I am brand-new here. I'm looking for some help planning an itinerary for 2.5 weeks in Croatia in July 2012. My fiance and I were gifted two weeks of free hotel nights from his parents, but the hotels
I am brand-new here. I'm looking for some help planning an itinerary for 2.5 weeks in Croatia in July 2012. My fiance and I were gifted two weeks of free hotel nights from his parents, but the hotels are only in Zagreb and Split.
We were thinking of 3 days in Zagreb (including arrival and departure from the airport) with the rest of the time in Split. Obviously we would be foolish to pass up a free place to stay, but I'm worried that we will miss a huge chunk of the country by spending so much time in Split (10 nights). I was thinking we could stay a few nights in Dubrovnik so we can see the sights and travel to an island or two, but can anyone calm my fears that we won't be missing too much by spending so much time in Split? Or can anyone recommend what we can travel to/any must sees if we are based in Split? Thank you, Abby
Two day would be enough for me in Split but with day trips to trogir, several islands, national parks, rafting on Cetina river, you can easily extend your stay. Consider a trip to Mostar and look now for cheap flights back to Zagreb from Dubrovnik or Split with Croatia Airlines.
Yes to have to go to Dubrovnik! Maybe you can rent a car and drive down the beautiful coast with stops along the way. The one place to see in Split is the ruins of the "retirement" Palace of Roman Emperor Diacletian. In July you'll want to get in some beach time, too. Mostar is another must, with it's arched bridge (rebuilt since the war) where swimmers dive off to the river below. Get a good guide book and start saving your money for the extras.
It's a beautiful trip - I was there this summer and I'd say 3 nights in Zagreb is great and from Split, take a trip to the island of Hvar, Trogir, one of the other islands in the area and definitely a long day down to Dubrovnik. Go online for "Split in your pocket," a guide book with everything that's going on in Split - it's a really fun scene along the waterfront at night. ENJOY!
You can do a lot of day trips from Split, as others have advised, including the nearby islands, Brac, Hvar, the teeny tiny island of Trogir (take a water taxi from the Riva in Split, it's cheap, quick & fun). If you can swing it, I would suggest overnights on any of these islands---while a day trip is plenty, the long ferry, but inexpensive ferry rides do take up a lot of your time. (There are faster catamarans available, though you may have to book ahead.) Korkula is another island, but it's a bit further away than the rest and the ferry only allows for overnights. You can also do a day trip to Krka National Park, known for its beautiful waterfalls. I didn't get the chance to go to Dubrovnik when I was there, which was my shame, as I would have loved to because I've heard it's beautiful! It's about 5 hours by bus from what I understand---I think the territory goes thru Bosnia & Herzegovina at one point, if memory serves correct from what I read in my guidebook at the time. I found Split to be an easy to navigate, friendly little town, quite a bit of English speakers. Oh, try to see Omis, you can take a local bus there---it's a town located by a river that opens onto the sea. Most of all, enjoy your honeymoon & have a great trip!
Trogir and Hvar town on Hvar were two of our favorite stays on a Slovenia/Coatia trip a few year back. Both are not far from Split. A highlite in Hvar town was being there during the celebration of their patron saint. Staying at the Palace Hotel, we enjoyed viewing and listening to excellent performers on stage set up in the main square right below the hotel next to the harbor. One of the Klapa groups that sang was Klapa Trogir, probably the best known of the Klapa groups in Croatia. We were told one of their members is considered Croatia's favorite son. Beautiful voices in perfect harmony. If you can, find out the date of Hvar town's Patron Saints day and plan to be there at that time. Since you'll have your lodging in Split, you can easily ferry to Hvar to spend a night in Hvar town, leaving your luggage in the hotel in Split, allowing you to travel light on one of the many ferries to Hvar. You will enjoy your visit.
We've twice been to Croatia, recently, and strongly urge you to go to Dubrovnik and plan for a few days there. We spent five days there and found things to do every day. At a minimum, you will need one day to walk the top of the city walls, an incredibly unique experience. We also enjoyed Zagreb more than we thought we would. It's a very interesting City. We spent one day in Split and found that to be enough although, as people have suggested, if you plan day trips from there it could be a good home base. Have a wonderful trip. We absolutely loved Croatia! No matter what you do or where you go... I think you will also love it.
Split is the only place in Croatia that I have been. But, it is great! The day side trips mentioned sound of interest. Several days could be spent there with much to do.
One person says
''The one place to see in Split is the ruins of the "retirement" Palace of Roman Emperor Diacletian'' Yes, this is a must. The place is huge and at the time of Diacletian, 5,000 people lived there. You must take a guided tour, tho. The history and explanation of everything is what makes the whole visit there so interesting.
I spent almost 3 weeks in Croatia in September and it was fantastic! You must go to Plivice Lakes which are a day trip from Zagreb or Split. It was a gorgeous place, and you need at least one day there. The park has simple lodging which is very inexpensive . Split is a big city, but Trojir, a walled city on the water, is definitely worth a trip. We stayed there at the Hotel Villa Tudor wich was great and only 60E a night...right on the harbor. Don't miss Dubrovnik..... and it is certainly is worth as much time as you can spare. Try to stay within the walled city....it is especially gorgeous at night. We took an all day trip to Mostar from Dubrovnik which I would definitely recommend. Cavtat is a small town south of Dubrovnik and there is reliable bus service there. The coast and waters of the Adriatic are really unbelievable, you must travel along the coast if at all possible. Buy Rick Steve's book on Croatia and you will have lots of wonderful information. We woldn't be without it. You also might consider this - taking a ferry from Split to Hvar and then island hop to Korcula or some of the others, to Dubrovnik. We used the ferries as our transportation from Split to Dubrovnik. Very easy to do and inexpensive. Also check out booking.com which will list places to stay in all of these locations, some in people's homes, many very inexpensive and a wonderful experience. Have fun and enjoy every minute. SSDoll
We were in Croatia this summer. We flew into Dubrovnik and spent three days therre. We took a day trip to Montenegro (we rented a car) which was nice. From there we went to SPlit and spent three days there and split it between sightseeing, Trogir, Split and the surrounding area and spending some time on the beautiful beach. We stayed at the Le Meriden Lav which was a great hotel. From there we went to the National Park in Plitvick Lakes )I think I misspelled that) but you should not miss it, we took a day long hike and it was one of the most beautiful national parks we have ever been to. From there we drove to Zagreb and spent a couple of days there, thoroguhly enjoying the city.
Ten days in Split is 9 days too long. Three days in Zagreb is enough and if you are active, you could do it in 2 Not to miss: dubrovnik - at least 3 days; Sibenik and if you can, contact Rudy at Pellegrini Restaurant and set up a cooking class; Hvar - if you like the water you can do some great island hopping. There are also some really good wineries on the island; Plitvice Lakes - gorgeous but a long day of hiking; Krka - almost as good as Plitvice. Bring bathing suits to swim in the Falls. Croatia is an amazing country. Don't limit yourself to 2 cities. Travel the coast for some gorgeous natural beauty.
