Itinerary in Croatia
Jun 7th, 2004, 04:14 PM
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Itinerary in Croatia
First of all, many thanks to all of you who've posted trip reports and info on Croatia -- Judi, Deborah, Granny, MarkTynernyc, Grasshopper, and all the rest! Here's a very tentative itinerary for our trip next May (I know it's early but I have to make plane res. to get the upgrades):
Dubrovnik - 7 nights
Hvar - 5 nights
Trogir/Split - 3 nights
Rovinj - 4 nights
Plitvicka Nat'l Park - 1 night
Zagreb - 3 nights
I've got one night to add to one of the above -- as you can see, we like to travel slowly, and normally won't stay less than 3 nights anywhere. I'd love comments on the itinerary, and also have a couple of specific questions. Should we rent a car while in Dubrovnik? If so, where can we leave our car when we go from Split to Hvar (if the ferry works out, we'll take the ferry direcly from Dubrovnik to Stari Grad, but this may not be a possibility with the May schedule)? Do you pay for most things with kunas or euros? Again, thanks for all the great information, and aloha.
Dubrovnik - 7 nights
Hvar - 5 nights
Trogir/Split - 3 nights
Rovinj - 4 nights
Plitvicka Nat'l Park - 1 night
Zagreb - 3 nights
I've got one night to add to one of the above -- as you can see, we like to travel slowly, and normally won't stay less than 3 nights anywhere. I'd love comments on the itinerary, and also have a couple of specific questions. Should we rent a car while in Dubrovnik? If so, where can we leave our car when we go from Split to Hvar (if the ferry works out, we'll take the ferry direcly from Dubrovnik to Stari Grad, but this may not be a possibility with the May schedule)? Do you pay for most things with kunas or euros? Again, thanks for all the great information, and aloha.
Jun 7th, 2004, 04:24 PM
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Aloha, That sounds fantastic! I think you have a trip you will never forget. Are you staying in "sobe"? I'm sorry, I have no advice on cars since I travel solo and use all public transportation.
I didn't use any euro in Croatia. There are ATM machines everywhere so no problem getting kunas.
Fun, fun, fun!
I didn't use any euro in Croatia. There are ATM machines everywhere so no problem getting kunas.
Fun, fun, fun!
Jun 7th, 2004, 05:06 PM
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Thanks, Grasshopper. We plan to stay mostly in apartments, certainly in Dubrovnik, Hvar, and Rovinj -- part of our "slow" approach to travel. And we'll be in Zagreb over the weekend, when it seems like hotels are discounted.
Jun 8th, 2004, 06:09 AM
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I just returned last night from spending almost 2 weeks in Croatia. I will post a trip report when I feel more grounded. Your trip sounds great but I will make a couple of recommendations. I would spend less time in Zagreb. The other cities are fantastic and Zagbreb doesn't hold a candle to them IMHO. Rab Town on Rab island is fantastic! We were going to stay in Split but after enjoying ourselves so much on Rab we decided to stay in Trogir and make a day trip to Split. We were very happy we did it this way. Look for my trip report within the next few days. Cheers!
Jun 8th, 2004, 10:55 AM
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Thanks, Eurotraveller, I'm looking forward to your report. And we're definitely using Trogir as a base rather than Split -- I'd like to know where you stayed there (and elsewhere, of course!).
Jun 8th, 2004, 11:53 AM
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I found everyone's postings to be very helpful in planning our trip to Croata, so I wanted to post a trip report that might be of help to others.
Croatia is a wonderful country that is so beautiful. We had only 10 days in late May and could have spent so much more. Fortunately, the weather was sunny and warm most of the time.
We arrived in Zagreb in the early afternoon and spent 1 1/2 days there, which was probably enough if your time is limited. Zagreb is a charming city that felt a little like Prague or Vienna. The architecture is great (too bad there's so much graffiti), and we were amazed by how many outdoor cafes there are. Just sit and have coffee and watch the people go by. Take the short funicular up to the old town. There are several museums that can fill a day or two - we enjoyed the Naive Art Museum and the Mestrovic sculpture gallery in the old upper part of the city. The Boban Italian restaurant was very good - really good risotto. We tried our first Dingac red wine there - yum! We stayed at the Hotel Ilica and thought it was fine (no problems at all, unlike what someone else posted). 449 kuna a night for a small, clean room with satellite TV. The location is good - a 10-15 minute walk straight to the main square down a lively commercial street.
Flew to Dubrovnik on Croatia Airlines. The Zagreb airport is small and the lines seemed short. Taxis are expensive to and from the airport, so take the airport bus if it's convenient. Dubrovnik is a magical city that will charm you (except for all the cruise ship tourists). The area around Dubrovnik really is beautiful as well. We stayed at the Amoret apartments with a room overlooking the Cathedral Treasury and the Rector's Palace. That was great and it was less than $100. We didn't find any great restaurants in Dubrovnik - a lot of tourist places that were expensive and disappointing (ragusa 2), but if you like pizza, try mea culpa and there's a spaghetteria there that's good as well. The "Fast Food" restaurant is good for a burger and fries or a chicken sandwich. Sitting at Buzz Bar on the walls is a must, as is walking the walls. We took an Atlas tour one day to Mljet and one day to Montenegro and would recommend both, especially Montenegro, if you must choose between the two. I had read postings saying that the Montenegro trip was worthwhile, and I strongly agree. It's a long day on a bus, but you see spectacular scenery that's unlike anything I've ever seen before. Kotor is amazing - the setting is spectacular. The whole drive is pretty and interesting.
We rented a car and drove up the Peljesac Peninsula and had our best seafood meal in Mali Ston at Kapetanova Kuca. You look out over the mussel farms. The seafood spagetti was delicious, as was the mussels buzzara. We drove on looking for wineries to visit, but we didn't find much. Grigic (same as Grigich Hills in Napa) was supposed to be open but wasn't. His wine is supposed to be the best Croatian wine and costs about $30. We ended up driving back down the peninsula and the drove along the coast (through Bosnia) to Drvenik, where we took the evening ferry to Hvar. The drive across Hvar took a lot longer than I expected (1 1/2 hours) because of the windy roads that have no shoulders and deep drops.
Hvar is a beautiful island. We had only one full day, which isn't enough. Spend 2-4, if you can and just relax. We really enjoyed eating Dalamatian food at Konoba Menego in Hvar Town. The cheeses and smoked ham were great. The Podstine Hotel was the nicest of all the places we stayed. It looks like they just renovated the place, and it shows.
From Hvar, we took the ferry to Split and drove off the ferry to Diocletian's Palace. Really worth seeing. We spent the night in Trogir, which was a little disappointing. It's small and can be visited in an hour or two. The Fontana hotel was a letdown after the Podstine - the rooms are more motel-like.
We left early to drive north to Plitvice, which was well worth the long drive. If you can spend the night and have time to explore, do so. We spent 3 hours, which isn't enough, but we were so glad we added it to the itinerary. We've never seen anyplace like it. The drive through the heart of Croatia was pretty, but not what we expected. It felt like we could have been in the north of Scotland or somewhere in west Texas, because of how barren and rocky it was.
We spent our last night in Zagreb before flying back to the US through Frankfurt on Lufthansa (where they pack you like sardines in coach). Sorry for the length of this. Write if you have questions and enjoy this impressive country!
Croatia is a wonderful country that is so beautiful. We had only 10 days in late May and could have spent so much more. Fortunately, the weather was sunny and warm most of the time.
We arrived in Zagreb in the early afternoon and spent 1 1/2 days there, which was probably enough if your time is limited. Zagreb is a charming city that felt a little like Prague or Vienna. The architecture is great (too bad there's so much graffiti), and we were amazed by how many outdoor cafes there are. Just sit and have coffee and watch the people go by. Take the short funicular up to the old town. There are several museums that can fill a day or two - we enjoyed the Naive Art Museum and the Mestrovic sculpture gallery in the old upper part of the city. The Boban Italian restaurant was very good - really good risotto. We tried our first Dingac red wine there - yum! We stayed at the Hotel Ilica and thought it was fine (no problems at all, unlike what someone else posted). 449 kuna a night for a small, clean room with satellite TV. The location is good - a 10-15 minute walk straight to the main square down a lively commercial street.
Flew to Dubrovnik on Croatia Airlines. The Zagreb airport is small and the lines seemed short. Taxis are expensive to and from the airport, so take the airport bus if it's convenient. Dubrovnik is a magical city that will charm you (except for all the cruise ship tourists). The area around Dubrovnik really is beautiful as well. We stayed at the Amoret apartments with a room overlooking the Cathedral Treasury and the Rector's Palace. That was great and it was less than $100. We didn't find any great restaurants in Dubrovnik - a lot of tourist places that were expensive and disappointing (ragusa 2), but if you like pizza, try mea culpa and there's a spaghetteria there that's good as well. The "Fast Food" restaurant is good for a burger and fries or a chicken sandwich. Sitting at Buzz Bar on the walls is a must, as is walking the walls. We took an Atlas tour one day to Mljet and one day to Montenegro and would recommend both, especially Montenegro, if you must choose between the two. I had read postings saying that the Montenegro trip was worthwhile, and I strongly agree. It's a long day on a bus, but you see spectacular scenery that's unlike anything I've ever seen before. Kotor is amazing - the setting is spectacular. The whole drive is pretty and interesting.
We rented a car and drove up the Peljesac Peninsula and had our best seafood meal in Mali Ston at Kapetanova Kuca. You look out over the mussel farms. The seafood spagetti was delicious, as was the mussels buzzara. We drove on looking for wineries to visit, but we didn't find much. Grigic (same as Grigich Hills in Napa) was supposed to be open but wasn't. His wine is supposed to be the best Croatian wine and costs about $30. We ended up driving back down the peninsula and the drove along the coast (through Bosnia) to Drvenik, where we took the evening ferry to Hvar. The drive across Hvar took a lot longer than I expected (1 1/2 hours) because of the windy roads that have no shoulders and deep drops.
Hvar is a beautiful island. We had only one full day, which isn't enough. Spend 2-4, if you can and just relax. We really enjoyed eating Dalamatian food at Konoba Menego in Hvar Town. The cheeses and smoked ham were great. The Podstine Hotel was the nicest of all the places we stayed. It looks like they just renovated the place, and it shows.
From Hvar, we took the ferry to Split and drove off the ferry to Diocletian's Palace. Really worth seeing. We spent the night in Trogir, which was a little disappointing. It's small and can be visited in an hour or two. The Fontana hotel was a letdown after the Podstine - the rooms are more motel-like.
We left early to drive north to Plitvice, which was well worth the long drive. If you can spend the night and have time to explore, do so. We spent 3 hours, which isn't enough, but we were so glad we added it to the itinerary. We've never seen anyplace like it. The drive through the heart of Croatia was pretty, but not what we expected. It felt like we could have been in the north of Scotland or somewhere in west Texas, because of how barren and rocky it was.
We spent our last night in Zagreb before flying back to the US through Frankfurt on Lufthansa (where they pack you like sardines in coach). Sorry for the length of this. Write if you have questions and enjoy this impressive country!
Jun 8th, 2004, 12:13 PM
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Stuart, don't be sorry!!! I think this is exactly the kind of info most of us are looking for. I have only one suggestion: post this as a separate trip report so more people will be likely to see it.
Jun 8th, 2004, 01:26 PM
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Just an (hopefully) interesting note: Chef of Kapetanova Kuca resturant in Mali Ston is Lidija Kralj, Croatian TV star, one of resident chefs of Croatian version of "Ready, Steady, Cook", but also many appearances in other shows.
http://www.ostrea.hr/
http://www.ostrea.hr/
Jun 8th, 2004, 01:47 PM
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Jonas, That's really interesting. May I ask, are you Croatian? You have the best info.
Eurotraveler, I can't wait for your trip report!
Stuart, Thanks so much for yours. I second the recommendation that you post it as an independent thread.
Eurotraveler, I can't wait for your trip report!
Stuart, Thanks so much for yours. I second the recommendation that you post it as an independent thread.
Jun 9th, 2004, 05:04 PM
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Eurotraveller, please be sure to tell us more about Rab -- I'm thinking of adding a couple of days there, and there's very little info about it here, although I have found some web sites. Thanks in advance.
Jun 9th, 2004, 05:17 PM
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Aloha, I think Rab is my favorite island so far in Croatia. I thought I would feel up to posting my trip report tonight but I am still suffering jet lag (living on the west coast makes the trip so long!) so I will post a full report tomorrow. Stay tuned! I kept good notes along with prices for almost everything so it will take a while to type it all out.
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