Heading to Dubrovnik for four nights at the beginning of June for a baby moon with my husband. My question is: we have four nights here and five nights in Slovenia. Should we rather do 3 nights in Dubrovnik and 6 in Slovenia? So far for Slovenia we’re planning to stay in the Julian alps for 3 nights. The rest is pending based on this decision. I’d like at least one night in Ljubljana but also wouldn’t mind seeing more of the mountains and small villages. In Dubrovnik we’ll be mostly just enjoying the city and the beaches. But we will definitely be doing at least day trip to islands, etc. if we stay four nights maybe two different day trips/half day trips. I generally like to keep things moving when traveling and given our limited time in Slovenia, I’m wondering if four nights in Croatia is worth it or is 3 enough?
Posted by
Chicago
772 posts
Just my opinion....
I think 3 nights in Dubrovnik is sufficient if all you plan to do is stay in Dubrovnik. Maybe
a one day side trip to an island is also possible in a 3 day stay.it's a non-trivial drive between Ljubljana and Dubrovnik. How would you go between the
two? Anything but flying takes up precious time on the itinerary but also opens you up to
making choices about the umpteen thousand potentially great places you'd be driving right by.Ljubljana seems like it would be lovely in the early summer, so 2-3 nights would not be a
hardship....
There's a lot to potentially see and so it depends on if you want to see the glass half-full (do
what you can and enjoy it) or half-empty (fretting over all the things you could do but won't).
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
21996 posts
I think the big question here is the Dubrovnik to Ljubljana question.
- It’s a 8-hour drive which with drop off fees might cost you well over $500 (wild guess), or
- 12 to 14 hours on the bus which is probably pretty inexpensive.
- There are no direct flights to Ljubljana with 1 connection you can be there in as little as 6 hours plus 3 hour pre-flight + 1 hour post flight = 10 hour for a maybe $475 a ticket.
- There are direct flights to Zagreb. The flight is an hour + pre-flight time of 3 hours + post flight time and the transfer to Ljubljana so another 4 hours = 8 hours. For as little as $100 plus a bus or train ticket.
Now, normally none of this is a problem because most folks take 4 or 5 days sightseeing on the way up the coast.
Since it appears that Dubrovnik is your city of arrival from the US, I would do the 4 nights there.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks all for your help! We are planning to fly to Zagreb and then take the train to Ljubljana from there. I’d normally not spend more than 3 nights in one city but my husband would like us to be slower travelers and I will be six months pregnant:) However, chat gpt also seemed to think 3 nights in Dubrovnik was sufficient. I’m afraid I’ll get bored if I see the city in a few hours and don’t have the patience to lay on a beach. Have either of you ever been to Logar valley in Slovenia? The extra night would probably allow us to swing by there for a few nights. Without it, we may need to skip and focus on Julian alps and the capital.
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4458 posts
Since you’re young and fast travelers, 3 nights in Dubrovnik is sufficient even with a day trip to an island. You can see the entire walled city in about an hour if you don’t do anything else.
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
21996 posts
Arrive 2pm ......... jet lagged maybe an evening stroll (Night one)
Tour the city ........ Night two
Tour the city ... maybe an island or .... well there is all sorts of good things to do out of the city, but thats another thread (Night 3)
Depart
Sure, works for Dubrovnik, but you arent taking advantage of where you are in the world (not that you have to. just pointing it out) There are 3 days of day trips and 2 days to see the city isnt too much.
Posted by
1131 posts
This is really about your priorities. You sound like you’re most interested in Slovenia and mountain country versus beach. Considering you’ll be consuming most of a day traveling between them, I think tipping the scale toward Slovenia is wise. Ljubljana definitely needs two nights, you could justify three even.
The good/bad news is you won’t get bored in either direction. I’d at least consider too that Dubrovnik is a particularly good launch point to explore the coast. In the future, you might visit it with that in mind, and your three night stay will serve to whet your appetite.