Croatia

Thinking about a trip in September, flying into Dubrovnik then potter down to Split with the islands off there. Have you been? Where is good? Thanks.

had a holiday in Porec a few years back - LOVED it

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It’s the most expensive place in the Balkans (other than maybe Slovenia?) but I’m a fan

Went on a post A-level holiday in 2010 to Okrug Gornji, a small island near the historic town of Trogir about half an hour from Split. Lovely beaches apart from the sea urchin I stepped on, near Krka national park which is very scenic, Split is nice enough although nothing special, had a cracking time with the lads between the island and Trogir (except my recently ex bf, who made things awkward for everyone by picking fights with me). There was a sex shop near the harbour/marina/whatever that had a whole wall of sex toys, slippers with massive dicks poking out of them called Mr Dicky (I bought them for my best friend a few years later) and booths with a curtain where you put money in, porn played on the screen and you could, well, you know. We didn’t.

Went to Dubrovnik in 2014 for a few days - fine, pretty, touristy. loads of Game of Thrones walking tours when I went but I ignored those. did the walk around the city walls and generally just pottered around a bit. Had a nice prawn pizza. Learning about the war was interesting

There’s more going on in Croatia than in Montenegro (Kotor is pretty but very boring, I stayed like 4-5 nights and 2-3 would’ve been enough). I preferred Bosnia but it was a very different type of trip and it was the first place I travelled alone so it’s pretty special to me. objectively Croatia is probably better.

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I’ve been to Pula. Quite small but had some cool Roman ruins and I went on a nice kayaking trip along the coast. It also has an olive oil museum which is more interesting than it sounds.

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I went a while ago. Driving was absolutely insane - no one seemed to give a shit about potential collisions. Absolutely wonderful place though. I spent a lot of time walking the Plitvic Lakes, which were completely stunning, but obviously you’ve reeeaaally gotta like walking if you’re gonna do that all day! Coastal cities are nice to bumble around as well.

We did our honeymoon just outside of Dubrovnik to the north.

Absolutely incredible place. With stunning views and incredible food.

Echo the thoughts above on driving and priciness (we went to a beach in Dubrovnik one day and spent €20 I think hiring 2 sunbeds and a parasol, a couple nearby told us that was cheap compared to another beach they’d been to where it was €50 a day). However that’s not to say it’s not cheaper elsewhere.

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A few pics I took in Porec - highly recommend that place

https://scontent-lcy1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.18172-8/13640974_10153564359166510_6580293750922847719_o.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=cdbe9c&_nc_ohc=9UUkQVNWZBkAX_cHNsK&_nc_ht=scontent-lcy1-1.xx&oh=00_AT-1zeC16xv_AFuPqZrF4cAPbc6BnZjBoCxe3H7EYQVcYw&oe=62D4A2BE

https://scontent-lcy1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.18172-8/13669274_10153564322266510_5586249030073127598_o.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=cdbe9c&_nc_ohc=J2H7Cd-EGeMAX-sTav7&_nc_ht=scontent-lcy1-1.xx&oh=00_AT-ZWj6iA9U4DcvW7AGGdyUUm_WyI6rjCGl6r5J1l0ZBNg&oe=62D54568

https://scontent-lcy1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.18172-8/13661764_10153564320241510_3084297751551945934_o.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=cdbe9c&_nc_ohc=YnRiWKN9BtYAX9J05Im&tn=yP9d6oi2uuGnB1sG&_nc_ht=scontent-lcy1-1.xx&oh=00_AT_HssW7ps06PIbiGDUqfqC2Ixmd20fmr0AySXSATbnY-g&oe=62D4F9C5

https://scontent-lcy1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.18172-8/13668784_10153564322586510_867505828948403600_o.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=cdbe9c&_nc_ohc=W4ENpHY6ZO8AX8odnZd&_nc_ht=scontent-lcy1-1.xx&oh=00_AT-ReZPt7RuFH7iyNgLNebk0kv4b8bWQYjKnZizOhqBgjw&oe=62D2B1CF

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I’ve been to Dubrovnik a couple of times, it’s very touristy but a beautiful part of the world. If you’re happy to do the walks or pay for taxis, staying out of the old town will get you a lot more for your money when it comes to eating, drinking and sleeping. Outside of the touristy beaches there’s some gorgeous little coves to swim in. Get some swimming shoes as the rocks are not nice to walj on. I really liked Lokrum, a little island off just the coast with an entertaining jumble of mini attractions including: a proliferation of rabbits and peacocks, an overgrown botanical garden, an old Napoleonic hill fort, an old monastery and a saltwater lake. If you’re up for the walk or paying for the cable car, the view from Mount Srđ back down over the city and coast is beautiful. Best restaurants were a slightly fancy modern place and a meat and beer lodge in a forest clearing.

Split was pleasant, cheaper and less touristy than Dubrovnik with some cool Roman ruins and good beaches. I’d recommend doing the day trip to Krka, a gorgeous series of waterfalls and pools in a valley, featuring an awesome swimming area.

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Closer to dubrovnik than split, but mljet and korcula islands are both beautiful, lots of amazing beaches and cute little towns. You probably would need to hire a car or scooter to get around though. I think september is the best time to go, still great weather and all the restaurants etc are open but not as crazy as peak summer.

Went to Supetar on Brac, which is a 45 minute ferry from Split, and liked it so much that I’m meant to be back there right now. There’s nothing to do there but sit in beach bars and harbour restaurants and maybe rent a jet ski but it was beautiful and quiet and relaxing.

Took the ferry over to Split one day and lasted maybe three hours before retreating back to peace. Did not like it there at all.

Krka is great, if a little crowded. We stayed 2 nights in Skradin on the edge of the park, and it’s a very likeable little town.
I’ve been a few other places, my favourite island is Vis, but Korcula and Brac are also really worthwhile. It’s pretty hard to go wrong whatever island you go to.

If you end up in Split I highly recommend taking a bus to the Klis fortress, dramatically set into the cliffs overlooking the city. I thought it would be very crowded since it’s a Game of Thrones filming location, but there were only a handful of other people there.

Hello. We went to Split and Dubrovnik in 2019. Hoped to do a bit more island hopping than we managed from Split but there were fewer ferry routes than we expected, however we did manage to get out to Hvar for the day. Fully intend to go back to we can visit Korcula, Brac etc. Split we enjoyed but we actually stayed in Podstrana which is some distance out from the city but it ended up being a good shout as there are quite a few nice bars and restaurants that way that are less busy and nearer the sea. Would recommend if you don’t mind being a bit further out from the action.

What we saw of Hvar was great. V attractive, nice bars and restaurants including a place called Fig which my wife loved. Amazingly pretty harbor area in Hvar Town. We then walked around the coast a little to Hula bar which was pricey but nice spot to watch the sun go down with a DJ playing some chilled beats.

In Dubrovnik we stayed in one of the large hotels (one of the Valamars) out at Babin Kuk - a spit of land just out the city where there are quite a few hotels. Lots of British tourists but we liked the hotels and the links to the town via bus/cab were good. There were also several beach clubs out that way if you like a bit of an Ibiza vibe.

Dubrovnik old town is then of course great. Crazy hot and busy during the day but lush in the evening once the cruise ship tourist groups have gone home. There are a couple of Buza bars out on the walls of the town which are well worth your time for drinking an expensive beer whilst watching people cliff dive. We also did a day trip to Lokrum which is nice for a chilled walk around in the shade.

We did find the whole trip quite pricey - food & drink in particular were not cheap but the surroundings more than made up for it.

Thanks so much for the tips, folks. Booked outbound flight to Split, returning from Dubrovnik. Now to full in the gaps!

My favourite part of Croatia away from the coast is Plitvice National Park:

Don’t know why it’s not regarded as one of the major natural sites in Europe tbh tbf - I’ve been to Niagara and Iguazu and enjoyed Plitvice more than both…

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Hvar is beautiful but very pricy, seems like a bit of a hangout for people with yachts… however we got a reasonable apartment and you can hire a boat to take out to the chain of islands just offshore, loads of beautiful beaches and islands to choose from.

As I started the thread I thought I better feed back.

Ended up starting in Split and used it more as a base to go elsewhere (Split was nice enough but didn’t feel like there was much to do though had some excellent food) but had trips to Hvar, Plitvice Lakes and other smaller islands.

Dubrovnik was beautiful - more expensive and a lot more touristy but was very charmed by it all. Lokrum was beautiful and had a very pleasant day there.

Anyway, loved it. Very miserable to be home.

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Can I ask how you got around - that sounds like a good amount of mileage :+1:

Boats mainly and went on a coach trip to the lakes. Driving seemed quite brutal, as documented above.

Last time we went, we hadn’t planned to drive but ended up hiring a car once we got there as it seemed the easiest way to get around. Had no problem with driving there tbh - toll roads were all super modern - but would always rather other transport if possible as driving never feels like much of a holiday…

Bumping an old thread, any new opinions on Dubrovnik? Might go there in August