i4nelli

My boyfriend and I are graduating residency and want one last hurrah before starting our medical practices! We love beaches, hiking, great food and wine, and relaxing. This is our tentative itinerary.

Day 1: We are flying into Budapest to save money (turned out to not be as much as we hoped) and basically arrive just in time for dinner and sleeping.
Day 2: Take an early morning train from Budapest to Zagreb and spend 1 day in Zagreb.
- Any tips on the cheapest and fastest train to take?
Day 3: Day trip to plitvice lakes.
- Should we take a bus or rent a car to travel from Zagreb to Plitvice lakes? Should we stay the night in Zagreb or by the lakes?
Day 4-6: Go from Zagreb to Rovinj. Take day trips to Pula and the hilltop towns.
- Should we rent a car or take a bus to get from Zagreb to Rovinj? How should we travel to Pula and the hill top towns? Car? Rent bikes? Bus?
Night 6: Travel from Rovinj to Rijeka (suggestions on mode of transport?) and take overnight ferry to Split.
- We need to save time so we can see as much as possible. Is this ferry a nice option? Other recommendations?
Day 7: Take bus from Split to Dubrovnik.
Day 8-10: Enjoy Dubrovnik and make day trips to Mljet or korcula or hvar?
Night 10: Fly back to Budapest

We are trying to plan this trip and would love any advice former travelers have about getting around in Croatia for those that want to relax and see a lot but don't have a ton of time. Thanks!!

Andrew

Renting a car would sure be easier than taking buses, though Croatia has a good bus system. But you mentioned saving money...so, I guess I'd price out a car rental vs. the buses and figure out how much time it's going to save you. I have been to Plitvice - it's beautiful! - but not to Istria. But it sounds like a big appeal is driving around the hill towns, so simply taking a bus to Rovinj may take some of the fun out of it.

I'd definitely stay the night at Plitvice vs. Zagreb, which isn't a bad town just (in my opinion) not that exciting. (Zagreb is worth a few hours sightseeing though.) Plitvice gets busy with tour groups after about 10am; if you stay at the park you can get in their bright and early and avoid the crowds. If you stay at one of the park hotels (a bit more expensive than a local soba probably) you do have the benefit of not needing to pay to enter the park multiple days; the hotel can stamp your ticket to go back in the next day. That's in case you wish to see the park partly one day and again the next morning.

How about renting a car in Zagreb, drive to Plitvice, drive to Rovinj, then drive to Dubrovnik and drop the car there and end in Split? (Or drop the car in Split, ferry/bus down to Dubrovnik?) That will make the ferries less complicated/less expensive (you can take catamarans between Split and the islands, faster than a slow car ferry). One-way car rentals do work in Croatia (if you pick up and return within Croatia) but there may be a minimum number of days required for the rental that way to avoid a higher price.

barbloves2travel

We just got back. We rented a car through Hertz, picked up in Dubrovnik and dropped off in Zagreb.it was $243 Canadian dollars for 10 days. I would rent car and stay night in Plitvice. We stayed at Pansion Breza 1 km outside the park. Best dinner and breakfast we had and cheap. You enter the park from the back P3 entrance . A two day ticket was 110 Kuna. This turned out to be the best way. You can go to the park early in the morning and avoid the tour groups you can park your car for free at the gate and at the Pansion.We had lunch at the hotel Plitvice and it was pricey and I think we both got a little food poisoning. We drove to Rovinj Istria after a morning in the park. It took 2 1/2 hours. We parked in the closet pay parking to the city. 5 k per hour. Checked into our apartment poco paradiso found on holiday Lettings.com. Then moved the car to the white marked free parking on the street farther away from old town. You really need a car to see the best less touristy hill towns. You could drop the car in Split and ferry your way to islands and Dubrovnik because parking is more difficult and $25/ day in Dubrovnik. For beaches. If in Rovinj take the ferry to the red island or rent bikes and ride to the beaches around the park. The beaches where better off the Islands. They are rocky so water sandals are useful

i4nelli

hey Andrew and barbloves2travel, thanks guys! Renting a car sounds like it gives us more flexibility and we can leave it in Split.

We were only going to spend one day in plitvice, do you guys think that is enough to get the experience? we are worrying about time and wanted to see as much as we can.

barbloves2travel, how did you like Rovinj? we were going to stay there for 2 nights. Is the food amazing? Any recommendations for sights to see or restaurants not to miss?

Thanks again guys!!

Andrew

You can get the gist of Plitvice in 4-5 hours, though you could spend far more time there. It's an easy park to navigate, and there are boats and buses to transport you between various points. I still recommend you try to see it in the morning not the afternoon to avoid the crowds. When I visited, I stayed at a park hotel, so I saw the park the first afternoon and the next morning (ticket stamped by hotel so I didn't have to pay again). The morning was far more pleasant for sure. But seeing the park in the morning really works only if you are staying in or near the park.

I found driving in Croatia easy and fun. The roads were fine, but expect the local drivers to pass aggressively in less space than you'd imagine a car would be able to safely pass you. (After it happens to you a few times, you'll be doing it too.) Just remember that most cars you can rent for an economical price in Europe will be 5-speed/standard shift not automatic except by special request.

i4nelli

thanks Andrew!

Delaine

If you are choosing between Korcula and Hvar for a daytrip from Dubrovnik, I would probably pick Korcula. I thought it was enchanting, almost as much as Rovinj. I like Hvar too, but it just didn't seem as interesting to me.

barbloves2travel

We had dinner at Monte in Rovinj. It was expensive but very good. The food in Rovinj is definitely better than the rest of Croatia due to its Italian influence. We had great pizza at a little place just inside old town gate and to the left. Ithe old town is very small so easily seen in a couple of hours. I would recommend renting bikes and riding around the park., or taking the ferry to red island and spend the afternoon at a beach