We are two senior travelers contemplating Croatia this September. We have been on escorted tours in the past and have found them enjoyable but not enough time sightseeing place to place. From what I can gather, a cruise might be even more structured with time spent sightseeing on land. Never being to Croatia, I'm not sure which form of travel is best for us. As I said, We enjoy sightseeing, local restaurants and like to wander a little bit. Thank you in advance for your advice.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, USA
23 posts
I recently returned from a land plus cruise package offered by Unforgettable Travel, adding a few additional days in Dubrovnik. The cruise was a 7 day cruise between Dubrovnik and Split on a small ship with 19 cabins, the MS Adris. The cruise itinerary was basically a swim stop in the am (weather permitting) and each afternoon was docked on a different island. Breakfast and lunch were provided which means you are free for dinner and sightseeing on each island. On some days there were walking tours of the area included. I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise. it was so nice not to have to pack and unpack for a week, and not have to time ferries. The land portion booked after the cruise was to Plitvice National Park and Zagreb with private transportation. A few other cruisers booked the same post cruise package and each group had their own private transportation. Everything went without a hitch. Highly recommend if you are able to navigate ships hooked together at port like river cruises (never more than 4 boats the week I went in May) Here is the website and it was booked entirely online: https://unforgettablecroatia.com/
Croatia is amazing, I hope this helps in your decision.
Posted by
10 posts
If you’ve found escorted tours too structured and cruises potentially even more so, you might want to consider a more flexible land-based itinerary. Croatia is easy to explore by car or with a private driver/guide, which gives you the chance to see the highlights while still having time to wander, enjoy local restaurants, and go at your own pace.
You might consider reaching out to Ivan Ćosić of MC-Travel Croatia. He’s a local based in Croatia who plans custom trips and is known for being responsive and flexible. You can find him on Facebook by searching Ivan Ćosić MC-Travel Croatia. He may be a helpful resource if you're looking for something between a fully escorted tour and independent travel.
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
22621 posts
I think you might enjoy a compromise, a professionally tailored private tour. There was a time when Croatia would be a bit more ideal for that than it is today ... I just read tourism costs have risen by as much as 50% in the last few years ... but the good news is apparently tourism is down (maybe the cost?) so Plitvice Lakes might be a bit more enjoyable.
Still, with a custom trip you see and do what you want, and you have the free time that you want and you can often make changes on the fly. If you do the Balkans instead of just Croatia, you can balance the cost a bit and open up amazing sightseeing and experience opportunities. To be so close and, if you have the time, to miss seeing Sarajevo or Travnik or Mostar or Budva, or Ulcinj or the Tara River Canyon or ….. well, Croatia is a tiny part of the Balkans, and the Balkans are fascinating and beautiful.
I see above that we have two other sources for planning and touring Croatia. Nothing wrong with going to Johny.postola2's Facebook page to see what he offers and it sounds like Patti did well in her choice. From time to time another name comes up on here as well, so read several of the posts and you might find it. I have been sending people to the link that I will put at the end. What I like about her is that, first she is professional and second, she will design and structure darn near anything you want. You can pay her for a turn-key tour, or you can pay her to help you do your own. If things change in the middle of the tour, you make a call, and she handles making the changes (I had this come up twice on my last trip to the Balkans). I also like she can tie three beautiful countries together into one trip.
But shop all the names you can find and check the references. I know you will find the one I recommend has a few references on this forum and I think there is another that you can also find references on this forum. Nice thing about the forum references is you can contact the people and ask questions.
For planning in Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Dijana Krkotic
Doclea Travel
+382 69 277 749
[email protected]
www.docleatravel.com
A really outstanding guide in Dubrovnik
Nera Pavlovic
[email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nera-pavlovicb2186873/
Posted by
5854 posts
It really just depends on what you want out of the trip. I am not a cruise person--I love the sea, but I want to hang out in towns and explore the islands. In four trips, I found the transport system (primarily bus and catamaran) fully adequate for my purposes.
The type of cruise that I find attractive is a bike tour, and I have seen those many times in Croatia--smaller boats, and if they are giving you time to bike, that to me indicates more time being spent in ports than just a stop-by. There are some pretty big hills though, so you'd want to be up for that or on a tour offering e-bikes.