Croatia Travel

[Kevin O’Shea 279]

Just spent 9 days on Croatia’s Dalmatia Coast. Didn’t see a thread on the county so happy to start one and answer and any questions in the future.

 

I’m sure others have been, and if not I’d highly recommend visiting. It’s as scenic of a place as you can imagine and the Croatian people are lovely.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[52-80 19164]

Did you see many Dalmatians?

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

did your brother Danny tag along just like your bike races down cherry hill?

[Kevin O’Shea 279]

30 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Did you see many Dalmatians?

No. Was told people are too lazy there to train a Dalmatian 

[utee94 15832]

Cool, thanks for the pics.  Next summer we're going to Budapest, Croatia, and Greece.  So I'll definitely check back in with some questions.

 

 

[Errestaurants 2570]

When are the NSFW pics showing up? This is Surly you know. 

[Longhornmaniac8 255]

I'd just like to follow up on this that Croatia is so much more than just the Dalmatian Coast. To be sure, it's an incredible spot, and has become super-touristy for a reason (*cough* GoT), but there are many more places worth going in the country than just Dubrovnik, et al.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is other-worldly, like something out of Avatar. 

The Istrian Peninsula, especially the town of Rovinj, is stunning and more reminiscent of classic arid Mediterranean landscapes. 

And once you make it up north, you don't have an excuse to miss the best country in the region, Slovenia.

[52-80 19164]

17 minutes ago, Longhornmaniac8 said:

And once you make it up north, you don't have an excuse to miss the best country in the region, Slovenia.

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[Longhornmaniac8 255]

12 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

 

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What are you confused by?

[wild_turkey 3167]

I’m interested in Croatia in either mid July or early September. Any reason to pick one time over the other? I’d like it to still be warm enough for beaches but I was thinking September might cut down on crowds a bit.

[utee94 15832]

On 7/15/2019 at 10:46 AM, utee94 said:

Cool, thanks for the pics.  Next summer we're going to Budapest, Croatia, and Greece.  So I'll definitely check back in with some questions.

 

 

Trip obviously didn't happen in 2020.  And I'm not going to bother trying for 2021.

So this trip is rescheduled for 2022.  I'll check back for all of surly's updates.

 

 

[956 Worldwide 34715]

14 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

I’m interested in Croatia in either mid July or early September. Any reason to pick one time over the other? I’d like it to still be warm enough for beaches but I was thinking September might cut down on crowds a bit.

September should be a bit better.  Croatia’s coast gets NUTS in the summer and I will expect it to explode as soon as travel opens up.  Massive buses full of people on affordable holidays from Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic.  August is peak season. 

[wild_turkey 3167]

September should be a bit better.  Croatia’s coast gets NUTS in the summer and I will expect it to explode as soon as travel opens up.  Massive buses full of people on affordable holidays from Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic.  August is peak season. 

Thanks for the input. I’m leaning towards that last week of August headed into the first week of September so the weather should still be nice but hopefully the crowds will be less.

Croatia is already open, FYI. Need a negative PCR test to go.

Tentative plan is to arrive in Zagreb at noon on a Friday, then fly out of Dubrovnik or Split the following Sunday. So that would give us 9 nights. I would like to divide that among 2-3 locations.

Vis is for sure on the agenda. I’m told Rovinj and Zadar are good stops. Any other suggestions?

[52-80 19164]

Rovinj and Zadar are solid.  Pula and Rijeka are also nice.  Trogir too.  They're all mostly alike (in a good way) superficially in terms of feel.  Unless you have some specific historical objective or otherwise, can't go wrong with any of them.   Can also follow a Game of Thrones narrative if thats your thing.

[lemonlime 5503]

I went to Croatia in late September, a few years back.  Weather was still warm and beautiful and perfect beach weather.  It was still pretty crowded--- I can only imagine the hoards of tourists in August.  Although maybe it's better now without the cruise ships.

[lemonlime 5503]

On 4/2/2021 at 4:43 PM, wild_turkey said:

Thanks for the input. I’m leaning towards that last week of August headed into the first week of September so the weather should still be nice but hopefully the crowds will be less.

Croatia is already open, FYI. Need a negative PCR test to go.

Tentative plan is to arrive in Zagreb at noon on a Friday, then fly out of Dubrovnik or Split the following Sunday. So that would give us 9 nights. I would like to divide that among 2-3 locations.

Vis is for sure on the agenda. I’m told Rovinj and Zadar are good stops. Any other suggestions?

Plitvice Lakes.  

Dubrovnik was amazing and feels like something you have to see.  That said, it was extremely crowded when we were there in September.  We basically found stuff to do outside the city walls during the day when the cruise ships were there, and then explored Dubrovnik at night.  

We also went to Hvar, which was beautiful.  But very touristy.  If I had to do it again, I'd go to Vis instead.

[Updawg 2268]

Might try korcula as well

[LABEVO 928]

I will be there in a week for a month.

[956 Worldwide 34715]

If any of you are in Dubrovnik and have a car, I highly recommend a day or overnight trip to Mostar in Bosnia. It’s insanely picturesque, you’ll get another country, and it’s easily close enough to drive. Issue right now is crazy rental car rates. 

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

We are planning a Croatia trip in June and are thinking about a night in Mostar. The trip would be Sarajevo-Mostar-Split-An Island (Hvar or Korcula).

Decided to skip Istria/Rovinj since there seems to be a big Salsa Festival the week we are going, which we want to avoid. Also going to give Dubrovnik a pass since we don't have a ton of time and I hear the summer crowds are challenging.

Edited May 5, 2022 by Doug E. Fresh

[Spoosner 86]

Also subscribed. Doing 7 days on a boat for a friend's 40th in late September. Departing/Returning out of Split. Will likely add 5 or so days on the front or back with just me and the wife. Seems like we'll have to make some tough choices.

[Sbbruin 21861]

Dubrovnik was one of my favorite cities in Europe.  Of course this was 30 years ago and I was living on less than $30/day.

[Beantown Express 2.0 6559]

We were in Croatia for two stops on a cruise right before Covid.  Dubrovnik and Zadar.  Dubrovnik is pretty crowded but still enjoyed it quite a bit.  Walking the walls, checking out the Game of Thrones sites and there is some pharmacy that is like one of the oldest in Europe dating back to the 1300’s which was kind of cool.  Zadar was a cool little town on the water and we took a ride into Krka National Park to wander around and check out the waterfalls and lakes.  There is also Plitvice National Park with tons of waterfalls which is supposedly really awesome also but was a little too far for our cruise stop.

[RiceOwl 74]

Zadar is awesome. Spent three nights there last summer. 

Great outdoor bars, hopping right off the oceanside walkways to cool off in the Adriatic... Car-free downtown. Highly recommend. 

Hvar is also great-rent mopeds to zoom around the island and get away from the crowds of town to more secluded beachs.

[wild_turkey 3167]

It looks like I never posted again after our trip last year. We ended up doing 3 nights in Split, 4 nights in Vis, and 2 nights in Dubrovnik. The entire trip was amazing, beautiful country, great food, great wine, nice weather and beaches.

While in Split we did a day trip to Brela and a day trip to Brac. Both were cool in their own way.

While in Vis, we rented a boat for a day and went to Hvar and a couple other islands I don’t know the name of.

Vis itself stole the show for us. Amazing little island which we cruised around on scooters and visited different beaches. Stiniva beach is especially cool. I could probably make a repeat trip to Croatia and just go to Vis.

[Teddyballgame 441]

We are going in early June. 3 nights in Split, 3 in Hvar and 3 in Dubrovnik.  I usually plan out every vacation detail, not this one.  Only plans are to relax and see where the day takes us..  A lot of bars with great views is the only plan.  Vbro in each place all with patios and great sea views

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

Think we are finally settling into the following itinerary. Dubrovnik is mainly just an arrival/departure point for this trip.  I plan to go back there for a 3-4 night city break during the offseason to avoid the crowds.

 

Day 1     Arrive Dubrovnik, stay one night

2            Mostar

3           Plitvice

4.          Split

5           Split

6          Hvar

7           Kercula

8           Kercula

9           Dubrovnik

10         Fly home

 

[AnotherUTFan 9754]

I was in Croatia for 2 weeks last Sept and going back for 2.5 weeks end of June. My girlfriend is from Rijeka so most of our time will be with her family there and on the island of Susak where they have a cottage. Spent a week on that island doing absolutely nothing but laying on the beach drinking slivovica last time. Also saw Istria and Zagreb. It was all incredible.

I'm also going to take 4 or 5 days this time to go explore on my own. Im thinking of heading down the coast toward Split and however far down I make it and back. Thanks for all the info in this thread.

We also have 3.5 days in Instanbul on the return.

Subscribed.

[pronghorn 44]

Food in Zagreb is amazing. The seafood on the coast is out of this world. I don't like the beach and some of the beach towns can be fairly touristy but damn is the food amazing and cheap.

You can get fairly reasonable Airbnbs for you plan in advanced. Definitely recommend for weeks if you work remotely.

[wild_turkey 3167]

Had an incredible meal at ZOI in Split. Also love walking along the marina in Split late at night, stopping in random places for a nightcap or three.

Lots of incredible meals in Croatia, actually. Restaurant 360 in Dubrovnik was pretty damn good, as was Roki’s in Vis. It’s hard to not eat well that country.

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

Finally got our flights and hotels booked for June. We are flying into Dubrovnik and only staying one night. I don’t want to deal with the cruise ship crowds so will pick up a car the next morning and go to Mostar for a night. The bulk of the trip will then be in Split-Vis-Hvar but may also do a day in Brac or Korcula.

[Teddyballgame 441]

We have been in Split last 2 nights and it’s been great after a horrific 24 hrs in Istanbul. Fuck Turkish Airlines and the Turks in general. Croatia has been great so far headed to Hvar in the morning for 3 nights. Then on to Dubrovnik. Currently drinking Ozujsko on top of Marjan. Headed down to watch the Croatia/France match. Should be fun

[AnotherUTFan 9754]

What happened w Turkish? My girlfriend flew out there with them last week and said they were great. Ill be following in 2 weeks. We also arranged a 4 day layover in Istanbul on our return because its a city I've long wanted to visit.

[Teddyballgame 441]

We had a connection through Istanbul if 3 hours So it was a tight international connection but not crazy. All flights were on Turkish air. We left Houston about 30 minutes late. When we landed we had what I thought was about an hour to get to next gate. No one there upon exit to guide anyone for connections, not a big deal but regularly see that you lose where on tight connections. We immediately hauled ass across airport. Landed In terminal f and new gate was opposite end of airport. (Biggest airport I have ever been in). Makes Hartsfield look small). We get to gate 15 minutes before departure and gates closed and no one around (again they knew they had connections coming in). I get all this shot happens I. Travel but it took 3 hours for them to give a hotel voucher and get us on next available flights The next day. It’s now about 10 pm. We get on shuttle to hotel after having to pay 60.00 usd for visa that airline won’t reimburse. The hotel they gave us (about 50 other people on this bud insane boat ) drove us to a hotel almost exactly 1 hour away from hotel. It was like being at intercontinental and united putting us in Galveston. Every single Turkish person we dealt with was a giant asshole and no help. The hotel we stayed in had no food no way to even get a drink. We got there around midnight and had to be in lobby at 3 am to go back to airport the next day. The hotel was filled with 3 weddings going on and the oldest Turk type disco music blasting at about 100 decibels all night. At this point all I could was laugh as I was surrounded by these guys

[AnotherUTFan 9754]

Sounds aweful. Reminds me that she said the worst part was a 6 hr layover at IST, which I will remember to be grateful for assuming nothing else goes wrong.

[52-80 19164]

lmao. turkish air has terrible ground operations. complete lackadaisal attitude from everyone there. city and country is beautiful thi. 

[Teddyballgame 441]

Highly recommend anyone thinking about going to do so as soon as possible. We had a great trip. Some pics

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

Agreed, I’m here now and it’s getting crowded. Dubrovnik wasn’t bad because there were no cruise ships the one night we stayed. Split was heaving with people, cruise ship crowd and college backpackers, to the point it was annoying. Mostar was quiet the night we arrived, felt like we had the town to ourselves, and then the next day Mostar and Blagaj were overrun with tour buses. Vis was amazing, sleepy, not crowded at all and the beaches were mainly just a few locals. In Hvar now and it’s busy. I cannot imagine this place in July/August.

[brownboy 45]

I did a 7 day e-bike island hopping tour with  Sail Croatia which was incredible last summer.  Only 14 pax.  Stop off at a different island everyday bike across it in the morning and then have the rest of the day to check out the place and the island towns are quiet at night after the ferry stops operating.  This was the specific one.  Stopped off in Milna/Bol/Hvar/Korchula/Mljet/Makarska.

Combine this with time on the coast.

[AnotherUTFan 9754]

And once you make it up north, you don't have an excuse to miss the best country in the region, Slovenia.

I've been in Croatia a week now, mostly kicking around Rijeka. We did go spend a couple nights with my girlfriends cousin and family in Slovenia for a couple nights. Slovenia was incredible. We visited Bled, an old town on a clear blue lakat the foot of the alps that is the areas biggest attraction. We also spent an afternoon / evening walking around Ljubljana. All if it was beautiful. The only Yugoslavian territory on the Euro, and the economic advances vd Croatia are apparent.

Tomorrow we pick up a car and will head down the Dalmatian Coast until Thursday. Some combination of Dubrovnik, Split, and Zadar. Thursday night back in Rijeka, then we have a concert to attend in Zagreb Friday night. We leave Croatia the following Monday with 4 nights in Istanbul on the return.

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

Try and get out to the islands if you can. I just returned a few weeks ago and found Split to be overrun with tourists/cruise ships and wish I’d only done one night there. Hvar and Vis were amazing.

[AnotherUTFan 9754]

Thanks. At this point we are planing to get to Dubrovnik tomorrow evening and spend at least a night there, and to spend Wednesday night in Zadar. I think Split will only be a pit stop for a few hours sometime in between. I dont know if we'll make an island, but we will be stopping at some beaches along the way up. Maybe we'll hit Brac or someplace close in.

Last year we spent a week on a tiny island called Susak, way out there, where her family owns a little house and she's been visiting since childhood. It was great. Laying on the beach drinking Travarvica all day, then returning to the cottage and enjoying the mushroom chocolates we brought all evening. I even got a couple dives in. That was the plan for this year, but she hurt her ankle a few days before I got here and doesn't think she can make the daily 20 minute walk to the secluded beach and back, and she's too proud to be seen on the tourist beach thats 50 steps from the house. Im not complaining.

[ATexanAbroad 627]

On 7/15/2019 at 12:55 PM, Longhornmaniac8 said:

I'd just like to follow up on this that Croatia is so much more than just the Dalmatian Coast. To be sure, it's an incredible spot, and has become super-touristy for a reason (*cough* GoT), but there are many more places worth going in the country than just Dubrovnik, et al.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is other-worldly, like something out of Avatar. 

The Istrian Peninsula, especially the town of Rovinj, is stunning and more reminiscent of classic arid Mediterranean landscapes. 

And once you make it up north, you don't have an excuse to miss the best country in the region, Slovenia.

let the tourists stay in Dubrovnik dont ruin a...... fuck it already ruined country

Edited July 2, 2022 by ATexanAbroad

[AnotherUTFan 9754]

We ended up doing 2 nights on Dubrovnik highlighted with a sailing charter outside the walls, spenta day exploring the coast and beaches up to Split, where we spent the evening. Got up, explored more beaches up to Zadar where we had an afternoon and suoer fun night. Drove along the coast back to Rieka Thursday. That stretch of coast is spectacular, maybe even better than the Dalmatian Coast below it.

At this point I think I've visited all the main areas on the mainland, but only 2 islands. We'll probably spend more time on islands during next years trip.

My thoughts, starting south.

Dubrovnik - amazing tourist attraction. Ive visited a few walled cities in my travels, but nothing like Dubrovnic. That said, its cool to see, but you don't need more than a couple days there. Kinda like Venice.

Split - meh. Big city with a tourist district crawling with tourists and overpriced everything. A lot of fascist/ nationalist sentiment that I was only aware of as my girlfriend points out signs, graffiti, and flags that display it.

Zadar - cool as can be. Maybe my favorite spot in Croatia. Still a little grimy and local, a touch touristy in the old town but not too much, laid back. Beautiful location. I met super cool, like minded locals there. Ill be back.

Rijeka - blue-collar, real. This is our home base. It can be kinda slow. Not touristy at all, but still plenty of cool places to hang out and everybody is pretty friendly.

Opatija- posh. As a Californian, its like La Jolla but with a super awesome promenade along the water and a bunch of old Austro-Hangarian palaces turned into high end hotels. Great place for a honeymoon or romantic trip id think. Im sitting at a beach here typing this now.

Pula - Pula was cool and real like Zadar. I also met some cool locals there when we visited last year.. The most complete of the still standing Roman Colosseums is there. Plus the coll little towns that dot the Istria Penninsula are short dsy trips away. Also, easy to get to by catamaran if you fly into Venice.

Zagreb - I'm a city boy, and I love Zagreb. It has everything i need except the sea. My girlfriend is a beach girl, and she wants to get out of Zagreb as soon as we land there. Lucky for me, we have a concert there tonight at a venue that is said to be the best in Croatia - Culture Factory.

Side note - if you're a music guy like me, and specifically a rocker, the New Wave / Punk scene in Yugoslavia rivaled, maybe even exceded, those in the UK and New York in the late 70s / early 80's. You'll find a ton of worthwhile old shit you've never been exposed to if you visit some record stores and talk to the people working there. That's how I discovered the band we're seeing tonight, Repetitor. They aren't an old band from that era, but definitely inspired by it. They are from Belgrade and I'm lucky that had a show scheduled in Croatia while I'm here.

[52-80 19164]

sweet Tommy Bahama

 

[52-80 19164]

jk, have a good time, mediterranean summers are great

[AnotherUTFan 9754]

jk, have a good time, mediterranean summers are great

It was a brutal heat wave that finally broke a couple days ago. I thought I was gonna die during the walking tour of Dubrovnic. The sailing and dive into the water was a perfect remedy. Otherwise, delightful.

[Spoosner 86]

Flights are finally booked.  We arrive in Zagreb on 9/13. We need to be in Split on 9/16 as we get on a boat the next morning.

My loose plan is for us to drive from Zagreb to somewhere near Plitvice Lakes on 9/13. We land in Zagreb at 2 PM and it's only a 2 hour drive, so I think it's doable. Hopefully find a good meal and get some sleep, then hit the park in the morning and head onto the next destination in the afternoon/evening.

• Any recs on where to stay in/around the park? Bonus points for on site dining and a hot tub
• Food recs in the area?

From Plitvice we basically have 2 nights to fill. I'm thinking Zadar or Pag as the logical path toward Split. From upthread, I think @AnotherUTFan's vote would be for Zadar. Less logical but still doable would be Istria Peninsula. Good food & lodging, and fewer tourists are the main things we care about.

• Thoughts on where to spend our couple nights?
• Where to stay and eat?
• Things to do (we'll have a car)?

From there we'll make our way to Split, hoping to stop at Krka National Park on the way. We'll then be on a boat for 7 days doing the Hvar/Vis type stuff before flying home out of Split.

TIA for input. 

[AnotherUTFan 9754]

Plitvice Lakes is on my to do list. Please report back.

I'd maybe consider just staying in Zagreb the 1st evening. There's plenty to see and do there. You are correct that I'd votee Zadar with the stop in Plitvice Lakes on the way.

Prepare to eat lots of calamari, black risotto, and ćevapčići.

[Borachio 416]

Biking from Split to Dubrovnik at the end of June for a week.   We are cheating and using e-bikes.  Looking forward to it!