Nina - I agree with you about the Istrian peninsula - one summer I want to go biking there. Rovinj looks enchanting. (And of course there's Slovenia - too little time, too little time....)<BR><BR>NancyB - didn't you visit Slovenia also last year while in Croatia?<BR><BR>I spent a week in Dubrovnik - which was plenty. Lots of night life - plenty of things to do during the day. I've heard both good and bad about Split - ugly, industrilized vs new hot spot. Hvar look really well situated - so I won't get too bored.<BR><BR>Does anybody know if there are &quot;smaller&quot; ferries running between Hvar and Brac, Hvar and Vis, Hvar and Solac?<BR><BR>Here are a couple websites you might find interesting. <BR><BR>http://www.tzgrovinj.com/eng/home.asp<BR><BR>http://pubwww.st.carnet.hr/zadar/index.html<BR><BR>http://www.istra.com/porec/eng/index.html<BR><BR><BR><BR>http://www14.brinkster.com/jnana/croatia.htm<BR><BR>http://www.istra.com/zupan/eng/bike.html<BR><BR>http://www.geocities.com/nkunstek/hrvatska/enh2.htm

FYI, Anne Marie at Panadriatic was very helpful. She is from Zadar, and had just gotten back from 5 weeks there when I called.<BR><BR>Mark, you may be thinking of Lina that went last year. She had some really good information in her posts.

We are going to Croatia for 2 weeks in mid June. All we have done so far is book flights-return to Venice.<BR>Having started to read up we seem to want to see places all the way down the country and so we have decided to take the ferry down to dubrovnik and then drive back up. This had the advantage of not rushing us in Dubrovnik as otherwise I think that if we had driven down we might have hurried to Dubrovnik because we didn't know how long to allow there. It also means that on the ferry down we can see where we stop and decided if we want to return and spend some time there.<BR>You comments are all helpful -thanks.

NancyB: Sounds like you've planned a great trip! Yes, I've been to Zagreb a few times, haven't been to the surrounding towns. The old town of Zagreb is the best part. Plenty of shopping, cafe's... lots of activity. You might be surprised just how different Zagreb looks from the Coastline. The architecture reminds me of Prague or Vienna. Where are you staying in Zagreb? Will you have a car? They have a tram system there that is pretty good, it's called &quot;zet&quot; and can take you anywhere.<BR><BR>A day trip to Rovinj is a good idea. I really just fell in love with the city. They have some slippery cobblestone streets, so keep that in mind when deciding what shoes to wear. I wouldn't suggest stilettos or anything!<BR><BR>oh, here's a good tip for all the woman!!!! You can buy very high quality Italian made shoes there at VERY reasonable prices!!!<BR>

Hello everyone, I just want to refer you to the trip report I wrote last fall after our trip to Dubrovnik/Korcula/Hvar. You should find it under Croatia Trip Report.

Frances:<BR><BR>Haven't taken a ferry down the coastline, but it sounds absolutely wonderful. Will the ferry stop at all?<BR><BR>Do you have any ideas of where else you might want to go besides Dubrovnik?

this has been great, and thanks to everyone for their advice; I'm also now totally confused. All I know if that I fly to Budapest on May 8, and leave out of Zagreb May 22. I've been to neither place. When I read about Hungary, I want to stay there longer, and when I read about Croatia, I think that's what I should do too. I'll try to develop an itineray, will continue checking these threads, and post what I come up so that I can fine tune it with everyone's insight.

Mark, did you try SEM Marina (www.sem-marina.hr) for the smaller ferries? I had contacted them about ferries from/to Hvar, but they were not running those until July.<BR><BR>Nina, thanks for the info on Zagreb. Prague is probably my favorite city, and I loved Vienna as well, so am looking forward Zagreb. We are staying at Hotel Palace there, no car.<BR><BR>I've also heard Ljubljana referred to as a mini Prague. This will be a great trip!<BR><BR>Oh no, the shoes information may get me in trouble...<BR><BR>elr, I know the feeling! We really enjoyed Budapest, but that was the only city in Hungary that we got to. We had 3 or 4 days there and that was enough time for us (that was in 1996).

Nina- yes the ferry (by Jadrolinija)stops at Zadar, Split, Hvar and Korkula. It sails from Rijeka to Dubrovnik. Try www.tel.hr/jadrolinija.<BR>Talking about where else we want to go, I skimmed quickly through the Rough Guide some weeks ago and I can see I've marked these<BR>Istrian Peninsula, Rab, Plitvice, Uglijan, Trogir, Brac, Hvar, Korcula, Lastovo, Mljet.You can see I'm an island person- I live on one!

Nancy – good choice on the Palace Hotel, if I recall correctly you will be in a great location, walking distance to everything worth seeing.<BR><BR>Frances - that sounds really great! I'm hoping to make it to Rab this year. We'll see. I need to explore more islands. I've only been on Hvar, Korcula and Pag. Hey, watch out for those signs that say FFK, you might get see more than you want (nudist camps/beaches)!!!

Hello, I have been reading this thread and think you guys are the people to ask for advice. I am going to be going to Croatia in May, I don't really have anything planned. It is kind of a last minute trip. I was thinking of taking a ferry from Venice to Dubrovnik, spending some time there, exploring the area. Then coming up the coast, please give me some ideas as where to go. Then taking the ferry back to Italy, maybe Ancona. Do I need reservations for hotels or the ferries? Thanks for your time, Felissa

The main ferry operator (www.jadrolinija.hr) runs the coastal service between Rijeka and Dubrovnik twice-weekly October-May, more often in summer, and international routes from Zadar and Split to Ancona, and Dubrovnik to Bari, as well as most local ferries to the islands. SEM (www.sem.hr) run from Ancona to Split and, in summer, Zadar, Mali Losinj, Vis and Hvar, and also run some fast catamarans from Split to the islands in summer. There are no ferries from Venezia to Croatia, but it's easy to get to Rijeka via Trieste, or to Ancona or Bari. The peak season on the Croatian coast is from mid-July to the end of August, and outside this period, it's easy to find accommodation and to use ferries without advance bookings.

Hi Elr,<BR><BR>I booked a private room through a website. I would stay at that house again, but I wouldn't bother booking ahead. If you want to rent a private room, it's cheaper and less hassle to simply find one when you get there. If you go that route, make sure that the room is in the Old Town. If you're only going to be in Dubrovnik for a few days, I think you'd enjoy it much more.<BR><BR>Cheers, Syrin

<BR>Thanks, Syrin: I will just try to get a private room whenever it is that I actually get there.<BR>NancyB said that she booked her Croatian Air flights from Panadriatic, and will pay for them at airport. I thought that was a good idea. when I called Panadriatic, John there told me that RT tkts from Zag to Dub were over $200 if I bought them from him in U.S. He said to wait until I get to airport in Zag and they would be around $100 (they were $60rt on airline website). I hate winging flights like this, but he said that travelling in May was light. but, I had to tell him that so many people--it seems--on the fodors list were going in May too!<BR>I'm still eager to hear more, especially regarding the southern portion of the country. thanks.

I had lunch with my Croatian co-worker today and he's convinced me to tototally wing it. He assures me that things are very quiet in May, to the point where some things might not even be open. I noticed that the ferry from Rijeka to Dubrovnik only runs twice each week in May. <BR><BR>He had a wonderful tour &quot;book&quot; of Croatia which listed tourist offices where it could be obtained. It was full of fantastic pictures of places he encouraged me to go; Rovinj, Pula, Motovun, Rab, Pag, Mljet, Hvar and Dubrovnik. I may have to extend my time in Croatia. I'm really excited.<BR><BR>By the way, I think you might be able to request the book from The Croatian Tourist Office, 300 Lanidex Plaza, Parsippany, NJ 97054. phone: 201-428-0707, fax: 201-428-3386.

Please let me clarify, I got a reservation through Panadriatic for my flight from Split to Zagreb. That is not payment for the flight, just to reserve seats. I pay for my tickets when I am in Croatia.

I just got a package of booklets from the Croatian Tourist Board - they're great. Beautiful, beautiful pictures of the coastline, towns and interior. I can't believe I have t5 more months to go. Add to this I've been reading about Cinque terre, the Turkish coastline and Blue voyages and I'm jonesing for some beach weather and ambiance.<BR><BR>Croatian Tourist Board - 212.446.4814

I just found this awesome photo tour:<BR><BR>http://www.croatia.net/html/gallery1.html

Morning Grasshopper -<BR>Here are a couple links you might find helpful:<BR><BR>http://www14.brinkster.com/jnana/links.htm<BR>(click on Croatia)<BR><BR>http://franz.org/www/i110192d.htm<BR>(great list reference)<BR><BR>http://www.tzgrovinj.com/eng/home.asp<BR>(Rovinj website)

here's another great website:<BR><BR>http://www.geocities.com/nkunstek/hrvatska/indexen.htm