Italy again or Croatia

I would say never foreclose the possibility to fall in love with another, "new" place...pursue your curiosity and take a risk on Croatia. There's no reason to be "exclusive" with a single country - there's so much beauty in the world that will catch you by surprise...even places that are more off-the-radar (not that Croatia is off-the-radar anymore but you can find plenty of places there to get lost in). Croatia is gorgeous, the people are kind, it's perhaps a bit less "colorful" than Italy and has a very different history as being part of the Balkans, but you'll find enough familiarity to Italy to feel comfortable there. I found Croatia to be so much more mellow and laid back (relative to the places I traveled to in Italy), and I am so glad I visited. The islands on their own make it worthwhile to go there.

I'm Italian and also consider Italy one the most beautiful countries on Earth, maybe the most beautiful country on Earth. But since you have been to Italy multiple times, I would also encourage you to visit Croatia. There are gorgeous places to visit there as well.

I love Italy as well and have also been there at least 5 times. I've been to Croatia once and I loved it. I've only seen Dubrovnik, Cavtat and Zagreb but I think you'd really enjoy your visit. It's beautiful, friendly and was pretty inexpensive.

Croatia also has many incredibly beautiful locations, but they have a somewhat different ambiance to Italy. One of the most beautiful locations I've visited is the island of Korcula (will hopefully return there some day). Other locations you could look at are Hvar or Split, and of course Dubrovnik. If you want more of an outdoor experience, Plitvice Lakes Park is a great place to do some hiking. My impression was that Croatia seems similar to Greece in some ways.

The main challenge with visiting Croatia is transportation. Rail lines only extend to Split, so travel to Dubrovnik is by bus, air, ferry or car rental. The budget airlines typically only offer seasonal service to some locations, so what time-of-year your trip takes place will have a bearing on your transportation options.

I have not been to Croatia but 4 different people I know went this summer and they all raved about it!

I love Italy, have been to Crostia and loved it, too. There are some similarities, as well as many differences, but I think you would enjoy it. You will run into many Italians on vacation if you go during the summer.

Italy 5 times, Croatia 4. Both have my heart. You will not find as many art treasures in Croatia, but the natural treasures are abundant. The villages are picturesque. Food not as good in Croatia as in Italy, but where on Earth is?

At one point in time Croatia was part of the Venetian empire so many of the coastal cities have a similar feel to Venice. We have visited both Croatia and Italy and really enjoyed them both. I have not yet made it to Plitvice Lakes which is so beautiful, I don't think there is anything similar to that in Italy. I would encourage you to try something new. You won't know if you will love it just as much or even more if you never go!

What is the smoking situation like in Croatia? I've been thinking about going there, but there are so many places I want to see in Europe I'm actually visiting the countries with the least amount of smoking. I'm not just talking about in restaurants, I mean outside as well.

I found this table of cigarette consumption on Wikipedia. As you can see, there are a lot more cigarettes consumed per capita in Croatia than in the US, but not all that many more than in Switzerland, for example.

The place I have most noticed the problem in recent years (and I was in the Balkans last year) was Bulgaria. Some travel writer (it may well have been Rick) has noted that, while you can book a non-smoking hotel room in Bulgaria, that doesn't mean the room has never been smoked in; it means you are free not to smoke in it. In casual Bulgarian restaurants frequented almost exclusively by locals, the odor of stale cigarette smoke was very strong--as if the varnish on the furniture had absorbed it. I didn't observe people breaking the law and smoking indoors, but there were a lot of small-shop employees standing in doorways, smoking. I didn't observe as much of that in Croatia, but the prevalence of smoking among the young people was concerning.

In 7-1/2 months in Europe over the last two years I've seen only one person smoking on a train. The major issue has been sidewalk cafes. Often the choice is between enduring the smoking outdoors, where there is a breeze, and having cleaner air but miserable, non-air-conditioned temperatures indoors. This is just an issue in high season, obviously.

probably don't want to go to France ....they love their smokes. . I'm ok with it if done outside

Thanks for the info and for planting the seed for Croatia!

If you are going to Croatia because you want to see the country for itself, great. If you are going because you've heard it's similar to Italy, or if you are going to be comparing it to Italy during the whole trip, don't go. You'll be miserable.

How do I know this when I've been to Italy seven times, but never to Croatia? Because my sister loved Prague, and then went to Budapest (having heard them mentioned together so often as though they were twins). She spent her whole trip comparing it to Prague, and finding Budapest lacking. Only Prague is Prague (as she's learned having seen several of the nominees as "the next Prague"). I, on the other hand, learned from her mistake. I approached Budapest as though it were not related at all to Prague - and sure enough, found it completely different, and was then able to enjoy it for itself, rather than hating it for not being something it's not.

Similarly, only Italy is Italy. If that's where you want to go (and there's nothing wrong with that!), then go there. Don't go somewhere else and spend the whole trip regretting it.