Croatia Travel Suggestions

[agulati]

I’ll be traveling to Croatia next week for the first time and thought I’ll take suggestions from CP on things that are a must, foods to try, activities to do etc.

Our current plan is as follows

Day 1 and 2 - Zagreb
Day 3 and 4 - Pick up a vehicle and drive to Split. Staying in Split for two nights
Day 5 and 6 - Driving to Dubrovnik and staying in Dubrovnik for two nights


Some questions
1. The national parks are renowned. How long do they usually take to go around in? Distances in Croatia don’t seem to be that great at least compared to what we are used to in Canada
2. Is Mostar a worthy diversion? Also would there be any issues with a Canadian passport and entering Bosnia while driving from Split to Dubrovnik?
3. Croatia Islands - Which ones to visit?
4. Driving in Croatia in general. We are renting a minivan (since we’d be 6 people). How is it generally? From research it doesn’t seem too bad. I have driven in Spain, so for those who have that experience, how does it compare?

[troutman]

https://www.wine-searcher.com/region...esac+peninsula

[FlamesAddiction]

I have been practically everywhere in Croatia. Zadar is probably my favourite coastal city there.

Some other places that are a little off the radar are Rovinj, Sibenik, and Korcula.

Having said that, if you are only going once and want to pack as much in as possible, Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik are the main staples for most people. They are the places with probably the most touristy things to do and have the most amenities.

[agulati]

Croatia has been on my list for ages. Could just do 6 days this go around as we are stopping en route to India. Definitely plan to visit it again and cover more non check mark places.

[Bunk]

From Split go to Hvar island. Amazing.

Croatia was honeymoon for us in 2010. Loved it. Shouldn't have any Bosnia issues in that segment. They're used to a ton of tourists passing through and hope you might stop for lunch and spend a few bucks.

[Amethyst]

It's been years, so I don't have specific suggestions anymore, but I did a small cruise (16 people) along the coastline from Split, stopping at various points, and it was one of my favourite trips ever. Thinking about it now, maybe I should plan a return trip one of these days...

[Bigtime]

We went early summer 2019. Rented a car from Split and went up to Sibenik to check out Krka national park. Beautiful spot for the day with the waterfalls. Sibenik was a very nice little town too. We drove from there to Dubrovnik, and made the stop in Mostar for a few hours. Beautiful city centre, lots of history from the war that you can see, great restaurants along the river canyon with strong Bosnian coffee. No problem crossing the borders by car, however we did have to let the rental company know that we were going to be driving through Bosnia as I think we had to pay a little more for insurance reasons.

Driving was easy, used Waze and the roads were quite good. There were a couple of toll highways too that I remember.

We didn't get blown away by Split, as we had already spent out time in Dubrovnik and Korcula prior. I'd perhaps leave Split a little earlier to have more time in Mostar and not rush it.

Edit: Just saw your island question, we LOVED Korcula. Spent 3 nights there in the city proper in an AirBnB. Best food of our entire trip was there, water was clear and great for swimming (although this time of year not too sure).

[White Out 403]

My Mom's favourite spot was Hvar. It's a gorgeous island. I hope to make it there one day soon.

[D as in David]

I was there 11 years ago now but I think these suggestions are still relevant.

I drove from Trogir (just outside Split) to Zagreb and was able to spend quite a long time at Plitvice Falls National Park. Was well worth it and the roads were fine.

I only spent a half day in Split but a tour of Diocletian's Palace is a must. See if you can catch some Klapa singers in the Vestibulo. Trogir, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is very close to Split and would be worth a visit. It's tiny but walking through it, you'll be amazed at the labyrinthian passageways and don't be surprised if you happen upon a small, intimate restaurant that you wouldn't ever be able to find again even if your life depended upon it.

Not sure if you can swing either Hvar or Korcula into your trip. Hvar was so-so for me; seemed like a bit of a jetset party town but I was only there for 1.5 days and maybe I missed the high points. I would definitely recommend Korcula. There is a bar called Massimo there that is on top of a fortress tower which is great at sunset (it looks like it is temporarily closed, though). Still a nice little town to visit.

In Dubrovnik, I'd recommend walking the walls - at this time of year, it is likely not as busy as it can get when the cruise ships are packing the harbour. A sunset drink or two at Buza 1 or Buza 2 (I can't remember which one I liked best) is well worthwhile, weather permitting. Dubrovnik is not very big so I think the amount of time you have scheduled there is appropriate. I hear Mostar is pretty interesting but I didn't visit there.

[agulati]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, guys! Keep them coming!

A specific question. Do we need an international driving permit with the Canadian license in Croatia for rental companies?

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by agulati

Thanks for the suggestions so far, guys! Keep them coming!

A specific question. Do we need an international driving permit with the Canadian license in Croatia for rental companies?

I did not get an international driving permit, had no issues.

[Muta]

Just wear a maple leaf over your crotch and nothing else, and then kick a soccer ball around in a public place shouting the F word. Turn their tabloids from the World Cup into a real, must-see experience!

[agulati]

Originally Posted by Muta

Just wear a maple leaf over your crotch and nothing else, and then kick a soccer ball around in a public place shouting the F word. Turn their tabloids from the World Cup into a real, must-see experience!

Should just get a custom shirt with Herdman’s face and the quote.

[AC]

I was just in Croatia in September as part of a guided tour.

Went to Rovinj, Porec, Opatija, Zadar, Trogir, Split, and Krka National Park.

All very beautiful and worth seeing IMO. Regarding Krka, we just did a standard walking path to see the main waterfalls and it took probably 2 hours.

[CroFlames]

All good suggestions. Six days will go quick I would almost avoid the extra travel time to the islands in that case.

Canadian drivers licenses are valid there, but you need to give your rental agency heads up you’ll be traveling to Bosnia. It should be no extra charge, and they’ll barely ask you any questions at that border with a Canadian passport. Note: you can’t pay off cops there like in the old days so don’t try if you get pulled over. 25km/h over the limit is a pretty safe zone when you’re on the big highway from Zagreb to Split.

Having said that, Mostar is pretty cool but nothing amazing. Lots of communist type architecture mixed with baroque and Islamic. For a short trip, I’d stick with Croatia.

If you are indeed in Zagreb go to Tkalcic street that’s directly north of the main square Trg Ban Jelacic. It’ll be off the hook win or lose. If you can’t remember the name, ask a local for the street with a thousand bars and they will know.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

All good suggestions. Six days will go quick I would almost avoid the extra travel time to the islands in that case.

Canadian drivers licenses are valid there, but you need to give your rental agency heads up you’ll be traveling to Bosnia. It should be no extra charge, and they’ll barely ask you any questions at that border with a Canadian passport. Note: you can’t pay off cops there like in the old days so don’t try if you get pulled over. 25km/h over the limit is a pretty safe zone when you’re on the big highway from Zagreb to Split.

Having said that, Mostar is pretty cool but nothing amazing. Lots of communist type architecture mixed with baroque and Islamic. For a short trip, I’d stick with Croatia.

If you are indeed in Zagreb go to Tkalcic street that’s directly north of the main square Trg Ban Jelacic. It’ll be off the hook win or lose. If you can’t remember the name, ask a local for the street with a thousand bars and they will know.

I have to agree with the bolded. You might be able to squeeze one of the islands into your drive down to Dubrovnik but it would be a long day and shortish stop on the island. On the other hand, the towns aren't all that big so if you just wanted to get a taste, you could get a pretty decent one spending 4 - 5 hours in one location.

[Table 5]

This summer my family and I are going to be spending some time in Budapest, but are looking to do about a 7-9 day side trip down to the coast. While our current thinking is to formulate a trip around Split/Korcula/Dubrovnik...because we are driving and 7 days seems a bit tight to do everything, I'm currently wondering if it would make more sense to try to do the Northern part of Croatia (ie Istria) and Slovenia, instead.

Lots of good info about the more southern part of Croatia in here, but I don't see much about the North. So I'm just curious if anyone has visited these places, and has any tips to share? Ie. Lake Bled, Ljublana, Rovinj, Pula, Trieste, Krk etc.

Basically something like this:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Buda...d47.497912!3e0

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Table 5

This summer my family and I are going to be spending some time in Budapest, but are looking to do about a 7-9 day side trip down to the coast. While our current thinking is to formulate a trip around Split/Korcula/Dubrovnik...because we are driving and 7 days seems a bit tight to do everything, I'm currently wondering if it would make more sense to try to do the Northern part of Croatia (ie that peninsula that goes into Italy) and Slovenia, instead.

Lots of good info about the more southern part of Croatia in here, but I don't see much about the North. So I'm just curious if anyone has visited these places, and has any tips to share? Ie. Lake Bled, Ljublana, Rovinj, Pula, Trieste, Krk etc.

Basically something like this:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Buda...d47.497912!3e0

Ljubljana is one of my favourite spots in Europe. It's not huge for a city, but its beautiful with great people and food

just north of maribor, on the Austrian/Slovenian border is a decent wine country

[troutman]

Robert D. Kaplan’s “Adriatic” takes readers on a political, intellectual and personal tour from Italy to Albania

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/b...rt-kaplan.html

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by Cappy

Ljubljana is one of my favourite spots in Europe. It's not huge for a city, but its beautiful with great people and food

just north of maribor, on the Austrian/Slovenian border is a decent wine country

My Dad says Ljubljana was also one of his favorite places in Europe