Looking to spend 4-5 nights in Croatia in late August after our travels through Puglia. Would you recommend spending a few nights in Split/Hvar or Dubrovnik/Kotor? My thought is spending 2 nights in either Split or Dubrovnik then either ferrying to Hvar or driving or Kotor for 3 nights. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1604 posts
I've been to all the places you mention, and I enjoyed every one of them. So you can't go wrong as far as beauty, interesting things to see and do, and restaurants go. One way to decide is to find out if Split or Dubrovnik are easier to get to from Puglia.
If you choose Dubrovnik/Kotor, I would spend 3 nights in Dubrovnik and 2 nights in Kotor. Dubrovnik is larger and has more sites, IMO. In Dubrovnik, in addition to walking the walls, I recommend visiting War Photo Limited to learn about the war in the 1990's. Take the cable car to the top of Mt. Srd for drinks and awesome views. Visit some of the monasteries and churches.
When in Kotor, I would drive around the Bay and visit other places as well, such as Budva and Perast.
Split is a beautiful city with gorgeous architecture and a lovely Riva. We hired Maya Benson, recommended by Rick for a 2-hour private guided tour of Diocletian's Palace. Visit the Ethnographic Museum. Then you can easily take the ferry or catamaran to Hvar. Hvar is beautiful. It does have a party reputation, but in September it was on the quiet side. Didn't notice any partying. From Split you can also visit Trogir.
You can't go wrong with either combination. I might slightly lean towards Dubrovnik because we loved the iconic "walk along the walls."
Posted by
Philadelphia, USA
246 posts
I would recommend Dubrovnik and Kotor only because I think Kotor is so magical. There is nothing else quite like it. But Split and Hvar are a great choice too. I didn’t love Split too much personally, but it is well positioned for many day trips.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
17925 posts
Ohhhh geee. I am the man out on this one. I have been to Kotor three times. Once to see, once to show to my daughter to see and once passing thru. If I had never been to Dubrovnik then Kotor would have been "more". And here is the worst part, Montenegro is my second favorite country in the world ... okay, maybe third....
I would do no less than 2 nights in Dubrovnik. That gives you a day and a half which is I think the minimum. I would spend two nights in Perast after stopping in Herceg Novi for at least a half day. Then if you wanted to see Kotor do a mornig trip from Perast. And I hope you miss the Kotor cruise ships.
Better yet, use all of the time in Sarajevo.
Here is a curiosity. See the lovely arches with the half sill in Dubrovnik? https://images.flytographer.com/bc61e792-7789-402e-aec2-a1a76fa6fa5d/742-dubrovnik-couple-side-streets_1920.jpeg They are everywhere. Its an Icon of Dubrovnik.
See the lovely arches with the half sill in Kotor https://i0.wp.com/jetsettingfools.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Kotor-Old-Town-Montenegro.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 They are everywhere. Its an icon of ….. hmmm ….. wait. Apparently the same company or architect rebuilt both or one just stole a good idea. But none of it is original. Not a negative, just a curiosity I noticed.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
17925 posts
Better yet, a night in Perast, a night in Budva and a night in Ulcinj. Then fly out of Titograd. Great trip. You will wonder why you spent so much time in Croatia. And don't drive, hire transfers, or better guided transfers. Need help with that, let me know. Everything is less expensive in Montenegro and even though they aren't in the Eurozone, they use the Euro.