Turkey or Croatia tour? How to decide?!

You are saying you are taking a RS Europe in 21 Days tour and asking if to add to that a RS Turkey tour or a RS Adriatic Tour?

I am not a huge fan of Split or Plitvice so I would have to go with Turkey, but only if you can spend at least 2 days in Istanbul pre-tour or post-tour (maybe post tour is better so you can avoid the RS tour places).

I would lean towards Turkey, but point out that most visits there miss out on most of what should be experienced. Yes, Istanbul is a good checklist visit, but there is so much more to Turkey than just that very crowded city. I always recommend that if you think you can give three days to Istanbul, then figure out how to visit Turkey for at least a week. Istanbul will not leave you with enough of an appreciation of the country, only strong impression of the city.
If you are invited for a coffee, be sure that your answer is yes.

You are saying you are taking a RS Europe in 21 Days tour and asking
if to add to that a RS Turkey tour or a RS Adriatic Tour?

If this is indeed what you're doing, you will need to have stored a lot of energy to add on another 13-14 day tour. I've not been on the Adriatic tour but I have been on the Turkey tour and can't imagine doing it after the 21 BOE tour - both tours have lots of bus time and are very active. As noted, the Turkey tour short changes Istanbul so if you choose that make sure you have at least a day or two extra before the tour starts.

It's probably unlikely many people have done the combination of tours, so as for how to decide maybe just draw straws, and save the other tour for another time.

A lot depends on energy level as described above. To me, Turkey is a place that some might feel more comfortable having a tour for (and for political reasons I would say go for it in case the country gets more difficult to visit in coming years--it is amazing!). Croatia is a place that is exceedingly easy to travel in, so it would be easier for me to put it off and visit anytime, with a tour or not.

I agree that you should go to Turkey when you can. I think the situation in Turkey could deteriorate in the future.

Thank you for the replies!

We are going on the RS 21 day Best of Europe, then plan on relaxing for a week to 10 days at a friends winery in Catalonia. Then joining the tour in Turkey 🤞 ( my vote) ;)
I really appreciate the advice on taking the extra time! Thank you!

I think you made a good choice. I’ve done a tour in Turkey and I went to Croatia on my own. I would feel comfortable going back to Croatia independently, driving etc. I would not feel comfortable driving in Turkey. It has nothing to do with political situation or anything else.

There are two countries in the world I’ve been to I don’t want to drive in - Turkey and Greece. I’m not sure those people actually know what they’re doing. LOL And I’ve driven in some places that other people are scared to drive.

I booked the 2026 Adriatic tour to Slovenia and Croatia and am looking forward to it. I asked a group of travelers in my art group who had been to Croatia and Turkey. They all said "Croatia".

Also, for what it's worth, Istanbul had snow this past February and Turkish Airlines cancelled my flight from Tunisia via Istanbul. They were shut down for about a week. Yesterday I noticed there was an earthquake and once again, TA flights were cancelled in IST.

A tour group is one of the worst ways to see Turkey. Of course, I could probably say that about any country, but Turkey truly deserves individual attention. It is one of the very, very best countries for traveling independently in a rental car. Their freeways are second to none, fellow drivers are generally polite (including the honking; note below), and the people are excellent to visitors. Especially the southwest part of the country (roughly starting in Izmir) is stunningly gorgeous, not to mention the myriad ancient Greek temples in that area. Throw in little gems like the village of Doğanbey (of stone houses fame) and there is nothing better than traveling independently in Turkey.

A couple notes about driving in Turkey:

1. If you are the lead vehicle at an intersection waiting for the red light to turn green, drivers behind you will immediately honk at you when the signal changes. They are not being mean or aggressive! Actually, they are being polite. Because Turkish traffic lights are on the sides of an intersection, not overhead, they can be difficult to see for the lead driver, so folks behind you honk their horn to let you known when the signal changes. It takes some getting used to, but it is intended as a courtesy. This is just one of many cultural examples where Turks act in a community spirit of helping each other.
2. Many signalized intersections in Turkey also have stop signs. As an American, where we always halt completely at a stop, this can be disconcerting when you feel like you're blowing through a stop sign by proceeding through a green signal. Don't worry about it. Those stop signs are a hold-over from Turkey's past when electricity was not as dependable so if the signal went dark the intersection would revert to a four-way stop. They're not really needed anymore, but they've left them in place anyway, I suppose for safety's sake from their point of view.

I have been on tours in both Croatia/Slovenia and Turkey. I loved them both, however if I had to choose just 1 of them, it would be Turkey.