Slovenia & Croatia May 2013

We have done all of these cities, except for Trogir. Our order was slightly different and on two different trips. I do want to recommend Economy Car Rentals for Slovenia. Economy was the best price I found, and they contract with a Slovenian company. We rented in Bled and returned the car in Nova Gorica on the Slovenia/Italian border. They will meet you with the car at a pre-arranged site. The woman that runs the office in Bled was very helpful prior to our arrival. We had a glitch and didn't arrive when we told them we would and they were overly accomodating. As for dropping off your car, you could drop in the town closest to the Croatian border and then take a short bus ride to the first town large enough to have a car rental location. We very much enjoyed our car trip down the Dalmation Coast to Dubrovnik. We actually rented from Economy in Split, Croatia on a separate trip. We enjoyed a memorable harborside picnic lunch in the small coastal town of Makarska, south of Split on the way to Dubrovnik. May can be rainy especially in the Julian Alps. I have made two trips the past two years to Slovenia in the second half of May. In 2011 the weather was perfect and in 2012 it was quite rainy, however, being from Seattle its probably no problem for you! We have stayed both years at Dolinar-Krainer just west of Bled. It is rural, clean, beautiful Alpine meadows, with lots of wildflowers in May. The couple that own and run it are fun to get to know. If you are lucky and staying on a weekend you may get a free accordian concert from the locals. www.dolinar-krainer.com As for your time frame, if you are a scenery person, I would allow 3 nights for Bled, and maybe only one night in Rovinj. The Julian Alps are breath-taking if the weather is cooperating, a hike to Vintgar Gorge near Bled is easy, beautiful and serene. Lake Bled itself is a gorgeous lake, especially on a sunny day with lots to do around the lake.

Thanks Susan for your advice. How are services in May? What did you think of Split? I am trying to take the boat from Split to Korcula and then on to Dubrovnik. Is this doable in May or are we better off driving? I was hoping to get rid of the car in Split. For that matter are the cruise ships in Dubrovnik the first 2 weeks in May? Craig

Replied to your other thread, but... 1. Pace looks aggressive but is do-able if you are OK with aggressive; we did something similar. Services will be fine, the only thing that will limit you is ferry service, which shrinks or in some cases disappears entirely outside of peak season. All hotels, restaurants and sites will be open, and you won't have to fight your way through crowds. Late May is a good time to go, but expect some rain (serious rain, not the drizzly Seattle stuff, I'm talking downpours that turn streets into rivers). Not constant or every day, but for several hours on some days. Be ready for it. Hint: in a pinch, your hotel's blow dryer can be used to dry out your soggy sneakers.
2. We found the drop-off fees to be staggering (~600 Euro). We rented 2 cars. Dropped off our Slovenia car in Portoroz, took a bus to Rovinj where we picked up our Croatia car. That was tricky since the bus between them only ran 2 days a week. Be sure the timing is right for you and be sure you can get on that bus when it arrives in Portoroz (there's no station, just a bus stop with a bench - we got the last 2 seats on the small, 16-passenger bus - next time I'd try to get tickets in advance to be sure we didn't miss it). We used gamut.com to arrange both car rentals. It's an awesome place - your trip will knock your socks off. Put this restaurant in Trogir on your list: Kristian Pizza. Not fancy, but among the best Italian food I've ever eaten, anywhere. We still dream about the homemade pasta...sigh.