Will be in Italy for about 2 weeks in July-massive tourist season-with friends and showing them Italy. I would like to utilize about 3 days to go to Croatia on my own-it would be with the intention of returning for a much long period. But would love to see it while so close-any thoughts from those of you that love to squeeze in as much as possible yet keeping it realistic? Thanks all.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
552 posts
I didn't understand if you want to do the Croatia part of the trip alone, or if you mean you will be the tour guide for your friends. Either way, ff at all possible, add a few more days. Your transportation options are flying, ferry, or driving. Depending on the number of people and what you want to see, the most economical method may be to rent a vehicle. From Venice it's possible to drive into Slovenia and down the coast to Croatia. Give us more details and I'm sure other readers will have suggestions.
Posted by
Chicago/Rural WI
811 posts
As a fellow love-to-squeeze-in-as-much-as-possible'er, I understand your desire to see Croatia because, after all, "it's so close..." With three days, I would be inclined to look into taking a ferry from Venice to the Istrian Peninsula (Porec, Pula, Rabac, etc) and focusing on that area of Croatia for this trip due to your abbreviated time frame. I wouldn't advise trying to get farther down the coast (Split, Dubrovnik, etc.), as it would eat too much time unless you flew. A website you might find helpful is www.CroatiaTraveller.com, and a specific link to the ferry information can be found at: http://www.croatiatraveller.com/ferries/CroatiaFerries.htm Car rental from Italy is another option, although many car rental companies might not allow you to take a car into Croatia from Italy. I'd rather take the ferry to a town in Istria and pick up a car there to use for a few days. Just know that July is definitely high season in Croatia, and you may find parking the car is a bit tricky (make sure your hotel has parking, in this case) as well as just trying to get around. I seem to recall 2-lane roads going around the peninsula, and imagine they can get backed up pretty easily in July. Buses might be an option, but I'm not sure (we had a car). The website (above) should shed some light on that. I don't think your plan is totally unrealistic, it'll just involve a bit of planning to maximize your time. Good luck!