WTnow

We are traveling the world (
http://www.soultravelers3.com/ ) and I am planning about a month in Croatia starting this August.

I know, not a good time to be there, but that is how it is working out, so hoping some here can give me good ideas on how to beat the tourist traps or find special lesser known spots.

I am in Mykonos now in high season having a quiet, peaceful time seeing lots of beauty, so I know it can be done !!

Hoping smart fodorites will help me out with the secrets. We travel mostly by small RV but sometimes will do a pension or nice hotel.

We are interested in out of the way special places but of course can not miss the main highlights ( so sometimes it we find it is best to get in and out when the cruise people have not gotten there yet or after they leave).

We have seen lots of beauty the last few months in Italy, Greece and its many islands and Turkey..but ready for more special places.

THANKS in advance!!

tcreath

Croatia is a wonderful country, although definitely not off the beaten tourist path any longer. In August I image there will be a lot of European tourists flocking to the coasts. If you are looking for somewhere a little less crowded or more quiet, I would maybe look into some of the smaller islands. Dubrovnik is wonderful, but we were there in November when it was nice and quiet and we had the town almost to ourselves. Croatia is also beautiful inland, something many miss because they head directly to the coast (which is, obviously, stunning).

If you want something as beautiful but want to avoid some of the crowds you may want to consider Montenegro. It does get its fair share of daytrippers from Dubrovnik, but from what I understand most don't actually stay overnight. The coastline is icredibly beautiful and there are some wonderful towns. Kotor was a favorite of ours, and my husband and I swore that we would base ourselves there for a few nights next time we visit Croatia.

Good luck!
Tracy

yorkshire

Think "Inland Inland Inland." as opposed to "Island Island Island," and you'll be fine. The coast of Croatia and Montenegro are both intolerable in August. Even the small islands such as Vis and Lastovo are overrun (both are easily reached from Italy, i.e. Italian vacation month). After being in coastal Italy, Greece, and Turkey you are hopefully now after something completely different now anyway.
I have always been to Croatia in May, so I have not yet explored the inland myself but have read aplenty--start with the Croatian National Tourist Board website: www.croatia.hr. There are huge swaths of forest in the unexplored northeast and charming hill towns in the area north of Zagreb.
Inland Montenegro would be a great choice too, but road conditions may be an issue with an rv (just a guess).

Lawchick

I was on Brac last year for two weeks - directly opposite Split - in August - and it was relatively quiet where I stayed. Mainly Croats - few other Europeans.

tcreath

If you are interested in staying inland, we really enjoyed Varazdin. Its a town in northern Croatia, about 20 miles or so from the Hungary border. The center of town is filled with beautiful baroque buildings.

http://www.kroatien-online.com/en/to...s/varazdin.htm

http://www.croatia.hr/English/Destin...estination=463

Tracy

WTnow

Thanks all! I really appreciate the ideas!