I would like to do a solo 2 week trip to Croatia in late September/Early October. I am not a beach or club person. I am looking for scenic beauty, relaxing atmosphere and historical sights. I would prefer to not be in a new hotel every night. I%26#39;d like to situate myself in a couple of places and do little day trips from there to see the surrounding areas.
I also would prefer to rely on public transportation rather than rent a car.
I have bought some travel books and now feel a little overwhelmed and not sure of travel distance between places and accessibility by bus.
Thought maybe those who would know better could help me shape my ideas into a reasonable trip.
I was thinking of starting in Ljubliana or Zagreb and heading to Istria. Then heading to Zadar and Dubrovnik and maybe visiting an island for a day or two.
Is this doable? Or am I covering too much ground? Are all places reachable by public transport? What would be a nice town to situate myself in for Istria?
Thanks for your feedback in advance.
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It is hard to pick from all the wonderful choices!
I have not been to Istria yet, but it is the most challenging place on your list for traveling around on day trips via bus.
You definitely can get there (Rovinj is supposed to be a wonderful place from my research), it is just that getting to the little hill towns that are supposed to be the highlight of Istria is more difficult. Would you be willing to rent a car only while in Istria? You won%26#39;t need one the rest of the trip. It would be truffle season, another bonus.
I would think of staying in a few places 3-4 nights each.
You can take an overnight ferry from Rijeka to Dubrovnik. Or you can take buses, stopping along the way.
Please post again when you refine your must-see list more--good luck!
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I can%26#39;t drive a standard car and have encountered most foreign rentals to be standards--maybe that%26#39;s not true. Can anyone speak to the cars they have rented there?
In the alternative, I was hoping maybe I could hire a driver for a day. I did that in Turkey. Is that a common practice in Croatia?
This is the problem with living in NYC for too long your driving skills atrophy or you never learn to drive the hard way. I am considering taking driving lessons for this reason because it is a life skill I should have...I know. But I would much prefer to enjoy the scenery than worry about managing the stick shift, understanding foreign street signs, and not driving myself over a cliff.
:)
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I totally understand. I don%26#39;t drive myself!
I have been to Croatia several times and never rented a car.
That is just what I have always heard about Istria. The connections along the coast are great--Pula, Porec, Rovinj, etc. But when you want to get to those small towns I think it gets more complicated, but certainly not impossible. A lot of places have bus schedules online (just google town name and bus schedule)--these are not 100% reliable, but can give you an idea.
Hiring a guide/driver would be a great idea.
Zagreb is a walkable city, plus it has these cool trams. Zadar is tiny, from there you can bus to Split easily. From Split, easy to visit Trogir and Brac, Hvar. Bus to Dubrovnik from Split is 4 hrs (maybe go to Mostar, then Dbv).
See if you can fly out of Dbv, or fly back to Zagreb.
All of the coastal cities in the south are well connected. But again sometimes day trips are difficult in that you can get somewhere but not necessarily back in the same day. But that%26#39;s okay, you can move place to place--but without having to sacrifice the staying put you mentioned. YOu just have tp pick the places to stay longer and pick the places to move around more. At that time of year, you can move where the wind takes you.
Good Luck!
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I like your plans and I think you can do it on public transport. They do rent automatic transmission cars over in Croatia, but they are not as common. I would suggest that you stay with your plan and try to make it to Korcula. Such a beautiful, serene place with walls like Dubrovnik and a good share of history. Great choice in going to Croatia!!
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Hi Hi!!
We also can only drice auto-transmission car.... and we plan to drive from Zagreb to Dubrovinik for our 21-day trip in June this year.
I found out that Avis does offer auto-transmission cars on their Croatia web site.
We have also driven rental cars in Provence twice without problems, so from what we heard, driving in Croatia will be even better.
Hope this helps!
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Istria is wonderful. It would be tricky to get around the interior without a car - we always rent a car there. The most charming towns and rural landscapes are not serviced by public transportation. While the coastal towns are easily reached and they are stunning, the interior offers completely different scenery - lovely hilltowns, tiny seldom-used roads, forest, etc. And truffles (especially white are amazing) - they would be in season the latter part of your trip. Truffle hunting is incredible fun. Many restaurants feature them on their menus. Pula is on the coast, easily accessible and interesting for half a day or so - the amphitheatre is in remarkable condition. However, there are prettier towns.
If you rely on public transport Rovinj would be a great base. It is gorgeous. If you do not rely on it I would highly recommend Hum, Bale, Groznjan or Roc.
Plitvice Lakes are breathtaking - you say you want scenery? Well, you cannot get much lovelier than that. If you are short on time I would recommend Plitvice over Zadar (although Zadar is lovely as well). It is just something different.
I would suggest:
5 days Istria (it is my favourite part of the country)
1-2 days (an overnight) at Plitvice - you just need one day to walk it but depending on transport you may need to stay the night
1-2 days Zadar OR in Trogir (near Split) - my preference would be Trogir - terribly charming and ancient and pretty
4 days Dubrovnik (several possible daytrips from there) - the views from above the town are stupendous
1-2 days Mljet (a gorgeous, forested island that is far less commercialized than many)
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If I was on my own and driving everywhere I would be completely stressed out, not having a great holiday. I think the buses are excellent and the person who suggested googling the bus websites is correct. The Split bus station has lots of info for example on http://www.ak-split.hr/EN/index.html
Also, you can do lots on ferries, Personally I would try other options before giving into the car route.
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Thank you all for your help.
I think I will rent a car for just a day or two to drive around the small towns of Istria. There appears to be a Uni rental car place in downtown Rovinj which offers automatic transmission cars and its not too expensive for just a few days. Although I need to get myself to Rijeka for buses or ferries southward correct? Is staying in Rovinj going to make that difficult? There only seems to be one 4:40am bus that would get me from Rovinj to Rijeka.
Once I get to Rijeka how can I get to Trogdir or Zadar? I had hoped to catch a ferry to take me down the coast. I thought it would be scenic and maybe more comfortable than a long bus ride. But from what I can see on the Jadrolinija website there is no ferry to either spot. Am I stuck with the bus then?
:(
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You can take the ferry from Rijeka to Split and that is really close to Trogir. You will miss Zadar but at least it can get you to Split.
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Yep, there are many buses from Split to Trogir. If you really wanted to visit Zadar you may be able to take a bus from Trogir to Zadar and back in one day. (You can definitely see old town Zadar in one afternoon)
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