Help w/Croatia Itinerary Please!
 

Well, originally we were going to go to Turkey but due to the political unrest and not knowing if Turkey will become part of NATO we will postpone that trip for the time being. That being said we are excited about going to Croatia in May for 2 ? weeks! We both love history, drinking cold beers in old squares watching life pass by, hiking, exploring quaint towns, etc. We plan on staying in private homes for the most part, maybe renting a studio in Dubrovnik. I am going to post our loose itinerary and I would like to know your thoughts, especially from Grasshopper, Judi, Mark, Ben and others who have posted such great info on this site!

We are traveling on a Delta buddy pass so if our plans in and out seem odd it is because this is the best schedule for us when flying stand by. We plan on flying into Vienna and out of Venice because these are two of our favorite cities and we want to visit them on this trip since they are our most convenient cities to fly in and out of.

Here it is:

Arrive in Vienna May 21st
Vienna 21st and 22nd , heading up to the Heuringer to drink wine!
Train to Ljubljana to overnight May 23rd . Is one night enough?
May 24th to Rovinj
May 24th and 25th in Rovinj
May 26th to Split
May 26th and 27th in Split
Day trip to Hvar and ? from Split
Split to Dubrovnik on the 28th
May 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st in Dubrovnik
June 1st-3rd are open and to be used to fill in where you suggest.
June 4th and 5th spent in the wonderful town of Vicenza with day trip to Venice and Verona or?

We definitely want to visit Tragir and Hvar. Would a day trip be enough or should we stay the night?
Other possible places to see would be Rab Island, Mljet, Korcula, Lopud, Lokrum Island. If we visit some of these places which ones would you put at the top of the list and where would we leave from to get there?
Has anyone done any sea kayaking around the Elafiti or Kornati Islands?
Are we missing any other must see places?
I look forward to hearing from you all so we can plan our trip!

Sounds pretty good to me. Do you have your accommodations picked out yet or will you be staying in sobes?

I guess my advice is to try to stay as close to (or in) the old towns as you can. If you are doing hotels, I've been trying to find contact info for Hotel Rovinj IN the old city, near the church on the hill. Last summer they were rennovating it and it was closed but it looks marvelous. The email address in my Lonely Planet isn't good.

In Dubrovnik, be sure to have a beer (pivo) at sunset at Buzza (this is Mark's tip). It hangs on the wall of the old city and is very charming.

I also recommend the Atlas tour to Montenegro as a don't miss. Truly an eye opener.

I'm so envious. I would love to be there in May.

Grasshopper, we will be staying in private accommodations. I did that when I visited Prague years ago and it worked out very well. You really get a feel for the culture that way. So Montenegro is a must, is it? My boyfriend is hesitant to cross the border. Isn?t it just south of Dubrovnik? Is it just a day trip? I am the more adventuresome of the two of us and I would go in a heart beat but I am not so sure he will. Is 4 nights in Dubrovnik enough or should we add a day there? Is two nights enough in Rovinj? It sounds awesome! Should we stay the night or day trip into Hvar? I don?t like to jump around too much because then I spend too much time packing and unpacking rather than exploring.

Two nights in Rovinj is better than no nights at all. If I had just one full day, I would spend it exploring the old town. Be sure to walk up to the church and then walk up and down all the tiny alleyways. The food there is great. I best enjoyed a little seafood place right across from the ATM/tourist office at the far end of the circular harbor walk. Also, a couple of places that hugged the edge of the town at the end. If you had a second day, take the bus to Pula and see the amphitheater and the ruins. It's only about an hour on the bus. If you have a car, take a day to drive to Motuvun (on the Istrian Penn.) and Pula the extra day.

I absolutely recommend taking the Atlas tour to Montenegro, rather than driving on your own. It's a full day trip (about 12 hours) and you will cover a lot of territory. You'll go to the top of the mountains and see amazing views. Check out my virtualtourist page for photos: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/4f0ef/4be/

I promise you won't be disappointed!

Also, be sure you spend plenty of time exploring the Old City of Dubrovnik and walk the walls.

Regarding Hvar - the slow ferry from Split to Hvar took about 2 1/2 hours - the fast ferry (catamaran) from Hvar to Split took 1 hour. It seems like a lot to do for just one day - or would you consider staying the night in Hvar and returnig to Split the next mornign, then off to Dubrovnik. There's plenty to explore along the coast above and below Split - Trogir, Makarska, Sibenik, Zlarin, etc - and would mean less time spent in transit (on a ferry). Sounds like a great trip.

I would definitely consider spending the night on Hvar if that would be better. I didn't know if Hvar could be done as a day trip. What is the best way to get from Dubrovnik to Venice? Kotor, Montenegro sounds like a beautiful place. Can that be done as a day trip?