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Perhaps father (rick steves) does know best?

Posted by (Tinton Falls, NJ) on

I ran my stab at an itinerary by the forum, and got good feedback, which gave rise to a do-over. I'm working from many guidebooks (from the library, of course) and decided to check father's proposed itinerary. Low and behold, it really was what we wanted after all, with just slight modifications. Can you let me know if this looks good to you; especially the order of things. Perhaps transports might work better in a different order. We will use a car wherever it makes sense (family of four), but since we dip in/out of three countries, it doesn't seem to make sense all the time. We will definitely have a car for Slovenia and maybe Istria? I added some questions too; any recommendations are soooo appreciated.

Arrive Dubrovnik 6/26 (11:45 am via plane) - 3 nights 6/26, 6/27, 6/28 (daytrip to Trsteno - I love gardens?) Booked apartment Festa at Hlidina 2 (no steps, near Pile Gate - is that a good location?) I can cancel if necessary.

Mostar/Medugorje - 2 nights 6/29, 6/30 (must do 2, I want to see Mostar, my husband Medugorje; he won't settle for less)
Korcula - 2 nights 7/1, 7/2 (where's a good place to stay with no car? 4 people < = $150 night? .
Split - Overnights 7/3, 7/4 (day trip to Trogir?) Prob stay near ferry port?

Plitvice - 1 night 7/5 (visit park by opening 7/6)
Slovenia -(Ljublijana/Bled/Julian Alps) 4 nights 7/6, 7/7, 7/8 7/9 (not sure if one base is good or is two better, and which one(s)
Istria (base Rovinj, visit Pula, Porec) 3 nights 7/10, 7/11, 7/12
Departing Rovinj on 7/13 for Venice Airport (ferry from Rovinj to Venice?)

Or do you think we should subtract one night from Istria to add someplace else, if so where?

Posted by
1924 posts

I think you're close to as good an itinerary as possible.

Depending on what you decide for transportation, you might want to consider switching the order of Korcula and Split. Since 7/5 is a travel day anyway, starting out from Korcula wouldn't be a problem. Otherwise, the logistics of getting from Mostar to Korcula are more complicated. It's probably doable either way, but check the ferry schedules and figure out if you're going to go from Dubrovnik to Mostar by car and what do you do with your car when you go to Korcula?

I think I might consider three nights in Ljubljana or Bled, and two nights in Kobarid, and then only two nights in Rovinj. If you decide to stay with three nights in Rovinj, then you might want to stay put for all four nights in Slovenia.

My favorite Istrian hilltown was Grožnjan, and I've heard that from a lot of others on this forum. I'd recommend including a visit there while you're in Istria. (Others love Motovun; me not so much, but if you take a day to explore that area of Istria, it's worth a stop.)

You are going to have a wonderful trip seeing these places!

Posted by
792 posts

Thank you so much for your advice and approval! I can't wait.

Posted by
355 posts

Hi Kerry,

I think your itinerary looks good as is. For your 4 days in Slovenia, I'd spend 2 in Ljubljana and 2 in Lake Bled and skip the Julian Alps. If you really want to see them, then you could drive from Plitvice to Bled, spend 2 nights, then drive a loop through the Julian Alps on your way to Ljubljana. It will be a long day, which would only give you one full day in Ljublana, but you could do it.

As for the transportation, with a group of 4, I'd probably do the whole trip by car. You could pick up the car when you leave Dubrovnik and drop it in Rovinj, Porec or Pula. It's generally not a problem to pick up a car in one location and drop it in another, as long as it's the same country. You will pay a one-way, drop fee of 50 -80 euro, depending on the car company. The same goes for driving across borders. As long as you let the agency know ahead of time, it's not a problem. You will need to pay a fee of anywhere from 40-120 euro, again depending on the car company. I did a similar trip several years ago and used Enterprise. I think I paid 50 euro for the border crossing fee and another 50 to drop it in Zagreb. The key is to let the agency know your plans beforehand. I use Auto Europe for car rentals - www.autoeurope.com. You can call them (1-888-223-5555) and get a quote. They are a consolidator, which means you are actually renting from Hertz, Enterprise, etc.

Venezia Lines (www.venezialines.com) runs boats between Venice and several towns in Istria. There is usually one boat per day in July, Tues-Sun (and every other Monday). Schedules for next year are not currently available, but you can check this years schedule online to get an idea.

Hope that helps!

Posted by
1888 posts

Dubrovnik - Pile gate will put you right in the thick of things for old town. This can be good or bad. Easy access and good transportation options as many buses stop right there. If old town gets too crowded or it gets too hot you can pop back to your room for a little siesta. It may be busy and noisy.

Korcula - we stayed at the Marko Polo hotel. It didn't leave a good or bad impression on me. It's walking distance to Korcula.

Split - There's a full service laundry mat near restaurant Sperun on the street with the same name. At least there was in May 2015.

Ljubljana and Bled - 2 days each sounds about right. If you have a sweet tooth then try the cream cake at Smon Slascicarna in Bled. It's in the RS guide book. Look for the Brown Bear sign. Actually now that I think about it all their pastries looked good.

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