Our Two Croatian Lipa
There is a lot of advice on the Internet about the perfect Croatian itinerary. Croatia is a very long, narrow country, which makes it hard to get around. The train system is not extensive, and renting cars are expensive due to an Eastern European surcharge. The eleven hour bus rides we took twice were brutal (once from Pula to Split; once from Dubrovnik to Zagreb). The buses careened around every inch of Croatia’s long coastline. Scenic, yes, but not comfortable. So if you only have a short time in Croatia, it would be best to focus upon one region of the country.
Also, there is no getting around it: Croatia, especially in late June/early July, is full of tourists. For the most part, we didn’t find that spoiled our experience in Croatia, but it like most of Europe, it may be better visited in the spring or fall.
I’ve already told you about our good experiences at Plitvice National Park and on the islands. Here’s our two cents on the other places we have visited:
Rovinj
We only stayed one night in Rovinj, but we would have loved to have tacked on a second night. Rovinj has a church towering high above its old town, with views of the sea below. The old town is filled with narrow alleys with laundry lines criss-crossing above. Steep steps creep between old stone buildings. But most importantly, Rovinj seemed to be much more full of life than our previous coastal stop in Piran, Slovenia. Rovinj’s cafes and restaurants were full, and its steep lanes were dotted with artists’ shops. If your travels bring you to the Istria portion of Croatia, Rovinj is worth a stop.
Pula
Something about Pula never clicked with us. Its claim to fame is one of the largest Roman amphitheatres still standing. Seeing the amphitheatre was neat, but it took less than an hour. We personally think Pula didn’t stack up with the other places we visited in Croatia.
Split
Split is probably a necessity in any Croatian itinerary that includes a visit to the Dalmatian Islands from a logistics standpoint, but we found the city to be somewhat bland. At this point in our trip, it takes more than historic old stuff to impress us, and we didn’t find Split to have much of a personality. We did like its outdoor fruit market. Its promenade is fun (albeit with strange talent shows). It is full of hundreds of people, especially at night, even if they probably are all tourists.
Dubrovnik
Everything you read calls Dubrovnik the Gem of the Adriatic. This is probably an accurate description, so you are probably going to find what I’m going to say next to be completely crazy. Contrary to what all of the guidebooks say, I don’t think Dubrovnik is a must see and could be skipped. Now, I know no one is going to listen to me anyway, and that’s fine, because you should decide for yourself. I’m not saying don’t go there, I’m just saying if you don’t have the time, don’t beat yourself up trying to get there is it is fairly far south and there are other areas of Croatia that are just as worthy to visit. The old town is definitely scenic. It is enclosed by walls which you can walk upon. Steep stairs in narrow alleys lead down to a wide, bustling promenade. The city is very clean and well-preserved, especially considering it experienced bombing during Croatia’s war in the 1990s. What I didn’t like about Dubrovnik is that it is hard to find restaurants that do not have inflated prices and food better than mediocre.
Zagreb
We hardly saw any other tourists while we checked out Zagreb. After spending time in coastal Croatia in pretty much the high season, it was refreshing to be in a town where everyone is going about the business of living their daily lives. But if you want a city that is not touristy, you have to take the bad with the good. Zagreb will never win any awards for beauty. Out of all of the cities in the former communist countries we have toured, Zagreb had the most drab, utilitarian communist housing remaining. Other than the central old town area, the neighborhoods are full of huge, high rise buildings, all aging metal and steel. Graffiti is scrawled on the sides. At home, we’d wonder if we were in a ghetto. Here, it is just par for the course. And what can they do? They can’t tear it all down and rebuild solely for aesthetic reasons. But what we noticed the people who live there do make the best of it. Meticulously maintained flowers lined many yards. Hydrangeas are everywhere (making me wonder how my hydrangeas are doing at our old house). Window boxes perched on top of balconies, giving everyone bright spots to focus upon. We enjoyed our time in the city. We ate delicious Croatian chocolate at the Kras bonbonierre (reminiscent of Sarris, for you Pittsburgh folks); we rode Europe’s shortest funicular; we ate a delicious meal at a place using local produce on a lively pedestrian only street; we walked through the city’s green parks; and we visited a funky shop.
Meant to tell you, I rode past your old homestead recently & saw the hydrangeas in full bloom. As well as the other bushes & plants in the front of the house ~ the plant life, if nothing else, is thriving there. You two did a great job with your landscaping skills. It looks good!
Thanks for the realistic post, I think the travel perception of the coast is a little over rated. I found Budva in Montenegro as a total tourist trap. And being around mass tourism is tiring, I will shooting through Zagreb for a few days in September.