After a hiatus of a few years (during which we travelled to Namibia, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, and Peru), we are returning to Europe. This will be our 5th trip to Europe, but our first trip to Italy or Croatia.
Our typical travel style in Europe is 2-5 nights in one locale (and occasionally just an overnight at smaller places (e.g. Czesky Krumlov). Of course, we’re aware that more time is usually better, but this format typically works well for our time/budget. We aren’t really “slow travellers.” We like to see the highlights and have a bit of time for walking around and exploring. We like to look at architecture, art, scenery, and historical sites. We won’t say no to a bit of beach time, but it’s not our major focus on this trip. We aren’t into nightlife, and I’m not one to linger for hours over a meal (blasphemy in Europe, I realize), because I don’t like wine, don’t drink coffee in the evening, and rarely have dessert. So, our days tend to be packed full, and our nights are quiet and restful.
Our main flights are booked, because we got a smokin’ deal. We arrive in Rome late on May 4, 2020 and fly out of Zagreb on May 25, leaving us 20 full days (21 nights) in between. Nothing else is booked yet.
In Italy, we would like to see Rome, Florence, Venice, and Pompeii. If necessary, we will leave off either Venice or Pompeii, but we’d rather not, as this will likely be our only trip to Italy. (Yes, I know people will say we will want to go back, but we probably wouldn’t. There are still many places we want to see.) We figure we’ll travel from place to place mainly by high speed train.
We aren’t sure yet how we are getting to Croatia. We know that we can take a ferry or take a bus or shuttle from Venice via Slovenia (in which case a stay at Lake Bled might be in order.) Flights seem to be limited and expensive. In Croatia, we would most like to see the Dalmation Coast area, Dubrovnik, and Lake Plitvice National Park. At least, that’s what we’ve figured out so far. We’re not sure yet how we’ll get around in Croatia. We don’t normally like to drive, but we may find it necessary this time.
Additional info, in case it matters: we are in our early 60s, well-travelled, and relatively fit but not athletically so (i.e. are used to walking but won’t be doing any major hikes).
So, given that, we’re wondering about how many days to allocate for each locale, and in what order.
My thoughts:
Rome: 4 nights—3 full days. (Not counting the day we arrive, as we arrive fairly late in the evening. Note: jet lag doesn’t usually hold us back too much, and we will be booking a nap at Gatwick Yotel during our layover.) We want to see the usual suspects: Vatican, Colosseum, etc. (We plan to book these in advance and get tours and/or skip-the-line tickets.)
High speed train to Naples. 2 nights? somewhere in the area in order to spend the better part of a day visiting Pompeii.
High speed train to Florence. 3 nights? leaving us 2 full days in Florence. (We’ve already decided we aren’t going to try to fit in Pisa.)
High speed train to Venice: 3 nights? leaving us 2 full days in Venice.
Bus, shuttle and/or ferry to Croatia?
6 nights (split (pun not intended) amongst Split, somewhere else?, Dubrovnik).
? to Zagreb. Overnight in or near Plitvice NP on the way.
2 nights in Zagreb (leaving us one full day and probably a partial day when we arrive).
I’d like your thoughts. Is there a more logical routing? Am I allocating too few or too many days to any locales (given the parameters I have to work with)?
Thank you.