O/T: Croatia - anyone been? recommendations??

[PaoloRossiJohnson]

Anyone been to Croatia...?? Dubrovnik (and area around it) in particular.

Hotel/self-catering? Sightseeing recommendations? Places/things to avoid? etc etc

Thinking of trying to bag a 'late deal' for a week/10 days in first 2 weeks of April...

 

[sten_super]

Anyone been to Croatia...?? Dubrovnik (and area around it) in particular.

Hotel/self-catering? Sightseeing recommendations? Places/things to avoid? etc etc

Thinking of trying to bag a 'late deal' for a week/10 days in first 2 weeks of April...

We did it last year as a summer holiday. Dubrovnik is very pretty, but rammed full of tourists and very expensive as a result. We had an apartment just along the coast (10 minute walk into the old town) but mostly ate out in the restaurants which again were very nice put pricey.

In terms of sightseeing we went on a boat trip to Lokrum (little island just out of the harbour) which was nice for a day of walking around. We also did a day trip into Bosnia (Mostar) which was absolutely fantastic. Didn't make it to Montenegro but know people that did and they said that it's also very picturesque. You'll want at least one day in the old town to walk around the walls (which takes a couple of hours) and do some of the other touristy things in the town (we really enjoyed the cable car).

Should add that we flew into Zagreb and hired a car and drove down along the coast, stopping a couple of nights in various places along the way, before dumping the car in Split and getting ferries across to Hvar and Korluca before finishing in Dubrovnik. While Dubrovnik was very pretty it was far and away the most expensive place we went to. If you are also looking at other parts of Croatia the Plitvice national parks were amazing (although the hotels were expensive and limited) and we loved Zagreb, which generally gets a pretty mixed press.

 

[saafend_seagull]

Been to Dubrovnik.

Very hot, and expensive. Had a day out in Montengro which was very nice. Can also have excursions to Albania, Bosnia and Serbia I think.

 

[Nibble]

Been to Zadar and Zagreb, both very different but both beautiful. Zagreb is great. But be aware you will run into places people don't speak English very well. However, it's cheap as f*** and plenty to see and do and it hasn't been ruined by stag do's yet so locals are still quite friendly to Brits. Enjoy!

 

[armchairclubber]

Beautiful country / coastline, prob not a bad time of year to visit Dubrovnik, very busy with tourists later in the height of season but sea would be rather cold in April if you are thinking of time on the beach.
Also recommend exploring the Dalmatian coast further north and the fishing / coastal villages between Omis & Makarska (where you can catch ferries to other Islands such as Hvar & Brac I think),still I think a country well worth visiting pretty much wherever you can get to on the coast (though more historical interest in Split / Dubrovnik)

 

[PaoloRossiJohnson]

Thanks for all the info fellas.

 

[saafend_seagull]

Thanks for all the info fellas.

Make sure it isn't too hot when you walk around the city walls!!

 

[Bakero]

Split's a great place with a lot to see. It's also a port allowing easy access to the nearby islands. I've been to Brac twice which is very picturesque and only a short ferry ride. Crystal clear water and great seafood.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Dubrovnik is very pretty, but rammed full of tourists and very expensive as a result.

was thinking of going to Croatia this year or Italy. funny you say expensive as we were told it is cheaper and prettier than italy, when you say expensive are we talking London Prices ! Is Dubrovnik full of stag party idiots ? Would you say it is ok for toddlers ?

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

If you can get to Plitvice national park go,absolutely wonderful.

 

[blue2]

Further north little town called Porec quiet feels very safe and cultured have been several times and traveled around the country all really nice as is Pula if you like history has some fantastic sights to rival Italy but much cheaper not may British mostly Italians Germans Austrians and Hungarians

 

[CheeseRolls]

We have booked an appartment in Split for the first week in June. Really looking forward to it.

Double bank holiday and avoid all the royal arse lickers.

 

[sten_super]

was thinking of going to Croatia this year or Italy. funny you say expensive as we were told it is cheaper and prettier than italy, when you say expensive are we talking London Prices ! Is Dubrovnik full of stag party idiots ? Would you say it is ok for toddlers ?

In our experience the further south we got the more expensive it was. Zagreb, being a fully functional city rather than a major tourist destination, was really cheap. Dubrovnik is just a tourist haven, which is why it's so expensive. Beer is London prices, food probably a little less.

We didn't see any stag dos in Dubrovnik, just loads and loads of tour parties (it was high summer to be fair). Absolutely fine for toddlers, there were plenty of small children there, although I'm not sure there's a huge amount to do in Dubrovnik itself (we had 2 full days in and around the city and that was enough to see a lot of it).

 

[CHAPPERS]

Avoid hotels, use apartments. Loads cheaper.

Split - Buffet Fife for eats, proper big plates of squid. Rough and ready.
Hvar - well worth seeing, good views from the castle/nightclub.
Korcula - nice enough, deffo worth a couple of days though the town is really touristy
Dubrovnik - you can do Dubrovnik in a day

 

[Scarface]

Make sure it isn't too hot when you walk around the city walls!!

Very much this! There are only 3 entrances to the walls, it takes about an hour to walk between them (if your walking slowly looking at the view/taking pictures etc) and there's not much shade. We left it until late afternoon although they close about 7ish. Be careful on the stone steps all over the old town too, some of them are very smooth! Saw an American girl stack it down a set, get up and then fall straight over again!

If you want to do all the touristy bits it probably wont take more than a few days as the whole city isnt that big but it seems to be a decent base for excursions. We were there for some friends' wedding so it kind of broke the holiday up and didnt get to do any of the excursions but certainly will do if/when we return.

 

[CHAPPERS]

There's a bar in the Dubrovnik city walls with a view straight out to sea for late evening pre dinner drinks, it's WICKED.

Here: Cafe Buza Reviews - Dubrovnik, Croatia Attractions - TripAdvisor

 

[sten_super]

There's a bar in the Dubrovnik city walls with a view straight out to sea for late evening pre dinner drinks, it's WICKED.

Here: Cafe Buza Reviews - Dubrovnik, Croatia Attractions - TripAdvisor

While this is true, and the views are superb, it was also hideously expensive, and you have to be quite lucky to get a seat. Definitely worth a visit though.

 

[CHAPPERS]

While this is true, and the views are superb, it was also hideously expensive, and you have to be quite lucky to get a seat. Definitely worth a visit though.

Should be alright for a seat in April though.....

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Been to Porec. Prob not the place to go if you want to lie on the beach, but its a 2000 year old World Heritage site, pretty as a picture, surrounded by pine forests with swimming off rocks in crystal clear water.
Beer's pretty good too!