Hello Travel Forum - we will be vacationing in Europe for three weeks. The first five days in Slovenia and the remaining in Croatia.
I am looking for advice in Slovenia. The issue is whether to use a day to see Piran OR the Julian Alps. There isn't enough time to do both and we don't like to rush through our stops. Our itinerary is using the Rick Steve's 14 Day Adriatic Tour as the base.
Thanks,
Clifford
If you are visiting coastal towns in Croatia, Piran does not add much variety to your trip. The Juian Alps, though would add a different landscape and somewhat different culture to your trip. It would be an easy choice for me!
Thanks, Dave - that makes sense as we will see several of Croatia's coastal towns.
The new task is to figure out the route from Ljubljana to incorporate lunch, a short hike, and seeing the best of the Julian Alps. We will have a rental car but will need to check to see if it must stay in Slovenia.
Clifford
Agree with Dave's advice regarding Piran and Croatian coastal cities and the Julian Alps. Several years ago we stayed 2 nights in Rovinj followed by 1 in Piran. They were similar with Rovinj being preferable because it was a little nicer. We were driving and also visited Ljubliana and Bled (both were great) during our trip. Later that same trip we spent time up in the Alps (Swiss). The coastal cities and mountains make for a beautiful and fulfilling contrast. We also visited several Croatian hill towns near Roving (i.e. Motovun, Grožnjan, etc.) and you make want to consider working a few in on your trip.
Happy Traveler - thanks for your input! We will be based in Ljubljana for our five days in Slovenia. We will likely walk the river on the afternoon of arrival. The caves and castle take a day, now the Julian Alps take a day, a day spent in Ljubljana and finishing in Lake Bled. From there, our first stop in Croatia is Rovinj. We will stop at Hum en route there, spend a day there, and do a day trip to the hill towns of Istria. There is so much to do, we are trying to mix it up to get a variety of what there is to see and do between the two countries...
Thanks,
Clifford
Are flights booked?
Sometimes the "return in different country" fee for the rental car ends up not being that bad. I'd try Autoeurope and get a sense of that first, as if it is a burden, then you can get tips here to work around it and adjust the order/transport as needed.
And I'd def choose Alps over Piran!
Valadelphia ~ yes the flights are booked. Arrive in Ljubljana and depart from Dubrovnik. A rental car is required as the research revealed that public transport does limit what you can see and how long it takes. So far we have a rental in Slovenia [LJU to LJU] and a second for Croatia. That one is not yet booked, but looks like a pickup in Rijeka and return in Split
Thanks,
Clifford
