anathem

I drive a lot around Europe - driving in Croatia is about the same as in Italy, Austria, Slovenia - fast but not crazy on motorways, reasonable on local roads. Care should be taken on islands, where locals DO think they own the road and some tourists try to copy their style. Actually, during the summer season, I'm a bit afraid of tourists who drive way too slowly on motorways - limit and recommended speed is 130 km/h. Keep to it and keep in the right lane when not overtaking, you'll be fine.

BabsR

Hello again - thinking of changing things around a bit and picking up a car in Croatia (maybe in Split) and driving through Slovenia ending up in Zagreb so we can avoid huge drop off fees.......any advice on Zagreb/

Also, we will be in Split around may 1 - has anyone gone over to Hvar that time of year....how to you get around without a car and would you recommend that as a side trip?

kja

I'm surprised that these things aren't covered in your guide books and think it would be well worth investing in one or two that provide better coverage.

kja

Sorry - I got called away and almost forgot to come back to answer your questions!

"thinking of ... picking up a car in Croatia ... and driving through Slovenia ending up in Zagreb so we can avoid huge drop off fees" -- make sure the car has the vignette that is needed for driving in Slovenia.

"any advice on Zagreb" -- I thoroughly enjoyed about 2.5 days in Zagreb; other Fodorites haven't liked it as much. I enjoyed its museums, public spaces, and unique sites. I would urge you to read your guide books, think about which sites might fit your interests, and come back with specific questions.

"around may 1 - has anyone gone over to Hvar that time of year." -- I believe that ferry schedules for the lines between Split and Hvar change on 1 June. I waited to go to Hvar until then because ferries before then didn't suit my schedule well. Only you can decide whether the ferry schedules (which are more limited in May) suit your needs.

"how to you get around [Hvar] without a car" -- if you need to move around once on the island, you can use buses or perhaps other forms of public transportation. Any good guidebook should give you this information.

"would you recommend [Hvar] as a side trip?" -- It depends on your interests and what you would skip in order to make time for it. I'm glad I spent a few hours in Hvar Town, which many people love, but found it a bit too high-brow for much more than that. Instead, I spent most of my time on Hvar in Stari Grad, which is not well aligned with most people's interests.

My take on Croatia, both from my own trip there and from reading countless posts before and after, is that it is sufficiently diverse to appeal to many people who have extremely different travel aspirations and preferences. And that means that it is REALLY critical that you figure out, for yourselves, what YOU want to see and do there.

Hope that helps!

Cranachin

Re: kja's take on Zagreb, I have been there twice and loved it both times—museums, churches, food, architecture, even what turned out to to be a private tour of the parliament building.

Two of my favorites there were the Museum of Naive Art (http://www.hmnu.org/en/) and the castle ruins of Medvedgrad (http://www.inyourpocket.com/croatia/...-County_70053f), although in the latter case it was due at least in part to there being a medieval reenactment day when we went.

I haven't been in April/May, but in fall the area around Samobar was fun to visit. We enjoyed hiking in the woods to the west of town. Make sure to stop for kremšnita at one of the cafés or bakeries. We got ours at Kavana Lidavić.