Help with Croatia Itinerary
Nov 24th, 2010, 07:26 PM
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Help with Croatia Itinerary
Hello Fodorites,
My husband and I are meeting another couple in Budapest for 5 days in early June and are planning to spend a week and a half in Croatia before that...we've been to western Europe and the Czech Republic, but never to Croatia and we've been wanting to go for some time, so we plan on taking the 5ish hour train from Zagreb on June 5. We enjoy kayaking (see username), hiking, good food and wine, live music, and just strolling through town, meeting the locals. We are semi-retired and have saved our whole adult lives for travel, so money is not a huge concenrs, although we don't need luxury accomodations by any means- a mid-level hotel is fine, and I do realize that a 3 star in Europe is much different than in the US- we typically have stayed at 3-4 stars in western Europe. I know that Dubrovnik may be a bit touristy, but from what I have read, it's a must-see. So here is our tentative plan:
Dubrovnik-4 nights- spend a couple of days in the Old Town, walking the town walls, exploring the town. Plan on a half-day kayaking trip, suggestions on good companies for this are wlecome. Also hoping to do a day trip to the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. Do we need to rent a car for this or are there reliable buses? We would prefer not to drive.
Ferry to Hvar-3 nights- relax, swim, explore, hike, probably rent bikes to explore the island. Thinking we will stay in Stari Grad to avoid the cruise ships. Is it better for first-timers to stay in Hvar town?
Ferry to Split- 1 night
Train to Zadar then bus to Plitvice Lakes- 3 nights- I realize this is a long time for the Lakes, but my husbnand has wanted to go there for a very long time and is insistent. Plus, I think with the travel time, we won't get there until the evening of the first day. Looking at Hotel Jezero, as there don't seem to be nicer options-any other suggestions?
bus to Zagreb-1 night.
Is it advisable to try and add a couple of days on the island of Vis? Or to go to Vis instead of Hvar? Both look amazing. I am having trouble finding out whether we can travel from Hvar to Vis to Split, though.
Any recommednations or thoughts on this rough itinerary are greatly appreciated!
My husband and I are meeting another couple in Budapest for 5 days in early June and are planning to spend a week and a half in Croatia before that...we've been to western Europe and the Czech Republic, but never to Croatia and we've been wanting to go for some time, so we plan on taking the 5ish hour train from Zagreb on June 5. We enjoy kayaking (see username), hiking, good food and wine, live music, and just strolling through town, meeting the locals. We are semi-retired and have saved our whole adult lives for travel, so money is not a huge concenrs, although we don't need luxury accomodations by any means- a mid-level hotel is fine, and I do realize that a 3 star in Europe is much different than in the US- we typically have stayed at 3-4 stars in western Europe. I know that Dubrovnik may be a bit touristy, but from what I have read, it's a must-see. So here is our tentative plan:
Dubrovnik-4 nights- spend a couple of days in the Old Town, walking the town walls, exploring the town. Plan on a half-day kayaking trip, suggestions on good companies for this are wlecome. Also hoping to do a day trip to the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. Do we need to rent a car for this or are there reliable buses? We would prefer not to drive.
Ferry to Hvar-3 nights- relax, swim, explore, hike, probably rent bikes to explore the island. Thinking we will stay in Stari Grad to avoid the cruise ships. Is it better for first-timers to stay in Hvar town?
Ferry to Split- 1 night
Train to Zadar then bus to Plitvice Lakes- 3 nights- I realize this is a long time for the Lakes, but my husbnand has wanted to go there for a very long time and is insistent. Plus, I think with the travel time, we won't get there until the evening of the first day. Looking at Hotel Jezero, as there don't seem to be nicer options-any other suggestions?
bus to Zagreb-1 night.
Is it advisable to try and add a couple of days on the island of Vis? Or to go to Vis instead of Hvar? Both look amazing. I am having trouble finding out whether we can travel from Hvar to Vis to Split, though.
Any recommednations or thoughts on this rough itinerary are greatly appreciated!
Nov 26th, 2010, 07:56 AM
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> Also hoping to do a day trip to the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. Do we need to rent a car for this or are there reliable buses? We would prefer not to drive.
If I recall correctly, there are buses, but getting to Kotor and back in the same day by bus seemed a little tricky so I decided to rent a car for the day. Another option is to take a tour or hire a driver. If you search this board, I think you'll find more information about those options.
> Thinking we will stay in Stari Grad to avoid the cruise ships. Is it better for first-timers to stay in Hvar town?
I stayed in Stari Grad and am very glad I did, but it is quite different that Hvar Town. Stari Grad is much more quiet, much less touristed, and much less opulent. It really depends on what you want! If you do stay in Stari Grad, I strongly recommend the restaurant, Eremitaž. Do a search of this board to find my post about it.
It doesn't sound like you are planning to spend time in Split or Zagreb. You might want to consider trying to add a little time for one or both.
Hope that helps!
If I recall correctly, there are buses, but getting to Kotor and back in the same day by bus seemed a little tricky so I decided to rent a car for the day. Another option is to take a tour or hire a driver. If you search this board, I think you'll find more information about those options.
> Thinking we will stay in Stari Grad to avoid the cruise ships. Is it better for first-timers to stay in Hvar town?
I stayed in Stari Grad and am very glad I did, but it is quite different that Hvar Town. Stari Grad is much more quiet, much less touristed, and much less opulent. It really depends on what you want! If you do stay in Stari Grad, I strongly recommend the restaurant, Eremitaž. Do a search of this board to find my post about it.
It doesn't sound like you are planning to spend time in Split or Zagreb. You might want to consider trying to add a little time for one or both.
Hope that helps!
Nov 26th, 2010, 01:15 PM
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thanks kja! I think we will get into Zagreb by bus from Plitvice Lakes by noon and will stay there overnight. Should we take a night away from Dubrovnik and stay in Split for a night? We usually try to avoid one night stays as they are not worth schleping the luggage around, but would love to hear your advice. After Dubrovnik, I think something non-touristy will be needed, so we are almost entriely settled on Stari Grad- and I'm bookmarking Eremitaž! Thanks again!
Nov 26th, 2010, 01:51 PM
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It's easy to go from Dubrovnik to Kotor by bus. There is one from Dubrovnik every day at 1030 and one back every afternoon. These are comfortable Croatian coaches. There is no need to hire a car for this journey.
Nov 26th, 2010, 01:55 PM
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> I think we will get into Zagreb by bus from Plitvice Lakes by noon and will stay there overnight.
Then here's another restaurant recommendation: Kod Žaca. Again, search this board or click on my name for the "trip report" with my restaurant notes.
> Should we take a night away from Dubrovnik and stay in Split for a night?
Depending on your interests and willingness to put up with a one-night stay, it might be worth considering. It is quite different than any of the other locations you are planning to visit. Some people don't like Split, but I loved its vibrancy and found the history and architecture fascinating. And although I enjoyed Zadar, I enjoyed Split much more. BTW, if that helps, there is a luggage storage area near the ferry dock in Split. Whether to take a day away from your time in Dubrovnik really depends on what you want to see and experience and your preferred pace of travel. For what it's worth, I found 3 full days enough to see what I wanted to see in Dubrovnik (and that included a day trip to Kotor). Still, I'm sure I could have easily found ways to enjoy more time there.
Then here's another restaurant recommendation: Kod Žaca. Again, search this board or click on my name for the "trip report" with my restaurant notes.
> Should we take a night away from Dubrovnik and stay in Split for a night?
Depending on your interests and willingness to put up with a one-night stay, it might be worth considering. It is quite different than any of the other locations you are planning to visit. Some people don't like Split, but I loved its vibrancy and found the history and architecture fascinating. And although I enjoyed Zadar, I enjoyed Split much more. BTW, if that helps, there is a luggage storage area near the ferry dock in Split. Whether to take a day away from your time in Dubrovnik really depends on what you want to see and experience and your preferred pace of travel. For what it's worth, I found 3 full days enough to see what I wanted to see in Dubrovnik (and that included a day trip to Kotor). Still, I'm sure I could have easily found ways to enjoy more time there.
Nov 29th, 2010, 01:49 PM
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Thanks Geoff and kja- I think we will cut Dubrovnik to 3 nights with a day trip via bus to Kotor, and get a full day/night in both Split and Zagreb. Although it isn't much time in either places (and I am not a fan of one night stays) I think that will give us enough time to see the ;arger cities on a trip that we hope will focus on island time, strolling, food and relaxation (our trip will end with 5 days in Budapest, so that's plenty of city time for us!). Plus, the stop in Split will help us avoid a day that would include a ferry/train and bus trip to get from Hvar to Plitvice. Kja- looking back and bookmarking your old posts on where to dine in Croatia, that will certainly come in handy! And I have read posts on buses to Kotor- looks like we will be able to just get tickets when we get there. Thanks all! I'm sure I'll need more detailed help as the actual trip approaches, but this will be very helpful in getting our basics planned out.
Nov 29th, 2010, 04:31 PM
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We did eight days in Croatia last summer - Dubrovnik, Korcula and Split. We debated long and hard between Korcula and Hvar. We were very happy with Korcula, although many people like Hvar.
We did a day trip to Montenegro with a tour company. We didn't want the hassle of renting a car just for a day. We also did a day trip to Mostar and enjoyed both of them
Here's my trip report - you need to scroll down about half way to get to the Croatia part (we also did the Amalfi Coast on that trip). http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rful-weeks.cfm
When I saw your post I immediately thought of this photo, which was one of my favorites from the trip - http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/127508106
We did a day trip to Montenegro with a tour company. We didn't want the hassle of renting a car just for a day. We also did a day trip to Mostar and enjoyed both of them
Here's my trip report - you need to scroll down about half way to get to the Croatia part (we also did the Amalfi Coast on that trip). http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rful-weeks.cfm
When I saw your post I immediately thought of this photo, which was one of my favorites from the trip - http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/127508106
Dec 2nd, 2010, 05:01 PM
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Beautiful Isabel, thanks for the tips. I think we are pretty settled on Hvar. Where are you staying on the Amalfi coast? We have stayed in Ravello and Positano...both amazing, although Positano is my favorite. No trip report (it was long before I joined this forum), but let me know if you need advice on hotels or restaurants.
