Need food & sites ideas while in Croatia!
 

Hello!!
The countdown is on until our trip to Croatia!! 5 more sleeps to go! I'm SO excited!!

I've been posting and reading posts on Fodors for months... and I'm hoping one last time all Croatia-Lovers out there will come through for us...
We're looking for final suggestions about places to eat - or sights not to be missed while we're in Croatia.

Here is where we are going...

Zagreb

Rovinj

Trojir

Mostar (1 night)

Dubrovnik

Hvar

And Split!

Any and all recommendations about places to eat - have a drink - best view - sights not to be missed are appreciated! I will print them out and take them with us on our trip!


Thanks in advance!

Good for you! Croatia is a superb destination. If you want ideas click under my name and lots of restaurants and things should come up. One recent post lists several restaurant choices. I've stayed in all the places you've mentioned except Mostar.

Are you going to be renting a car? Lots of places like teeny hilltowns in Istria are best explored with a car. Definitely do NOT drive in Dubrovnik.

Hello!
I will search your name - thank you.
And yes we will be renting a car when we leave Zagreb - so we can drive to Istra and have it there for a few days - ( before dropping it off in Rijeka so we can take the ferry to split.) I think there's a town called Hum (?) that is supposed to be quite neat!

Hum, is great. Be careful while walking up to the center of this very,very, small town. The stones are so smooth, it's like walking on ice. We missed the main turn off at Buzet and took a very rural back way, some of the signs were turned the wrong way and we went to a dead end farm house, where they directed us out to the y in the road. Then we got lost again and went to another farm and they led us to Hum. They were going to the cemetery on the outside of the walled town. What great people. This was all done by sign language and a few phrases out of our dictonary. Also, there was a bed and breakfast in the town and a small welcome center.

Hum is amazing! One of my favourite little pieces of Heaven. The little konoba restaurant there is good, too - you can get simple but yummy pasta dishes with truffles.

If you are looking for other little towns I would recommend Bale, Groznjan, Grascice and Draguc. Motovun is bigger and while it has spectacular views it gets very crowded with masses of tourist buses.

Oh, and as I've mentioned in other posts, when in Istria in Autumn you will see roadside stands offering yummy things like local olive oils, cheeses, wines, etc. We buy thick bread and make lunches with the stand foods. And peka (cooked "under a lid") is excellent. You will need to give 24 hours notice. Lamb is superb. Try prsut (dried cured ham, better than prosciuotto) and Pag cheese if you can find it. Squid ink risotto is worth seeking.

Something kind of cool to do while in Croatia is to grab a map and find little stone huts that are very well hidden. My husband and I took half a day last trip and went on a mission to find the elusive suckers! They are called kazuns.

Spit roast restaurants are popular in Istria in Autumn, too. As I've suggested before konobas are more local and small family run than many restaurants and can be pure joy. Don't forget seafood - it is pure bliss in Croatia. It can be expensive in Dubrovnik, though. My favourites include lobster, grilled calamari and seafood with pasta.

Thank you both for the Istra small town recommendations! We will definitely try to explore Hum....I'm sure we'll get lost too...but that's half the fun right?

Anyone have any idea where is the closest Hertz to drop the rent-a-car before getting on the ferry in Rijeka? There are two locations one at the airport and one in Riva..I've emailed Hertz & the Jadrolinija ..but no one has emailed me back...

Travel2Live2 we LOVE cheese and prosciutto ...and seafood...and I really want to try the truffles...and we're both big wine fanatics!! Ohhhh I can feel the weight gain already!!! Lol!