tour the lakes, two in Istria, two in Ljubljana and then one night in Zagreb (to fly home the following early morning). I hope this itinerary allows us to enjoy and not feel like we are on the move too much!

I read in a previous thread (many years ago) about a train from Ljubljana to Zagreb, and it appeared to be a beautiful way to get there.
Is this still an option? IF so, we will return our car in Ljubljana and take the train!

So appreciate all your guidance and help with our plans. This will be a trip of a lifetime!

KarenWoo

The train from Ljubljana to Zagreb is still an option. We took the train from Zagreb to Ljubljana in September 2019. It's about a 2 - 2.5 ride. Very pleasant. Nice scenery.
Check rometorio or Trainline. I tried copying and pasting the link but for some reason can't do it. We purchased our tickets the day before departure, and in 2019 we paid $9.00 per person one-way.

MichGuy

We spent 12 days in Croatia in 2017, traveling by car the whole time. Wonderful highways (toll roads, pay with a credit card), minor highways are two lane. I recommend staying in Ljubljana. Absolutely must see Plitvice Lakes national park. And I would trade time in Istria for Lake Bled and surroundings. See what you think of this:

Day 1 -- Rent car in Split, drive to Plitvice Park (2 - 3 hours). Accommodations and restaurants are scarce around the park. Plan to either stop in Zadar on the way or get into the park that evening.
Day 2 -- Finish up at the park in the morning. Drive to Buje, stop in Opatija if time allows.
Day 3 -- Tour around Buje.
Day 4 -- Drive to Ljubljana. Good roads but you must have a windshield vignette to drive on the highway. Can buy one at the first toll station, can't remember details. Parking wasn't horrible in Ljubljana but I recommend staying in the city, it's so pleasant to walk there.
Day 5 -- Ljubljana
Day 6 -- Ljubljana. Day trip to Lake Bled, a one hour drive from Ljubljana. Walking around the lake is fun. Or have a short stay at the lake and then take a drive through Triglavski Park. Watch your time on the mountain roads.
Day 7 -- Drive to Zagreb. Walk the old town if you have the time.

We really enjoyed our trip to Croatia. Have fun!

dreamon

Isn't Jezersko in northern Slovenia, not far from the Austrian border?

You don't need a car to visit Ljubljana and parking it may well just be a hassle (and an extra expense if you drop if off in Slovenia?). There are hourly buses to Bled if that's where you prefer to visit, although if you only have a two nights, you may find yourselves pushed for time. You could potentially reverse your plan and stay in a rural town and visit Ljubljana if that suited you better. Trains and buses to Zagreb are convenient, although I have heard that trains are less likely to get held up at the border due to the number of vehicles crossing, but I've no experience of that as we weren't there in peak season.

If you decide to drop the car in Croatia before visiting Slovenia, there is an infrequent but very easy train service from Rijeka to Ljubljana, stopping at various points along the line. There may be a bus from Rovinj as well at that time of year.

Enjoy your stay - both countries are beautiful.