two weeks in Croatia
 

I'm planning a trip in mid April to see Croatia for the first time. I am trying to get as much as I can out of the two weeks I am there. I was planning on flying into Zagreb and then flying out of Dubrovnik. I was planning on having a rental car from Zagreb and then dropping it off in Split.

The few questions I have is I would like to visit Hvar, but it appears it's difficult to visit Hvar for a day while staying in split? Because I would like to visit mostar as well, which appears leaving split and then staying the night in Mostar and going to Dubronvik the following day would be the best.

Here is my very very rough planning on my trip. Which as I said earlier I will have a rental car until I get to split, then I believe it would be better to use public transportation.

Zagreb -> 1 night
Rovinj -> 3 nights
Plitvice -> 1 night
split -> 3 nights
mostar -> 1 night
Dubronvik -> 4 nights

Total = 12 nights (so there's some room for Hvar possibly?)

Any sobe/apartment recommendations? I've been searching the forums and would really appreciate any feedback. So far these are the places I've been looking at staying

zagreb
camera-felice

Rovinj
Apartment Sorriso

plitvice
House Jelena

split
Apart-Hotel Stipe

dubrovnik
Pension Stankovic

Just curious as to why you believe it would be better to use public transportation after Split? I assume you're thinking of taking buses? Breaking the trip from Split to Dubrovnik by staying is Mostar is a good idea.

Ellen

I guess it's because I read other posts where people said you don't need a rental car from split to dubrovnik and that public transportation is just fine.

Originally I wasn't going to rent a vehicle at all and just go from zagreb to plitvice to split, but I kept reading wonderful things about the istria region and figured I would be better off renting a car. I didn't see any reasonable way of getting to Rovinj and pula without having a rental car.

I guess switching to public transportation by the time I'm in split would save me money and I would prefer not to drive into Bosnia and Herzegovina if I didn't have to.

I'm really just learning about the area, so if my thoughts are incorrect I would appreciate any information or tips

Thanks in advance

jbotraveler. We are staying at apartment Sorriso next month so I will let you know how it is.

We found taking buses between Split and Dubrovnik worked very well for us. The buses were modern and not expensive. The total trip would take four to five hours, but we really enjoyed just booking from town to town. That gave us the ability to get off where we wanted. The buses were frequent enough that we could impulsively pick up and leave when we wanted. Also, we found the people were very talkative and friendly on the bus; happily pointing out the sights and urging us to stop at their town --- which "happens to be the best on the whole coast".

For Croatia, we found driving one's own car to be rather isolating. We found the people to be warm and open and, with English being required in the schools, ready and willing to talk to us.

You are going to love Croatia!

It's a very easy drive from Split to Mostar and then back down to the coast and on to Dubrovnik where you can give up the rental car as you wouldn't need it in Dubrovnik and parking is difficult.

In Mostar I can recommend the Motel Kriva Cuprija, which is very central.

I wrote about my driving experiences and time in Mostar here

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...llet-holes.cfm

I was back in Mostar in May this year, it's not changed much though was a lot busier than it was in October 08. Might be due to the time of year, but I think more people are now taking day trips up from the coast. It is definitely worth an overnight stay.

I haven't taken a bus, so can't comment on it. We spent a day driving to Mostar from DBV and back and it was an easy drive. We also stopped in Medjugorhe on the way back. Nukesafe's information about bus travel between Split and Dubrovnik is good info, although I'm not sure how adding Mostar to the equation would affect it. That section of BIH seemed much less developed than Croatia. It's certainly worth looking at schedules, though; it may work for you. Mostar is definitely worth the detour in my opinion.

And Nukesafe is right - you'll love Croatia!

Thanks everyone for the replies/tips/advice

@ Sher
Thanks for the information and I will be looking forward to reading your report

@ nukesafe
thanks for all the info and I can't tell you how excited I am to visit Croatia. To be completely honest I didn't know too much about Croaita until a few months ago we decided that we want our honeymoon to be there. So we are both extremely excited about visiting the country and doing as much research as possible. I picked up two books, since I said before I didn't know too much about the country. A few of our friends thank we're crazy to go there for our honeymoon.

@ julia_t
Thanks so much for the hotel recommendation as well as all the other information. I really enjoyed reading your report on mostar, but had a question for you. Did you have a cell phone on your trip? I saw that you said you made a few phone calls, it appeared on your cell phone while driving.
I have a gsm smart phone that I would love to take there, but wasn't sure what the best plan would be. I would prefer to take this phone, because I have a few gps applications built in there and I have a VOIP account on there, so any place I could get wifi I could make phone calls back home.
I tried to do some research on doing a prepaid sim card for Europe, but wasn't completely sure what to do. Any suggestions?

@ ellen75005
That's on concern I've been having is the schedule. I'm not sure how often the buses go to mostar from split as I read somewhere that it's only once a day in april at 6am. I don't mind waking up that early, but still a little confused with ferry schedules in april to hvar, if I should visit hvar, if I should skip hvar, if I should stay one night, then return right back to split for another night before getting on the bus to mostar.

I know each person may enjoy somethings more than others. But it appears a lot of people who have been to Croatia seem to have similar things to say, such as: Zagreb isn't a city to spend too much time in and many people have the greatest things to say about dubrovnik and it appears people really enjoy taking a side trip to see mostar. I'm not sure visiting hvar in april is worth it, but the reason I decided to go to Rovinj in April was because of my honeymoon that I've read it's one of the most romantic cities. But any feedback or suggestions is greatly appreciated

In a few weeks we are heading to Bosnia and Herzegovina with a long weekend in Croatia. We will be driving from Sarajevo through Mostar to the coast and maybe going back for an overnight in Mostar later. We are visiting a friend who has been living in Sarajevo for 2 years and I will ask her about public transport Split to Mostar to Dubrovnik.

I think Croatia is ideal for a honeymoon - it's a fantastic choice! My nephew and his wife just took their honeymoon there in June and had a wonderful time.

I don't want to throw more at you, but Montenegro is gorgeous, too. Sort of "Croatia Lite". Not quite as developed, but a gorgeous coast. We drove from Dubrovnik through Montenegro and wish we had had more time to enjoy it. I still think Mostar is worth the time.

@ellen75005
I read the rick steve's croatia and slovenia book and was very interested in visiting Montenegro, but read mix things on people's opinion when they got there. The biggest complaint seemed to be the time between borders.

I'm actually planning on being in the area for 15 days in total and you can see my schedule has about 13 nights right now. I guess I thought since so many people had great things to say about Dubronvik that it wouldn't be a bad place to stay extra nights. If we get bored and feel we've seen everything, then a day trip to Montenegro does sound great.

Just a quick question, I've read that mostar has a much different feel from Croatia, a Turkish feel to it. Would visiting Montenegro have much of a different feel or would I feel as if I'm in another Croatian city?

Thanks in advance

Croatia is a great choice for your honeymoon. We have visited twice and loved it - once to Dubrovnik for 4 nights, staying in the old town, and once a trip which included Piran in Slovenia then Rovinj and Opatija in Croatia. Rovinj is lovely, not a great deal there but we enjoyed strolling, relaxing and sitting in cafes. We'd both love to go back to Croatia and see more. We also found it cheaper than other European countries with the euro, but Croatia may have changed to the euro by now, I know it is due to happen soon.

Kay

KayF
If Croatia is admitted into the EU in 2012, the change of money from Croatian Kuna to Euro will take approximately 4 years. As of now our legal currency is still Kuna and it is to always better to use local currency for any tourists. Often quotes are given in Euros for accommodations and car rentals, but all vendors must accept our legal currency. Prices are somewhat lesser outside of Dubrovnik, but we are the most expensive town on the coast. I do wish that were not the case, but it is fact.
jbotraveler:
Once you've made your first trip, I hope you will start to plan the next. Our very special country can not be experienced with only one trip, it is a destination worth visiting several times.

Re your cell phone question, sorry I can't help you. I live in England and have my calls with Vodafone. I can use my phone pretty much everywhere in Europe.

I went to Montenegro on a tour from Dubrovnik. Kotor was delightful, but really not so different from Trogir, Split or Dubrovnik (which I'd visited earlier in the week). Cetinje was a bit more different, with wide streets and some grand old houses, but it was a long journey there and we only got to spend an hour or so there most of which was viewing the palace and museum. Budva's old walled town was pleasant enough, and sipping wine at a beach cafe was enjoyable while admiring the huge motor yachts belonging to Russian oligarchs, but I didn't really feel it was anything special. Frankly I preferred Trogir and Dubrovnik. On the other hand, the bay of Perast is absolutely gorgeous, and probably it is worth the drive there.
Rick Steves has a good drive in his book, around the bay to Kotor and then back across the fjord by ferry. I think if you have a car this would be worth doing, but a day tour is a lot of time spent on a bus.

jbo,

Mostar definitely has a different feel. I remarked to my husband soon after we crossed the border that Herzegovina felt different than Croatia - not as developed. I don't think you'd regret taking a detour there. Always allow more time than you think you'll need in the Balkans. I don't think we've set out once without hitting some construction that has delayed us.

With regard to the border at Montenegro, we did have to buy special insurance because we hadn't bought it previously (there was a house right there where the lady sold it), but I don't recall it taking more than a few minutes to get through.

Overall, I'd say that Montenegro does "feel" more like Croatia than BIH does, so for a relatively easy one-day stopover, I don't think you can improve on Mostar.

>I would like to visit Hvar, but it appears it's difficult to visit Hvar for a day while staying in split

Check the ferry schedules carefully. If Hvar doesn't work out for you, you might check into options for Korcula, either from Split or Dubrovnik.

> it appears a lot of people who have been to Croatia seem to have similar things to say, such as: Zagreb isn't a city to spend too much time in

For the record, I really enjoyed Zagreb! But I'm not sure it fits with the kind of trip you plan on taking.

> Would visiting Montenegro have much of a different feel or would I feel as if I'm in another Croatian city?

It has the feel of a southern Dalmatian city. As others have said, the Bay of Kotor is lovely.


Enjoy!

Phones: To do the sim card thing, your phone must be unlocked. Check with your provider. (you can purchase unlock codes from ebay)

Bus schedules: check http://www.ak-split.hr/EN/index.html

For ferries, http://www.jadrolinija.hr/
There are other operators, but they mostly apply to high season, so I think jadrolinija will be your best bet. You'd probably take a ferry to Stari Grad and a bus to Hvar from there.

And you have other options aside from Hvar.
I'd check into a bus from Mostar to Korcula (buses get on a ferry)--email the Mostar or Korcula tourist office to inquire. Then it is an easy ferry or bus from Mostar to Dubrovnik.

@ Dubrovniktravelady
I'm really hoping to see as much as possible, but hopefully my second trip I will know better what I enjoyed the most. Hopefully making a few friends as well as it seems when ever I travel, it's the people that make the country.
I was under the impression that hvar was the most expensive area in Croatia, but since your a local I'm expecting you to be more accurate and will have an expectation that dubrovnik will be expensive.

@ julia_t
let me ask you, since you mentioned Trogir. Have you been to hvar? The reason I'm asking is that Rick Steves compares Trogir to hvar and Korcula, but says that it's better to see hvar and Korcula than Trogir. I'm trying to see as much as I can on a honeymoon, yet have a middle grounds where we're relaxed and not on the road the majority of the time. I thought maybe if I have a choice between Trogir, hvar and Korcula that maybe seeing hvar might be the best choice. I guess the distance by bus from split to Trogir is only 45 minutes, so I thought I would also keep Trogir on my mind if we felt we saw everything in split and had spare time just to jump on a bus and make a day trip out of it.

@ ellen75005
I really don't think I'm going to have a rental car by the time I'm in Dubrovnik, so maybe Montenegro wouldn't be as good of an idea with public transportation. I know it's hard to squueze everything out of a trip in two weeks. I've been to the little island of puerto rico now 5 times and still haven't seen everything I would like to see. So if we have a great time, we'll probably return and I'm guessing things like plitvice once we've seen it once on a second trip, we might not care as much and can see places like Montenegro

@ kja
I checked the links and they don't have a ferry schedule out in April yet, but it does appear that there's transporation from split to hvar at 8am and return at 5:30pm, so maybe I'll have a day trip out of it after all

@ yorkshire
My phone is unlocked already, but if I can't get a deal on any sim cards, I might just use the VOIP option if wifi is easily accessable, but of course I won't be able to use that when I'm in a car.

Originally I was looking at going from Split to Hvar to Korcula to Mostar, but this seemed more confusing and a lot of traveling to be honest. I don't mind having one day travel to see a place like mostar, but then it's 3 days in my next location. That would work out great for me.

Thanks for the links

I'd just look for a SIM card in country.

Given that this trip is in April, I'd just do day trips to Trogir and Hvar, both are easy from Split. And when in Dubrovnik you can visit the Elafiti islands. A lot of these towns have some basic similarities, and then whether people like one or the other has a lot to do with individual circumstances. You can always go back--I spent my honeymoon there and have returned twice because I had to see more (and "do" less--i.e., moving around).
When you go back, in a warmer month, then you can visit many islands. Enjoy!

jbotraveler. We are currently staying at Sorriso Apartment in Rovinj. It is in a perfect position very near the water. The owner also has a parking permit which is included and is very convenient.
The apartment is very nice. It is above the family business.
Hope this helps

I didn't get information on public transit on our recent very brief trip to Croatia. We were driving. Our friend did say that she and her husband spent time on Korcula in April and it was very (too) cold then. She had been there before in the warmer months for a week.
I think you could take some time off your Dubrovnik stay if you want to explore other areas. It is a beautiful city but I think 3 nights would be enough.

I want to tell you that the owner of the apartment in Rovinj (Sorriso) says that the owner of the apartment in Zagreb is a friend of his.
I showed him this post today.
I really do not think you could find a nicer apartment at the price. The owners are very easy to deal with. Luiz is young and speaks very good English.
If you have any specific questions please do not hesitate to post and when I return home I will answer them.

@ Vttraveler
I'm hoping for an unusually warm month. I actually don't do too good in cold weather as I've only lived in tropical places my entire life. Are islands normally colder than inland there? I'm asking, because the islands here are actually usually just as warm as inland if not warmer. But from reading your post I'm wondering if Korcula is colder than say Split.

@Sher
Thanks so much for the information and glad to hear about the your good experiences. Did the owner say good things about the place in zagreb or only that they are friends?

Thanks

jbotraveler--our friend said the islands were colder in the spring and fall than the coastal areas.

We ended up not stopping in Mostar on our trip (we got delayed on our drive due to a traffic accident in Sarajevo) but we did spend a week in Sarajevo and we drove through Herzegovina. I think you would find Mostar really interesting and very different from Croatia if you can fit it in.

I believe there are some wind patterns that make various Croatian islands colder than inland, at least at times. If I remember what I read correctly, Korcula was actually laid out in a way designed to provide some protection from the winds. You might find some useful information at the following link:

http://www.korculainfo.com/general/winds-korcula.html

From the following link, "All streets on the Western side of Korcula Old Town run straight, while Eastern streets runs in shape of small curve, to protect the town of cold and unpleasant North/Eastern winds."

http://www.korculainfo.com/arhitectu...-old-town.html

I'm starting to have a little bit of a problem booking some places or even finding out the cost. It seems that if I email some directly, it's more expensive the booking online.

Zagreb
Any recommendations for Zagreb? I emailed Camera Felice and they told me they are all booked up for the month of April, which surprised me.

In Rovinj, I was planning on staying at Apartment Sorriso, but I'm seeing prices all over anywhere from 55 euros to 110 euros a night. Some of the websites it's very difficult to ask any questions directly, so I couldn't find any email addresses or phone numbers. I'm not sure if anybody has this information or maybe even another recommendation, incase it doesn't work out.

Plitvice, split (Guesthouse Vrlic), and mostar I don't believe there's any issues. But in Dubronvik, I was excited to stay at the Pension Stankovic, but it has been over a week and I haven't received a reply to my email about booking 3-4 nights there. So I think I might stay at the Martecchini instead.

If anybody has any other recommendations I would love to hear about it. If it wasn't my honeymoon I would just show up and stay at any sobe, but I'm hoping that planning I'll get a nicer place and hopefully pay a lower price. I'm trying to read as many reviews as possible, so any other recommendations is always greatly appreciated.

Hi, here are two places we've stayed at and really liked, this one is in the Old Town in Dubrovnik, we had the Divona apartment which had a nice view of one of the squares. We met the owner there and she wanted payment in cash -

http://www.dubrovnik-amoret.com/index.html

Here is where we stayed in Rovinj, we were in Apartment 3 at Porta Antica. We had actually booked a different, cheaper apartment but were offered this one when we arrived and thought it was wonderful, also the office staff were friendly and helpful -

http://www.portaantica.com/

It may be possible that when they say they are fully booked out, they are actually closed, either for renovation or holiday, whatever. April is off season so it's a little surprising they would be full (unless it's over Easter?).

Good luck with the searching!

Kay

In Rovinj, you might consider the Casa Garzotto:

http://www.casa-garzotto.com/index.htm

jbotraveler.
I want to give you the email for Sorriso Apartment.
[email protected]

We paid E55 a night. And I believe that in April this is the price. Luiz speaks wonderful English and usually answers very promptly.
I just returned from staying in Sorriso and believe me the apartment is in a perfect location. I walked all over Rovinj and checked out many of the locations of the places that I looked into renting and I think this apartment was right on.
Also. You are provided with a free parking place not three minutes walk from the apartment which is worth about E15 a day.
If you want to email me for specifics, I will be glad to answer any questions you have.
[email protected].

I've been watching the flights for two months and the price dropped about 500 dollars for two tickets, so I just purchased my tickets to Croatia.

I do have a question, we purchased the eBags Weekender eTech Convertible carry on bag for the trip. Mostly, because it appears there's a charge of $30 dollars for checking in luggage each way, so for two people that's an extra $120 dollars.

In total we'll be sleeping 12 nights in Crotia and was hoping to get by with just the carry-ons, especially since half of the trip we'll be without a rental car and I would prefer to have something on my back than wheels, especially in certain areas.

Half way through the trip, we'll be in split and would like to do laundry if possible. I don't want to waste my honeymoon sitting infront of a laundry mat, so I was wondering if there's any service that will do it for you inexpensively? Do some sobes offer that kind of service?

Simple--find a sobe with a washer/dryer, but I would not worry. Surely the person you rent from or a tourist agency/office can recommend one.

You could check one bag and share it.

Here's a laundromat in Split:

Modrulj Laundrette, Sperun 1 (west of the palace along water), a full-service or self-service laundry with internet and bag storage as well. The English speaking staff is very helpful with all sorts of information, from ferry times to apartments for the night. Open April through October from 8am - 8pm everyday.

My DH and I did carryon only for 3 weeks, this is the only way to go as far as I am concerned!! The apartment we stayed in in Split had a washer and dryer available for our use, I'm not sure if this is standard but I'm sure your landlord will be able to help you out with information about where a laundromat is located.
We travelled by bus from Dubrovnik to Mostar, Mostar to Split, Split to Dubrovnik in October. We bought our tickets a day ahead for the Split to Dubrovnik but the other trips we just arrived an hour early to purchase tickets. I would highly recommend an overnight in Mostar. We stayed at the Villa Anri and it was wonderful. The rooms were very clean and modern.
We took a bus to Trogir one morning during our stay in Split and really enjoyed walking around the island. I recently posted a trip report about our stay in Croatia if you are interested.

Re the carryon question: I was surprised on our last trip to Europe on Lufthansa that they weighed carry on and required it to be checked if it weighed more than a certain amount. Not sure whether this is a factor with the airline you are using.
Sometimes we do 2 carry-ons and one checked bag which is a compromise

Thanks so much for all the help everyone.
I did check and the weight for us airs is 40 pounds for carry ones and you are allowed one carry on item. I actually travel every two weeks just nationally and it's amazing how the rules are one carry on item and one person item such as a laptop or purse and these women have purses bigger than my carry on bag. My wife to be is going to bring an extra large purse as well as an extra way to carry more on, but I'm wondering as a man if I can bring a person item as well (excluding a laptop).

My carry-on I'm sure is going to be packed pretty tight and I'm just thinking that it would be nice to bring back some souvenirs in a "personal item bag" if I'm allowed instead of having my wife huge purse over filled.

Thanks again everyone

I sometimes put my purse inside a briefcase for my personal item so I can carry more. Usually the personal items listed are briefcases, computers, purses -- any enforcement of the limit seems to depend on how full the flight is.

When we traveled we each carried a backpack (personal item) which included camera equipment and laptop and a larger carryon with clothing etc. We were on star alliance flights including Lufthansa and never had our bags measured or weighed (although I had checked before hand to make sure we would meet the weight requirements.)

I'm about to leave on our trip in three weeks and already have everything pretty much set. I just had a question to see if we're over doing it.

We were going to send the night in plitvice and see the park the first thing in the morning and probably be done by lunch time I'm guessing. We have a car we rented and were planning on driving to split to the guesthouse we're planning on staying in. I was wondering if it's too much to go to zadar as well the sameday or is that a little too much?

Looking online, it says plitive to split is about a 3 hour drive, but going from plitvice to zadar and then split is about 4 hours. Of course this doesn't take into consideration traffic, which is why I am asking. We wanted to go to Zadar really just to see the sea organ, so we're not sure if it's worth the time and effort to go there just to see zadar. I know the guesthouse in split said the latest checkin would be 10:00pm

Any advice is appreciated

You can certainly spend more time than half a day at Plitvice if you're interested and active.

You could possibly do Zadar as a daytrip from Split.