I am very excited to be booked on the Best of the Adriatic next June with 4 friends. I plan on extending my stay post tour 7-10 days and would love to hear from alumni on recommendations; where did you wish you had had more time in during the tour on the coast in Slovenia and Croatia and/or which areas did the tour not visit that you did and would recommend? We have already decided to stay two additional days in Dubrovnik after the tour. I want to stay on the Adriatic.
I hope to start shopping for post tour lodging once I decide on where to return to; at this point from my research and the timeline of our itinerary I am considering returning to Piran, Rovinj, or Korcula. Also open to places on the Adriatic not on the tour.
thanks
Posted by
New Zealand
496 posts
I haven't been yet, but I'm planning a trip in September 2022.
I would continue south to Montenegro, maybe Albania, and then loop north back north or onto Greece to fly out of Athens.
There's a spectacular train trip from Montengro (Bar) to Belgrade - you could then travel on to Zagreb and/or Budapest. Depends on where you want to fly out of.
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
2660 posts
I'm doing the Adriatic tour next fall. Since I want to spend a few days in Graz before the tour, I will just spend an extra night in Dubrovnik before heading home.
I suspect people will have many different ideas. It depends on where you have been before, your interests, and possible your route to get back home. The flight I had to cancel last year was going to route me though Frankfurt, Germany.
Posted by
Reno, NV, USA
2547 posts
You will need/want an extra day in Dubrovnik. I wish we had spent another day and gone to Montenegro.
Posted by
OP
11 posts
I had thought about Montenegro but in reading other travel blogs, it sounds like it can be a hassle to get over the border
Posted by
WA State
3961 posts
We took The Best of the Adriatic Tour in 2018. We had extended our time in Venice a week and 2 extra nights in Ljubljana (we didn’t want to leave). In hindsight if we had more time we would have added an extra week in Montenegro. There are a number of forum contributors who have reported excellent reviews on Montenegro. Perhaps they will chime in.
Our tour included Hydra for one night. It was a nice place to relax. That said our favorite island was Korcula. We would have been happy to stay 2 additional nights.
Wonderful tour!
Posted by
Reno, NV, USA
2547 posts
There is/was a small minivan bus tour that you can take from Dubrovnik to Montenegro. This is assuming it is still in business after the pandemic. Some of our group did that after the tour ended and enjoyed it. It may be mentioned in the RS guidebook. I wish we had had the time to do this tour.
Posted by
Folsom
2732 posts
We spent a week in Montenegro after the tour. Rented and returned a car in Dubrovnik. We stayed in a flat in Dobrota within a long walking distance to Kotor. We were right on the bay, a few steps down to a small beach close to restaurants and a convenience store. We explored the Bay of Kotor, drove inland and had a great day on the bay sailing with these British ex-pats https://www.montenegro4sail.com/. Driving in Montenegro was easy (except for one speed trap- Showing the IDP (you are American!! He said) and some begging got me out of a ticket) We ran into no other Americans the entire week. The border crossing was slow, about 2 hours as I remember it going, very quick coming back. We stayed outside of Dubrovnik at the RS tour hotel in Lapad prior to our flight home. We found Dubrovnik overrun and had no desire for more time there but enjoyed our last day lounging on the beach.
Posted by
Salt Lake City
22 posts
We spent time in Vienna before the tour and an extra day in Ljubljana. Ljubljana is a wonderful city, a must for extra time. We flew to Zagreb after the tour and found it a very interesting city, don’t miss the MUSEUM OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS.
THIS IS A GREAT TOUR!
Tony
Posted by
Orlando, FL
185 posts
I did this tour in 2018, you’re going to love it! I did most of my extra travel before the tour but did find value spending an extra night in Dubrovnik. Some of my tour mates used a guide to take them to Montenegro for a day trip and only had good things to say. I also went to Zagreb after the tour and really enjoyed that.
If I ever make it back to Croatia, I would like to spend more time in Split. I was blown away by the history and the overall atmosphere of the city. I don’t think you could go wrong heading back to Split for awhile after the tour.
Posted by
San Francisco area
1888 posts
I like the idea of Montenegro too. Depending on how much of a hassle the border crossing is a multi day trip maybe worthwhile.
The walled in part of old town Dubrovnik can get very crowded. Especially when the cruise ship passengers arrive. Our tour guide had a nice suggestion. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the crowds. Go sit in one of the cafes. Have an ice coffee and cake. People watch. My travel buddy and I did exactly that. Watched all the cruise groups go by. I think they got up to 40 on the little flag the leader was holding up. After a half hour we were ready to continue.
When I took this tour 5 or 6 years ago getting back to the US was a little difficult. I think most people needed to overnight at a European gateway city like Paris or London. My buddy and I spent the night in Frankfurt. So you may want to work your way back to someplace with good flights home.