Megane

I am new to this forum and my husband and I are having a tough time deciding between Greece or Croatia for our three-week summer vacation this coming June.

We have never been to either country but we have travelled to other European countries over the last several years, both in the north, central and south.

We know we could see quite a bit of Croatia during our three weeks but would have to choose between different areas if we chose to go to Greece instead. There are the islands and the mainland, including the Peloponnese and Macedonia, or a combination of both.

We are both in our late thirties and enjoy history, good food (at reasonable prices), beautiful beaches, and everything else a European vacation can offer.

I know this is a tough question to answer, but any advice or opinions would be welcome.

Thank you very much.

Megane

kja

Each is wonderful!

And yes, you will need to be selective, even with 3 weeks -- and that is true for Greece and also Croatia.

I'm not sure what information we can give you that would help you choose -- each destination should offer the opportunities you mention.

Maybe if you say more about what draws you to each or what is keeping you from making a decision?

Megane

They both seem so lovely, but with the research I have done and the people I have spoken with, Greece seems to me that it would be a more relaxed, beach oriented vacation, with interesting historical and archeological sites, although many of them do not seem to have been properly preserved.

Croatia, on the other hand, appears to be a little more cosmopolitan, with great old towns, nice, pebbly beaches, and islands that are easily accessible from the mainland. And who can forget there are many places in Croatia where Games of Thrones have been filmed.

We are drawn to both and would enjoy each as they both offer what we would enjoy on our vacation and that is why we had to ask the question of others who have been to either or both.

If you were to choose one for a three-week vacation, which would it be?

kja

I think you are summarizing the differences well.

I'm glad to have spent a month in each.

June is high season, and that might make a difference. Both countries have places that will be uncomfortably packed in high season, at least during the day (e.g., Dubrovnik or Santorini). Each has a place where the part-hearty scene will be in full swing (e.g., Hvar Town or Mykonos). IME, it might be a bit easier to get away from hordes in Greece than in Croatia; YMMV.

If beach time is a priority, the water temperatures in Croatia might not be particularly warm yet -- depending on exactly when and where you go. I wouldn't expect that to be a problem in the Greek islands.

With 3 weeks to include beach time, I think one might be able to visit places with a greater range of different cultural and historical heritages in Croatia than in Greece, but of course, that depends on how you structure your itinerary.

Either should be wonderful!

Heimdall

Greece is what you make of it. You can have a wonderful holiday seeing historic sites on the mainland without even going near a beach. Many people seem to think of Greece as just islands, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Yes, the last 3,000 years have seen wear and tear on the archeological sites, with earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and destruction from invading armies.