Travel tips for Croatia and Montenegro
 

I am planning a trip to Croatia and Montenegro with my boyfriend and need travel tips to decide our itenerary.

The plan is either to start in the north and go south or the other way around.
This is kind of an open question so I can narrow it down a bit.

Which cities are a must see and which cities are less important to visit(in both countries)?
Is it best to travel by train, bus or boat?
Is it easy to get from Croatia to Montenegro (travel visa or other requirements)?
Some beaches, islands, places we should visit?
Good hotels?

Thank you for your answers!:)

What month? How much time do you have? Those answers determine a lot. Where are you coming from (do you have flights yet)--that will help determine the itinerary as well.
Also, what are your interests/priorities?
It is best to peruse a guide book and then post more specific questions--you'll get the most out of the forum that way. For example, then you'd know that the train does not run south of Split so is not much used. Also, the common form of accommodation is room or apartment rental in homes. It is a wonderful and economical way to tour the country.

www.balkanology.com

Complex topic very vague questions.
Lots depends on budget I usually
take a cheap flight into Zagreb
wizzair.com skyscanner.net
car rental or train aroundfrom there.
seat61.com/Croatia booking.com otel.com
Best hotels with honest reviews.
Plitvice NP a do not miss for me.

Happy Planning!

We took a day trip from Dubrovnik to Kotar and wish we has stayed overnight!

Thanks for your answers!

The reason we haven't beem more spesific is that we just deicided to go to Croatia this summer. Probably in July-August.
We have ordered a guidebook so hopefully we will get it in a few days so it will be easier to ask questions.

The thing is that a norwegian air company is having a sale this week, so we were hoping to just order the tickets and then plan the trip. We can travel to/from Zagrep, Pula, Split or Dubrovnik. The cheapest is to travel to Split but since split is in "the middle" of the country it is not ideally.

All we know is that we really would like to see Plitvice Lakes National Park and visit Dubrovnik, and also spend some time in Montenegro.

We will be staying for two-three weeks.
We hope to do a lot of different things. We love the beach, but are also interested in history, shopping (me), just walking around beautiful cities, eating good food and so on. For us as a couple it is not that important to travel to a place where we can party and by cheap drinks.

About budget, even though we will be backpacking we are willing to use a bit more than maybe the average backpacker. We will not be staying in doorms, we prefer a private room with private bathroom. We hope to use as little as possible on the trip itself, so we can use more when we are there on food and experiences that cost money.

Also I see that many combine a trip to Croatia with a trip to Slovenia. Would it be possible for a day trip to Slovenia from Zagreb for example? Or should we stay longer?

All your tips are appreciated, it will make it a lot easier for us when we start making the itenerary.

By all means jump on the sale--Split is fine for constructing a loop-style itinerary since you have 2-3 weeks.It is also very convenient for ferry and bus travel. Otherwise, into Zagreb and out of Dubrovnik is a good option.
I would hold off on Slovenia and concentrate on Croatia and Montenegro. My Montenegro experience is limited to Kotor, but there are mountains and that might make a nice respite from the coast in summer. Since that is high season, you may want to book in advance in the most popular places like Dubrovnik.
Once you have your flights and have read about the islands, please return for more. You're in for a treat!

I visited Croatia and Montenegro last September and loved it. My favorite place was Korcula; it was small and very charming!

My second favorite was Dubrovnik. There was so much to see, but it was very crowded in the main areas. I made the entire circuit around the walls, but it was very hot even in the morning, and there is little to no shade. So take an umbrella and some water. There are a few opportunities to get beverages at small cafes along the wall route though. The view from the Buza Bar was great and was a nice setting to have a cold Croatian beer and cool down slightly.

Rovinj was probably a tie with Dubrovnik. The small old town was very charming and the steep winding streets leading up to the Cathedral were interesting to explore.

I also enjoyed Split, Kotor (Montenegro), Hvar, and Pula (especially the Roman amphitheatre).

Fantasi,

I am a big shopper as well and honestly, shopping (as far as clothes go) was not awesome in Croatia...however we did not go to Zagreb so it might be different there. We actually did do some shopping in Kotor as they apparently import lots of clothing from Italy :). We spent one full day at Plitvice - it was amazing, but that was enough.
There is a really cool cave in Slovenia not too far from the border you could do on an overnight from Croatia I think. The caves in Slovenia were are favorite part! Ljubljana is very charming and we enjoyed it - but if time is limited, it could be skipped. We spent some time in Istria and really enjoyed it!
We spent 5 days in Dubrovnik. If you want some time to go to the islands or hang out on the beach, five days would be good - in our case, the weather had gotten cold and I felt 5 days was too long...however walking the walls was so cool we did it twice! Must go to the little bar outside the wall at sunset - incredible. Do NOT under any circumstances try to have a car in Dubrovnik. There was one free lot in the city but it is very difficult to get in an out of an someone stole our windshield wipers :)