TRIP REPORT - CROATIA
Oct 13th, 2003 | 05:00 PM
#1
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Joined: Jan 2003
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TRIP REPORT - CROATIA
Thanks to everyone who helped me with info prior to my departure in August. I finally have the chance to share some of my travel experiences and other useful info from Croatia.
First and foremost Croatia is a stunning country what with the town of Dubrovnik, the castles, monasteries, islands, the etc it's well worth a visit. Here then is a summary as best as I can recall - given I'm going back a couple of months...!
Zagreb
Flew into Zagreb and took a taxi to our hotel (info about prices later). We spent a day walking around the city. Thought it was a beautiful place; tons of cafes and bars that line this one main strip - name eludes me - but you couldn't eat at any of them! Found a great pizza place (blame it on jet lag and trying to find the first place to eat at) for about $8 (CAD) had a pizza and drink and the pizza was soooooo good. (Little did we realize pizza is a common menu item across Croatia - as are ham and cheese!)
Varazdin
Took the bus to Varazdin for a day trip. Gorgeous little Baroque town; visited the castle Stari Grad and were lucky to have a staff person who spoke great English, who was able to give us some great info. Highly recommend visiting here.
Split
Arrived into Split via Croatia Airlines - which was a great way to maximize on time and have the opportunity for another day of travel.
Due to a late change in travel plans around Croatia, we couldn't get a place in Split so stayed just outside at Podstrana at Pansion Javor. Once we got the hang of the bus journey - taking the Omis Bus no. 60 it actually was a preferred place to say. I'd say next time I'd say further afield as in Omis. The Pansion Javor was the best a/c place in Croatia and in the heat it was very well received. It was a clean, self-contained apartment.
It was in Split that we first encountered the sobe ladies - ladies who follow you and persistently ask you if you need a room despite the fact you may say you have already made arrangements. We learned to say 'ne' abruptly and we were left alone.
In Split we went to view the basement of the walls - waste of time and money; a better spend is visiting the treasure in the oldest church in Europe - just inside the walls - there were artifacts dating back to the 4th century!!!
At the basement level there were a few stalls - I say a few - that displayed some interesting artwork.
Supetar / Bol
Took a day trip to the infamous Zlatni Rat. Transport took a few steps - ferry from Split, then bus from Supetar to Bol, then either the 'people' train or small boat trip to Zlatni Rat. The water was really nice but the rocky beach, with the stones were roasting hot - made entering the water real fun! Make sure to bring a schedule with you of returning buses from Bol to Supetar - we nearly missed our return journey!
From our stay in Split we encounter the ham and cheese sandwich, the ham and cheese pizza, the ham and cheese omelette...
Dubrovnik
We arrive into Dubrovnik via the bus - not too painful and were lucky to have a very empty bus - may have been due to the time of day (?) - we took a 3pm journey.
First visit to inside the walls was breathtaking and the remainder of our time there - a week was great fun.
We stayed at Apartment Bilicic - Maria Bilicic was a wonderful hostess - you can find her information on www.dubrovnik-online.com; she was very helpful with useful tips and info. One thing she told us was to buy our bus tickets at the TISAK (newsstand type kiosk) as they were cheaper than on the bus...
We visited several islands and in order of most enjoyed to least enjoyed here they are:
1. Lopud. Here you really felt you were in an oasis. It wasn't busy at all, despite the fact there was ham and cheese on the menu(!) the food was fab; the beach was nice, shallow waters and stunning water.
2.Lokrum. If you want an island close to Dubrovnik this is a good choice. Boats run frequently to the island and the price isn't too bad. We invested in waterbeds that were great to get in and out of the water as well as to lie on, on the rocks.
3.Mljet. Maybe in part because we'd had a huge party session the night before, we found this one day journey brutal. Departing at 8am you didn't arrive into the water area until well after 11, closer to 12. It was very painful, boats, mini-buses, another boat to one stop, then another to the next. The simplicity of getting to Lopud and Lokrum we far more enjoyed.
In Dubrovnik
Walking the walls is an absolute must. It really shows the story of what happened during the war as you see the contrast of roof tiles that are new against the old. We did this on our second last day and so it gave us a chance to see some pockets that we had missed and needed to get to.
The fountains within the city walls are a great way to replenish your water bottles. They are supplied by an aquaduct about 16km away.
A must do is to sit out at one of the cafes at night time on the main street and not move for about 4 hours! It was perfect people watching and the fashion show was incredible.
There were a few places that offered some good dining - unfortunately I've misplaced most of the names and have forgotten what they are called. There's a brilliant pizzeria that's right across from a hotel (one street to the right of the main street and close to the church and bell tower); about two restaurants up we returned a couple of times because we had a great meal - you'll know it's the one when you see that there's a salmon bake on the menu. A unique offering and very tasty. Labrynth - a restaurant and a nightclub offered our best nightime and dining experience; Labrynth is a high end restaurant but it was nice to enjoy a different level experience - very peaceful; the nightclub was far better than the Spanish club that played very outdated music.
Shopping was somewhat disappointing, not many choices; however if you're into jewellery well now there is a beautiful gallery that features jewellery - it's called Dardin. One can't help but buy something because of the whole experience!
On evenings inside the main gate you'll notice a group of people all gathered around this one wall. One person at a time attempts to stand on this ledge that juts out and remove their top while not falling off this stone step and then must put it back on again; strange ritual but apparently you are said to have good luck for the rest of your life if you can do it!
There are tons of other things to comment on and see but thought I would make note of things that stood out in my mind.
Last thing then some pricing that I remember and noted as at August 2003:
Zagreb Airport to Zagreb Bus Station: 25k
Baggage Fee if Storing Baggage Under Bus: 7k
Zagreb to Varazdin (Return Bus):76.60k
Varazdin Stari Grad Entrance Fee: Approx.14k
Zagreb to Split Flight (Return): 841k
Split Airport to Split Bus Terminal: 30k
Split Ferry to Supetar: 23k
Supetar to Bol (Bus - One Way): 15k
Bol Boat to Zlatni Rat (One Way): 5k
Umbrella and 2 Chair Beach Rental: 75k
Pansion Javor, Podstrana: 33 Euro/night
Split to Podstrana (Omis Bus): 8.5k
Split to Dubrovnik Bus (One Way):100k
Tresor/Tresure Viewing in Split Church: 5k
Dubrovnik to Lopud: 26k (return)
Hope that helps and enjoy your visit!
First and foremost Croatia is a stunning country what with the town of Dubrovnik, the castles, monasteries, islands, the etc it's well worth a visit. Here then is a summary as best as I can recall - given I'm going back a couple of months...!
Zagreb
Flew into Zagreb and took a taxi to our hotel (info about prices later). We spent a day walking around the city. Thought it was a beautiful place; tons of cafes and bars that line this one main strip - name eludes me - but you couldn't eat at any of them! Found a great pizza place (blame it on jet lag and trying to find the first place to eat at) for about $8 (CAD) had a pizza and drink and the pizza was soooooo good. (Little did we realize pizza is a common menu item across Croatia - as are ham and cheese!)
Varazdin
Took the bus to Varazdin for a day trip. Gorgeous little Baroque town; visited the castle Stari Grad and were lucky to have a staff person who spoke great English, who was able to give us some great info. Highly recommend visiting here.
Split
Arrived into Split via Croatia Airlines - which was a great way to maximize on time and have the opportunity for another day of travel.
Due to a late change in travel plans around Croatia, we couldn't get a place in Split so stayed just outside at Podstrana at Pansion Javor. Once we got the hang of the bus journey - taking the Omis Bus no. 60 it actually was a preferred place to say. I'd say next time I'd say further afield as in Omis. The Pansion Javor was the best a/c place in Croatia and in the heat it was very well received. It was a clean, self-contained apartment.
It was in Split that we first encountered the sobe ladies - ladies who follow you and persistently ask you if you need a room despite the fact you may say you have already made arrangements. We learned to say 'ne' abruptly and we were left alone.
In Split we went to view the basement of the walls - waste of time and money; a better spend is visiting the treasure in the oldest church in Europe - just inside the walls - there were artifacts dating back to the 4th century!!!
At the basement level there were a few stalls - I say a few - that displayed some interesting artwork.
Supetar / Bol
Took a day trip to the infamous Zlatni Rat. Transport took a few steps - ferry from Split, then bus from Supetar to Bol, then either the 'people' train or small boat trip to Zlatni Rat. The water was really nice but the rocky beach, with the stones were roasting hot - made entering the water real fun! Make sure to bring a schedule with you of returning buses from Bol to Supetar - we nearly missed our return journey!
From our stay in Split we encounter the ham and cheese sandwich, the ham and cheese pizza, the ham and cheese omelette...
Dubrovnik
We arrive into Dubrovnik via the bus - not too painful and were lucky to have a very empty bus - may have been due to the time of day (?) - we took a 3pm journey.
First visit to inside the walls was breathtaking and the remainder of our time there - a week was great fun.
We stayed at Apartment Bilicic - Maria Bilicic was a wonderful hostess - you can find her information on www.dubrovnik-online.com; she was very helpful with useful tips and info. One thing she told us was to buy our bus tickets at the TISAK (newsstand type kiosk) as they were cheaper than on the bus...
We visited several islands and in order of most enjoyed to least enjoyed here they are:
1. Lopud. Here you really felt you were in an oasis. It wasn't busy at all, despite the fact there was ham and cheese on the menu(!) the food was fab; the beach was nice, shallow waters and stunning water.
2.Lokrum. If you want an island close to Dubrovnik this is a good choice. Boats run frequently to the island and the price isn't too bad. We invested in waterbeds that were great to get in and out of the water as well as to lie on, on the rocks.
3.Mljet. Maybe in part because we'd had a huge party session the night before, we found this one day journey brutal. Departing at 8am you didn't arrive into the water area until well after 11, closer to 12. It was very painful, boats, mini-buses, another boat to one stop, then another to the next. The simplicity of getting to Lopud and Lokrum we far more enjoyed.
In Dubrovnik
Walking the walls is an absolute must. It really shows the story of what happened during the war as you see the contrast of roof tiles that are new against the old. We did this on our second last day and so it gave us a chance to see some pockets that we had missed and needed to get to.
The fountains within the city walls are a great way to replenish your water bottles. They are supplied by an aquaduct about 16km away.
A must do is to sit out at one of the cafes at night time on the main street and not move for about 4 hours! It was perfect people watching and the fashion show was incredible.
There were a few places that offered some good dining - unfortunately I've misplaced most of the names and have forgotten what they are called. There's a brilliant pizzeria that's right across from a hotel (one street to the right of the main street and close to the church and bell tower); about two restaurants up we returned a couple of times because we had a great meal - you'll know it's the one when you see that there's a salmon bake on the menu. A unique offering and very tasty. Labrynth - a restaurant and a nightclub offered our best nightime and dining experience; Labrynth is a high end restaurant but it was nice to enjoy a different level experience - very peaceful; the nightclub was far better than the Spanish club that played very outdated music.
Shopping was somewhat disappointing, not many choices; however if you're into jewellery well now there is a beautiful gallery that features jewellery - it's called Dardin. One can't help but buy something because of the whole experience!
On evenings inside the main gate you'll notice a group of people all gathered around this one wall. One person at a time attempts to stand on this ledge that juts out and remove their top while not falling off this stone step and then must put it back on again; strange ritual but apparently you are said to have good luck for the rest of your life if you can do it!
There are tons of other things to comment on and see but thought I would make note of things that stood out in my mind.
Last thing then some pricing that I remember and noted as at August 2003:
Zagreb Airport to Zagreb Bus Station: 25k
Baggage Fee if Storing Baggage Under Bus: 7k
Zagreb to Varazdin (Return Bus):76.60k
Varazdin Stari Grad Entrance Fee: Approx.14k
Zagreb to Split Flight (Return): 841k
Split Airport to Split Bus Terminal: 30k
Split Ferry to Supetar: 23k
Supetar to Bol (Bus - One Way): 15k
Bol Boat to Zlatni Rat (One Way): 5k
Umbrella and 2 Chair Beach Rental: 75k
Pansion Javor, Podstrana: 33 Euro/night
Split to Podstrana (Omis Bus): 8.5k
Split to Dubrovnik Bus (One Way):100k
Tresor/Tresure Viewing in Split Church: 5k
Dubrovnik to Lopud: 26k (return)
Hope that helps and enjoy your visit!
Oct 14th, 2003 | 09:33 AM
#4
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 457
Likes: 0
Bridget -
Lopud is great - the little village along the cove is so charming and peaceful. I can still remember sitting at a table having lunch, the waves at my feet, the sunlight glintting off the water - the ferry ride back.
Great to hear about Zagreb.
Next time I'm in Croatia, I'm having pizza.
Thanks for the report.
Lopud is great - the little village along the cove is so charming and peaceful. I can still remember sitting at a table having lunch, the waves at my feet, the sunlight glintting off the water - the ferry ride back.
Great to hear about Zagreb.
Next time I'm in Croatia, I'm having pizza.
Thanks for the report.
Feb 19th, 2004 | 05:43 PM
#6
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 722
Likes: 0
Bridget, I posted a question about Lopud. Mark mentioned it and I am short of time and thinking I might spend a couple of nights there instead of Hvar. Would you stay there? There is a cute hotel called the Villa Vilina. Did you see it? Thanks.
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