Croatia

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suejb2
suejb2 Posts: 1,918 Forumite
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in Overseas holidays & travel planning
Hi, we have booked our family holiday for Croatia in July. Staying in Cavtat, two adults ,two teenagers for ten days.

Can anyone offer any recommendations for places to see, eat and things to do please?

We have Dubrovnik on our list but that’s it!
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  • savvy
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  • pollypenny
    pollypenny Posts: 29,393 Forumite
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    Dubrovnik was an enormous disappointment! Just crammed with people from cruise ships. Almost every building was a shop or restaurant catering for tourists.
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  • TripleH
    TripleH Posts: 3,018 Forumite
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    From memory (10 years ago), the water front and old town of Split were very pretty (waterfront looked very new and expensive) but behind you could see bullet holes in the buildings behind.

    Just further up the coast was Trogir? again a nice place to visit but not a full days stay.

    If you are self driving, be careful of the drive to Zargreb through the mountains. The roads were fantastic but went from 3 lanes to 1 very quickly (or did back then) and we got stuck in a traffic jam.
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  • PompeyPete
    PompeyPete Posts: 7,126 Forumite
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    pollypenny wrote: »
    Dubrovnik was an enormous disappointment! Just crammed with people from cruise ships. Almost every building was a shop or restaurant catering for tourists.

    Agree Polly. The thing to do is before booking,check the Cruise Port website, but almost everyday has a mega cruise ship alongside, and the number of bods in Dubrovnik saturates the place.
  • PompeyPete
    PompeyPete Posts: 7,126 Forumite
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    TripleH wrote: »
    From memory (10 years ago), the water front and old town of Split were very pretty (waterfront looked very new and expensive) but behind you could see bullet holes in the buildings behind.

    Just further up the coast was Trogir? again a nice place to visit but not a full days stay.

    If you are self driving, be careful of the drive to Zargreb through the mountains. The roads were fantastic but went from 3 lanes to 1 very quickly (or did back then) and we got stuck in a traffic jam.

    Split is a long way north of Dubrovnik though. And Trogir, while quite pretty, suffers every day from masses of tour groups invading the place.

    A trip across the border into Bosnia & Herzegovina isn't a bad idea, or into Montenegro. But the border crossings can often be slow.
  • steve1500
    steve1500 Posts: 1,438 Forumite
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    We went last August, stayed in Babin Kuk, on the out skirts of Dubrovnik.


    As previous have said, it was rammed & found it very expensive even where we stayed
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  • cubegame
    cubegame Posts: 2,042 Forumite
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    Make sure to go to Plitvice Lakes National Park.

    It's a poor man's Iguazu but still very very stunning.

    Worth going into Montenegro and Bosnia (at least as far as Mostar) as well.
  • peterbaker
    peterbaker Posts: 3,083 Forumite
    edited 23 January 2019 at 3:56PM
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    PompeyPete wrote: »
    Split is a long way north of Dubrovnik though. And Trogir, while quite pretty, suffers every day from masses of tour groups invading the place.
    Stayed at Trogir a week 4½ years ago in July at a great and very friendly guest house directly opposite / across the water from the walled town so not disturbed by the nightlife which serves the transient gin palaces mooring alongside the walled town. We had a car to explore the area a bit and I'd return - the restaurants in the old town are numerous and varied to suit all tastes, and the small shops are also interesting enough for all tastes. We noticed lots of PL number plates on tourists cars and learned subsequently that Croatia has long been a favoured sun destination for many Poles as it is a fairly straightforward drive and the last part of the drive through the mountains can be very picturesque I believe.
    A trip across the border into Bosnia & Herzegovina isn't a bad idea, or into Montenegro. But the border crossings can often be slow.
    cubegame wrote: »
    Make sure to go to Plitvice Lakes National Park.

    It's a poor man's Iguazu but still very very stunning.
    Agreed, although I think I read that (like so many locations) it may have been the location for some not very nice deeds ...
    Worth going into Montenegro and Bosnia (at least as far as Mostar) as well.
    We thought about going to Mostar but we had a German hire car and someone said the locals in Bosnia & Herzegovina can be rather offended by them - anyone else heard that? @cubegame? My knowledge of the history of the area is not great, but unlike Italy who capitulated, Croatia was of course very much sided with Germany until the end of WW2.

    4½ years ago even in Croatia there were still shadows of the 1990s conflict unfortunately. One older fellow in a coin shop seemed to take offence at my British accent and wouldn't show me some coins he had on display in the window. Yet a younger friend with a different European accent but still using English seemed to pass muster!

    I remember being a little dismayed to learn that minefield clearance (off the usual beaten tracks obviously) was incomplete and not expected then (2014) to be finished until this year (2019).
  • Miró
    Miró Posts: 6,907 Forumite
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    Agree about Trogir...much prefer it to Dubrovnik. It's much smaller, less frantic and cheaper too. Lots of nice restaurants and cafes along the waterfront where you can sit for hours and people watch......(the Japanese tourists!!!???) We made the mistake of staying in Dubrovnik for two weeks....wanted to come home after two days!

    Also recommend Mostar with it's beautiful bridge and sad history. We didn't have any problems getting through the border...seemed very efficient and friendly when we were there 2 years ago.
  • nicechap
    nicechap Posts: 2,852 Forumite
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    Dubrovnik is worth visiting, as others have said, try and avoid getting crushed in the cruise ship visits. The wall ticket also includes the Fort outside Dubrovnik so went there in the afternoon and did the wall late in the day, circa 6/7 pm, got some great sunset photos then.

    Cavtat is lovely itself. the water taxi to Dubrovnik stops a few places along the way. Get off at Mlini and walk to Kupari. Quite a surreal but fascinating place. https://www.thedubrovniktimes.com/lifestyle/feature/item/336-kupari-a-resort-still-in-ruins

    We did a 3 island tour, bit rushed in places but filled a day. We also enjoyed a day trip to Korcula (where Marco Polo lived) which included stops at salt marshes and wine tasting. We thought Mostar was too far (4+ hours each way in a coach).

    I'd happily go back, its a beautiful country with really friendly people. Hope you enjoy your holiday.
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