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Thread: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

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    Adar's Avatar Just doing it
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    Default Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    I am discussing this with some friends and I am looking for advice, input or reasons to convince them that my idea is good. We are going in early July and the girls want a decent amount of sun so Britain (where I was 2 years ago and loved it) and NW France are out of the picture.

    Some options are:

    Southern Spain: Sevilla, Cordoba and beaches is a nice combination.

    Czech Republic: Beer and mountains is nice.

    Croatia-Slovenia: I want to experience the Slovenian caves for a day or two and then move down the Croatian coast.

    Would you prefer one of these or should we go for something completely different?
    Last edited by Adar; May 03, 2014 at 08:27 AM.

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    Default Re: Best area for a one week car trip in Europe?

    Quote Originally Posted by Adar View Post
    I am discussing this with some friends and I am looking for advice, input or reasons to convince them that my idea is good. We are going in early July and the girls want a decent amount of sun so Britain (where I was 2 years ago and loved it) and NW France are out of the picture.

    Some options are:

    Southern Spain: Sevilla, Cordoba and beaches is a nice combination.
    Well, Cordoba is certainly one of my favourite toursit destinations. I consider her arabic heritage, together with Isfahan and Samarkand, as the perfect examples of islamic architecture. The same, of course, applies for Sevilla and her gothic cathedral.
    However, Southern Spain is unfortunately harmed by: a) really hot temperatures (even reaching to 40 degrees) and b) the fact that the Spaniards managed to ruin their beaches really efficiently. The entire east coast of the Iberian Penninsula is full of unbelievably ugly buildings, harmonized perfectly with the over-abundance of tourists and garbage.
    Personally, I would avoid the beaches/coastal communities like the plague, as there's more neon, cement and plastic than sand (from Sahara). Even the Balearic islands look prettier than the tourist-trap coast of Andalusia.

    Quote Originally Posted by Adar View Post
    Czech Republic: Beer and mountains is nice.
    Unfortunately, I have only visited Prague (in a rather bad time, the whole city was under a reconstruction/restoration program), but I doubt that Czech Republic's countryside will be particularly sunny. July and August are apparently the wetter months.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adar View Post
    Croatia-Slovenia: I want to experience the Slovenian caves for a day or two and then move down the Croatian coast.
    Well, Dalmatia is pretty beautiful. Rather expectedly, the Croatians have already started to build like crazy, so the earlier you visit Croatia, the better. Additionally, I would recommend you to pay a visit to the Slovenian castles, especially the one of Bled.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adar View Post
    Would you prefer one of these or should we go for something completely different?
    From the three you listed, I would choose Dalmatia, but I would also suggest you considering the option of Turkey. The Western coast of Turkey is really beautiful and much less constructed than both Andalusia and Dalmatia, with relatively high temperatures,, forested areas, comfortable hotels and plenty of archaelogical sites, such as Ephesus or Sardis.

    You could start from either Halicarnassus/Bodrum (black spot) or the Gallipoli straits (red spot) and continue northwards/southwards. Along the way, you could visit the numerous Turkish and Greek islands (it may be bureaucratically difficult, though), such as Imbrus (dark blue spot) and Tenedus (light blue spot) which are both Turkish, Chius (pink spot), Lesbus (purple spot), Samus (green spot) and Kos (orange spot) which are all Greek.

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    Default Re: Best area for a one week car trip in Europe?

    Sun so Britain (where I was 2 years ago and loved it) and NW France are out of the picture.
    Seriously if you go to the right place - South Dorset, Bournemouth or Newquay you are very likely to get some scorching weather that time of year. Bournemouth also has an incredibly vibrant nightlife and beach culture, probably unlike anywhere else in the UK.

    Source - I live in Bournemouth June - October.

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    Aru's Avatar Protector Domesticus
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    Default Re: Best area for a one week car trip in Europe?

    One week down Croatian coast would mean spending the night in another city every day, and missing everything in between those cities, including most they have to offer. I suggest you just do the Istria instead.

    In your place, I'd go straight to Istria, make a nest there and then take a day trip to Slovenia, it's only a couple of hours away (if you plan on going to Postojna).

    Istria is quite small and most of settlements are quite small, you can visit several places in a day. I suggest western coast, I made a map of very reachable destinations from western coast or central Istria. If you don't absolutely have to be on the coast and beach, I'd suggest staying inland. Not as much options, but potentially cheaper and definitelly less crowded.



    Red places are coastal, blue are inland. I visited almost all of them within a 10 day vacation, and I recommend them. You can easily visit two or three places in a day. As you can see, it's all well connected with a motorway system called the Istrian Y, but traveling on local road between hilltowns inland is pleasurable as well. But careful, local roads are quite narrow and curvy. There wasn't that much traffic on them when I visited (in high season) but a single cargo truck can force you to drive slowly behind him for kilometers until he finds a place by the road to get out of your way (which most drivers did).

    Pictures sell the best, so:

    Rovinj
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    Poreč
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    Pula
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    Motovun
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    Buje
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    Pazin
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    Brijuni national park
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    Lim channel
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    Adar's Avatar Just doing it
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    Default Re: Best area for a one week car trip in Europe?

    Aru, that is an absolutely brilliant idea. We seem to be favoring the Croatian option and Istria is a very good place to visit as we can get there easily (I spent one day somewhere near Rovinj a few years ago so I feel that I've missed most of it despite enjoying the ride there).

    Georges idea about Turkey is also quite cool but at the current time I doubt that I can gather support for that with my friends and Cordoba-Sevilla is probably a target I can hit in a work-related trip instead but thanks for verifying that it is a good place to visit .

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    Azog 150's Avatar Civitate
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    Default Re: Best area for a one week car trip in Europe?

    Does this week include getting there?

    I went to Slovenia last summer and absolutely loved it. We were staying in the North-Eastern part of the country and it was stunning. Not been to Croatia but I've heard tonnes of great things and its high on my list of places to visit.

    So yeah I'd go with Slovenia/Croatia.
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    Default Re: Best area for a one week car trip in Europe?

    Quote Originally Posted by Azog 150 View Post
    Does this week include getting there?

    I went to Slovenia last summer and absolutely loved it. We were staying in the North-Eastern part of the country and it was stunning. Not been to Croatia but I've heard tonnes of great things and its high on my list of places to visit.

    So yeah I'd go with Slovenia/Croatia.
    We fly so it isn't a major issue. There are direct flights to Trieste and (I believe) Ljublijana from where we live.

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    Default Re: Best area for a one week car trip in Europe?

    Also if you are very interested in caves, there's plenty in Istria too (and just about everywhere in soutrhern Croatia, the ground is quite hollow there to a point of being dangerous to wander around wilderness and fall into one).

    I visited Baredine grotto in Istria http://www.baredine.com/?lang=en
    Only cave/grotto I ever visited so I can't judge if it's anything special.
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    Default Re: Best area for a one week car trip in Europe?

    Jaysus: 1 week? You shouldn't go far. Driving sounds good because it offers freedom of movement in theory. If you were going away for a few months, then driving is the best, but for just one week... driving for hours is super tiring, especially in Croatia, the crags, canyons, cliffs, winding roads everywhere, incredibly beautiful and distracting views everywhere.
    Yes guided tours sound super gay, but hear me out: for such a short trip what you need is a well edited, condensed and orchestrated trip. I would advise Kamuka travels. I've been to Croatia twice, once driving (with family, I didn't drive, but my father complained so much he eventually hired a driver) and once on a guided tour and I've been to Slovenia three times, once as a scout, then again as a scout leader then again in a guided tour. The guided tour is just so much more efficient, you can sleep on the bus, you're free to move about during the day, the local cuisine is well chosen and the tour guide is always very well read.......

    Anyway, I know all too well how stubborn Swedes can be. So Slovenia: Ljublijana, nice small city, plenty of medieval stuff to see, the castle is number one, can be done in about 2 hours including a 30 minute film, there's a tram (you can't drive to it) that takes you up the hill but I remember it was irregular so I walked, the walk was nice, but very steep I think I calculated it added 45 minutes, so if you have time and the energy it's a good thing to do. I'm sure there are lots of other things to do, the national museum, I went to but can't remember it, so maybe it wasn't the best, but I was herding children at the time so my view might be skewed. Postojna cave is probably the most amazing natural wonder I've ever seen, I found it more/just as impressive as the Grand Canyon, (everyone knows about the Grand Canyon, so it has to live up the hype) this cave..I've seen plenty of caves... there are no words to describe it, it just goes on and on and on, the colours, the sounds, there are these newts, they'll blow your mind, the Rockies or Croatia are like visiting other worlds, this is like visiting another dimension. Lake Bled is a must see, the architecture of the town, the crystal clear water, the music, the food, the women, it's great. The fourth item is a more optional one, mount Triglav, it's freaking huge, every time I've climbed it at least one member of my party has to be airlifted off it, but if you have the balls I highly recommend it, the view, the size, the sense of accomplishment it's breathtaking (if you have children I wouldn't advise it).

    Croatia, I haven't explored Croatia as much, but it is the most beautiful country I've ever seen (well so far), it's very similar to the Rockies I thought, but a more vibrant colour or something, maybe the difference is I could drink in Croatia and I couldn't drink in the Rockies, but whatever. I found the names in Croatia quite hard to remember, Split is the main one I remember, it was in Rome total war as Salona as part of Illyria. Later it becomes famous for being home to Diocletian's palace, which for anyone who has even a slight interest in Roman history needs to see, it's partly restored, partly converted into churches, bazaars, shops, a charming Da Vinci styled restaurant (no idea why) and a few little touristy things, but not too much. The smell is a bit shocking, it's sulphur, don't worry you get used to it in about an hour. From Split you can get a ferry (you probably can't take your car, but maybe you can) to see some of the nearby islands, can't remember any names, the beer is cheap (especially compared to Sweden or Ireland), the beaches are often secluded, the sand is soft. One thing still puzzles me: the size of the Croatian people, the women are so small and the men are so big..... WTF, how do these giant men come out of these petite dainty women? But it's Croatia's landscape that is most impressive, like Mars mixed with a Salvador Dali painting (speaking of which there was a Salvador Dali collection in Diocletian's palace when I was there, illustrations of Dante's Inferno, incredible, it might still be there actually), the incredible chaos of the rock formations, you'll see the shapes of faces, cats, castles all sorts of stuff.

    Well anyway. You picked two great countries to visit, a week is a bit short to plan on your own for your first visit, but whatever, you'll get a taste and you'll probably go back later on to see the rest. I know I'll be back.
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    Adar's Avatar Just doing it
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    Default Re: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    We have a draft proposal for the trip built on your advice (we not want to follow a strict schedule and we are stubborn Swedes):

    My major regret is that we will miss out on Ljubljana but I think it is better to save that and Lake Bleda for later and focus on Istria now.

    Arrive day 1 and leave day 7 from Pula (we arrive mid-July and leave a week later).

    Targets:
    Montuva
    Brijuni national park
    Pula
    Kamenjak
    Postojnska castle
    Predjama

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Some questions:
    Is mid-July early enough to avoid the worst tourism invasion from Germany?
    Can you recommend any hotels in the Pula-Montuva region? Based on distances we can either stay at one hotel/hostel in the middle or split between two hotels (any recommendations?)
    The same question about somewhere to stay for Postrojnska .
    Any good car rentals you can recommend?

    Other advice?
    Last edited by Adar; May 03, 2014 at 10:07 AM.

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    Aru's Avatar Protector Domesticus
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    Default Re: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    That is logical route for traveling around, though I'm not sure if it's necessary to go through Trieste unless you want to stop there.

    Don't forget to buy vignette in Slovenia. Motorway is tolled in Croatia at exit, and there is also a bridge with around 1,20€ toll on the western part of Istrian motorway. Tunnel Učka, at the easternmost point at the map, is 4€ toll. You'll be passing next to Rijeka, you could consider taking a walk through the city center. There are no specific attractions to see, but it is 3rd biggest city in the country.

    By Montuva you probably mean Motovun. There's a film festival there starting at 25th of July, if you're interested.
    http://www.motovunfilmfestival.com/page/index/id/78

    You absolutely must not miss Rovinj, and I highly suggest Poreč and Umag too. I suggest visiting the castle in Pazin too, it sits on the edge of huge cliff, amazing sight.

    I was on excursion in Istria with school as a kid, and in army veterans resort few years ago, so I can't recomend places to stay. In general you have a choice between the hotel and apartment. I prefer an apartment, with your own kitchen and crap. Also less neighbors. Also don't know anything about car rental, always travel by own car or public transport. I really can't reccomend anything, I have no idea where I ate and what I did or what was the food like. I'm a bad tourist.

    Might want to try asking or at least checking at trip advisor forums or similar for car rental and accomodation suggestions. You could also ask whomever you have accomodations with for suggestions about car rental.

    August is the worst, Italians have collective vacations and a bunch of them come at once and mostly to Istria.

    some useful links
    http://www.istra.hr/en/home
    http://www.istra.hr/en/accommodation...list-of-hotels
    http://www.apartmani-hrvatska.com/en...stra/index.htm
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    Default Re: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    Quote Originally Posted by Aru View Post
    That is logical route for traveling around, though I'm not sure if it's necessary to go through Trieste unless you want to stop there.

    Don't forget to buy vignette in Slovenia. Motorway is tolled in Croatia at exit, and there is also a bridge with around 1,20€ toll on the western part of Istrian motorway. Tunnel Učka, at the easternmost point at the map, is 4€ toll. You'll be passing next to Rijeka, you could consider taking a walk through the city center. There are no specific attractions to see, but it is 3rd biggest city in the country.

    By Montuva you probably mean Motovun. There's a film festival there starting at 25th of July, if you're interested.
    http://www.motovunfilmfestival.com/page/index/id/78

    You absolutely must not miss Rovinj, and I highly suggest Poreč and Umag too. I suggest visiting the castle in Pazin too, it sits on the edge of huge cliff, amazing sight.

    I was on excursion in Istria with school as a kid, and in army veterans resort few years ago, so I can't recomend places to stay. In general you have a choice between the hotel and apartment. I prefer an apartment, with your own kitchen and crap. Also less neighbors. Also don't know anything about car rental, always travel by own car or public transport. I really can't reccomend anything, I have no idea where I ate and what I did or what was the food like. I'm a bad tourist.

    Might want to try asking or at least checking at trip advisor forums or similar for car rental and accomodation suggestions. You could also ask whomever you have accomodations with for suggestions about car rental.

    August is the worst, Italians have collective vacations and a bunch of them come at once and mostly to Istria.

    some useful links
    http://www.istra.hr/en/home
    http://www.istra.hr/en/accommodation...list-of-hotels
    http://www.apartmani-hrvatska.com/en...stra/index.htm
    Thanks a lot. An apartment for 5 days somewhere on the West coast would probably be a good solution and then 2 days up in Slovenia. Ultimately it of course depend on what my companions want but your advice have been invaluable for us to narrow down our choices. At the start I wanted to go to the Czech Republic but Istria looks great with a huge amount of stuff to see in such a small area.

    Also it turns out that we will avoid Trieste completely as SAS nowadays fly to Pula instead of Triese. And I was in Trieste 6 years ago (and here is the thread about it) and I am glad to avoid it. At the time I also spent 1 day at a Croatian beach (which included an interesting conversation with a Croatian border guard) and had a kebab for breakfast in Ljubljana.
    Last edited by Adar; May 03, 2014 at 01:55 PM.

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    Aru's Avatar Protector Domesticus
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    Default Re: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    Ah, I forgot you planned on landing in Trieste. Ljubljana, Zagreb, Pula and Rijeka airports are all within 3 hors from Istrian coast, so maybe you have some more options.

    Here's some more advice:
    Speed limit on motorways is 130km/h. 10% over is tolerated and won't be punished.

    Be careful of fancy clubs, it's not uncommon they'll give you something insanely expensive without you noticing to trick you. Once you consume the drink, you have to pay or they call the police. I don't really know anyone who had this happen to them, but everyone knows someone who's cousing knows someone who fell for it, so who knows how often that even happens.

    Don't change money at hotel, you'll lose a lot on exchange rate. Best you use ATM's, or small exchange offices you'll find everywhere.

    You should always pay in Kuna, but Euros will often be accepted though I'm not sure how officially. Obviously I don't have much experience with that.

    Every now and then you may find stalls by the local roads, people selling fruits, alcohol and whatnot. If you want something they sell, do buy. It's home made stuff, traditionally made and of higher quality and with less poison than what you find in the big stores.

    Plastic bottles are recycled, can be sold for 0,50kn. Not something you care about, but you'll no doubt carry bottles of water anywhere. You'll see "bottle collectors" walking around like beggars, but trust me they often make good money from selling bottles and I rather give a bottle straight to tham rather than letting them go through the trash, or leave it next to trash bin. It will be picked up in a matter of minutes.

    Ah, of course. Watch Anthony Bourdain in Croatia if you didn't already. He was in Istria in a restauraunt that is supposedly highly recommended, so there, at least something.

    Istria has good wines and some nice rakija types (I specially liked Istarska Medica, a honey rakija), but no local beers that I know of. You'll find Laško pivo from Slovenia and Karlovačko and Ožujsko from Croatia as most popular.

    There will be Croatia Open tennis tournament in Umag between July 17 and 27, if you're interested in such a thing. http://www.croatiaopen.hr/eng/

    Oh, and where ever you go, visit tourist office first (should be somewhere in town centre, or have a stall at main square) and pick up some prospects, all info on what to see will be there for free.

    This may be fun to see. Or it's totally lame, don't know. http://dinopark.hr/en/

    That's all I can think of. There's other stuff you can do like hiking and what not, but I don't know anything about that, plus any tourist prospect will cover those.
    Last edited by Aru; May 03, 2014 at 02:47 PM.
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    Default Re: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    Thanks a lot for the advice!

    This is being of a lot of use and due to unforseen circumstances I will be here for two weeks so I get the opportunity to enjoy Slovenia as well .

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    Aru's Avatar Protector Domesticus
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    Default Re: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    No problem.
    Are you here yet?
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    Default Re: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    Soon

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    Default Re: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    This week have turned into a two week trip and right now I am sitting on the airport waiting for the people whom I will enjoy the second week with.

    The first week have been spent in Istria and the second week will focus on Slovenia and
    Rijeka/Krk. Istria is a very good place to relax and you can mix swimming with sightseeing. The villages remind me a lot of Italy but life in Istria is far more relaxed and calm than in Italy so I am happy :-) .

    It would have been good if my German was better but people are nice and my only issue have been with the car rental. He required an excesive deposit which caused some issues but upon returning the car I managed to get him to waiver the excess insurance fee caused by him.


    So I am not looking foward to hiring the second car from the same guy in an hour :-)
    Last edited by Adar; July 22, 2014 at 03:54 AM.

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    Aru's Avatar Protector Domesticus
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    Default Re: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    I'm sure there's more than one rent-a-car in the area, but I have no experience with that.
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    Default Re: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    This is just a fairly rough draft of my report (it will be it's own thread). But it is too long to send to Treize via PM so I need to put it here:

    General notes

    Unlike other highways on Istria the western highway got a speed limit of 110 km/h. Upon entering

    the highway you recieve a ticket which you show at the end of the highway and then pay (6-51 kn

    depending on distance).

    Parking in cities is (in late July, I suspect the peak tourist season is in August) is easy as long as you

    follow the directions to the city centre and then look for a big parking. All Croatian towns seem to

    have them and the cost is 5-8 kn per hour depending on the cities. IMPORTANT: In many places you

    recieve a ticket upon entering the parking and pay at a kiosk before you go to your car, you then

    use the receipt to open the gate and not having the receipt will cause a traffic jam as well as public

    embarassment as you run past all the cars blocked by you.

    The quality of food ranges from mediocre but sanitary to excellent. Expect to pay 50-70 kn for Pizza

    60-90 for main courses such as pasta and 110-190 kn for meat dishes. Soups and desserts generally

    cost 20-50 kn. During my stay I saw no major correlation between cost and quality so use Tripadvisor

    or this guide to find good restaurants. Beer is generall 20-25 kn and cocktails 30-50 kn.

    German is more widely spoken than English in many areas.

    Getting to beaches is a bit of a challenge. You should really buy swimming shoes (I still got a barb

    from a sea urchin in my left big toe) and the most accessible options are to either go to a camping

    area (charges 40 kn per car) or swim near the city centre of a city or coastal village.

    The trip

    Day 1

    We took the coast road from Pula airport to Porec (got confused by signs to Rijeka so we left the

    highway and then took the slower road). The vegetation on Istra resembles bush savannah and you

    won’t see much by taking the coast roads. The Lim channel is massively overrated (muddy water, no

    views) but the city of Bale is nice and north of the Lim channel there is an entire village devoted to

    serving spit roasted pig which may be interesting (leg of pork is a better choice than suckling pig).

    But otherwise there is not much to see along the road.

    Porec was our choice of stay and just like the other major cities (Umag, Rovinj and Pula) the city

    consist of a nice historical city centre and a lot of restaurants surrounded by ”normal city stuff”.

    Pizzeria Nono was recommended by Lonely planet and the pizza (especially the truffle one) was

    excellent.

    Day 2

    We took a tour along the coast road from Porec to Bale and visited the city. It’s not very touristy but

    got a romanesque church and some fortifications as well as a lot of medieval buildings. After that we

    continued north to Rovinj which is the most picturesque town and heavily featured on post cards.

    Due to it’s fame prices are higher than in other cities but I think it would make a lot more sense to

    visit it by boat than by foot as it’s appearance is best from the sea.

    The church dedicated to St Euphemia was however a nice place to visit (as well as the seaside bar

    below it) and climbing the clock tower was worth the 20 kn.

    No yet familiar with the beach-issues we ended up asking the guard of a camping resort in Versar on

    how to get to the beach. Normally the camping would charge 40 kn but as we arrived late (and on

    foot) we go in free of charge for a later afternoon swim.

    Day 3

    This day we devoted to the north as we stopped by Novigrad on our way to Umag and then pushed

    on to the Northern tip of Istria (a place of absolutely no interest). The woman managing our

    apartment had recommended Novigrad and it turned out to be a lovely beach resort built in the

    early 19th century to entertain the upper classes of Austria and Italy. Theres not a huge amount of

    things to see but the fancier ice cream restaurants overlooking the harbour served some excellent

    ice drinks (both alcoholic and non alcoholic) and a good view over the beaches on the opposite side

    of the marina (the water is clearer outside the harbour).

    I was also a bit eager to visit the Austrian naval museum (just for the concept) but the others

    refused. After staying an hour we left and continued north to Umag which it turns out that I actually

    had visited before during my Eurotrip 2008 (described on this very forum here).

    After visiting Umag we continued north to Katanoro where we had lunch at a taverna and then went

    swimming. On the beach one of my friends cut his foot on a mussle despite wearing swimming shoes

    and I really do not want to think about the damage if he hadn’t been wearing them.

    Day 4

    The fourth day was my highligt of the week as we visited the Postojna cave and Predjama castle

    in Slovenia. Getting there from Istra takes around an hour by car and requires the purchase of

    a Vinjetta available on both sides of the border crossing and also at gas stations in Slovenia, I

    recommend either buying it just before/after crossing the border or at the top of the mountain just

    after crossing the border to Slovenia.

    Entrance to Postojna (20 ish euro) and Predjama (10 ish euro) can be bought together. The Postojna

    caves are absolutely epic but if you have the cash I really recommend that you take one of the

    adventure tours (bookable at least 3 days in advance by e-mail). Getting through the cave is a bit like

    walking in a cattle herd and the adventure tours are expensive (the 30 € one is rarely organized so

    expect to pay 50 and chose whatever tour you want) but allows you to both see more of the cave

    and doing it in a more dignified manner.

    Predjama is a medieval cave castle constructed and reconstructred throughout the Romanesque (11-

    12th century), Gothic (13-14th century) and Rennaissance (15-16 th). It is also possible to visit the

    cave systems below it which we did not (apparently I am rather alone in my appreciation of caves...).

    On the way back we took the old road which in the north goes through the inland near the mountain

    cities of Groznjan and Motovun.

    Grozhnjan was declared ”city of artists” in the 1960s and combine winding medieval alleys with an

    epic view of Istria.

    Day 5

    We went shopping in Pula. Pula is more of a ”real city” than the other areas and famous for it’s

    arena. This day was really not my day of the trip so I do not have much else to say. ̈

    Day 6

    The Brijuni islands were converted into a fashionable resort during the Austrian period but was in

    the 2nd half of the 20th century converted into the official residence of Marshal Joseph Tito who

    lived there 6 months each year.

    The islands are despite the best efforts of the Croation tourist agency far from fashionable under

    current conditions. Getting there is fairly expensive (250 kn for boat ferry) but a free tour and access

    to the Tito-museum are included.

    For us this visit was an interesting combination of actual enjoyment and a neo-liberal caracture of

    how the government isn’t suited to run companies.

    The first point of amusement was the train tour of the island which was strongly recommended

    by the cashier who sold the tickets. We arrived to the island in the midst of a tropical rain fall so

    getting into the rain covered train really saved our trip. But on a sunnier day I really think that it is

    best to avoid the train as it is horribly slow and only actually stop to display a depressed elephant

    at the Brijuni safari that consist of the most longlived animals donated to Marshal Tito by foreign

    dignitaries.

    The guide was however quite nice when we got to know her after we left the train and walked to

    the Robert Koch monument (Brijuni was the 2nd place he cleansed of Malaria which is an interesting

    story) and the Marshal Tito museum which consist of stuffed animals and photos of Joseph Tito.

    After the tour we went for a swim (with cyclops and snorkels) in the bay containing the Roman Villa

    and and eductional water tour. Apparently you can pay to dive along the tour but of all places we’ve

    swimmed in during our holiday the educational route was probably the least interesting below the

    surface (it is better the further out you get). Sitting on the pier with my wife while looking at my

    friends swimming right next to the Roman ruins was however a delightful moment of the trip. So

    even if the ferry is overpriced and the train tour horrible you can easily spend a very enjoyable day

    at Brijuni.

    For dinner I would however recommend that you return to the mainland and eat at Konoba Ferala

    which we found highly enjoyable (it is also highly rated on Tripadvisor). During the last year I have

    spent a lot of time along the Mediterranean and grown frustrated by the excellent cooking ruined by

    the sea food quickly developing an off taste (by Northern standards where the cold climate makes it

    easy to keep the fish fresh). But here the food was truly spectacular.

    Day 7

    I dropped off my wife and friends but instead of going home I picked up my brother and father

    for another week of tourism. On our way north to the hotel in Buije we first stopped by at the

    abandoned city of Dvigrad (where the highways to Rijeka and Trieste separate).

    In the evening we went for dinner in Motuvun at ”Konoba []” which was the most amazing

    restaurant on our trip. Truffles are a local delicacy and especially the Polenta and Tagliatelle at the

    restaurant are works of art when it comes to bringing the flavour out of a truffle. The Grappa with

    honey served as a digestive is also to die for and I really commend this place to anyone visiting Istria.

    Motovun itself is a very small town with an epic view so arriving an hour before dinner and enjoying

    an Aperola in the small cafés along the city wall is a good way to get your appetite going.

    Day 8

    Staying close to the Slovenian border we decided to visit Umag and Groznjan on our only day before

    heading to Slovenia. This time we asked at the tourist office and were adviced to go around the

    marina (to the north) where there would be good beaches. I am not sure on if it was better or worse

    than other beaches but it was okay.

    Day 9 Adventure tour in Postojna and visit to Predjama

    After my first visit to Postojna with we decided to take the adventure tour to the Pivka and Black

    cave instead of the regular tour. So instead of being herded with close to a hundred tourists we

    had the entire cave for ourselves (kind of, groups pass by every 5-10 minutes but it is easy to stay

    between them) before going through an artifical tunnel connecting the Postojna cave to the Pivka

    and Black cave.

    The tour is (unlike cave climbing in Budapest) not very adventurous but is undertaken in small

    groups together with an experienced guide. The Black cave and Pivka cave is connected to the

    Postojna cave by the Pivka river but also an artifical tunnel built by the Austrians during world war

    1 to conceal troop movements. During world war 2 the tunnel was blocked by the German army

    who stored aircraft fuel in the Postojna cave entrance. Despite this Slovenian partisans were able to

    break through the barriers from the Black cave and set fire to the fuel storage which mean that the

    entrance to Postojna is almost as black as the Black cave but in the case of the Black cave the colour

    most likely comes from a forest fire.

    As a part of the tour we returned to the surface to watch the Karst landscape from above as well as

    below before going back into the Pivka cave. The limestone covering Slovenia is highly porous and

    during the tour we learned about how the ground from time to time collapse opening up gigantic

    sinkholes in the landscape.

    We also revisted Predjama castle but instead of eating at Postojna we stayed at a small grill on the

    road between the two sites. The hamburgers at the place were pretty massive (no fries needed) and

    stopping there is highly recommended.

    Day 10, tourism in Ljublijana

    Ljublijana is a picturesque city perfect for strolling around, eating good food and perhaps visiting

    a museum. Right now the city museum got an awesome exhibition on the city of Emona (today

    covered by Ljublijana) and the national museum of contemporary history is also quite nice (the

    Slovenians are far less pro-Tito than Croatia).

    Day 11, visit to Lake Bled

    Apart from Postojna Lake Bled is the by far most well known tourist destination in Slovenia. It is a

    nice outdoor recreational area and from the walkway along the southern beach you have an awe

    inspiring view of the island monastery as well as the Bled castled perched high above the lake.

    The Bled castle is also worth a visit (9 €) and enjoying a beer with the view before visiting the well

    thought out exhibition of the history of the area is recommended.

    Day 12, Back to Croatia and a visit to Krk island (and city)

    When planning the tour we did not give much thought to the Eastern side of Istria and the bay area

    which turned out to be a mistake. Getting from Ljublijana to Rijeka can be done in two and a half

    hours so bedore heading to our hotel in Opatija we went down to Krk island. We did not see much

    of the island but Krk (the city) is just as nice as the Istrian cities and the beach aouth of the city was

    superior to the beaches we found in Istria.

    Opatija is almost worth a whole travelling thread itself. I’ve never heard of the city but in the early

    1900 it must have been the star of the easterm ,editerranean as it hosted the elite of the Austrian

    nobility. We stayed at hotel Balvadere which is like a real life interpretation of Grand Budapest

    Hotell and located right on the 12 km beach promenade with its own beach. The fopd was bad to

    average and it was far from modern. But the atmosphere was amazing and the fishes along the

    beach plentiful acustomed to humans.

    Day 13 Ucka and climbing mount

    []Is the highest peak of Istria and the nature park surounding it is beautiful. It is possible to drive all

    the way to the top or take a 4km climb there. At the top the view is spectacular and we saw 5 eagles

    at the same time ciricling the top.

    The weather was far from optimal but clouds seem to move around the top along the alleys so

    despite heavy rain it was a very good trip for us.

  20. #20
    Treize's Avatar Dux Limitis
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    Default Re: Planning a one week trip through Istria (Croatia) and Slovenia

    Well so I returned myself. Spent 2 days in München (Munich), 4 days in Opatija, 4 days in Poreč and 2 days in Prague.

    As for Istria.

    It is true that the Opatija area is less popular with Dutch and German people. It is a busy tourist resort but most are Russian or from other Slavic countries. Still plenty German and some Dutch people can be found.
    The swimming is nice there, the water is deep and crystal clear. Sunbeds are 100 kuna for 2 plus sunscreen for a whole day. Recommended as the pavement is pretty rough. The coast is formed by concrete quays. I haven't seem any sand beaches by the way. There is also a small area with sand a shallow water for children. Food is good and reasonably priced.

    Recommended places include Restaurant Istranka and Café del Mar (Opatija).

    Rijeka is like Pyong Yang with better looking women. A good place to eat though and visit for like one evening.


    On the road to Poreč we passed though Pula. A reasonable large city, Pyong Yang flats aplenty but it has nice lowrise buildings too and a marina. Anyway, Poreč is a far more popular tourist trap than Opatija. It is much more packed. The town itself certainly has it charms but the beaches are inferior to Opatija (rocks and cliffs and stuff, more waves and more little annoying children). This place is also alot better for going out (Opatija has 21+ outdoor club called Colluseum and a very very sleazy stereotypical Yugo club called Lord Byron but I did not go out to a club there). There is a small club in the town, one near the marina and a few big and famous ones (like Byblos) away from the town with (free) rides provided by them. We went to this Club Villa near the marina. A few attractive Croatian girls can be found there but they are swarmed by tons of Dutch and German teenage guys. Not really recommended I guess if you want to meet locals.

    Good places to eat/drink are again the Café del Mar (appearantly there are more of them, they have the same styling), Café Central (the personel tries to speak Dutch which is very scary but a good place, very busy, nice gold bass and cevapcici) and Restaurant Sarajevo (run by Bosnians yet they serve pork and give you free Šljivovica).

    How to get Croatians to like you or how to get bar girls to smile and giggle and remember you? Order rakija! Not sljivovica, that pear stuff or the honey stuff, I am talking about the real deal made from grapes.
    Miss me yet?

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