peppermintpatty
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by peppermintpatty on Apr 1, 2019 14:27:49 GMT
We are planning to take the kids back to Europe next summer (dd is graduating college).
We are looking at Croatia as the starting point. I have come up with some possible areas to go to but I would appreciated any advice if you have visited here.
Croatia, Bosnia (Mostar and Sarajevo), Montenegro (Kotor)
Croatia, Slovenia Croatia, Italy (I have been to Italy but my dh and kids have not. I spent 3 weeks looking at so many churches and the Madonna and Child, ugh! I have not been south of Naples so there is still the bottom half of the country to explore).
I am thinking Dubrovnik, Havar, Zagreb (and surrounding area).
I need a hip replacement so I can't do the amount of walking we did 3 years ago. I will need a half day, here and there to rest and recharge.
We aren't really into museums and churches (been to too many of them).
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Post by roundtwo on Apr 1, 2019 14:57:19 GMT
If you are thinking Dubrovnik, you could take a ferry to Bari and explore the southern part of Italy without doing a road trip through the whole country. Although if your kids and husband haven't been there, they may enjoy the trip.
Not sure what else to suggest - I was last in Croatia and the area about 4 years ago and we did a lot of exploring on foot in various towns so I am not sure how that would work for you.
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peppermintpatty
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1345
Posts: 3,842
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Post by peppermintpatty on Apr 1, 2019 15:17:10 GMT
If you are thinking Dubrovnik, you could take a ferry to Bari and explore the southern part of Italy without doing a road trip through the whole country. Although if your kids and husband haven't been there, they may enjoy the trip. Not sure what else to suggest - I was last in Croatia and the area about 4 years ago and we did a lot of exploring on foot in various towns so I am not sure how that would work for you. I'm not what most people would expect when you say you need a hip replacement. I don't look like it and rarely walk with difficulty. My hip flexor is shredded and cannot be fixed without a replacment and I have a touch of arthritis but other than that, I can walk long distances. I just can't do long distances day after day:)
Thanks for the input.
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paigepea
Drama Llama
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Jun 26, 2014 4:28:55 GMT
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Post by paigepea on Apr 1, 2019 15:26:32 GMT
We are planning a trip and I just asked about Croatia here.
From our research Croatia goes well with Slovenia - good variety of coastal towns, cities, mountains. We were in Eastern Europe last summer and I wanted a different culture/food so we decided to travel to Greece instead.
I think it depends how much time you have. If you have 2-2.5/3 weeks I’d do Croatia with Slovenia because they’re close. If you have longer then I guess you can go wherever you want.
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MaryMary
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by MaryMary on Apr 1, 2019 16:46:19 GMT
Dubrovnik is beautiful! The pictures don’t do it justice.
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Post by papersilly on Apr 1, 2019 16:54:11 GMT
we did a day trip to Dubrovnik and it was beautiful. first we went to a farmhouse where the family made homemade sausages. then we walked around the walled city. it was so beautiful with it's cobbled streets.
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Post by kristalina on Apr 1, 2019 17:13:37 GMT
Hi! We have a large population in my town from Croatia. Adriatic Travel - www.adriatictours.com/ - is a local company here, owned by a Croatian family that is usually very happy to advise people about Croatia, even if they aren't booking through them. Jelka (pronounced Yelka) is the owner. Her son Ivo and my daughter Torrey went to school together. She will remember me - Kristi - Torrey's mom. Tell her Hi if you talk to her! Also - good to see you! I haven't been here in a few years, it's nice to see familiar names!  |
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Post by roundtwo on Apr 2, 2019 1:48:34 GMT
If you are thinking Dubrovnik, you could take a ferry to Bari and explore the southern part of Italy without doing a road trip through the whole country. Although if your kids and husband haven't been there, they may enjoy the trip. Not sure what else to suggest - I was last in Croatia and the area about 4 years ago and we did a lot of exploring on foot in various towns so I am not sure how that would work for you. I'm not what most people would expect when you say you need a hip replacement. I don't look like it and rarely walk with difficulty. My hip flexor is shredded and cannot be fixed without a replacment and I have a touch of arthritis but other than that, I can walk long distances. I just can't do long distances day after day:)
Thanks for the input.
I was just referring to the part in your OP that said you couldn't do the amount of walking you did on previous trip but if you're able to walk long distances, you will be fine checking out Dubrovnik and the area. As others have mentioned, it is a beautiful city and the walk along the wall is amazing. We rented kayaks and did a tour around a couple of islands and were able to snorkle around a cool cave.
And I second paigepea - Slovenia would be a great combination with Croatia. There is lots to see along the drive from Dubrovnik to Ljubljana and I would consider going a little further up to Bled as well. |
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chendra
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 27, 2014 16:58:50 GMT
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Post by chendra on Apr 2, 2019 2:21:19 GMT
Croatia and Slovenia were my favorite vacation ever! We flew into Zagreb, made our way down to Dubrovnik, drove along the coast and Istrian peninsula with a few overnight stops in various interesting towns (Pula, Rovinj, Opatija, Motovun and others) and then headed to Slovenia (mostly Lake Bled and Ljubliana, but also Kobarid, a very Italian town). We went in the off season (October--still beautiful weather and not at all crowded), so the scheduled boats to the bigger islands like Hvar and Korcula didn't quite fit our schedule, but we took a very nice boat tour around some local islands one day.
We also popped into Kotor (day trip from Dubrovnik) and Mostar along the way. Plitvice Lakes National park was one of my favorite stops (between Zagreb and Dubrovnik). This was before the Game of Thrones phenomenon (2007) and people were surprised that we were American, though it was a popular destination for European travelers. I'll bet things are totally different now.
There is so much beauty there, natural and architectural, at least in the areas where they didn't raze lovely old buildings in favor of "functional" architecture.
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Post by worldwanderer75 on Apr 2, 2019 6:57:08 GMT
We paired Croatia with Italy but my BFF says Slovenia is her favorite trip ever. We loved Croatia and went to a couple of the national parks (Krka and Plitvice were both spectacular) and spent time in Split and Dubrovnik. Let me put in a plug for the Amalfi coast though. That's MY favorite vacation ever. Those towns are hilly though so it might not be a great location when you need surgery!
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peppermintpatty
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1345
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Post by peppermintpatty on Apr 2, 2019 12:01:30 GMT
Hi! We have a large population in my town from Croatia. Adriatic Travel - www.adriatictours.com/ - is a local company here, owned by a Croatian family that is usually very happy to advise people about Croatia, even if they aren't booking through them. Jelka (pronounced Yelka) is the owner. Her son Ivo and my daughter Torrey went to school together. She will remember me - Kristi - Torrey's mom. Tell her Hi if you talk to her! Also - good to see you! I haven't been here in a few years, it's nice to see familiar names! Hey there!! Welcome back!!! It's great to see a familiar name as well. Thanks for the info. I will definitely keep this info handy. I usually spend about a year planning and researching everything about our destinations. That is part of the fun. |
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peppermintpatty
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1345
Posts: 3,842
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Post by peppermintpatty on Apr 2, 2019 12:03:43 GMT
I was on the fence about Slovenia but you guys are making a good case for it! It might be nice to see some more inland cities since Croatia has so many coastal towns.
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pancakes
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by pancakes on Apr 3, 2019 1:00:15 GMT
I just got back from Croatia a few weeks ago!
So funny story, my husband actually hurt his foot (had to go to the ER!) the first full day into our 12 day trip and was on crutches for the rest of the trip. So I totally understand about not walking too much.
Since it wasn't super warm and it was off season, we didn't go down south to the Dalmatian coast.
Our itinerary was:
Zagreb (day trip to Samobor)
Rovinj (day trips to hill towns)
Plitvice Lakes
Zagreb
IF you want to do Slovenia as well, I'd recommend having two weeks. We really wanted to go but it would've been a very packed schedule had we went.
We had to cancel a truffle hunting tour due to my husband's injury, but we would have done that in Istria while we stayed in Rovinj. I would stay for only one night in Zagreb, since its big cathedral and many museums are some of its best features but you aren't into either. A full day will be enough for you to enjoy Zagreb, I feel. There will be a fair amount of walking, but the next day, you can do a leisurely breakfast, then a drive up to Ljubljana, and a casual day there. Then the next day you can finish up Ljubljana and possibly head to Istria. As long as you don't mind cobble stones and some hills, the walking in Istria can be made super manageable and not too long.
In terms of walking, Plitvice Lakes (not to be missed, btw) was the worst for my husband on crutches. But you will be fine. It was those damn boardwalks and they're relatively narrow so it's not easy to let people pass. There will be a ton and a half of people there, so the walking will be pretty slow. Plenty of benches along the way if you need them.
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