My husband and I just returned from a fantastic trip to Croatia and I wanted to give a "report" of our trip for the benefit of others planning a trip to the area. I may not be able to get the entire report in one posting.

We left the US and flew direct to Vienna and spent a day and a half there. We loved Vienna and we stayed at a FANTASTIC hotel near the city center, Hotel Rathaus. Everything in Vienna was terribly expensive. You just could not shop there at all due to the Euro.

We flew directly to Dubrovnik on Croatia Airlines and rented a car - make sure your car rental agency will let you take the car out of Croatia (you need a green card). Many do not. We got a great price with www.economycarrentals.com. Others on this site have recommended this agency. It was simple, easy.

We had 2 rooms booked at the Villa Adriatica, a guest house right outside the walls of the Stari Grad. It could not have been a better location, although the room itself was just ok (would be at the level of a Days Inn here in the US, if that). But we spent very little time in the hotel. But the location was perfect. Our room was around 70 Euro a night.

Parking is a problem in Dubrovnik and I cannot imagine having to find a place to park (I was there in November) any other time of the year. So you should factor that in as you really don't need a car in Dubrovnik.

We just loved spending time in Old Town and I was amazed at how crowded it was in November. Again, I cannot fathom what it must be like in the summer. You really won't even be able to walk around. There were several cruise ships there and when they dumped people in, it was like bedlam.

The food in Croatia was just ok. I have found the food to be much better other places (Poland for example) and I thought it would be better than it was. It was not terribly expensive though, but not dirt cheap either.

The weather was ok - cooler than I expected (the warmest day was around 60 degrees) but mostly it was in the mid 50's at best. Saw some rain and some sunny days. But I did not go for the weather.

Much was closed but enough was open so that you could get the flavor for the city.

The last night we were there we stayed at the Dubrovnik Palace, which is outside of the city on a point, overlooking the Adriatic. It is a 5 star hotel, quite large, only 3 years old (but I would have guessed it was much older from the decor). We did not like it much, but we typically don't enjoy large hotels. It was around $170 Euros a night for a double room. Food there was expensive and reminded me of "big hotel food" in general - ok, nothing exceptional. It is out of town enough so that if you stay there you should really stay there the entire time. They do have a lovely pool and beach area that I am sure is quite nice in the summer.

We left Dubrovnik and then went north to Split. I will report on this next.

Looking forward to more on your trip. We are going in March, and I cannot wait!

We made the drive up to Split from Dubrovnik. It took us almost 4 hours, and we stopped for lunch in the charming village of Markarska. The scenary is breathtaking.

We did not know what to expect when we got to Split and I must say we were very pleasantly surprised. It is a large city, very ugly in parts but it would nice to see how people really lived there since living in Dubrovnik is akin to living in Carmel, CA in my mind. But Split is much much larger and is a real city.

We did not have a hotel reservation and lucky for us it was not too difficult to get a room. In the busier season I am sure this would not be possible as I there seem to very few hotels in the area. We stayed at the Hotel Peristil which is one of just a few hotels that is inside Diocletian's Palace. The other very nice hotel (we would have stayed here if we could have found it earlier) is the Hotel Vestibul Palace which is just around the corner, also in the Palace. Both places are nice and I can't recall the exact rate but I think it was around $170 Euros.

Being a Classics major in college, I was in my element being inside Diocletian's Palace. Others may not enjoy as much or even know anything about Roman history, but it was really a treat for me. By all means hire a tour guide and spend a few hours taking a guided tour. There are so many things to see there. I would recommend spending the night in Split. Like Dubrovnik, it was crowded (but not as crowded) and at night it really clears out and you can see what it is really like.

The food again was ok - I don't recall where we ate, but we did not have a memorable meal but the wine is good but only if you buy it by the bottle.

But we must have walked every day for 6-8 hours. If you can't get around well you will also have trouble at the Palace since it is old, crowded and handicapped assistance is really nonexistent in Croatia.

We also took the time to go up to the Archeological Museum at Split which is about a 15-20 minute walk north from the Palace. We loved this but if you are not a fan of Greek and Roman history then stay away. But they have an amazing collection of artifacts there, mostly from Solona, a nearby Greek and Roman town, where Diocletian was born.

Split is also a very good jumping off point for the islands. I would have liked to have gone out to Hvar but we did not have the time and also would go to the smaller island of Vis which is 34 miles by ferry. It was closed to foreigners until 1989 and there is another significant Roman settlement there.

We spent 2 days in Split which I would recommend. Like Dubrovnik, being dumped off by a cruise ship with thousands of other people for 10 hours just does not give you the real flavor of the city. You need to see it at night when it is quiet and I would make the same comment about Dubrovnik. And if you are a shopper there is really not good shopping in Split or in Dubrovnik.

Also if you have a car make sure you can park it. They took care of this at our hotel but parking is a real problem here too. In the summer I don't know you would do with a car.

We left Split and then headed out to the old settlement called Solona which is about a 15 minute drive from Split, mostly west and a bit north. It is in the middle of a suburb (and not a great one) but they have managed to save this special place for history's sake. Solna was an important Greek and later Roman settlement on the river, just inland. The ruins there are Roman but there was a Greek settlement earlier and the artifacts are in the museum I mentioned earlier. Since I have not been to Greece, this was a real treat. The town had been excavated as early as the early 1800's and it is a bit overgrown in places and it would have been great to have a guide but the areas are marked. But it is worth going to see the Roman Amphitheatre (it is in ruins of course and was destroyed somewhat by the Venetians in the 1700's) but you can walk down to the area where the gladiators once performed to their death. It was a site to see and for my husband it was one of the highlights of the trip. My highlight comes later.

After we left Solona, we started our journey back towards Dubrovnik. We had been told about a new museum that just opened in a very small town near Metkovic which is very close to the Bosnian border. There is an area between Split and Dubrovnik where the land flattens out and they grow oranges. This is the area that we were looking for. If you pay close attention there are signs to this new museum at a small very old town currently called Vid. In Roman times it was known as Narona.

We drove through Metkovic, again, interesting since it gives you a slice of real Croatian life. The town of Vid is about 3 km outside Metkovic, on a small hillside overlooking the river.

The contrast, when you find the musuem is amazing. There is this really poor, extremely old, Agrarian village, and right in the middle is a brand new modern museum. It is not big but the starkness of the comparison stares you in the face.

The museum opened in May and is well worth the trip. It is the site of the the temple of the Emporer Ausgustus from the 1st century AD where archeologists found 17 statues (15 are in the museum) as in tact as you will ever find early Roman statues in the temple itself with the mosaic floor also in tact. These were found only in 1995 and 1996 and they moved quickly to preserve the site for all of us to enjoy. The museum is small and the way that the site is set (in the exact place of the old temple, with the original floor in tact, with the statues in their rightful places) is just amazing and was one of the highlights of the trip. You don't have to be a classics scholar to enjoy this but of course knowing the history is better and there is very little there in English that tells you about the exhibit. Roman Narona was an important and wealthy settlement. This is not in any of the guide books yet but should be! When you walk in and see those 15 statues in place, with the music playing in the background you get a very good sense of what the actual temple must have been like. This is one of the most important archeological sites outside of Roman and possibly in all of Croatia.

We reluctantly left this incredible site and made the drive back to Dubrovnik, about another hour, perhaps a bit more.

We also visited the small town of Cavtat, just south of Dubrivnik, on the water very near the airport. It was small and charming and it was nice to escape the madness of Dubrovnik for a quieter little spot. I am sure in the warmer weather this is a great little spot.

We are considering Croatia this June, driving and also island hopping by ferry vs. taking a smallish cruise. How was the driving? We heard it could be treacherous with bad drivers. Could it be worse than Italy? Did you get to Lake BLed? AND how pricey is car rental & gas?

Appreciate any advise. We have traveled a lot independently in Europe & prefer to be on our own!

Lajolla,

We found the driving VERY easy in Croatia in August and early Sept ( most of our driving was in Sept) and NO traffic or wild drivers. We were there for over 45 days and to many areas, so got a good taste, plus we travel in an RV which makes challenging driving, more so because of its size.

We did rent a car for bay of Kotor and areas south of Dubrovnik and we took lots of ferries. No problem and no problem booking rooms as one goes.

We drove to Lake Bled too and found that a nice drive as well.