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Never been and know nothing about the place. It all looks very nice.
Is there anywhere we should avoid?
Some of the villas look like mafia hideaways.
Dubrovnik in the summer is jam packed. It's lovely, though. The city is overshadowed by the cruise ships.
Split, also good. Islands, great.
Walking & cycling fine. The Pitvicka gorges are amazing , also filled with east asians shuffing around.
I'd say: go.
We did 10 days in Croatia last Easter.
6 days rebreather diving out of Krnica on the Istrian Peninsula then a drive over to Plitvice and the lakes and the final day in Zagreb before flying home. Great place and not inundated with tourists where we were. Cheap too, unlike Dubrovnik which apparently makes Dublin look like good value...
We stayed on Korcula a few years ago. Hotel was just along the Habour from the old walled town of Korcula, known as 'The Mini Dubrovnik'. Beautiful place, very relaxed, lots of nice little restaurants and bars to enjoy.
we went between Dubrovnik and split last year. No car, just used the ferries and visited loads of islands between the two. Highly recommend. Lovely country.
Look into Rovinj, beautiful
Spent 4 days there last September. Zagreb is surprisingly nice and lots to see there. Great coffee shops and bars.
Plitvice Lakes are stunning. Get there as early as possible if you go. Some nice gravel/CX routes locally too.
Ive been to mali losinj. Very Nice. Great sailing but let down by lack of shore access. (When you come from Scotland everywhere is an access disappointment)
Been to Dubrovnik a handful of times and it is usually best around late august. Packed midday due to the cruise ships chocking it but in the morning and evening the old town is bliss. Visit all the off the grid places and beaches midday when life is normal. I'd recommend renting an apartment, our land lord was a legend who gave us food, invited us to dinners and drove us to the airport. Don't bother with the cable car, walk up the mountain (30 mins and worth every step). The prices have risen sharply since my first visit in 2014 though, it really has blown up as a tourist hot spot, (they even extended the airport due to it's popularity). Don't bother with tours around the city, but do a kayak tour/trip.
I live here/there..... Been here for just over 5 years.
It is a beautiful country, the highlight of course is the coast, but Plitvice national park and Zagreb are well worth spending a few days in. Crime is almost non existant, the people are friendly and drinking is heavy..... Food is 'meh' .... Think basic over cooked meat and vegetables and you're about there. Lots of Italian offerings and higher end food on the coast but don't expect to be blown away.
The coast is tricky.... For a smallish country it has a long coast line so travelling between the major towns can be time consuming.... Especially in tourist season when all the Croats and half of the rest of Europe descend on the seaside towns. Pick smaller towns or inland slightly if you want some peace. Most beaches are stone and the few sandy ones are packed.... Stone beaches = some of the clearest waters you will find in the world.
Rental apartments are the best way to go as hotels are expensive and can be a bit naff. A lot of the apartments and villa's are lived in out of season so very 'homely' and have all you need.
Zadar/Split/Sibinik are good bases if you want to travel a bit. Dubrovnik is stunning, worth a day trip but I wouldn't stay there and it is a long way down. The north, Istria etc. is very busy. Islands are packed but you can find quiet areas.
I could write loads more...... Message me if you need any advice.
I used to visit Bol (on Brac, we even got married there!) often but it's gone very showy now and the prices have rocketed. It's much like Hvar now. Got a bit disheartened by the use of the euro despite the currency being the Kuna. We may go back perhaps for an anniversary someday but we don't have any plans currently.
I live here/there..... Been here for just over 5 years.
It is a beautiful country, the highlight of course is the coast, but Plitvice national park and Zagreb are well worth spending a few days in. Crime is almost non existant, the people are friendly and drinking is heavy..... Food is 'meh' .... Think basic over cooked meat and vegetables and you're about there. Lots of Italian offerings and higher end food on the coast but don't expect to be blown away.
The coast is tricky.... For a smallish country it has a long coast line so travelling between the major towns can be time consuming.... Especially in tourist season when all the Croats and half of the rest of Europe descend on the seaside towns. Pick smaller towns or inland slightly if you want some peace. Most beaches are stone and the few sandy ones are packed.... Stone beaches = some of the clearest waters you will find in the world.
Rental apartments are the best way to go as hotels are expensive and can be a bit naff. A lot of the apartments and villa's are lived in out of season so very 'homely' and have all you need.
Zadar/Split/Sibinik are good bases if you want to travel a bit. Dubrovnik is stunning, worth a day trip but I wouldn't stay there and it is a long way down. The north, Istria etc. is very busy. Islands are packed but you can find quiet areas.
Weather is dry and hot June to September.... Last summer it hit 44 so a little to much but mid to late 30's can be the norm
I could write loads more...... Message me if you need any advice.
Hi Stompy - would you recommend Croatia for road riding?
Ugarizza..... Around my parts (just east of Zagreb) you'd be better off with a fatter tyred bike.... The roads aren't great but the scenery is beautiful and the traffic is low. Forestry is big here so plenty of tracks everywhere, just not mapped and gravel or mud.... Much like some of the roads. You can pretty much go where you like and will most likely end up with a full belly and an half destroyed liver!
The coast I'm not sure on....the roads are better, the new coast road (Magistrala) runs along the shoreline and at the base of the Velebit mountains for the most part and is spectacular. Busy as hell in the summer but too hot then anyway. The older coast road is quieter and there are plenty of mountain routes..... Again some not more than gravel tracks.
See plenty of road bikers about and if you want to trek some then Croatia is a great starting point.... Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia...all bordering....Any direction and you're on for an adventure and it is cheap and safe.
Had a fair few 6 and 4 month ‘holidays’ there in the early 90’s,
Despite all that was going on, it was a beautiful place, and somewhere I really should go back to.
Hi Stompy - we (family) are off to Hvar in aa couple of weeks....any off road riding tips please? (BiL is driving over from Vienna with bikes for he and I to go explore on)
Thanks
Did 12 days last year. Flew into split.... split, bol, Havar, makarska then Dubrovnik. Please excuse spellings but each was good but only for a short period of time. Travel was cheap and accommodation was reasonable. Back this year but but further north flying into poulet
Hotel Lone in Rovinj a few years back, lovely place. Also, spent time on a small island off Dubrovnik before that. Overall highly recommended, genuinely beautiful place.