kja

Again -- make sure you can see / do what you want in that time. It's very rushed.

IMO, Mostar is better with an overnight, as it gets ridiculously crowded during the day. Sarajevo is a delight, easily worth 3 or more days. And IMO, the coastal towns in Croatia are wonderfully different from one another -- though of course, it depends on which you choose.

I think the reference is to Taormina, not Agrigento?

katepcoss

I suggest Croatia. Dubrovnik, Split, Korcula, Plitvice lakes national park, Kravice waterfalls, Krka waterfalls, Rovinj...are places really worth visiting. You can even visit Montenegro for the day because it's very close. Kotor is a must.

Turkey would be a good choice too, but it's so humid and hot in those months that you won't really enjoy it much. Antalya, Alanya, Marmaris, Kushadasi, and even Capadoccia make a great selection. Istanbul is so worth visiting too, but super busy!

I haven't been to Poland yet

giicko

Hi Everyone,

I am interested to include one day in Istria, mainly half day in Rovinj & the other half in Gronjan or Motovun. To be able to do that I will need to skip either Kotor/Perast or Mostar. Which one would you skip?

Couple of things to note:

• If I visit Istria, I will be driving from Piran, Slovenia, so it will be convenient time wise and won't waste a lot of time
• Didn't finalize my stops in Croatia yet but they will be something like: Zagreb - Plitviče Lakes NP - Zadar - Split - Krka + Trogir or Sibenik - One of the islands - Dubrovnik - Mljet day trip - Kotor or Mostar

Thanks a lot everyone!

yestravel

Kotor and Mostar are totally different. If you want something unlike the other places, choose Mostar. Kotor is very nice and great scenery, but it a small town just like many on your list.

BDKR

Hi,

How long is your entire trip?

Piran is on Istria too, it's the Slovenian part of Istria, but that border exists only since 1991. Piran looks and feels almost identical to Rovinj.

I'd rather skip Rovinj(especially if you're visiting Piran) than either Mostar or Kotor.

giicko

kja

If the choice is between Kotor and Mostar, Mostar will provide the greater contrast to the other places you are visiting.

giicko

I am leaning towards Mostar as well.

How much time does crossing the border from the Slovenian side to Istria take, any delays? Also, is there a recommended road or are there certain roads I shouldn't take? Since I will go to Rovinj, I will probably skip Piran and spend the extra time in Istria to include more sights, my last stop in Slovenia will be the Cerkev sv Trojice in Hrastovlje

I can't thank everyone enough for all the valuable info!

BDKR

You can see regularly updated reports of avarage waiting times at border checkpoints on the Croatian Automobile club's website. https://www.hak.hr/info/stanje-na-ce...rder-crossings

Currrent situation:"Passenger traffic is dense at most Croatian border crossings. Waiting time is from 30 minutes to one hour." This is what I'd expect until the end of summer at major border checkpoints, weekends are worse than weekdays.

I've seen the church in Hrastovlje, it is really an undiscovered gem. We went in the middle of summer, but were the only visitors in the church. Wish you similar good luck!

If you're driving from Hrastovlje to Rovinj cross the border at Socerga and you could stop in Motovun on the way to Rovinj. Don't take what looks like a shortcut, the local road no 626, because that border crossing(Brezovica) is not an international one, you can use it only with an EU passport.(I guess you're not from Europe.)

If you'll still have time you could also stop at Beram to see a painted church every bit as spectacular as Hrastovlje: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_im_Fels

Just don't drive out there before fetching the key keeper from the village as I unterstand the chapel is normally closed.

kja

The frescoes of Beram's little church are, indeed, spectacular!

giicko

BDKR & kja, thanks a lot for the recommendations, that church in Istria looks worth it, and it should be easy to pass by on my way to Rovinj.

Do you guys know when is the latest I can visit this church, I tried to look online but didn't find any info regarding timing, I know that I will need to get the key from the someone but there must be a time limit!

For Istria, what were your highlights? Pula and Porec seems to have interesting sight

kja

I'm not sure how late you can visit the church in Beram; I don't think I'd try after, say, 7 p.m., but I really have no idea.

IMO, the Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč is magnificent.

yestravel

As you suggest Pula and Poreč have lots to see. I agree with kja on the Basilica in Poreč. However, many of the smaller towns have much to offer. Our TR,Five Weeks in the Former Yugoslovia, gives some details on what there is in Istria that we saw over 5 days there. We were also in Piran and most of the other places you are going in Croatia & Slovenia. Skim thru it to find the places you are interested in.

giicko

thanks a lot yestravel! I actually already read your great report and took some notes! I loved how detailed it was!

giicko

Hi Guys,

So this is my initial plan for Sicily! what do you think?

I will be arriving in Palermo by train or ferry then fly out from Catania

Day 1 - Palermo
Day 2 - Palermo
Day 3 - Monreale and Erice and hopefully fit Segesta as well (Day trip from Palermo by car)
Day 4 - Agrigento
Day 5 - Villa Romana del Casale + Piazza Armenia + Caltagirone or Enna (day trip from Agrigento by car)
Day 06 - Ragusa
Day 07 - Ragusa with half Day trip to Noto
Day 08 thru 10 - Ortigia and Siracusa
Day 11 - One of the Aeolian Islands
Day 12 - Taormina + Etna
Day 13 - Taormina to catania for night flight

I am not sure if this is too rushed, I tried to put decent amount of time to enjoy most of the destinations.

I am not allocating any time to Catania, I got the impression that the other places are more interesting. Any not to miss highlights in Catania?

I was hoping to explore part of the country side in Sicily but not sure where would that be?

Regarding the Aeolian islands, as you already know before arriving in Sicily, I will visit some of the Croatian islands probably Brac and Mljet), then will spend lots of beach time on the Amalfi coast which will include Ravello, Positano and Capri. Is the Aeolian islands going to offer something different, for me it's better to just add that day to my current destinations to relax my trip a bit but if they are really different then I will pick one for one day. In your opinion which one would offer a different scenery than the destinations I mentioned above?

Thanks everyone for the awesome help!

yestravel

It would be way too rushed for me. Do I understand correctly you are doing day trips on day 3 and also on day 5? If so you will be spending much of your time driving. While I hate one night stands, I would prefer it to doing those very long day trips.
I haven't been to those islands, but while I love islands I agree since you will be in the islands in Croatia, why not skip and add the time elsewhere? I also havent been to Catania so can't comment on it.

giicko

yestravel, thanks a lot for your input, yes I am planning to do daytrips on day 3 & 5. For me I don't mind driving, I think I prefer it more than packing my bags and checking out. The day trip days will be long days, around 12 hours on the sites plus the driving times. Also doing day trips will reduce my car rental days and I won't have to pay more to drop the car in a different location.

If I canceled the island days, where do you think I should add the extra day?

BDKR

The Aeolian Islands are unique in the whole Mediterranean, because Stromboli and Vulcano are the only volcanically active islands. A day trip however is not feasible, especially starting from Syracusa or Taormina.

giicko

Hi BDKR, for the islands, I was planning to actually spend the night because I know the ferries take a long time. Stromboli seems interesting because of the volcano, although a but scary after that hiker got killed few days ago.

kja

Too rushed for me!

• Palermo has a wealth of gems, so for me, 2 days would not be nearly enough.
• Erice and Segesta would probably take a full day. Try to add at least a full day to Palermo and visit Monreale from there -- it's just a 1/2 hour by bus -- and plan on a 1/2 day at Monreale's cathedral. And FWIW, Monreale is, IMO, among Sicily's most magnificent sites.
• Skipping Selinunte? Seems a shame to be that close and not see it, but then, you really don't have time for it.
• I don't know of anyone who actually visited Piazza Amerina for the sake of seeing it. It is simply the closest town to the Villa Romana del Casale.
• If you're driving, why visit either Caltagirone or Enna as a day trip from Agrigento? They are more or less on your way to Ragusa.
• I don't understand how the Aeolians fit in -- the ferries would make it difficult to get to one and back on a single day, and I don't think you can get to any from Siracusa, so you need time for repositioning, too. I don't know for sure, but I would suspect that Lipari is the only one you could get to as a day trip, and I'm not sure that would work.
• Visiting Etna can mean either of two things: Going to (or at least near) the top or visiting the wineries. Make sure you know which you mean and plan accordingly.
• I didn't visit Catania, but think I would have enjoyed it.
• How would you fit in time to visit the country side? This trip is already full to bursting.
• IMO, the Aeolians are nothing like Capri or the Amalfi Coast, and they are certainly a far cry from any of the Croatian islands I've visited. Others may have had different experiences.
• Please note that same of the drives you are contemplating involve rather narrow twisting, turning roads. I would not want to be on them after sunset.