Croatia/Slovenia itinerary question!

Posted by cmoslow on 05/16/16 12:26 PM

Hello lovely people!

I will be based in Munich this summer, and am currently trying to plan a short trip to Slovenia and Northern Croatia for June. I can't be away for long so I'm trying to fit in into about a week. Looking to go to Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Pula/somewhere coastal. I was thinking:

2.5 days in Ljubljana
early bus to Pula, half day in Pula, then 1 full day at a beach/island
Fly from Pula to Zagreb
2.5 days in Zagreb

For people who have been before, do you think 2 or 3 days in Ljubljana and Zagreb each is good?

From Pula, what islands or beaches would you recommend? I was thinking I could take a ferry to somewhere for the day. I was thinking maybe the Birunji islands or cape Komanjak, but I'm not really sure what the best choice is. I just want to see the beautiful Croatian coast! Is Pula itself worth an overnight?

Lastly, traveling as a single young woman, is there anything I should be aware of, are all these places ok for solo travel?

Thank you for any and all help, even if you only have an answer to one of my many questions haha :)

Posted by Rosalyn

Portland

05/16/16 03:57 PM

3643 posts

I think 2 days in Ljubljana is plenty; however, you might want to consider adding one more day for an excursion to the Postonja Caves.

Posted by Laura

Rick Steves' Europe

05/16/16 08:42 PM

16895 posts

Ljubljana's a pretty laid-back city, without the stresses and crowds of other European capitols. I've had no issues traveling solo in the region and, while I haven't been to Zagreb, I wouldn't hesitate to go.

Posted by JerryG

winston salem, nc, usa

05/16/16 09:32 PM

1078 posts

2 days is plenty in Ljubljana, and candidly, I'd skip Zagreb and go strait to Dubrovnik instead. Checked Kayak and there is an unbelievable $45 fare from Dubrovnik to Munich in June! Last year, we did a day and a half in Ljubljana and could have skipped Zagreb totally in our opinion.

Posted by acraven

Washington DC

05/17/16 02:19 AM

28065 posts

Unlike JerryG, I liked Zagreb a lot for its picturesque old town and museums. It's true, though, that it's not the classic Croatian coastal/island experience. If you aren't into the museums, one full day would probably be sufficient which might allow you to squeeze in Plitvice Lakes National Park. You'd want to spend a night near there, though, so you could start walking before the day-trippers arrive.

You need to investigate your planned transportation legs carefully. Rome2rio.com is a good starting point. In particular, I think Ljubljana to Pula is not served frequently, possibly not even daily in June. I don't know whether transportation to Rovinj (very picturesque) would be any more frequent. I assume it would be quite a bit easier to get from Ljubljana to Koper, and probably from there on to the historic Slovenian town of Piran. But neither Rovinj nor the Slovenian towns is very close to the islands.

From a couple of earlier inquiries here, I've gotten the impression that moving from Pula and other Istria spots to the Croatian islands isn't an easy process if you aren't driving.

Would it be possible for you to take both your planned one-week trip and one or two long weekend trips? I have no idea whether any super-low airfares wojkd still be available at this point, but that would allow you to devote a weekend to Zagreb and Plitvice and the one-week trip to the coast, possibly including Dubrovnik. A second weekend could cover Ljubljana, perhaps with a side trip to Bled or one of the cave systems (Postojna or Skocjan).