Just back from Dubrovnik & Prague
 

We also had 1 night in Zagreb. I would be happy to answer any questions. I went with my sister (we are in our early 30s).

Dubrovnik is gorgeous, small & relaxing. We stayed in room 3 of Villa Adriatica. Highly recommend this place. Definitely walk the walls at sunset. We did a day trip with Atlas to Montenegro. Great. I can recommend restaurants, etc. if you're interested.

Zagreb - stayed at the Westin. Very nice, great beds. Just what you'd expect. Boban had great mushroom risotto. Old town is nice.

Prague - stayed at the Renaissance. Nice - like a midrange Marriott here. Great location. Zillions more tourists in the city than the last time I was there (9 years ago) - but much better shopping now, too (Na Prikope is great). Picante Fresh Mex on Revoluconi is wonderful - as good as many Tex Mex places here. Cheap, and open 24 hours (also, we are vegetarians, so it was a nice change from pizza & salad). I can recommend some other eats & nightlife if you're interested.

I will be going to Prague on my own on 22 September, first time visit. Will be staying at the Marriote for 10 nights. Will be attending conference for 4 days and the rest just to look arround. Do you know a convenient way from Airport to Marriote such as airport bus or direct van. I do not think it worth a taxi for one person arriving in the morning. Any advice would be appreciated. Will be travelling from Bahrain - Amesterdam - Prague by KLM. Thanks

Hi, how many days were you there in Prague? how many days do you think is enough to vist? is it cold there now? do you think Mid Oct. will be very cold in Prague?

Renaissance Hotel, is it walking distance to all the tourist area? like charles bridge?

yes, please recommend some good eats & nightlife? thanks.

If you can, stay at the Three Ostriches Hotel smack dab on the Charles Bridge...be sure to get a room overlooking the briidge... Czech name is U Tri Pstrosu...We've stayed there three times and recommend it to many others...very fine restuarant also.
SFT

Hi Ahmed -
The Marriott is right across from where we stayed at the Renaissance. Great location. You can take a Cedaz minibus from the airport to Nam. Republicky for 90 koruna (about $3.50). When you exit the airport, these buses line up on the far right side. There is also a ticket booth within the airport where you can pay in advance (you can also pay the driver). From the drop-off point at Nam Republicky (this area is under construction) you will walk to the right/behing the van...go to the right when you see the bank (I think it's called HBV), and the Marriott is down that street about 1 block on your right. 2-3 minute walk.

Lin - we were in Prague for 5 days. It was warm...in the low 80s (F) during the day. At night we wore light sweaters, and that was fine. It rained one afternoon/evening while we were there, but nothing major. I think October will be fantastic weather.

The Renaissance is about 10 minutes from Old Town Square at a very leisurely pace. Then it's another 10 or so to Charles bridge. The walk is nice, becuase there is so much to see on the way (yes, including the zillions of tourists!) There is an incredible gelato shop - highly recommended - called Cream & Dream off the Karlova path between Old Town Square & Charles Bridge (I am pretty sure it's on Husova). What kinds of restaurants/nightlife do you like?

Thanks for posting, Prague is on my to go list.

Hi Stephpaige,
Many thanks. Very useful information. I am now more relaxed.

Hi Steph,
we leave next week for Croatia (from Zagreb-Dubrovnik). any clothes tips? I've checked the weather forcast but it's always different when you get somewhere. Did you wear shorts, need a sweather? thanks so much!

Which trip did you do with Atlas? They have a Montenegro and Montenegro Blue tour. I'll be there in 4 weeks and am staying at the Villa Adriatica too.

Thanks,
Lina

"Walk the Dubrovnik walls at sunset"??

They kicked us out (off) the walls at 6:00 pm, an hour before sunset (in late September).

It should be mild weather this time of year, like when we visited Croatia. 70-80 degrees F daytime, cool nights.

We walked down from the walls at 7:30 PM, so sunset was no problem. We went up at Pile Gate, then headed right towards the big turret (we started around 5:45). By the time we got over to the other side, the sunset was a pinkish-purple perfection.

We wore tank tops during the day (and went swimming - water was a little cold, but no big deal). In the evenings we wore light sweaters. We never wore jackets or jeans. We also neer wore shorts...not because it wasn't warm enough, but because EVERYONE wears capri pants! :-) We did wear skirts a lot, too.

Villa Adriatica is a fantastic location, and Teo & Jadranka are incredibly nice. I truly feel like we had the best lodging in the city, for the price. We like to sleep with the windows open, and there is a bit of noise from the street and a nearby restaurant. If you are a light sleeper, you may want to bring earplugs (or close the windows).

Our Atlas trip description was "Montenegro - through historical places of Kotor Bay" or something very similar to that. It left Ploce Gate at 7:20 AM, and lasted about 12 hours. We loved it. They take Euro in Montenegro, if you have any extra coins from Western European trips, you can spend them here.

We've just begun planning our trip to Croatia so there's a lot I need research. One thing that we're having trouble with is transportation between cities. How did you get from Dubrovnik to Zagreb? Did you stop anywhere in between? Also, how did you get to Prague? Did you use any good websites or did you go to a travel agent? So far, our itinerary sounds pretty similar and I would love to hear how you got around. Also, thanks for your recommendation on Villa Adriatica. How far in advance do you need to reserve (for next May)?Thanks so much.

Hi Angela,

You are going to love Croatia & Czech Republic!

We booked the Villa Adriatica pretty far out (about 7 months), and during the summer I believe you have to stay 5 days minimum. It is a great choice, if it works out for you. They have a website: www.dubrovnik-online.com/villa_adriatica/

We flew Croatian Airlines from Zagreb to Dubrovnik and back. We got those tickets over the internet (directly at the Croatian Airlines site: www.croatiaairlines.hr) for about $80 each - great deal! We just went to the ticket counter at the Zagreb airport to pick them up. They were a great airline - I felt completely safe.

We used frequent flyer points to get to Zagreb from the USA, and from Zagreb to Prague on Czech Airlines (outstanding). Dubrovnik does not have a train station, which is how we typically travel within Europe. That would be an option for you between Zagreb & Prague, though. Croatia does have a pretty extensive bus network, but for the price we thought flying Croatian Airlines was a better deal. I hope this helps!

Thanks so much stephpaige! We're used to just jumping on a train in Italy & France, but taking a plane might be just the way to go. Thanks again for the info.

Thanks for all the good information. We're off to Prague (and Paris) in less than three weeks!

Byrd