Many Questions about Croatia

Don't you want to put your question under Croatia? I think September is better than May because the sea is much warmer then. Having a car I would not bother with expensive hotels but stay in so called sobe (B&B). Much better price and you get a lot of useful information from the owners and other guests. In September you don't even have to book ahead. In 12 days having a car you can see Rovinj, Split, Korcula, Hvar, Dubrovnik and also do a detour to Plitvice lakes.

Thank you IIja for the suggestions. I have been looking into B&B's. They do look like a much better deal than upscale hotels. Do you have any recommendations of any of the places you have stayed?

I also have thought about putting this in the Croatia section, but have found that sometimes if I put this in the General Europe section I get more responses. But, if I don't I will post again in that section.

Thank you again!
T. Ann

September defintely better than May for water temp, if beach is not in your plan, then May is fine. Crowds in either case will be comfortable, but not oppressive.

Be aware that Istria to Dubrovnik is a long way. You do not say where your start and end point is, whether you are doubling back, or doing a one way trip. Driving does help. Public transport does eat up time. Just get a realistic idea of how much of the 12 days will be in a car driving.

When we went, I do not recall any place that was more than 20 rooms, most places we just found a room when we got off the bus or ferry from the people hawking rooms. Rick steves has some good suggestions, Lonely planet is another good source.

As for other stops... look at Trogir, just outside Split. Also on the way from Split to Dubrovnik, Ston is a nice stop. You could divert to Korcula as well, but you would need a night or two.

You should make Dubrovnik your last stop and return your car there.

The airport is a quick bus ride away and the stop is walkable from the city center.
Plan to stay in the City center in Dubrovnik, easier for getting around. we stayed at the B&B Andio which provided breakfast. Have stayed at other apts but none provided food.

If you check distancesfrom.com, you can put in all your stops and it will give you driving times and map your stops out. 12 days is not a long time for your itinerary but doable. allow at least 3 days for Dubrovnik, you won't be disappointed.

It's been 10 years (finding lodging with wifi wasn't a priority back then!), but we rented a car in Venice, Italy and returned it in Venice, visiting parts of Slovenia and Croatia along the way. The highways made for easy and fast driving, and parking was never a problem. We didn't make it to Dubrovnik, but visited Zagreb and Plitvice Lakes park on our way to Split. We stayed at a sobe recommended by Rick Steves outside of Plitvice, and at a hotel in Trogir, just outside of Split. Diocletian's Palace in Split was fabulous, and we enjoyed the ruins at Solin, also just outside of Split. We didn't have time to book a boat to any of the coastal islands, but you might be able to squeeze that in.

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. Everything you all have said has been of great help. I am feeling better about driving. Also September seems to be the more popular month between Sept. and May. I know I am stretching my time thin with only 12 days, but I am hoping I can get a good overview of the country during this time.

If anyone also has any advice on how to get the most out of your money that would be great. I have found that the USD in European countries definitely stretches thin with the exchange rate. I want to travel comfortably but I don't want to go into massive debt. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

T.Ann

To get the most for your money on a rental car, get the smallest car you can, and with a manual transmission (if you can drive a manual) - those will be cheaper than other vehicles, both in rental fees and in fuel consumption. See if a diesel is available, but small gasoline cars get great mileage, too. Make sure, though, that you have room for you and for hiding all your luggage in the trunk or covered rear hatch. If your credit card includes rental car insurance, check with them for the details to see the coverage details and if you can save money there. Look for free parking when it's available.

To save on eating, picnic sometimes by getting sandwich ingredients, olives, etc. at a supermarket or a farmer's market stand. Be sure to try ajvar ("eye-var"), a red pepper condiment that's got more kick than ketchup!

We stayed at Casa Alice in Rovinj, and loved it. We very rarely go above $200/night - - usually under $150 - - so I'm pretty sure it's in your range. Be sure to include a visit to Porec while in Istria. Split is expensive and tricky with a car. Why don't you look into staying in Trogir and taking a day trip to Split via public transport? The one biggie there is Diocletian's Palace. It's a bit hard to make sense of on your own, so we hired a guide who was very knowledgeable, and reasonably priced. Her name is Maja Benzon, and you can find her by googling. Unlike a previous poster, we were not enamored with Split; but we really liked Trogir. If you can fit it in, Plitvice Park is spectacular.

It was two years ago, but we never paid more than $60 for a hotel in Dubrovnik (technically Cavat, a much less touristy yet still beautiful seaside town across the bay from Dubrovnik), Split, and Zadar. All the accommodations were great by our (budget) standards, some of the best values we've gotten for hotels in all of Europe. I think you could get something quite luxurious even in the more touristy areas for $150.

We took the buses and found them easy to deal with and comfortable, although going from the Romanian/Serbia border to Zadar, Croatia entirely by bus got a little tiresome. Just within Croatia probably no big deal, although driving there would be fine too as long as you don't mind twisty roads and somewhat aggressive drivers.

Split was my favorite place in Croatia, very underrated city. Liked Dubrovnik for the day but was pleased we didnt' pay more to stay in the old city, it was easy to visit from Cavat via a 20 minute boat ride.

We went in October, the weather was high 60s/low 70s then. With that in mind, I think September would be ideal. May might still be a little chilly or gorgeous, but September is reliably nice for that area from my research.

Thank you Sarah and all of you who have replied. It is good to know you can find cheaper but nicer places to stay. So far in my research I have been finding that places to stay have not been all that much cheaper than when I would stay some place in Western Europe. A little cheaper, but not by much. It was a little disheartening. It is really hard when a lot of people are quoting Euro prices which raises the price 30% in USD. And so if they are quoting 150 Euro it comes out to be almost $200 USD. I was not expecting it to be extremely cheap, but I was hoping it would be a little less than what I have seen so far.

I have been looking at B&B's mainly because they seem to be a better deal. If anyone has any more suggestions of places to stay, visit, eat and/or see please keep them coming. I am printing off the responses to help me while I am planning.

Thank you all so much!
T. Ann

T. Ann,

I'm in Croatia now on a RS tour, and will be able to provide more comments in a few days. I've only had very limited time to get on the computer the last few days. A few observations though....

• At this point the costs seem very reasonable. It took me awhile to figure out the money, as it didn't seem right to pay HRK 80 for a small dinner and coffee. However that's only about $15, so not too bad.
• Some areas are extremely busy, while others are quieter. We did a day trip to Pula yesterday and the tour groups were wall-to-wall at the Roman Amphitheater. Rovinj was somewhat busy, but not nearly as crowded.
• The weather has been good so far. Ljubljana was beautiful and sunny but not too warm and yesterday was the same in Motovun, Pula and Rovinj. Today the skies are overcast but I haven't seen any rain yet.

I'll post more as time permits.

Hi Ken!
Thank you so much for your information about Croatia while on your tour. It has been very helpful so far. I have a real interest in going to Pula to see the ruins and to know that it is super crowded even in September is good to know. I will try and see if I can find a time of the day it is less crowded if I go during September which is when I am probably planning to go.

Thank you again so much and I look forward to hearing more if you get a chance. Any tips will be great for me.

T. Ann