We are taking our honeymoon end of Sept/first of Oct, can't decide between focusing on Istria or Dubrovink area for the week. Can both be done in 9 days? We do not want to be caught up in alot of travel, looking for rest and relaxation. What do we expect with weather? Would it be worth going to Dubrovnik this time of year?
Thanks!
You certainly cannot do both in a week, and that late in the season, I would opt for Dubrovnik. Even then, working in more than just Dubrovnik may be a stretch, only because travel between areas can be time consuming.
I would suggest getting a place in Dubrovnik as a base for the week. From there, there is plenty to do in Dubrovnik, plus many day trips or overnights. These would include:
Touring Montenegro
Overnight trip to Mostar
Visiting Ston
Overnight trip to Korcula
Wine trip to the Peljesac peninsula
Trip out to Mljet National Park
While all of the above seems like alot, having a base adds a great deal of stability, and you can pick and choose as you like.
Thank you for your assistance!
was there last year at the same time. gorgeous weather. dubrovnik was 80 degrees.
yes you can do both in 9 days. but i would do as was suggested and spend my time between split, dubrov and an island or two. i preferred that area to istria tho the pula coliseum is impressive and rovinj is picturesque.
If you're looking for peace and quiet, you might want to look at spending some or all of your time in Cavtat. It's a beautiful fishing village about 15 minutes south of Dubrovnik, just 10 minutes from the Dubrovnik airport.
From Cavtat you can do most of the same day trips mentioned above -- we especially loved Montenegro. You can go into Dubrovnik for the day (via bus or boat) but then come back to the beautiful quiet little village at night.
Hotel Croatia in Cavtat is a large 5 star hotel with beautiful sea views which would be a lovely spot for a honeymoon. It has a pool and a sun deck; if you've booked a tour, the bus comes right to the hotel to pick you up.
Cavtat has a range of other accommodations as well. Let me know if you have any questions.
I am planning to be in Slovenia/Croatia with my husband for 12 days around the same time than lorebee and have a very similar question. we are planning to spend 4 days in the Julian Alps with a rental car, and then I need to decide between Istria/norther Croatia or the Dalmatia. We are flying in and out of Ljubljana. Everywhere I look says that Dubrvonik is a must see, but I am really tempted to explore Istria - and the logistics with a rental car seem easier than trying to connect Slovenia with Dubrovnik. Any one out there that will cheer for Istria more than Dubrovnik?
My husband and I traveled the Dalamtian coast in September of 2009 and LOVED IT! We were there for about 2 weeks, and did it without a car. We stayed in Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar and Split. The weather was beautiful, we went swimming everyday. I would definitly say Dubrovnik was worth it. I have not been to Istria, but if you are looking for a relaxing trip, I would focus on one area. I know you will love Croatia and will go back again to travel in other parts of the country. If you do decide to go to Dalmatia, please feel free to contact me and I can give you a detailed list of where we went, stayed, and ate. Have fun!
Was in Croatia late September/early October of 2008. I went south to north. Weather in Istria (I stayed in Rovinj) was warm but not hot during the day and cool and windy in the evening. It was end of season, so room was very inexpensive. Dobrovnik weather was very nice all day. With 9 days, you definitely have time for both. I would spend 3 days in Istria and 6 days in Dubrovnik, with day trip to Montenegro and possibly also a day trip to Mostar. Consider renting a car for the trip to Dubrovnik, with a possible stop at Plitvice, or take the bus to Rijeka and coastal ferry to Dubrovnik (sailings may or may not fit into your schedule).
We spent 10 days in that area in late September 2009. We rented a car in Venice and drove to Lake Bled in Slovenia on the day we arrived. We stayed the next day in Lake Bled and took off for Plitvice National Park in Croatia and arrived around 11:00AM and toured the park for the balance of the day (the waterfalls were outstanding). We took off the next morning for Split and got there about 2:00PM and spent the night there. The next morning we drove to Dubrovnik and spent the next 2 nights in Dubruvnik (or maybe it was 3 nights). Dubrovnic was great. There is a beach immediately south of the walled old town that we spent on afternoon at that was beautiful. Another must is the Buza bars that are perched on the rocks through a hole in the wall of the old town. One plays Dean Martin music and the other rock. The other thing that impressed us was going to the war memorial up above the city. Get a cab driver to take you up there. We then drove straight from Dubrovnik to Rovinj(this was about a 9 hour drive)and spent a couple of days in Rovinj in Istria. This is a great town. We drove out and saw several of the hill towns in Istria one morning and drove down to Pulia to see the Roman forum. We then drove back to Venice from Rovinj and even toured venice for the last afternoon and evening.
This may seem exhausting, but this is one of the best trips we ever took. We rented the car from economycarrentals.com for $417. The whole trip with airfare, food and everything was $3,577 total. I am not suggesting that you do this on your honeymoon, but I would suggest splitting you time between Dubrovnik and Rovinj. In Rovinj, there is an Olympic size pool(estimate 25 yards wide and 75 yards long) just south of the town before you get to all the American style hotels that is perched right on the edge of the harbor that you can swim in for free. It is a salt water pool and we asked someone at the pool if we could swim and they said just go ahead. This pool is huge and it is great. You can sort of float because its saltwater.
One other thing. We went 9/16-27/09. The roads in Croatia were outstanding. They had not quite finished the toll road from Split to Dubrovnik in 9/09, but it was complete more than 1/2 way. Where are you flying into?
We are flying into Dubrovnik. Thanks for the suggestions, I think we are going to stay south.
That seems like a good decision. Don't forget the Buza bars. If you come from a cold climate, it will provide warm thoughts when you get back. Also, take the cab up to the war memorial right above the city. We stayed in a pension and the guy that owned the pension took us up there gratis. He was involved in the 1991 war with Serbia and gave us a guided tour. Also, it is the best place to take a picture of the old town. Also, the beach just south of town was the closest I will ever come to the gliterati. Good luck on your trip/honeymoon.
Thanks, we are planning on Montenegro and Korcula as well!
