Tdiddy12

Natylou, yes our tour will be on a bus. We do spend one night on Korcula. Were you able to visit other islands on your trip? Hvar or Mljet? We've never been to this area and I thought I should visit Zagreb if I'm going all that way to Croatia.The suggestion to go to Zagreb first is starting to make sense if I can get to Ljublana for the start of the tour. That could give us 8 days at the end of our trip.

bilboburgler

I'd add Trogir to Split, only a short ferry or bus drive from Split (harder by car due to limited parking)
Going to the islands off Split is a good use of a life, Hvar old town is the big draw but many of the little ports along the route of the passenger small ferry (hydrofoils or similar) are worth it. Do try and sit in a bar a people watch in a small port. A wonderful way to spend a holiday and far better than travelling yet more miles.
Lake Bled; around the hotels can be a little busy but walk up to the castle and around the hills nearby. Tito used to use the Lake to wow visiting Presidents so he didn't have to show the poverty of his regime and it really shows in this beautiful place.

dreamon

Zagreb to Ljubljana is straightforward by either bus or train. I'd choose depending on the best timetable for you. One thing that I have heard but have no experience of is that there can sometimes be delays at the road border - this isn't a problem for trains of course. The train station and bus station are, from memory, about a km apart (there is a tram running between them if needed) but this shouldn't be relevant if you're staying in Zagreb prior.

Going to Zagreb (and possibly other towns such as Varazdin, Maribor, etc) before your tour and then some time on the Dalmatian coast after the tour makes sense. Your tour is very fast paced so something at a slower pace either side may be welcome. We enjoyed both Hvar and Mljet (they are completely different of course) as well as Korcula. If your tour ends in Dubrovnik, you may be able to travel by bus and ferry through some of these islands to Split and fly home from Split. You don't have much time in Slovenia so spending a couple of weeks there before your tour is another option, especially if you enjoy nature and lovely villages.

Tdiddy12

bilboburglar, thanks I'll check out Trogir. We will be stopping in Split for one day on the tour and it seems like the concensus on Split, is, well split. Pretty but congested. I like the idea of going to an island. After our last stop in Dubrovnik, we will be ready to slow down. We are not opposed to stopping at a small island for 3 days with a small port. Especially if we do Zagreb up front as has been suggested. Maybe a bus to Split from Dubrovnik and then ferry back south, doing some Island hopping. Other than Trogir, are there any other islands or ports you like?

Tdiddy12

Thanks, TPAYT, I'm going to go back a read your Trip Report again. Was Dubrovnik packed night and day? When we were in Bruge, the town would swell during the day, but at night and in the morning it wasn't too bad.

Tdiddy12

Dreamon, have you flown out of Split? What you described is what we are leaning to now. Between Hvar and Mljet, which did you prefer and how were they different, Hvar bigger I am assuming. After some of these posts, we are now thinking of not even renting a car from Dubrovnik and busing or using the ferry. If we can fly out of Split that may make our life easier. We have never been to this region and opted for a tour to get a big overview upfront. I will check out Varazdin and Maribor, I think Mike1728 mentioned going to those places.

Thanks for your suggestions.

KarenWoo

Everyone definitely has different experiences. We visited Croatia and Slovenia in September 2019. We didn’t think the crowds were that bad. I don’t remember any cruise ships in port in Dubrovnik or Split when we were there so maybe we were lucky and visited on days when there weren’t any cruise ships scheduled.

We loved Croatia, Slovenia, and Montenegro. We hired a private driver to drive us around the Bay of Kotor, and we made stops in Budva, Kotor, and Perast with Perast being our favorite. Perast was quiet but Kotor was very busy but manageable. You can do a search and look for Montenegro trip reports. I know there is one from a year or so ago. The people who have spent several nights there loved it. Since you are so close and have an extra 2 weeks, why not consider visiting Montenegro?

Dubrovnik is beautiful! It’s gorgeous at night when illuminated and the cruise crowd have returned to their ship so it’s much quieter. Our experience in Dubrovnik was like your experience in Bruge. Quieter at night and in the early morning. Wasn’t too crowded when we walked the walls in the morning. I also recommend taking the cable car to the top of Mt.Srd. And having drinks at the top. Visit War Photo Limited for some history.

I guess I am in the minority here. We also loved Split. We spent 4 nights in Split, including a daytrip to Hvar and a trip to Trogir. Spilt has beautiful architecture and a gorgeous location on the water. It’s so unique because the city was built around the ruins of Diocletian’s Palace. Have a drink on the riva. Visit the ethnographic Museum. We hired Maja Benzon, recommended by Rick Steves, for a private 2-hour guided tour of Split.

And we liked Zagreb, too. It’s very, very different architecturally from Split and Dubrovnik so it’s nice to have some variety in your trip.

We didn’t visit Mostar or Sarajevo but I think spending time in both places would round out your trip.

KarenWoo

Here is my trip report (with photos) from September 2019 in case you are interested.

Croatia, Slovenia, and a day in Montenegro! Wow!! So Many Beautiful Places!!

KarenWoo

Tdiddy12, you are an experienced traveler so obviously you know that all the beautiful places are going to be crowded. If a person avoided all crowded places, then that person would be missing a lot of lovely sites and destinations. The best one can do is try to plan around the crowds. Find out when cruise ships will be in port and avoid those days if possible. Stay overnight in places instead of visiting as a daytrip because most places are quieter in the evenings when the daytrippers have left and in the early mornings before the daytrippers have arrived. Travel during the shoulder seasons, although I realize they are becoming busier, too. If I stayed away from destinations and sites because of crowds, there are so many lovely and interesting places I would have missed. Just my take on things. Everyone is different. I have a close friend who can't handle crowds and literally becomes anxious and jittery. So far I can honestly say that crowds have never ruined a trip for me and my husband. Usually, and probably because we hear how crowded places are, we have always felt the crowds weren't as bad as we expected.

bilboburgler

Hvar and Bol were special, Korcula gets a good rap, but I've not been.

Brijuni was Tito's island and, for many years, allowed to continue without pesticides and chemicals but that is further north near Pula (itself a good visit)

rialtogrl

Dubrovnik and Split can be busy but go into the old town after the ships and tour buses leave and it’s not as bad. Especially in late September. With three nights in Dubrovnik maybe there is already a day in Montenegro, but there is a lot more to Montenegro than the tour that every big company does, Perast (which has a an island,) Kotor and sometimes Budva old town. Yeah, do what all the tours do and you’ll see crowds. But if you don’t, you can visit places like chilled out Cetinje, Montenegro capital of culture, have lunch at Belvedere close by with an amazing view, go to Lake Skadar for a boat trip with some truly exceptional bird watching… late September will be slowing down enough that Kotor will not be so busy, especially after all the tours and boats are gone.

Mljet is mostly known for the National park there and it is possible some restaurants will be shutting down in late September. Hvar is bigger and things won’t be shutting down yet. There is a lot more to Hvar than Hvar Town, but it’s better to have a car, though you can rent one in Hvar Town. Or hire someone to take you around. Late September is a fantastic time to be in Hvar -the crowds are gone, but the sea is still warm enough for swimming.

one more note, there is no longer a border between Croatia and Slovenia, so no border checks there. There is between Croatia and Montenegro, and in that period there will be a wait, but probably not a long one. Make sure any car you rent has permission to go to Montenegro.

Tdiddy12

Thanks Karen, will look at your Trip Report! As I had said we've never been to this area, we had planned to go in 2020 but then...covid. We've been lazy the last three years and keep heading down to Mexico, which is really easy from Los Angeles. We stay in a town with 600 people and love it. This is our first trip back to Europe and we have been using Rick Steves guides for at least 25 - 30 years and always found them very helpful. So my wife said, why don't we just do a Rick tour to dip our feet in. So the tour is going to be quick paced and will hit a lot of the busy well known places. We had not thought about Montenegro but will look into it. We specifically picked September because it's shoulder season. All of your points are in line with what we have done in the past. As for crowded places, we know the main spots are going to be crowded, but generally there can be a spot not far away from the crazy spot where every one goes that is not as busy. That might be Bol or Hvar or Mljet, but Montenegro might be that spot also.

I'm going to read your Trip Report and follow up with any questions

basingstoke2

Piran, Slovenia is a walled town on the Adriatic coast that retains its medieval character and charm. We enjoyed our too short stay there. If you visit Piran stay within the walls for utmost charm, somewhere near Tartini Square is ideal.

KarenWoo

Tdiddy12, in case you are interested, here is the link to Whitehall's TR for Montenegro. And if you don't include Montenegro on this trip, you can always save it for a future trip.

Fabulous Four Days in Montenegro

This is the link to Whitehall's TR for Croatia. I thought you might like to see it because he included more photos than I did.
Nine Relaxing Days in Croatia

mike1728

As you see from the input, your choices are unlimited, so much to see in a fairly small area. Loved Bol, the closest island to Split. As for Split Airport. A breeze as it’s so small. Another option is Sibenik, a delightful town with a nice waterfront and small beach area. Lots of history. Very close by Sibenik is Skradin ( a wonderful day trip) with a quick ferry to the Skradinski Buk Waterfalls ( highly recommended). Also very close to Sibenik is the waterfront town of Nin, again full of history and very very quaint. Some great restaurants and hardly a tourist to be found. Zadar, is another fine option as a close day trip from Sibenik.

Tdiddy12

Thanks for your response TPAYT, I read your Trip Report, great photos. We are thinking of staying in Zagreb and then moving on to Ljublana for the start of the RS tour. Maybe 3 days Zagreb, one will be our travel day and three in Ljublana before the start of our tour. Was Zagreb harder to get around because you felt it was a big city? Is there enough to do around the historic center for a two day stay? It seemed like you liked Ljublana more than Zagreb, is that safe to say?

Tdiddy12

Karen, great Trip Report. From my original posting you may have noticed that we are doing are tour in the opposite direction as you. So, we are ending with 2 - 3 days in Dubrovnik. I have a question about Montenegro, we hadn't even thought about it but it has been suggested to check it out. I know you did a day trip with a driver, we are thinking of doing two or three days. Did you feel you could have driven if you had more time? Whitehall mentioned that Kotor seemed busy and with narrow streets. If you were staying in that area would you have stayed in Perast? If we did three places, Kotor, Hercog Novi and Perast, would that be better in your opinion and skip Budva?

KarenWoo

Tdiddy12, Because we didn't visit Herceg Novi, I really can't say whether or not it would be better to visit Herceg Novi instead of Budva. Our guide thought HN would be nicer, but we certainly liked Budva nice enough. The advantage to staying 2 or 3 nights is that you get to spend more time in each place. Budva is on the coast so you could swim there and have some relaxing beach time if you wish. I think if we were staying overnight, we would choose Perast because it is quieter than Kotor and I think Perast would be easier to drive in and out of. But maybe that depends on where your lodging is located in Kotor. Maybe if it's outside of the Old Town, driving in and out wouldn't be too bad. Perast is smaller than Kotor so that means there are fewer restaurants to choose from. You would have more dining choices in Kotor than Perast. Whitehall can answer your questions better than I can since we were there for only one day. If you stayed for a few nights, you could hike up the mountain behind Kotor for spectacular views if you are hikers. We didn't have the time, and I don't think my husband and I are fit enough to do that kind of hiking. There are also other places to visit in Montenegro, which I think Rialtogirl mentioned. Such as Cetinje. You asked about driving. Driving around the Bay of Kotor is easy. It's flat. Not sure about other places.

I notice that you asked TPAYT about Zagreb. I realize that everyone has their own perspective of things. We didn't consider Zagreb a big city. And if you stay in the historic center, such as where we stayed, it was very, very easy to get around. We walked everywhere. I felt there was plenty to do in Zagreb. We were there for 2 nights, but I can see staying for 3 nights especially if you arrive late in the day after international travel, and you need time to get over jetlag. Zagreb has lots of small museums. We only saw one museum, but we also spent time wandering around taking photos, visited the market, and a small cathedral. I know that some museums had to close after the flood from several years ago (not sure what year). They may have reopened by now. You can probably find out online by checking their websites.

I think that Ljubljana is prettier than Zagreb. I am happy that we included the cities that we saw because they are all very different from each other, and gives a nice diversity to the whole trip. Zagreb's architecture and ambience reminds me of a smaller, less crowded Prague. And Ljubljana is different than Zagreb, and both of these cities are different than Split and Dubrovnik in terms of architecture, ambience, and food.

I hope this helps somewhat in your decision making.

Tdiddy12

Karen Woo - This is very helpful. We are now leaning toward flying into Zagreb, heading to the start of our tour in Ljublana a couple of days early. After looking over the tour itinerary again, we are staying overnight, two nights in Split so may get to see enough of it that after our tour ends in Dubrovnik, we can head to Kotor Bay for three nights and then maybe take a ferry to an island from Dubrovnik, need to ask Whitehall some more questions about that. The tour stays 2 mights in Korcula, so that opens up another island for us to visit. I know I will get some good feedback here. Thanks again.

Travel_Nerd

For the record, should you decide to include Montenegro, Kotor is pretty pleasant in the evenings once all of the day trippers and cruise ship crowds have moved on. There is not necessarily a lot to "do" in the town necessarily (there is the Ladder hike, which was tough - even for athletes, trust me) though thr views were beautiful. But it might be a good base should you decide to include other points such as Budva, Perast, etc. Just be aware that the highway of the Bay is two lanes (one each direction) and traffic can be backed up/slow depending on where you go.

I have not been to Herzeg Novi but have driven past/through it twice. Once on a tour, the other on bus to Kotor. I can't say anything about the Old Town but the city itself is quite industrial and very port-like city for shipping - but this is from busses, not first hand. I'm sure it has it's high points, depending on your interests