Hi, thanks in advance for your help. My husband and I are looking at flying to Croatia at the last minute (as in a few days from now!). We are hoping to do a trip that includes fall colors, national parks, beautiful scenery, mushroom hunting, islands, old towns and hiking. We prefer to spend 2-3 nights in a place. We have 14 days on the ground. A priority is fall color up in Slovenia. We will fly in and out of and rent a car in Zagreb. We are hoping to book accommodations as we go, but would like to create a preliminary itinerary. I assume we won't make it further south than Split. Could anyone suggest 4-5 towns to base out of to accomplish some of the above with a reasonable amount of driving in between? It looks like we could visit islands further north of Split so don't even need to get that far. Any other suggestions of not-to-miss favorites would be appreciated! I am reading everyone's comments in the Croatia forum and have some ideas already, but would love to hear your highlights. Thanks again.
Posted by
NC
677 posts
Favorites from our trip years ago: Lake Bled; Llubljana; Plitvice; Split; Mostar; Dubrovnik.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
3601 posts
Here’s a loop tour………. Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes National Park (2-hour drive) There are mushroom farms on the way.
Plitvice Lakes National Park to Split ( 3-hr. Drive).
From Split, you can visit Trogir ( 30-minute drive) and Sibenik ( 1-hour drive).
Split to Hvar (1-hour by catamaran)
Return to Split
Drive to Venetian coastal town of Piran, Slovenia (3:30) From Piran, the Skocjan Caves—a World Heritage Site—are one hour away.
Piran to the Soca Valley (2-hr. drive) where Kobarid makes a good base town to see the Soca Valley and the Tolmin Gorges.
Drive to Lake Bohinj ( 2-hrs) where Ribcev Laz or Stara Fuzina make good base towns. Hike the Mostnica Gorge.
From Lake Bohinj, drive to Ljubljana ( 2 hours)
You’ll pass by Lake Bled which can also be visited in 45 minutes from Ribcev Laz.
Ljubljana to Zagreb (1:40) completes the loop tour.
Base Towns could include: Plitvice Lakes National Park; Split; Piran; Kobarid/Tolmin; Ribcev Laz/Stara Fuzina; Ljubljana/Zagreb.
Have a great trip!
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
24155 posts
If you are after Fall colors, I would spend my time in Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria. If you are after coastal cities I wouldnt go in late October. Stay in the north and maybe as far south as Plitvice. Then save the rest for when its at its best.
https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/hr/plitvi%C4%8Dka-jezera-municipality
https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/hr/split
Posted by
765 posts
We just got back. Flew into Ljubljana and spent the first night. Went back to the airport the next morning, picked up a car and drove to Lake Bled. Spent two nights at Bled which is a must see. Lake Bohinj was not. Drove over the stunning Julian Alps and also went to the Skocjan Caves, Tolmin Gorge, Kozjak waterfall,
and all along the Soce River. All must sees. Then down to Istria where we stayed in Rovinj and visited Piran. They are very similar. Drove to Croatia next and visited Plitvice NP, then headed back towards Ljubljana for the flight home, staying at a wonderful farm along the way. There were two days of long car rides, but it was beautiful scenery all the way, and we stopped in cute old towns and really wouldn’t have changed a thing. The fall colors were just getting going last week so you should see more. Plenty of hiking opportunities and with your 14 days you could go as far as Split, or island hopping. We only had 9 days but we were able to pack in a lot. Have a great trip!
Posted by
6202 posts
You could also just skip the Split area (save it for a future trip) and go to Slovenia via Istria, which is always reported to be a good October destination (truffles, etc.). The islands reachable via Istria include Krk, Cres, and Losinj. I have been to Cres and Losinj in addition to many islands in southern Dalmatia, and I can assure you they are equally beautiful!
Keep you plans flexible and check the ten-day forecast just before you leave to refine the plan. If there is a particularly sunny and warm stretch, then you could also go to Zadar and travel to Losinj from there, then head up to Istria.
https://www.jadrolinija.hr/en/travel/zadar_gazenica_-_ist_-_olib_-_silba_-_premuda_-_mali_losinj
Jadrolinija operates a car ferry, and Krilo a passenger only catamaran: https://krilo.hr/en/sailing-schedule/pula-unije-susak-mali_losinj-ilovik-silba-zadar/ but you could look into getting a car in Pula in that case.
Check the schedule carefully. It's a bit of an adventure to ponder, but if the weather is typical (cooling off in October, then I would stick to land and head north).
Posted by
OP
California
9 posts
Wow, thanks everyone for your comments. I think we've decided to concentrate more on the north but to be flexible if the weather gets really bad we might migrate as far south as Split. We are open to making changes as we go and seeing what happens. Really appreciate your not-to-miss suggestions! Another question- would it be a mistake to rent a car the first day we arrive in Zagreb at the airport, and spend the night in Zagreb, or does it make more sense to shuttle to town and then back to the airport the next day to get a car? Several people have mentioned on other topics that you don;'t want a car in Zagreb, especially in the historic center. Alternatively we could rent the car when we arrive (mid day) and head up towards the mountains but I know we'll be tired after a long (14 hour) flight from California. Are there any smaller towns you can recommend heading towards Slovenia that are fairly close to Zagreb that would make a good first night, recover from jet lag stopover?
Posted by
Citizen of the World
3601 posts
You’re right—- you don’t want a car while staying in Zagreb. Parking is non-existent. Overnight in Zagreb’s Upper Town (Gornji Grad) and get the car when you’re departing the city.. I reserved a Sixt car through www.AutoEurope.com and picked up the car at the Sixt office ( Trakoscanska Ulica 2) a few blocks from the train and bus stations the day we were leaving Zagreb. AutoEurope brokers cars for the big agencies. I chose Sixt because of past experience with them and the pickup location was the easiest while we were staying in Zagreb’s historic Upper Town.
Have a great trip!