Slovenia or Croatia in March?

Idk what March weather is like, but it’s almost certain to seriously hamper any coastal sightseeing. Weather aside, there’s a lot that expands/contracts for summer tourist season. Croatia was the first time I went anywhere in full-on summer, and I have to say the crowds kind of made it more fun, not less. They manage it well. Personally, I would put a pin in a Croatian coast trip until you can visit that time of year and have time to relax.

On the flip side, with just six nights you could totally do a trip with just Ljubljana and Zagreb. They’re both cool, fun cities with enough to do that you won’t get bored. Getting between them is easy by bus, and Zagreb tends to be one of the cheaper places to fly into. I would totally do that myself.

I dont count cause I havent been to either in March but I have bee to Croatia several times and; 1. It's not my favorite destination; 2. I would not go in March. If I had to go to Croatia again I would save it for when its at its best which is early June and early September for my taste. So I vote for Slovenia where warmth contributes less to the enjoyment for what i enjoy.

Or what awrzesinski said

You could spend 3 nights in both Ljubljana and Zagreb as suggested above. They are very close to each other and flying to NY from Zagreb is easy. They are small enough cities that 2 Full days in each is enough.
Most of the coast is closed till April.

Climate in Croatia in March is not too bad, it is cool and can rain but it is not bad exploring weather.

Things will be closed. Plitvice upper lakes will probably be closed for the season. Many things will be closed on the coast as well.

There is also lots to do and see in Croatia and Slovenia, it is hard to suggest an itinerary with only six nights. It depends on what you want to do and if you have a car. Zagreb and Ljubljana are a possible itinerary, but I do not think it is a particularly good itinerary unless you have an interest in those places because you will miss out on so many things unless you do tours. With six days you could see a lot more with a car and see the coast, I might do something where you spend a night or two in Zagreb, drive to the coast (northern coast, like Istra or Opatija), drive to Ljubljana via one of the sights, and then back to Zagreb on your last day to fly out.

I think Dubrovnik is worth visiting in March especially since it will not be as touristed but again expect the places which are seasonal to be closed. The problem is Dubrovnik is not a convenient destination.

March in Slovenia is winter. Same for the interior of Croatia. The coast and islands? Stick to the large cities where there is a year round population, like Split.

We go to Istria for Easter every year. A lot is still closed but we manage (it’s usually April).

Dubrovnik is the one place in the south I might consider. More is likely open. Its airport is well connected to the world.

If you get to Croatia in March and you enjoy what you see and realize what you didnt get to see and do, you might regret not waiting. I guess if I had to go I would hire a guide or a trip planner to arrange something that took advantage of what was open.

August tourism is 5 million, March is closer to 1 million so the difference isn't "less crowded" its an 80% reduction. You could be facing a ghost town. But the local tour guides might love you for the business.

Another possibility in the region might be Sarajevo. Its a city tour instead of a rural tour. That might provide more being open; but thats a guess. Actually most any major city tour would be a better option.

My favorites nearby, that I have visited in March, are Vienna and Budapest.

It is not really winter, it is just off season. Mid March in Croatia can be beautiful. Avoiding the tourists can be a big plus as well. Even February has been unseasonably warm the past couple years.

Slovenia is not very large, so I would look to see what you would want to do in both countries and see if that would be better served for a summer trip or a March trip.

Mr E, thank you. That was what I was afraid of. I don't like the crowds but I would not want to visit a ghost town either. We will be starting in Budapest but have been to Czech and Austria, so looking into other cities we could continue on from Budapest.

Ivan, thanks for your insights. I have been thinking about it and based on responses, I'd be better off visiting SLovenia and Croatia in June than in March. This March trip of ours will start in Budapest and looking to see where we could go from there.

Figure 4 full days in Budapest and 5 isnt bad. Depends on the dates possibly. If you still have 6 days you could do it in Hungary by train or go outside of Hungary, but because Budapest is sort of remote the best option outsude is a discount airline. Okay, I am biased if you have only 3 full days in town it wont be terrible. No, do four.

Rail Trips under 3 hours and free if you are over 65.
3 days in Eger and the wine country.
2 days in Gyor / Pannonhalma archabbey.
2 days in Pecs

Rail day-trips under 1 hour and free if you are over 65
Szentendre/Esztergom/Visegrad/Vac. Each one separately, or max 2 in a day.

Discount direct flights. Less than 2 hours, more or less, and starting less than $40.
Bucharest and a Romania Tour
Sofia and a Bulgaria Tour
Georgia (might be a bit longer)
Armenia (might be a bit longer)

By Shuttle Service (4 hours + Border Crossing / $60)
Uzhhorod with some tours to the Carpathian villages and towns.
Here is a travel video. https://youtu.be/vmmHm5dpuBE?si=xUpDUxRQZoRFkWBN It’s an excellent video because it begins with the beautiful train station in Kyiv and a bit of feeling for life there currently. Then the night train to Uzhhorod. The young lady who made the video did an excellent job of introducing the situation and the city. Note how normal it is.

But I recommend it as a 4-hour from Budapest, not from Kyiv. Uzhhorod is predominately ethnically Hungarian. It is 10 miles from the Hungarian border, and the western border of the city is the Ukrainian border with Slovakia. On my last trip the border crossing took less than 30 minutes. No visa required, but Ukrainian medical insurance is required. I can send you to the website for that. The cost of the insurance is under $50 for a short stay. I also have a local travel agency if you want to get out of town and so some sightseeing in the Carpathians. A nice 4 star hotel about $100 / night but there are some pretty interesting looking resorts in the forest outside of the city.

If you only have six days I might look at bus options from Budapest, maybe Budapest-Bratislava-(Vienna), Budapest-Zagreb, Budapest-Belgrade.

March in Budapest, you have a couple of months before you will regret not booking a hotel. Opera tickets (if that interests you) you need to do now. The other theaters vary a bit but you need to start checking now who has 2027 shows listed.

If you only have six days, I might look at bus options from Budapest, maybe Budapest-Bratislava-(Vienna), Budapest-Zagreb, Budapest-Belgrade.

Everyone has their favorite way to travel. Ivan is correct, sometimes buses can be interesting as they pass through small towns while the trains whiz past them.

Belgrade isn’t one of my favorite destinations so I will let someone else explain the beauty of visiting. Bus or train its about 6.5 hours. Once thing to be aware of is you will have to go through passport control and that could take time.

There is a fast bus to Zagreb in about 4 hours. The best train is 6 hours, but I can get up and walk around on a train, so I would still vote for the train. But I think Zagreb is best saved for that June trip (early June is ideal in my mind). Just to keep it all in one place; on June 7 in Zagreb, the average high temperature is 25°C (77°F) and the average low is 14°C (58°F). This creates a pleasant daily average of roughly 19°C (66°F). In June the city averages about 8 to 9 rainy days for the month and in March about 8 to 13 rainy days.

Budapest – Bratislava – Vienna, would be hands down on trains in my book. But others might like the bus for all the stops and the towns along the way. Never know. It’s a fair reason to ride a bus. I imagine about the same time as the train. But the OP has already done Austria and even if the OP missed Bratislava, it’s not a place I would go out of my way for.

You are doing Croatia on another trip in June, but after you fall in love with Budapest you might return in June on the way to Croatia, so, for that trip (really this is for anyone else looking to do a similar combination) I suggest you fly from Budapest to Podgorica, Montenegro. The flight takes 1:15 and can be as cheap as $36 but count on closer to $75. So many who go to Croatia ask about day trips to Kotor. I sort of think it’s a lot of driving back and forth, so this allows you to start at Kotor then work your way up the coast to Dubrovnik. No back tracking. I would stay in Montenegro (maybe Dubrovnik too) but I am terribly biased on the subject and not a good source.

Budapest-Zagreb bus is usually direct, though. Takes the motorway without stopping, or stopping just once if the bus does not have a toilet. No small towns and you avoid train construction mess near Koprivnica. Hopefully that will be done by next year.

Also I'd probably rather visit Zagreb in March than June. It is easier to explore when there is not a heat wave, less chance of rain, and you are not going swimming there anyways. But there are other options, and Zagreb is definitely less impressive than Budapest from a touristic perspective.

Croatia, in my mind ... and I've been several times, only pays off if you go for the full experience and for that if they share my taste it takes warm weather and 8 to 10 days. If I had done anything less I would have never returned to do it right.

I honestly do not know what you mean by full experience. There is lots to enjoy in Croatia. If they have six nights, 4 nights Budapest, 2 nights Zagreb would be a really nice trip in March. Then you could come back and see the coast. However Budapest-Bratislava-Wien might be easier especially since there are more flights from Wien. Since they have already been to Austria they would just need to get to the airport from Bratislava which should not be too difficult.