pattyroth

But first kja, any thoughts about Slovenia? Was it well worth visiting for you?

kja

Absolutely! I loved my (all-too-short) time -- about 4 days -- in Slovenia! I spent ~ 1.5 days in charming, unique Llubljiana. From there, with a rental car, I visited the Škocjan Caves. Predjama Castle (exterior only), and Lake Bohinj before heading to Lake Bled, where I spent 2 nights. During my one full day in Bled, I visited the castle, walked the lovely Vintgar Gorge, took a pletna to Bled Island and back, and walked around the lake. I left the next morning (I had only one full day in Bled) for the airport.

Lovely! Well worth seeing! Very photogenic!

And so the same message -- give yourselves as much time as you can for half of your most recently posted list or designations (i.e., EITHER Prague--Krakow--Budapest OR Croatia). Just my opinion.

pattyroth

Thanks kja! And jadran008! Helpful link on Rovinj! And info on Slovenia. Hopefully we can get tickets soon, but I will be out of state crazy busy in a week so may have to wait.

pattyroth

I just looked again at the photos on the above link that jadran008 posted. Lovely! Now I hope to get tickets in the next couple of days.

pattyroth

Just got tickets!! Stretched that original 2 weeks into 19 days with the only award tickets available that would work for us. We will fly in and out of Zagreb in October. Finally decided to visit Budapest, Krakow, and Prague on a separate trip later on. So this trip will involve driving around Croatia, maybe a one day excursion into Bosnia, and a few days in Slovenia--at least that's what I'm thinking right now.

xyz99

19 days for Slovenia and Croatia is wonderful. You will see, not enough, but I'm sure you will love it.

We spent 2 weeks in Croatia and 1 in Slovenia and only scratched the surface. Here are more pics for your inspiration:

http://ioana-mark.smugmug.com/Travel...0488&k=v4BDthB

http://ioana-mark.smugmug.com/Travel...5900&k=gpSHqrq

Don't forget, you will need a vignette to drive in both countries; you will have the one for the country where you rent the car from, but you'll need to purchase the other one. http://www.dalnicni-znamky.com/en/

kja

"you will need a vignette to drive in both countries" -- or drop the car you use in Croatia off in Zagreb, take one of the frequent trains or buses to Ljubljana, and rent another car there.

pattyroth

Thanks exy99. I glanced at your photos (such a cute couple!) and will look at them more longingly this weekend. ANd for the reminder about the vignette.
kja, good idea. Not sure yet what we will do but probably drive one car because we will need to return to Zagreb and want to also check out Rovinj.

pattyroth

Thinking we will also do a one day/one night trip to Bosnia and maybe Montenegro.

kja

I thoroughly enjoyed a day trip from Dubrovnik to Kotor in Montenegro.

I was very glad I stayed overnight in Mostar. I thought it a very moving city (but that was in 2009, and as it continues to recover from the war, that could change). I also thought it much nicer after day-trippers left. I watched the sunset from one of the terraces along the river, looking to the Stari Most on one side and toward a mosque and minaret on the other -- gorgeous!

pattyroth

So kja, how did you do your Dubrovnik--Kotor--Mostar segment? Spent the night in Mostar?

kja

I flew into Sarajevo (the first destination of my 30-day trip to the region), where I spent two nights. I took a train to Mostar, where I spent one night. I took a bus to Dubrovnik, where I spent 3 nights. On my 2nd full day in Dubrovnik, I rented a car and used it to drive to Kotor, returning to Dubrovnik and turning the car that same evening.

bilboburgler

"Eastern Europe"

Now exacttly where are the Urals?

pattyroth

Thanks, kja. I wondered about Sarajevo but think it might be too much to add now. But we will definitely go to Mostar and Dubrovnik and probably Kotor.

kja

Sarajevo is lovely. I wish I had given it more time, but was glad to see it. The problem is that there is SO much to see in the area that one must make some difficult choices.

pattyroth

We are making those choices now! And bilboburgler--point taken. "Eastern Europe" has become an "overarching term" for countries often known under different categories. Since my Ph.D. is not in Geography, I perhaps blurred the borders in my trip planning!

pattyroth

ANy thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of renting a car vs bus and train travel? We have been thinking we would rent a car, but it seems troublesome to take the ferry to Hvar and also not always necessary.

thursdaysd

What's your itinerary now? I have traveled in Central and Eastern Euroope and the Balkans successfully by public transport - click on my name for the relevant TRs. The only place that would have been easier with a car was Plitvice.

I'll add my vote for Sarajevo.

pattyroth

Thanks thursdaysd. Guess I'd better consider Sarajevo. I don't have this set up in order yet, but we plan to visit Zagreb, Plitvice, Split, Kodor, Mostar, Dubrovnik, Rovinj, Ljubjana, Lake Bled, and maybe Hvar? Not committed, just leaning that way. It seems like a rental car might be a big pain with the ferries and parking problems, although my husband doesn't mind driving. I'd only want to drive if it is a big convenience. Seems like it will be more costly.

kja

As thursdaysd noted, most of these places can be easily visited without a car. FWIW:

I used a one-day rental car for Kotor, but I'm pretty sure there are day trips there that are now more convenient than when I was in the area. And although I was very glad I saw Kotor (and on the way, Perast), there are, IMO, some similarities between Kotor and Dubrovnik that are greater than the similarities between any of the other pairs of destinations you are considering. If you are struggling with what to cut, Kotor might be worth considering.

I used a rental for a one-week interval during which I visited the Plitvice Lakes, Istria, and a few other locations; I did so for convenience more than necessity.

- The Plitvice Lakes CAN be reached by bus; at the time I went (back in 2009), I read a lot about buses that didn't stop to pick people up as they were leaving the area, and I wasn't willing to take that risk. Others have since reported success in using buses to both go to and depart from the park area.

- Almost all of the places I visited in Istria could have been seen by bus, if a bit less conveniently. The major exception (as I recall) was Beram, for which a car was (at that time) necessary.

- During that week, I also visited a few places that were much further off the beaten trail and where a car proved very useful (e.g., Cigoc and the Lonjske Polje).

I also used a (3rd) rental car, this time for 2 days, to visit Lake Bled and parts of Slovenia outside Ljubljana. Lake Bled itself is easy to reach from Ljubljana by public transportation. I wanted the convenience of a car to visit the Skocjan Caves and Lake Bohinj, but there again, I think one could use public transportation to visit those locations.

For most of the places you are thinking of visiting -- Zagreb, Split, Mostar, Dubrovnik, Rovinj, and Ljubljana, having a car will likely be a decided encumbrance. For Hvar Town itself, it will likely be an encumbrance AND will limit your ferry options, although it could be an advantage if you want to explore a bit of Hvar Island. (But not necessarily, as you can get to/from several locations on Hvar Island, including Stari Grad, by bus.)

Hope that helps!