TravelTrio

My two young teens and I will land in Dubrovnik on 8 June, and have two weeks, before leaving from Vienna. I need some creative itinerary suggestions. Here's some background:

1. Experienced travelers, like a good pace, travel light. No whiners.

2. Huge emphasis on history. Can't emphasize this enough.

3. Of half Serbian, half Croatian descent, so may want to spend some time in Zagreb, possibly Raduc/Gospic/Lika area (I know, but....) before leaving.

4. Love boats and trains. Enjoy beaches and snorkeling if opportunity arises.

5. Have been to Italy a lot, but not Florence or Venice ever! Could we make that fit in?

6. Son keeps bringing up Germany. He's away, so have no idea what he has in mind. But he's obsessed with history, so please throw out some thoughts. Thinking Dresden, Berlin, Dachau? Haven't started looking at this, so please weigh in.

Thanks all! I promise you all that I will be doing my research, but have found that initial brainstorming with experienced travelers on Fodors Forum is a wonderful place to start. Some of our best trips have been outlined in response to vague posts just like this one!

tcreath

I personally would probably skip Italy for this trip. Two weeks sounds like a lot of time but honestly you could spend the entire time in Croatia alone. Adding too many places will make the trip an absolute blur. Since you are landing in Dubrovnik and leaving from Vienna, I would stick to just a couple of stops in between. Dubrovnik deserves at least 2 full days, maybe more if you want to hit the beaches and snorkle. And Vienna is large and also deserves at least 3-4 full days.

Zagreb is a great city; underrated in my opinion. We only had an afternoon there but were glad we squeezed it in and wish we had more time. I'm glad you are considering it.

Munich and it's surroundings would be a great place to base yourself for part of your trip. You could easily get to Dachau from there.

Also, about an hour and a half south of Munich is the Berchtesgaden region. It is here that you will find Hitler's Eagle's Nest. There is also the Nazi Documentation Museum and Bunkers. The museum is absolutely filled with information and would be a great addition for history buffs. The bunkers are interesting as well. Berchtesgaden is only about 20 minutes or so (by car) from Salzburg, which is a great city. And definitely check out the boat ride on the Konigssee, near Berchtesgaden. Too stunning for words.

Since you like boats, the Salzkammergut may be of interest. It's a short distance from Salzburg, between Salzburg and Vienna. This is an area filled with beautiful lakes and mountains. You can ride a boat across the Wolfgangsee. We also rode a boat along the Wachau Valley in Austria, about an hour or so outside of Vienna. This is a gorgeous wine-growing area filled with little towns and a few ruined castles.

Well, there are some ideas or suggestions. You shouldn't try to do all of those in one trip because, again, there just isn't enough time. I would stick to maybe 3 or 4 locations, 5 tops, to base myself. These places are all some distance from each other and you will lose a lot of time on the travel days.

Good luck!
Tracy

RayKrebs

Since you're flying into Dubrovnik, I would suggest that you begin (after 2 or 3 days in Dubrovnik) by traveling up the coast by ferry to Split, making a stop at Korcula or Hvar for a couple of days. Then, move on to Zagreb and the surrounding areas that you want to see. From there you can travel to a number of cities before ending up in Vienna. Your choices include Budapest, Bratislava, Graz, and even Prague if you don't mind going a few hours north to backtrack south again. There are lots of great things to see and the Central Europe region is fairly compact. But, you won't have time for everything in only 2 weeks.

isabel

I haven't been to Croatia but am in the midst of planning for July. I just booked my accommodations last week. We're doing 4 nights in Dubrovnik (with day trips probably to Mostar and Montenegro), ferry to Korcula for two nights (which is really only one day as the ferry leaving for Split is at 6am), then two nights Split to see the palace and day trip to Trogir. I'm feeling that 8 days is just barely enough to see the highlights. I'm not planning on any beach time. If you did what I'm doing that would only leave you 6 days to get to and see Vienna. I was in Vienna a couple years ago for 4 days and didn't get to any of the day trips I'd planned as there was enough to see in the city itself.

My point is, unfortunately I don't think you can do any of the other places you mention, much less all of them. Germany and Italy are both out of the way. You could perhaps stop in Slovenia on the way. Plus you said you wanted to see Zagreb.

When I plan trips I start with where I might want to go, but early in the planning process I look into how easy it is, and how long it will take, to get from point a to point b. That usually slashes my wish list by half at least. Good luck.

tcreath

Slovenia is a graet option, although I'm not sure if it has as much of the history that you are after. Ljubljana is only a few hours away from Zagreb and is a lovely little city with a nice castle to visit.

I don't really think Germany is too far out of the way, as long as you limit yourself to the southeast area. But, as isabel mentions, there is so much to do in Croatia and Vienna that you will probably have a difficult time fitting too much in between.

Tracy

danon

agree with PP
I have not been to Croatia in a few years, but I am not sure how easy it would be to travel by train in Lika.
After Croatia, you might go to Slovenia and then to Austria.
You will find a lot to see and do in 2 weeks in those 3 countries.
I don't know if you'll have time to go to Germany.

WTnow

Wow, we're slow travelers & deep immerses, so can not even imagine trying to do all that you mentioned in 2 weeks! We stayed a month just in Dubrovnik and a month for the rest of Croatia and barely made a dent.

I have to agree with tcreath, "Adding too many places will make the trip an absolute blur."

That said, if one does heavy planning, one can pack a lot in when necessary in a short time period without over doing.

We've been on an open ended, non-stop family world tour since 2006, but even we can't do it all. You might want to look at our website for family friendly ideas:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/

Because you could do your trip in many ways & only you can decide what is most important.

Your best bet is to spend more time seeing rather than traveling days (even with cheap flights, MUCH time is lost plus wear/tear & delays).

I'd focus on Croatia,

Must see Dubrovnik

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...rovn.html#more

We stayed here in a 5 star resort (we were in RV like most Europeans, but there are 2 hotels here as well):

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...ly-holida.html

Bay of Kotor is a great & historical day trip from Dubrovnik that is a must do while there:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...r-riviera.html

Peaceful, Pretty Plitvice Park is a must for Croatia:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...ul-pretty.html

Rovinj is also a must see in Croatia:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...ci-rovinj.html

From there or that area, you could consider going to Italy via boat


Before that Hvar & Korcular are great to experience:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...y-to-hvar.html

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...star-more.html

Split is not a must see (quite industrial city) but the coast drive between Dubrovnik & Split is spectacular, the port area is pretty & for your history lover, Split & Diocletian's Palace is unique:


http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...diocletia.html

Nearby Trogir is a better place to stay:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/09/trogir.html

Italy is fantastic for kids so you could add it, I think:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...do-gondol.html

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...-glass-bl.html

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2008/1...kids.html#more

The luxury resort campgrounds are really the places to stay in Venice for families & they all have cabins to rent. Great way to meet other Europeans & have "kid fun" between touring.

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/0...n-memoria.html

Florence is amazing, but will be very crowded at that time of year:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2008/0...angelo-me.html

(so lines for museums & such & one can get away from crowds in Venice easier).

It is a long 1 day drive in an RV (less so in a car that can go much faster) between Verona & Graz. We've done it several times.

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2008/0...juliet-in.html

If the opera is playing, it is a MUST stop. We saw 2 last summer without booking ahead & they were spectacular! BEST possible 1st opera experience

You could also stop in Lake Bled & Ljublijana, Slovenia on the way.

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/1...iful-lake.html

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/1...-ljublija.html

There is also a ton to do in and around Vienna & don't miss the music!!

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2008/0...-a-little.html

Biking the Danube (combined with day cruise) can be a fun day trip from Vienna to Melk & Krem.

Or easy to get to Budapest or Slovakia (less so to Krakow or Prague or Salzburg etc if you let other things go).

Hopefully that will give you some food for thought!

Ackislander

I like RayKrebs' suggestions.

If you like history, you must go to Split, however industrial and shopworn the outskirts are. The Stari Grad (old town) is centered on Diocletian's palace, and people are living, working, and playing in a real live Roman palace that is not a ruin. It is astonishing.

christabir

As above, the ferries are great. I'd say Dubrovnik for a few days for beach, Mostar and maybe a day in Albania - it hasn't been open to tourism in years, so you can be one of the first! - ferry to Split. The palace is right in town. Pick up a car at the airpot (take the bus - easy) and head up the coast a little. Go inland to Pltvice, it's beautiful, and than to Zagreb. Head east to Pula - there's a roman collosseum there that is mostly intact. Drop off the car in Trieste and catch a train to Vienna for a few nights there. I can't see doing the other places in such a short time. Give Croatia at least 10 days. It's better than you think!! Enjoy

takemealong

I agree with Ackislander. Split & Diocletian's Palace was one of the highlights of my trip to Croatia.

TravelTrio

Okay, wow, lots to digest here. This is exactly what I was hoping for -- some really good general suggestions, some firm opinions, some warnings, some recommended itineraries, some can't-miss sights. Thank you so much, Fodorites, for getting creative for my family's benefit. I picked up a couple of current guidebooks from the library today, so I will dig into the research and try to come up with something sensible. Once I have a rough outline, I will post the draft itinerary and see comment once again. Appreciate all the help!

TravelTrio

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