1

Hi faezehkh!

As far as Croatia is concerning it is very easy going country with reasonable infrastructure and great offer. Anyway, to tell you more, could you please just tell me when do you plan to spend your 10 days in Croatia (the month) and do you plan to use the car or public transportation. It is also very important the question from where do you plan to enter Croatia and from where to exit it. Please, just supply us with this informations and you will certainly get very good answers.

2

• You're coming in July

• But yes - where will you be arriving & departing from?

3

Hello,

Planning to arrive within the first week on July, will take a flight from Istanbul.
Since no flight booked yet not sure which Airport I will get it. and will leave by a flight back to Istanbul.
Hadnt done much planning yet so not very clear.
Will use public transport since we will be back packing, but if required we can rent a car as well. ( is it cool to rent? DOnt wanna get in to much trouble)

Thank you,

4

After this short explanation, Croatia will never be for you an unknown land, trust me...

Well, now I have all the parameters, so I am able to propose you the next tentative itinerary... I have based it on the flights from Istanbul to Zagreb and from Dubrovnik to Istanbul at the end of your trip. I have to immediatelly tell you, that you can buy online Croatia Airlines ( http://www.croatiaairlines.com/?affiliateid=ac00001&gclid=cmwsx9bmqlacfca-zaodwr6osg&langid=en ) return tickets for the flights Istanbul - Zagreb and Dubrovnik - Istanbul, using multy-city option for the price of 1 319 HRK or 174.20 euros. This is, for example, the case if you fly out from Istanbul on 2nd July and return from Dubrovnik to Istanbul on 12th July. So, I will take these dates in consideration:

2nd July - Depart from Istanbul to Zagreb at 20:20 with arrival in Zagreb at 21:55. Don`t worry because, the buses provided by Pleso prijevoz company ( http://www.plesoprijevoz.hr/schedulezg.htm ) are waiting for every regular flight that arrives in Zagreb. This is by far the best option because the ticket costs 30 HRK (roughly 4 euros). Taxis on the contrary ask exaggeratedly high prices. So, upon arrival just take the bus that will bring you to the main bus terminal (called Glavni autobusni kolodvor) at the city centre. It is advisable that you know where to spend this night. There are sevaral types of accommodations, but I am free to recommend Hotel Meridijan 16 ( http://www.meridijan16.com/eng/index.php/price-list ). The price for a double room with breakfast is 587.60 + 14 (this is so called accommodation fee and it is almost everywhere 7 kunas per person per day and is almost never included in the price) = 601.60 HRK (roughly 79.70 euros). It is within walking distance from the bus station. Zagreb overnight.

3rd July - Explore Zagreb. It is mostly unreasonably skipped by some travellers, but failing to explore it they really loose a lot. For this day you can find much cheaper accommodation, using the hostels or private rooms (sobe in Croatian langauge) the local population tend to offer on the bus and train stations. Concentrate on the old town (both upper and lower) with the cathedral, churches, the seat of government and parliament, theatre, museums, parks... It is very vibrant town and for the travel around it, the best option is to use daily tram ticket. Zagreb overnight.

4th July - Depart from Zagreb by bus to Plitvice to see Plitvička jezera natural park, the most beautiful natural water phenomenon in Euroasia... Depart at 08:40 with arrival in Plitvice at 10:55. I recommend this bus because you can buy your tickets in advance online ( http://www.croatiabus.hr/index.php?lang=en ). Find an accommodation. Enjoy the park until its closure at 20:00. Plitvice overnight.

5th July - Depart from Plitvice (be at the station at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure) at 10:55 for Split where it arrives at 17:15. It is again Croatia bus company, so even this ticket can be purchased online. Find an accommodation in Split and enjoy the largest coastal town of Croatia (it is also Croatia`s second largest). Split overnight.

6th July - Take a half or full day trip to Trogir (close to Split and one of the most beautiful small Mediterranean towns on the Adriatic). The best option is to take a boat provided by Bura line company. Here is their schedule: http://www.buraline.com/index.php/2012-05-07-10-04-08 . There is also a local bus option, but I consider this one to be much better. Split overnight.

7th July - Explore Split and depart by Jadrolinija company catamaran for Hvar at 15:00 with arrival in Hvar at 16:00 ( http://www.jadrolinija.hr/pdfs/9604.ljeto.2012.en.pdf ). Find an accommodation. Hvar overnight.

8th July - Explore and enjoy Hvar. Hvar overnight.

9th July - Enjoy Hvar and depart for Korčula by Krilo company catamaran at 17:55 and with arrival in Korčula at 19:45 ( http://www.krilo.hr/en/sailing_schedule.html ). Find an accommodation. Korčula overnight.

10th July - Explore Korčula. Wonderful place in all the aspcets. Depart from Korčula by G & V line catamaran for Dubrovnik at 16:00 with arrival in Dubrovnik at 18:35 ( http://www.gv-line.hr/raspprint.php?linija=3&red=54 ). Find an accommodation. Dubrovnik overnight.

11th July - Explore Dubrovnik, the real pearl of the Mediterranean. Dubrovnik overnight.

12th July - Explore Dubrovnik until departure to the airport from where you have a flight to Zagreb at 16:10 with arrival in Istanbul at 19:20.

Now, as you can see, you can take a map and look after the places and the routes that I have proposed to you. Please, don`t consider for this itinerary to be the best or anything else, but you can have it as a framework for your further investigation before the final conclusions. The only thing that I have to say and to recommend is that, if you are satisfied with the price of the return ticket for the jurney between Istanbul and Croatia, you should really act promptly because the prices in the high season tend to change very fast. Please, keep it in mind.

At the end, feel free to ask just about everything.

5

Renting a car will make things much easier.

While flumy's itinerary is great, it doesn't address your adrenaline needs, diving, snorkeling, hiking, etc. Given your desire for outdoors, I would skip Zagreb which is a nice city but not what it sounds like you are looking for.

Instead I would look at Istria for wine tasting, Pltivice Lakes and Krka National Parks for hiking, perhaps Hvar or Dubrovnik for snorkeling and sea kayaking. Split and Trogir are nice but mostly for history.

Ruth

6

I have to put in a plug here for my favorite Croatian island, Vis. It has some gorgeous beaches. The best part is that it is very remote and not crowded at all...only two real towns and tons of wild island to explore in between!

7

WOW, Thank you Flumy, everbrite & Etracy All the information are great and useful and gave me such a relief since now I know how to work through my plans :)
Yey, Cant wait for my travels to start :)

8

You must see National Park Krka, National park Kornati (you can buy one day trip ticket), and all small towns are wonderful and they all have a strong history. My town is Sibenik
Have a nice trip and enjoy Croatia

9

i would suggest to depart from plitvice to zadar, have a lunch and a stroll there, spend an afternoon in šibenik (on the way - also often skipped but the medieval town centre is really pretty) and then continue to split. just my 2 cents :)

10

River Cetina for adventure...options options...Mount Dinara overlooks its source...

11

Hi Again,

So now am going through my planning and gosh its not that easy.
Though to Embassy being closed here in Tehran our trip got a bit delayed.
So some questions:
1- do we need to book any hotel in Advance?
2- where is a good place to spend some night in a fancy hotel and get pampered and all?
3- Do you think we should get out hiking boots or just having normal trainers can do?

Thanks,
Cheers
Faezeh

12

Hi Faezeh

1. Generally, it is not necessary to book hotels in advance although I would suggest (and even more than that) for you to book the first overnight in Croatia. It is practical and it will allow you to start your trip with a peace of mind.

2. I would definitely recommend Hotel Podstine in Hvar town ( http://www.podstine.com/en ). You will really enjoy this fancy place in one of the most wonderful places of the entire Mediterranean. Another recommendation is Hotel Kazbek in Dubrovnik ( http://www.kazbekdubrovnik.com/default-en.html ), the real gem!

3. In case that you plan serious hiking, keep in mind that the Croatian mountains tend to be pretty rocky, so take your hiking boots. In case that you plan just to hike within the boundaries of usual and well beaten paths, then the trainers will be just fine.

I hope the visas are ready and that your trip will start soon.

13

Hi flumy,

Thank you for great recommendations :) you are a star.
So one more question,
Since We are thinking to cover a lot of places in 10 days, how is renting car ? for instance can we rent one in Zagreb and return it in another city. I have done it in UK and US and not sure it works the same in Croatia.
How much is the fuel and how good are the roads for us to drive? Can we easily find our way?

Thanks
Faezeh

14

Hi Faezeh!

You are going to definitely spoil me :)

Renting a car is pretty usual practice in Croatia. There are several companies, so you can choose. There are franchises of the world's largest companies and there are small local companies. Of course, the only thing that really matters is the price.

You can normally hire a car in let's say Zagreb and leave it in Split or Dubrovnik or in most places, understandably, where the company from which you have rented a car has its branch.

When we are talking about renting a car, it would be very wise to contact some of the rent a car agencies before your arrival, just to ask them about the availability of cheaper cars and all the issues you would like to know. I can tell you that my favourite rent a car agency in Croatia is Oryx ( http://www.oryx-rent.hr/en/ ). It would be also wise to make a reservation to avoid potential disappointments because we are talkig about the high season!

The prices of the fuel are here: http://www.ina.hr/default.aspx?id=4224 . As you can see, one liter of gasoline is around 10 HRK or roughly 1.34 EUR or 1.64 USD.

The roads are in most part of the country in very good conditions with good road signs and Croatia has one of the best highway networks in the region. Unfortunately, these highways are under toll regime and the prices are similar to the prices in let's say Italy. You will easily find your way to any place you wish. Just for a curiosity, most of the Croatian visitors arrive by their own cars form Italy, Slovenia, Germany, Austria, you will see so many foreign plates, so the driving in Croatia is not such an issue.