Mar 11, 2008
A low-cost cruise of the eastern Mediterranean is an excellent honeymoon trip for couples getting married in the next several months
When one of my step-daughters got married a few years back, she and her husband chose a cruise off the waters of Greece, Turkey and Croatia for their honeymoon. It was an excellent choice; all three countries are among the least expensive of European nations, and shore excursions (including restaurant meals) were far less costly than if they had cruised in the western Mediterranean.
I mention that choice because the newest ship of MSC Cruises (www.msccruisesusa.com), the MSC Poesia, will be making 7-day cruises of Greece, Turkey and Croatia departing from Venice every Saturday from April 19 to November 8, and inside cabins aboard those cruises will be available for as little as $899 per person. Here's a remarkable honeymoon trip at an affordable price, even adding round-trip airfare to Venice.
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I mention that choice because the newest ship of MSC Cruises (www.msccruisesusa.com), the MSC Poesia, will be making 7-day cruises of Greece, Turkey and Croatia departing from Venice every Saturday from April 19 to November 8, and inside cabins aboard those cruises will be available for as little as $899 per person. Here's a remarkable honeymoon trip at an affordable price, even adding round-trip airfare to Venice.
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Labels: croatia, cruise, greece, turkey
Nov 19, 2007
Go to Eastern Europe this coming year, and you'll be far less affected by the fall in value of the U.S. dollar
As soon as you cross the old boundary of the Iron Curtain, prices (and crowd levels) drop dramatically in every major city other than one (I'll get to that). While three-star hotels in major cities of Western Europe these days start around $120 to $150 (and quickly rise to $200 or more), the same quality of hotel can be had for $60 to $100 in places like Krakow, Ljubljana, Budapest, and Sofia.
In Eastern Europe, and despite the drop of the dollar against the Euro (which isn't used in the East), beer is usually priced at less than $1, rental rooms sleeping two go for $20 to $30, and full meals ring in at $10 to $15. It is a slice of the Old World as it was 20 years ago -- affordable, accessible, and just waiting to be explored.
Plus, compared to the millions who descend upon London, Paris, and Rome each year, a mere fraction make it to the glorious and well-preserved capitals, villages, and countryside of Eastern Europe, leaving it wide open for you to discover. Go castle-hopping in Romania rather than along the Rhine, tour the vineyards of Hungary instead of Tuscany or Provence, and you'll not only save money, you'll discover a whole side to Europe ignored by most tour companies.
You can explore 1,240 miles of Croatian coastline peppered by timeless fishing villages and dotted with 1,185 islands. Its Dalmatian Coast is anchored on one end by the medieval city of Dubrovnik and on the other by Split, its historic center actually carved from the remains of the ancient Roman Emperor Diocletian's palace.
In Krakow, Poland, you can bargain for amber jewelry and hand-carved chess sets in the ancient covered market on the main square. In Ljublijana, you can sit under a willow at a riverside café in the heart of town and enjoy a sandwich of garlicky salami while gazing beyond the baroque building facades to the city's miniature castle perched stop its hill. In Bulgaria you can wander the cobblestone streets of Plovdiv, sip plum brandy at a Black Sea resort, or pay just $15 to stay at the famous Rila Monastery, a grandiose medieval construction packed with painted icons amidst green mountains
I did mention one exception to this rule that Eastern Europe is cheaper, and that exception is Prague, which is still riding a 15-year wave of "must-see" status as a gorgeous and bohemian Eastern European capital. This unrelenting popularity has honestly made Prague pricier than Paris these days (not to mention more crowded). Prague is still a lovely and worthwhile city, but don't expect to find it a bargain by any stretch (also, know that the taverns are no longer filled with penniless intellectuals reading Kafka over an 80¢ beer; they're filled with crowds of tourists, fresh off the bus, paying $10 for their beer and looking around curiously for the penniless intellectuals reading Kafka).
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In Eastern Europe, and despite the drop of the dollar against the Euro (which isn't used in the East), beer is usually priced at less than $1, rental rooms sleeping two go for $20 to $30, and full meals ring in at $10 to $15. It is a slice of the Old World as it was 20 years ago -- affordable, accessible, and just waiting to be explored.
Plus, compared to the millions who descend upon London, Paris, and Rome each year, a mere fraction make it to the glorious and well-preserved capitals, villages, and countryside of Eastern Europe, leaving it wide open for you to discover. Go castle-hopping in Romania rather than along the Rhine, tour the vineyards of Hungary instead of Tuscany or Provence, and you'll not only save money, you'll discover a whole side to Europe ignored by most tour companies.
You can explore 1,240 miles of Croatian coastline peppered by timeless fishing villages and dotted with 1,185 islands. Its Dalmatian Coast is anchored on one end by the medieval city of Dubrovnik and on the other by Split, its historic center actually carved from the remains of the ancient Roman Emperor Diocletian's palace.
In Krakow, Poland, you can bargain for amber jewelry and hand-carved chess sets in the ancient covered market on the main square. In Ljublijana, you can sit under a willow at a riverside café in the heart of town and enjoy a sandwich of garlicky salami while gazing beyond the baroque building facades to the city's miniature castle perched stop its hill. In Bulgaria you can wander the cobblestone streets of Plovdiv, sip plum brandy at a Black Sea resort, or pay just $15 to stay at the famous Rila Monastery, a grandiose medieval construction packed with painted icons amidst green mountains
I did mention one exception to this rule that Eastern Europe is cheaper, and that exception is Prague, which is still riding a 15-year wave of "must-see" status as a gorgeous and bohemian Eastern European capital. This unrelenting popularity has honestly made Prague pricier than Paris these days (not to mention more crowded). Prague is still a lovely and worthwhile city, but don't expect to find it a bargain by any stretch (also, know that the taverns are no longer filled with penniless intellectuals reading Kafka over an 80¢ beer; they're filled with crowds of tourists, fresh off the bus, paying $10 for their beer and looking around curiously for the penniless intellectuals reading Kafka).
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Labels: bulgaria, croatia, eastern europe, poland, romania
Oct 3, 2007
Throughout the fall and winter: two full weeks in Croatia are had for under two grand, including airfare and most meals
Though the best travel deals can come from any source, there's something to be said for tour companies run by ex-pats who specialize in their home region and enjoy close relations with the local suppliers they use. One such company is Travel Time (tel. 800-354-8728 or 718-721-1132; www.traveltimeny.com), founded more than 30 years ago by a Croat now living in Queens, New York.What makes it an even more useful resource is that independent packages to Croatia -- bundling airfare and hotels -- are hard to come by; most companies only sell fully escorted tours. Travel Time, however, offers a whole slew of packaged deals that take in the best of Croatia. If you have two weeks (that's 14 full nights in Croatia) and $1,990 to spare, you can explore the entire Dalmatian Coast, the country's stunning southern Adriatic coastline strung with island chains, lined by secluded pebble beaches, and peppered with gorgeous historic cities.
This area was once part of the Roman Empire, and the entire historic center of Split is actually converted from the ruins of Emperor Domitian's royal palace. The ancient palace's rooms are now houses and shops, its roofless corridors and open spaces now serve as city streets, and the emperor's mausoleum was converted into the cathedral. Split has become a glamorous, club-dotted hangout for various jet-setters. And as for the island of Korcula, it's renowned as the probable birthplace of Marco Polo (Venice conquered much of this coast in its glory years, and among the spoils of war were captured sailors, including young Polo). Dubrovnik, anchoring the coast's southern end, is a postcard medieval town of red rooftops curling into the sea along a spit of land.
That $1,990 per-person price is good from November through March excepting Dec. 21-31 (October trips tack on $500) and includes roundtrip airfare from New York, Newark, or Boston (departures from other cities add anywhere from $50 to $250), three nights each in Split, Hvar, Korcula, and five nights in Dubrovnik. What makes it an even better bargain is that it includes airport transfers, the ferry tickets to connect each destination, all breakfasts, and, amazingly, all dinners as well.
If you don't have two weeks to spare, there are pared-down versions of the same deal available: you can do an 11-night trip visiting just one of the islands (Hvar or Korcula) between time spent in Split and Dubrovnik starting at $1,690 per person, or just spend a week in Dubrovnik from $1,090 per person.
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Jul 11, 2007
Croatia is Europe's hottest destination this year, and Paul Laifer offers a well-priced autumn introduction to it
Its Adriatic Coast ("Dalmatia") is -- according to many observers, including myself -- the most scenically awesome in all the world. Its stately capital, Zagreb, and its timeless fishing villages, are a delight. Its Dubrovnik is a perfectly-preserved medieval knockout. And its prices are among the lowest on all the continent.
From September 29 to October 31, Paul Laifer will fly you there from New York and from place to place in Croatia, supplying hotels, sightseeing and more for 9 nights (consisting of 2 nights in Zagreb, 4 nights in Dubrovnik, and 3 nights in Split), for $1,989 per person. He'll do the same from November 1 to December 10, and from January 3 to March 31 (when it's often mild along the Dalmatian coast, and never bitter), for $1,649 per person. His company, Paul Laifer Tours of Parsippany, New Jersey (tel. 800/346-6314 or 973/887-1188; www.laifertours.com), has been sending thousands to central and eastern Europe for seemingly forever, and you couldn't find a better firm to supply the basic ingredients of an exciting autumn trip to the still-balmy cities of Zagreb, Dubrovnik, and Split.
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From September 29 to October 31, Paul Laifer will fly you there from New York and from place to place in Croatia, supplying hotels, sightseeing and more for 9 nights (consisting of 2 nights in Zagreb, 4 nights in Dubrovnik, and 3 nights in Split), for $1,989 per person. He'll do the same from November 1 to December 10, and from January 3 to March 31 (when it's often mild along the Dalmatian coast, and never bitter), for $1,649 per person. His company, Paul Laifer Tours of Parsippany, New Jersey (tel. 800/346-6314 or 973/887-1188; www.laifertours.com), has been sending thousands to central and eastern Europe for seemingly forever, and you couldn't find a better firm to supply the basic ingredients of an exciting autumn trip to the still-balmy cities of Zagreb, Dubrovnik, and Split.
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Labels: croatia
Jun 11, 2007
For their summer/fall trips to Europe, a lot of discerning travelers are choosing Croatia
Croatia is one of the hottest of current destinations. The former province of Yugoslavia has been free of violence for more than a decade. Its touristic highlight, which is Dubrovnik, has been restored to its precise pre-war appearance and is once again vital and enchanting, as are all the other resorts of the Adriatic coast, such as Split, Hvar, Sveti Stefan, and the picturesque offshore islands. Its capital, Zagreb, is humming with culture and cafe life. And because its prices are among the lowest in Europe, it is attracting the intelligent tourist. You might choose Croatia for the remaining months of 2007.
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Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
