jiggles

- Hello. We're looking to go to Croatia for our honeymoon in October. We're looking to spend some time in the Istria region, possibly renting an apartment for several days. We also like the idea of visiting Venice for a few days while we're so close. Our question to those who have gone to Croatia from Canada--where is the best place to fly in to? We don't want to spend a lot of time travelling (via train or bus), so we'd like to land as close as possible to either Venice or northern Croatia. To fly directly to Zagreb, the price seems to go up a lot, as compared to flying to somewhere like Munich, but that's a fair train ride. We might consider substituting a visit to Venice for another city if we had to land somewhere and explore there for a few days.

- Our second question is, what areas would you recommend for staying in Croatia. We plan to rent an apartment and stay there for 6 or so days. We'd like to see some culture, do some relaxing/outdoor exploration, visit cafes, have some nightlife. What places are good for this? We've heard good things about Rovinj and Opatija. We'd love to explore all of the coast (eg/ go down to Split and Dubrovnik) but we feel with the limited amount of time (10 days total including flights), that it might be better to concentrate on and fully enjoy one area.

Thanks for your help.

Grasshopper

If you can fly to Venice, it's a pretty two hour train ride to Trieste, then a 3 hour bus to Rovinj.

I loved Rovinj and think it would be a great place to base for the Istrian Peninsula. I loved staying in the old town (Hotel Adriatic) there are a couple of hotels there. Hotel Rovinj was under remodel and I think it will be lovely now. There are bigger hotels right outside of the town, an easy walk to town.

There are many apartments for rent, by owner in the area. You can rent at the tourist office, or just go it on your own. October should be an easy time to find an apartment.

From there you can explore the entire Istrian Peninsula, if you have a car. That could include Motovun, a tiny village at the top of the mountains, Pula, with it's ancient Roman ruins, and Opatjia and Reijeka. You could also take some nice boat trips. You could also go to the coastal villages of Slovenia.

jiggles

Thanks Grasshopper. Do you know anything about the ferry from Venice to Istria? It seems like it doesn't operate in October, but I'm not sure. What will the weather be like in October? Will we be able to go to the beaches?

marktynernyc

I believe both Pula or Rikeja have airports.

marktynernyc

sorry - that should Rijeka.

TravelingSue

Hello
Congratulations to you. I am from NYC, however maybe I can offer you some tips since I am from Croatia. You are making an excellent choice for your honeymoon. I have never been to Croatia in October, but I do go every summer for 3 weeks in August. I fly from NYC into Venice direct.

In Venice, I have a van pick up my family and myself and drive us all to Porec for $100 US and this is a 3hr drive. This is an air conditioned/heated mercedes van. You can also arrange to have a man pick you up to drive you to the airport if you want on your return trip. We've been using them for years and they've always been punctual and couteous. There are many van services like this in Croatia.

If you are considering going to Zagreb-instead consider flying from Canada to Rome, then to Venice and then take a van to your select city( Vans are very inexpensive and are easy to connect at Venice). I also know that Opatija tends to be more expensive then other towns for Lodging. If you will be renting a car, there will be much driving to Dubrovnik-its all cliffside along the "Magistrala highway".

I always make a point of visiting Venice. I never get tired of it. It is one of the most romantic cities.There are hydro-boats that cross the Adriatic daily in the summertime from the Istrian peninsula to get to Venice. It takes about 1.5-2hrs to cross the sea. They leave port usually 7am return 3pm or leave 9am and return 5pm. It is a day trip. The cost is $45US pp. If you wanted to spend the night, I can tell you for sure that most of the nicer hotels are pricey. Be sure to check the scheduling of the hydroboats. In the summertime, they leave daily, however they may run on a different schedule in the fall.

There are three cities these boats leave from in Istria 1. Rovinj (the best for a honeymooning couple to stay in Istria) 2. Porec (another sea town) 3. Umag (another quaint sea town). You can absolutely get lost in Rovinj. There is a Bell tower at the top of the town that you must go visit. You also have to climb wooden stairs to get to the top, but you must go because the view is breath taking. The walk up is scary and you need to pay something like a 50 cent donation restoration cost to go up, but you wont regret it.

Feel free to ask anymore questions. I wish you the best of luck.

eurotraveller

TravelingSue, we will be traveling to Croatia in May Via Venice and I am curious about this van service you mentioned. How does one go about contacting someone for pick up? Also, does anyone have an email address or web site of a company that arranges accomodations in a sobe? Has anyone stayed in a private home and if so, what was your experience?

Jonas

Eurotraveller, try here:
www.adriatica.net - online booking
www.findcroatia.com - lot's of links to various sites

Jiggles,
I don't think there are ferries from Venice to Croatia in October.

TravelingSue

Hi Eurotraveler. We live in NYC but have houses in Croatia so we do not stay at hotels. I can tell you about the "sobe" . The sobe are basically family owned bed and baths. A few of my family have three family houses and rent one floor to the tourists. They serve them breakfast and take care of the beds,and housekeeping, etc. They are relatively inexpensive. Some people stay for one day, some for a week. What city will you be visiting? I will find the contact info of that van service that I mentioned. They service mainly the Istrian Peninsula but will drive to Zagreb and Slovenija too. I will get back to you on that.

eurotraveller

Traveling Sue, we will be staying in or ner Rovinj, Split and Dubrovnik. We don't have set plans yet so that could change. I know we will be in Dubrovnik for at least 4 nights and maybe as many as 6. I have found several promising apartments for around 50 Euro a night and the availability is wide open right now. I think we will fly into Venice and travel into Istria. We would like to visit Ljubljana but we are not sure if we will take the time to do that. We don't leave until May 19th so we still have some time to plan. Any suggestions would be great!

TravelingSue

Eurotraveller: That same van service also goes to Ljubljana. So are you flying back through Venice also? I love the Venice NYC route, its the best for us.

I don't know if you know about the driving situation in Croatia, but its quite simple...one highway from the North at Rijeka all the way to Dubrovnik. Its called the Magistrala. It drives all along cliffside. You could never get lost driving on your own. The only annoying thing is the fact that the road weaves in and out and if the darned thing were straight rather than curved to the cliffsides, you would get to your destination quicker. However that is the beauty of the trip. There are so many beautiful towns on the drive down.

TravelingSue

The name of the company that we use is I-TOURS based in Rijeka. Their address is 51000 Rijeka R. Picovicna 1. Tel/fax 385 51 672 873
The guy who we use every year is DARKO. He is very reliable. They speak English. Venice to Rovinj would probably be slightly over $100US for a large van. If you don't need a large van, tell them-it probably costs less. I also have Darko's direct cell phone number if you would like. They are very reliable and punctual. We have been using them for years.

steve51864

To TravelingSue,

My wife and I will be going to Ljubljana on May 26th, and we need to be in Venice on the 29th. What suggestions can you give us in terms of places to see and stay and the way to Venice (car, boat, or train?) Places like Rovinj, or lake Bled, sound wonderful, how would you plan the itinerary between 26th to 29th? (We can arrive one day early if we must.)

Also, please be as detailed as possible, we have never been there before, Thanks.

steve51864

To Traveling Sue or anyone else,

I also want to ask if it would be a good idea to rent a car to drive from Ljubljana to these places and return it somewhere in Istria? Or given the cost and hassle, going by bus would be our best choice? (Anyone had any experience renting a car in these areas?) Thanks.

eurotraveller

Sue,

I am somewhat familiar with the driving and have read that it is quite easy. I am concerned that if I rent a car and drive the entire coastline I will miss out on the great experience of exploring the Adriatic by ferry. I kno we will have more flexibility with a car but is it worth giving up the experience of the Adriatic by ferry?

TravelingSue

Steve-

I'm not sure where you are starting from but if you read my previous post, I use that Darko to pick me and my family up from Venice or Ljubljana....depending on which aiport we land in. He will drive you to basically anywhere you need to go from the airport. You can even arrange ahead of time to have him pick you up from your "sobe" and drive you to the airport your last day (if I am understanding correctly is May 29th) Rovinj to Venice is about $100 with a van/car. I don't know train prices, sorry. I also don't know rental car prices. There are so many tourist services in Rovinj, renting a car will be easy. I want to tell you though I really enjoy the van ride from Istra to Venice every year. It is so beautiful. Keep an eye out for these patch of trees that are every where and they just seem to be in these perfect rows. They are paper trees. They are given as wedding gifts or as gifts to children at birth. They must grow for about 15-20yrs and are worth about $100,000 or more at maturity Can you imagine! Stock...Who needs it, LOL

I do advise that you rent a car for the time that you are there though.

DAY 1 From Istra you can take a day tip to Venice for a cost of $45US/pp with a hydroboat. Croatia is very reasonable in terms of lodging. "Sobe's" are very inexpensive. The three port cities where these hydroboats leave are Porec, Umag and Rovinj. I know that in the summertime they leave at 7am and 9am and return at 5pm. (a lot of summer business slowly return in the beginning of May and I know this beacause my family from the states have summer businesses in Istra.) This gives you the whole day in Venice without having to pay for a hotel there.

DAY 2 Explore Rovinj. It is a quaint town reminiscent of Italian towns. Some of the houses are directly on the water and have their own boats. The town's focal point is the bell towers which are on a hill and if you read my previous post is a must see for a magnificent site of the whole city. You must climb the stairs, trust me....you won't regret it.

DAY 3 Opatija/Rijeka/Pula Three Metropolitan cities to get lost in. You can go shopping, enjoy the architecture. Opatija is very much known for its nightlife and its the place to be seen. Sort of the "Mini Monaco" for Croatia if you know what I mean. Pula's Collosium is not to be missed, reminiscent to those in Rome. Rijeka you can do some shopping in, and sightseeing. Pula during day Opatija during night and Rijeka if you can fit it in. Opatija is also good for the beach ( its pronounced Opatiya fyi )

DAY 4 Get Lost....Literally. Take your car, and you map and get lost in Istria. Rabac, Labin, Umag, Ljublana, Pazin....drive drive and see a little of all. The beauty of Croatia is in the villages and the small towns and watching the everyday lives of the people. To this day watching people herd their sheep amazes me.

Or you can simply RELAX on the beach. You mentioned that you want to see Lake Bled. I have never been there, so maybe spend a day there.

By the way,if you you like them, Truffles are soooooooooo cheap in Istra. You can buy them anywhere in Istra (the main stores are in Buje, Buzet, Livade, and Pula) ...they call them TARTUFI. Go to Zigante.com. In almost any restaurant you can eat a huge plate of fresh homeade pasta with truffle sauce for $8US. In NYC its $50 US for 4 measly ravioli. Great place to try them for the first time.

I hope that I've helped. Feel free to ask any other questions.

TravelingSue

Eurotraveler

If you want to view Croatia by boat, then by all means do it! Its different then by going by car.Like you said, the only drawback is that you don't have control over your trip. Alteast with the boat, you can sit back and enjoy the many islands. I only speak from a driving perspective because I always travel by car-I have my own car there thank god If you have your heart set on going by boat, do it, you can enjoy the coast better that way and then always rent a car later. Seriously though if you only plan on staying in Dubrovnik, walk and get lost, its the best way to see the city. Sometimes cars hinder you from doing just that, because you are in such a rush to get to your next place.

TravelingSue

Go to this website:
http://www.istra-tours.com
You will see this logo all over the place. It will help you for your travels.

steve51864

To TravelingSue, Grasshopper, or anyone else:

Ben already gave me some ideas about train travel, for which I was very appreciative. Here is my proposed itinerary. (It might be too ambitious, but we want to "sample the flavors" first in our first trip to Eastern Europe.)

1) Vienna (arrive on May 19th, 10am, 20th, and leave on 21st)
tour city, day trip to Durnstein on the Danube
Train to Bratislava:

2) Bratislava 2 days (21th, and leave on 22nd)
tour the Old City and the Castle, shopping
Train to Budapest:

3) Budapest 4 days (22th, 23, 24, and leave on 25th)
Castle District, Fishermen's Bastion, Obuda, day trip to Eger
Train to Ljubljana:

4) Ljubljana 5 days (25th, 26, 27, and leave on 29th)
(day trips to the Adriatic Coast: Koper & Piran, and/or day trip to Lake
Bled?)Renting a car? Will the local prices be better than the international bigname companies? Since the whole area does not seem to be far apart, are there motorcycle to rent instead?

5) Venice (29th, 30, 31, and leave on June 1st 4pm flight)

Other questions:
1. Should I just skip Bratislava?
2. Since there are so many countries involved, what currency should I bring?
3. Will I be able to find internet cafes along the route?

Thanks in advance for any info.

steve51864

Sorry, I forgot to say thanks to TravelingSue for her detailed suggestions! Also, should I have started another thread instead? (Sorry for taking up too much space in the thread that "Jiggles" started...)