Croatia & SloveniaFavorite discoveries or tips: The Bled Pub is a very happening spot. Lots of fun with a great nightlife. Lisa Valle in Sycamore, IL USA 07/03/2008 The islands of Vis and Brac were fantastic. Not talked about much in the books, but truly amazing. Vis was quiet and quaint, but had enough to do for a couple of days. Paul in Seattle, WA USA 06/24/2008 In Opatija, Hemingway's restaurant was great. The food was tasty and was obviously made with great care. In Dubrovnik we stayed at Apartments Amoret run by Branka Dabrovic. Inside the old town near the Pucic Hotel. (www.dubrovnik-amoret.com) Russell Dohrmann in Boulder, CO USA 06/20/2008 Zagreb, Croatia was a surprisingly nice place to visit. We stayed for a full day, and left wishing we'd stayed maybe one day more. The city is certainly not in the tourist grind, yet had a wonderful square, a great cathedral, interesting sidewalk cafes, and attractive parks. What Zagreb lacks is reasonably priced hotels. Hotel Central was satisfactory, but expensive. Possibly some research into available sobe would bring the cost of visiting Zagreb down. Tim in Bay City, TX USA 06/15/2008 Great apartment in Dubrovnik. In the old town on a quiet corner with a balcony looking over the wall to the sea and Fort of St. Lawrence. Sleeps 4 in two bedrooms, small living room and kitchen, tiny bath. Quiet, perfect location. Contact Antonia Batinic at the Korkyra Travel Agency in Dubrovnik. They also run a very handy shuttle bus between Korcula and Dubrovnik. Jane in Knox, Ma USA 06/10/2008 We ate at Trogirski dvori on road from Split airport to Trogir. It was one of the best meals we had and very reasonably priced. Jeanne Barsanti in Watkinsville, GA USA 06/09/2008 this web site link doesn't work from the Croatia & Slovenia page in your Guidebook store: See product detail Calvin Hilton in Jacksonville, FL USA 05/31/2008 As a birthday gift, my husband surprised me with a hot air balloon ride over Lake Bled. What a view!www.hotelibled.com/active-holidays-slovenia-bled-summer-hot-air-ballooning.html Conny Mincks in Williamsburg, Va USA 05/28/2008 Valerie Lambertson r,lambertson@att.net Valerie Lambertson in South San Francisco, CA USA 05/03/2008 One way car rental - not so bad! I was worried about renting a car in Slovenia and dropping it off in Croatia - based on what Rick warns of in the book. And, the first company I called had a $500 drop off fee!! However, I just called Dollar and their drop off fee was 95 Euro! The train from Ljubliana to Rijeka was 82Euro for two people. Worked out to $50 a day with taxes and fees. Better then dropping off the car, getting to the train station, getting to the rental car place, renting another car, drivign to hotel - yuck! tee in Seattle, USA 02/08/2008 I loved your book. It didn't feel as mainstream as the others. We went to Mostar from Dubrovnik only because you mentioned it and I'm so glad we did. Liz in San Francisco, CA USA 12/10/2007 Pepo Klaic' is an outstanding driver and tour guide! Lana Gilster in Minneapolis, MN USA 11/09/2007 Restaurant Paladini Giardina on Hvar. The ferry ride was easy and beautiful and this restaurant was the best meal I had on our 2 and a half week tour of Croatia...had a beautiful terrace. Also fell in love with Pag cheese!!!!!! Shannon Hamilton in North Little Rock, AR USA 11/05/2007 The lightweight thermal underwear they sell these days is a wonderful alternative to packing bulky sweaters or sweatshirts! Forget about going to the bus station at Pula by taxi and catching a bus to Rovinj. I found a great company, www.istriatour.com, and made a reservation for a driver for no up-front fee. The driver met us at the airport holding up a sign with my name, and took us to Rovinj(45 min.), for only 150 Kuna (about $30). Saved a lot of time and hassle. Be sure to get Kuna before arrival. Exchange office at Pula was closed when we arrived at 11:45. Don't know if there was an ATM. Speaking of which, when we tried to get Euros at an ATM in Portoroz, Slovenia, we couldn't get all 3 of our cards to work, although the machine was spitting out cash for the locals. The TI girl directed us to a bank which was a 10 min. walk away, and neglected to tell us the banks were closed from noon to 3. So back to the TI, where the girl sent us back close to the same bank, to a Post Office, which was fortunately open for business. We discovered there is no bus station in Portoroz, only a bus stop in front of one of the TIs, set back a bit from the main road. Be aware that the TIs also close for part of the afternoon. In Porec, we stayed at the Hotel Pical, Pical 2, 52440 Porec, Tel 407 000. We got a seaview room with balcony for about $80(Oct. 2007). Included was one of the most awesome breakfast buffets you will ever encounter. We also recommend paying the approx. $24. for the spectacular dinner buffet, with many meat dishes, pastas, desserts, and free flowing beer and wine! The only drawback to this hotel was the noise level. Music from the lounge continued until 2:30 a.m., so take your earplugs if you are a light sleeper! Linda in Torrance, CA USA 11/04/2007 We found a sobe in Dubrovnik which was recommended by one of the owners of an accommodation listed in your book. (We were travelling in late September and called about 10 days ahead of time thinking, we would easily be able to book our first choice. No luck; 3 strikes, but the third owner suggested a neighbor of hers. We were able to book a room there for 3 days and were very happy. The room was small and simple but very clean. The big bonus: on one side, the window opened to the Mediterranean. All we could hear were the waves rolling in, washing the gravel up the beach and the gravel rolling down again. Even the biggest insomniac would fall asleep in a minute. Contact information: Ivan & Mara Marevic Od Tabakarije 39 20 000 Dubrovnik Croatia el.: 385 (0) 20 427-943 Christl Kasler in Walnut Creek, CA USA 10/31/2007 We also just did a 20 day driving trip thru Croatia and Slovenia (Sept. 20 - Oct. 15). We flew to Zagreb, Hertz was the cheapest car rental (tip: if you rent from US you are told that you cannot leave the car in the airport before 7:00 a.m. Not true, as the agent will tell you at the airport. Also, flying out early creates a big problem about where to stay the night before you leave--the Aristos Hotel--the only one near the airport--wanted $180 for a double. We stayed in Samobor and dropped the car off early and had not problems.) We spent the night at the Hotel Livadic in Samobor, made reservations in advance (Tip: We had no trouble with our cell phone on T-mobile the whold trip). The hotel Lavica looks rural on the internet, but is only a long block from downtown, but on the edge of the woods. (Addition to guide book: On p. 74 it says that the ambiance is all there is in Samobor, but there is a paved trail next to the river that starts at the museum, and it goes up to an old castle. It is the big stroll for all the visitors and locals on the weekends and at sunset) . Also, the restaurant behind the Hotel Livadic was great; we ate there three times--local soup, central european food, local lquor). The next morning, we drove through Karlovac, had coffee there, and drove on to Lake Plitvice, staying at the cheapest Park hotel, the Bellevue, no reservations needed. All the sobe are down the road within a couple of miles of the park; plenty of highway signs. (Tip: if you get there in the afternoon, the park will only sell tickets for limited access to the upper lakes. Better to spend your time hiking down from entry 2 to entry 1). Next day, drive down the superhiway to Split, great rooms at Base inside Diocletian's palace, as recommended by Rick. Can't recommend enough; about 20 yards from the center of the palace, and touching Jupiter's Temple. Buffet Fife, as recommeded by Rick, a block down the "boardwalk" was great. Next day, ferry to Korchula (arriving at Vela Luka). No reservations needed. Got great room on second floor, with view, at Hotel Korchula, but there were plenty of sobe signs (Tip: you need to actually walk into the old city before you see the signs). Next day, ferry to Peljesac peninsula (tip: ferry leaves every hour on the hour; early ferries have lots of commercial trucks). Next day, coffee at Ston to see the walls, then drive to Kotor in Montenegro (Tip: the ferry on the Kotor fijord only takes Euros, not Croatian Kuna). Night in old town in Hotel Marija--reservations easily made in advance by e-mail. Hike the walls the next day; dinner at Mlini Restaurant (Major book correction: the directions and descriptions here in the book confused people in Kotor. There are two Mlini restaurants, one back down the fijord about 30 km and in the woods, but the one you are recommending is only 4 or 5 km from Kotor, and you have to turn off the fijord road directly towards the water where there is a parking lot in front of the restaurant. The book's directions are wrong.) Restaurant was highlight of the trip. Next day, drove to Dubrovnik and stayed at Restaurant Orhan guest house rooms, called the day before to reserve. (Tip: there is free parking two blocks above the Restaurant, overlooking the water. You need to walk to the Restaurant and rooms, but they are scenically located on the water and only about 100 yards from the main gate to the old town. Konoba Kamince was great, as recommended by Rick, but they closed early on the rainy night we were there, and only had their six indoor tables open. Next day (and Biggest Correction needed in the book)--we drove up the coast to get the upper tour of Croatia. Rick Steves and Frommers both basically recommend two different trips to Croatia--one to the Dalmatian Coast, and one to Isthia and Zagreb. This is because it is an long and tiring drive. The A-1 superhighway that goes north starts around Split, leaving an almost 4 hour twisty coastal drive to just get from Dubrovnik to the A-1. The guidebook should have a short section added about page 131 noting that it is a very long trip and (Major addition recommendation:) that you might spend the night in Zadar. It has a great historic old town, but all the rooms and hotels are north of the city a few miles, above the Ferry landing. We found a great small hotel about 420 kuna (500 is roughly 100 dollars), and recommend the hotel Albin, +385(23)331-137--goods rooms, small good restaurant, but you are in the suburbs. Lots of sobe signs near here. The guidebook shoud provide directions to this area on Dikla street. Frommers has no directions to this area either. Next day, coffee in Opatija--note, the A-6 superhighway is not entirely finished, but still you make good time. Night in Rovinj at Hotel Adriatic at prime location. One reservation made the day before, the other on the internet in advance). Rick Steves says the rooms are drab. They aren't, they're great!). (Book addition: at top of town by Eupemia Church;, there is a small cafe with a great view as you go directly away from town from the front of the church, heading towards the water). Next day, drove to see Coliseum at Pula. Next day, tried for lunch in Trieste, but got terribly lost; an awful place to drive, and then drove to Zagreb (stayed in Samobor again--conference in Zagreb next day. Zagreb is an amazing place to walk around in--highly recommended. Rick's book does not encourage it enough. Next day, at Ljubljana at the pri mraku guest house--reservatons made by phone two days earlier. We met other Rick Stevs travellers who said they liked the Hotel Emonec (but it was filled when we called). (Book Addition--the driving instructions in Rick Steves guide to get to Ljubljana need to be improved (page 328.) We saw no centrum signs on the beltway highway, and spent almost an hour looking for the Pri Mraku guesthouse. (Book addition: the book should add that the guesthouse is a small hotel in the heart of the university district, only 200 yards from the cafe and market area by the river. Also, the book pans the breakfast there, but it was no about the same as any other small hotel we stayed at). Two nights there--hit both Sat and Sun markets. Next day, Lake Bled, then back to Samobor for night and then fly out of Zagreb. Great trip, as easy as going to Florida (Book addition: could have some more croatian and slovenian words, particularly to address people--sir, m'am, waiter, etc, and numbers (one,two, etc). We normally cross-reference Frommers and Rick Steves (if Frommers recommends, but says it is a value, or a bargain, and it is also recommended by Rick, then you can count on it being good). Only negative: Hotel Rovinj in Rovinj never replied to emails, or to phone calls, despite being recommended by both guides. Don Dworsky in Glen Echo, MD USA 10/30/2007 I would like to highly recommend renting your car in Croatia from Uniline car rental agency. We rented from them for 5 days, picking up our car in Pula and returning in Rijeka. They brought the car to us at the bus station, and actually picked us up and dropped us off at the railway station in Rijeka so we wouldn't have to negotiate the traffic. Their prices were significantly cheaper than Hertz or Avis. Superb choice! (excursions@uniline.hr)I would highly recommend including this company in your advice Paul Thiessen in Vancouver, B. Canada 10/12/2007 We just returned from a sensational 21 day driving trip in Croatia & Slovenia. Your wonderful guide book was the focal point of our travel. We visited Zagreb, Logarska Dolina, Ljubljana, Bled, Julian Alps, Skocjan Caves/Lipica Stud Farm, Rovinj, Plitvice Lakes, Tribunj (West of Sibenik), Krka National Park, Split, Havar ,and Dubrovnik. Lots of good travel information available through www.slovenia.info and www.croatia.hr.
Travel in September may or may not have fewer tourists. Some of the big tourist attractions still have tons of tour groups. Accommodations in Bled and Dubrovnik may be quite limited. In Dubrovnik a local hosteller said it was very busy with large tour groups through both September and October. On the other side some of the lesser known locations were nearly deserted of tourists. International Drivers permit now $15 from local AAA
There is much better cell phone coverage for all of Croatia and Slovenia than in the US. Good signal conditions exist even in mountainous Logarska Dolina. If your number of calls is limited I recommend a Telestial Passport Lite SIM card for only $20. It is good for one year, and is usable with any GSM providers worldwide. No more switching between SIM cards for each country.
Picnics with goodies from plentiful local markets are great. Prices are excellent and a wide range of supplies are available from supermarkets to small grocers. Don’t expect to buy ice, we couldn’t find it anywhere.
Toll roads are excellent, but beware of drivers ignoring the speed limit and rapidly overtaking you even when you are at or slightly above the speed limit. Toll roads are nearly complete between Zagreb and Ljubljana, complete between Ljubljana and Istria area, Istria to Split (some sections have only two lanes open), and one half way between Split and Dubrovnik. Smaller roads are usually quite good, but are slow and many are curvy. Go for it and see great things. Some caution should be advised on local roads as drivers tend to go over the center line and are on the bold side. Still at 71 years old I found no real problems in driving. Driving is the real way to see things and people.
Superior viewpoint of Bled lake/Island is from café/viewing deck a short walk uphill from the Bled Villa Hotel.
Krka National Park/Krka monastery is very worthwhile. Tribunj is a place not to be missed. It has it all, old city, nice ocean venues, award-winning food (Tople restaurant), and very friendly people in a small town atmosphere. I could go on and on regarding specific details i.e.: sobe recommended accommodations and places not mentioned in your book. Let me know if you want more details. I have loads of contacts. In addition to yours we used three different tour books. Rick Steves’ Croatia and Slovenia 2007 is the best of the best! John Benedict in South Lake Tahoe , CA USA 10/02/2007 In Dubrovnik, I highly recommend Apartment Panorama http://www.panorama-dubrovnik.net Zagreba?ka 20 vis à vis 20000 Dubrovnik - Croatia Tel: ++ 385 20 411-372 Mob: ++ 385 91 520-3663 e-mail: info@panorama-dubrovnik.net It's a one bedroom apartment with a small kitchen, bathroom (including washing machine), separate lounge, parking, and best of all a private balcony overlooking the old town. In Bled, I'd recommend Garni Pension Švigelj as a convenient option for those arriving by bus. It's about 50 meters from the Bled Union bus stop (not the main Bled bus stop). http://www.pension-svigelj.com/index_en.htm Levstikova ulica 2 4260 Bled Slovenia Telephone.: +386 (0)4 574 48 41 E-mail: tanja.svigelj@siol.net Most of the rooms have balconies and they served the best breakfast that we had in either Slovenia or Croatia. Neil Johnson in San Jose, CA USA 09/20/2007 Would highly recommend in Dubrovnik the sobe of Marija Bilicic(apartmentsbilicic@hotmail.com) -not only was Ms. Bilicic fluent in English but her accommodations were clean,reasonably priced, convenient to bus stop, grocery store and stari grad and she went above and beyond in helping her guests with any of their travel needs. Veda Faler in Bainbridge Island, WA USA 09/16/2007 Well, on my 40th trip to Europe, I finally made it to Slovenia. I doubt many Americans will follow in my footsteps. And, realistically, they shouldn't. Slovenia is a nice country, easy to get around, with some beautiful scenery (particularly in the northwest) and some excellent sites (like Lake Bled and the Skocjan Caves). But it's not a BLOCKBUSTER destination: this ain't France, the UK, Germany, Italy, etc. And prices have climbed to almost the level of Western Europe, so you don't get more value for your money. Because it is more expensive than other more interesting Eastern European countries (like Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic), I would recommend those countries instead. You tend to have a better time travelling when you "feel rich." If I have to pay "Euro prices," I'd rather be in the blockbuster countries. Dave in Philadelphia, PA USA 09/04/2007 Barbara Jakopic (b_lucky2@yahoo.com) gave us an amazing 2 hour tour of Ljubljana - Barbara was recommended by Marijan Kriskovic. She told us about the city's history, the architecture of Plecnik and some wonderful place to eat dinner. The charge was 50 Euro (for 3 people) and was worth every cent! Krista Fouquette in Foley, MN USA 08/29/2007 We needed to get from Korcula to Dubrovnik on a morning the ferry wasn't running. There was a 6:45am bus---but the travel agent in Korcula we consulted advised we could reserve a cab (Minibus) for about $2US more per person than the bus. The best thing about this mode of transporation is they picked us up close to our hotel in Korcula, and dropped us as close as you could get to our hotel in Old Town Dubrovnik. Much closer than any bus could accomodate. Nancy Williams in Avon, , CT USA 08/05/2007 The island of Kolocep was rustic and nice, but not listed in the book. We happened upon it on-line and feel that it would be a good addition to the book. We ended up staying in probably the only place on the island, Villas of Kolocep, which were nice. This is an island for people looking for a break from the city and aren't very demanding on ammenities. Patrick Tillman in Dallas, TX USA 07/29/2007 Just got back from two weeks in Croatia. It was amazing. I thought that I would give you my experiences on hotels, resuaurants, car rental, etc. We flew into Dubrovnik. By far this was my favorite place. I would reccomend four or five days here with taking day trips out. We stayed at Jadranka Benussi's sobe listed in Rick Steves. That place is a slice of heaven. Beautiful view. Comfortable room. The only down side is the bed is two twins pushed together. The TI at the Pile Gate is pretty useless. The only thing they did right was rent us a reasonable priced car to drive to Montenegro. Well-worth doing and beautiful. We had dinner at Konoba Catovica Mlini that Rick reccomended. Delicious! We took a tour with Elite to Mostar. Also a highlight of our trip. Given the opportunity again I would probably drive to Mostar and spend the night. It is such a beautiful city and the people are so nice. Leaving Dubrovnik we took a ferry to Korcula. Important tip: Don't trust the TI about ferry schedules. Check with Jadrolina at the dock. We stayed at the Royal Aparments and loved it. Very modern and comfortable. Next, we spent three days kitesurfing in bol on the island of brac. This is not listed on Rick Steves, but, if you are the water sport type, you will love it. We stayed at the Villa giardino and loved it. Very romantic. From Brac you can take inexpensive day trips. I went to Hvar for the day and loved it. Next, we spent the day in Split(loved the roman ruins) and rented a car to drive to Plitvice Lakes. We stayed at the Knezevic Guest House. Again, cheap and modern. Loved it. The Lakes were truly amazing. From here we drove thru Pula(not that interesting) to rovinj. We stayed at the villa baron gautsch just up the street from Hotel Park. It was a fraction of the price and was a very nice room. Also, the breakfast was the best we had in Croatia. www.baron-gautsch.com. We drove thru the istrian hill towns that Rick reccomended. Pretty-but nothing to compare with southern dalmation coast. We went to Ljubljana and stayed at pri mraku guesthouse. Expensive but nice. Lastly, we drove to Zagreb and stayed at the Regent Esplanade before we flew out. By far the nicest and most expensive place we stayed($207) but well worth it for the restful sleep the night before a long flight. Also, their service was amazing. cathy harrell in alexandria, VA USA 07/08/2007 Of all the gelato we ate in our travels between Zagreb and Dubrovnik, our favorite was right next the the funicular entrance. We tried Rick's suggestion, Millenium, as well but found ourselves back at the little shop on Ilica. Lisa Riegel in New York, NY USA 06/11/2007 |
