Italy 18 Days Croatia 3

I’m a bit confused by some of your message. So is the 3-day base for the 3 days you’ll be in Croatia, or do you want 3 days each in five different places in Italy (15 days total) along with your 2 days in Rome, plus a day for transferring between Italy and Croatia, to equal 18 days in Italy? We loved Split for itself, and nearby daytrips in Croatia, but it’s some distance between Split and Zagreb..

Sorry for the confusion, we have about 21 days in total. I would prefer staying in the same spot for three days and venturing from there on day trips. Of the 21 days we have for vacation I would love to spend three in Croatia. Hopefully that clarifies my wish list. Thank you.

OK, it sounds like your 3 days in Croatia are determined … Dubrovnik. If you had more, I’d highly recommend Split, too. I presume you’ll be flying to Dubrovnik from Venice, and you’ll then need to spend your final full day getting to Zagreb for your flight, perhaps flying out the following morning? That would technically mean parts of 4 days, so 17 for Italy.

As for Italy, mostly based on my last several trips to parts of Italy, I’d suggest these as your 3-day base locations, not necessarily in the order you would schedule them:

-Rome (2 days)

-Sorrento (day trips to Naples and/or Pompeii. This can also get you to the Amalfi Coast on a day trip(s), unless you actually want to stay in one of the Amalfi villages like Positano)

-Castagneto Carducci (stayed here on trips in 2021 and 2022. Three miles away is Donoratico, a fantastic beach location in southwestern Tuscany, and five miles away is Bolgheri, the capital of Super Tuscan wine. Lots of excellent dining options in the area. We stayed at La Casa Toscana, run by Chicca Maione https://cookingintuscany.cc/casa-toscana/ . She can arrange for wine tours in the area, car rental, and she does cooking classes in her kitchen.

-Florence

-Bologna

-Venice

Thankyou, I’m not usually overwhelmed by travel planning but this seems to be taking its toll. As much as I would love to step into Croatia, I think I should leave that for another trip and concentrate on the 3 weeks just in Italy.

Appreciate your input.

Kim

Hi,

This could get you started. My daughter’s time was limited, so we didn’t go to the Tuscany region - an area you could add.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/mother-adult-daughter-italy-trip-aug-sept-2022

My best advice for Dubrovnik is to arrange your trip so that you have a day there without cruise ships. It is not very appealing when cruise ships are in port as it is absolutely overtaken. Also, three days there seems like a lot. It is quite small and can be seen in a day IMHO.

I agree. For only 3 days, just use it in Italy. Croatia will still be there and will benefit from having time for a broader look.,

No. Use it in Croatia. If you enjoy, come back for a longer stay. Beats planning a 10 day trip and finding out on arrival it stinks.

A few thoughts

• I just don’t get three Croatia days. You’re spending time and energy for too little actual “on the ground” travel experience.
  
• With that short amount of time, you do kinda have to focus on one city. But you’ve chosen Zagreb and, for the life of me, I can’t think of a good reason to have Zagreb be your “taste of Croatia” choice. It’s like saying “I want to experience Canada, so I’m going to Ottawa for three days”. Sure, it’s a great way to get a feel for Canada, but in a million years, would you ever choose it as a vacation destination?
• Bottom line; Croatia will reward you with a deeper dive. It’s well worth 7-10 days on its own.
  

If you want to see Croatia, it might make more sense to visit the Istrian peninsula from Venice. Rovinj is a lovely little town. You could visit some of the hill towns, see the gorgeous mosaics at the basilica in Porec, and/or visit Roman sites in Pula. You are much closer to Zagreb for your flight home than you would be coming from Dubrovnik. If you like Croatia, you could return to see more of this beautiful country.

The RS crowd is the long lesiurely walk crowd. I suspect they can for the most part cause they will be back in 6 or 9 months.

Some of my most memorable moments were the 1, 2 and 3 day layovers on the way to or from a place I knew that I would enjoy and had a long stay planned. Testing the water or just hitting that one out of the way place that interested me.

Nothing wrong wiht it if you enjoy it. Doesnt matter what someone else enjoys.

"did you ever see ______________?"
"No, and I always wanted to, a great regret, but I couldnt see takeing 4 hours out of my life to go there."