Six city trip through Croatia, Slovenia and Venice - Apr/May 2014
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 201
Six city trip through Croatia, Slovenia and Venice - Apr/May 2014
We are not travel trailblazers by any stretch of the imagination, but we do get around to lot of places based on the TR’s of fellow travelers. When we were looking for a new place to visit, Croatia screamed out from the forums. So, we planned for a six city tour and made reservations for spring ’14. A United biz flight to London along with a couple of connections through Frankfurt brought us to Dubrovnik. The United plane at LAX left the gate to taxi to the runway on time but had to turn around as one of the doors did not seem to be properly secured. And this little maneuver required a topping off the fuel tank. The final late departure made me very nervous as we had a tight connection at Heathrow. Fortunately, United was pro-active in sending their reps to the arrival gate at Heathrow for escorting passengers with connecting flights to their respective terminals. Needless to say that the luggage did not get transferred to our connecting flight at London and we had to file a missing luggage complaint at Dubrovnik. With the arrival time at Dubrovnik being late in the evening, we chose to take advantage of Hilton’s pickup service. A half an hour ride brought us to the hotel, located in the center of the town. A room on the street side with a balcony and a view of the Fortress Lovrijenac and Adriatic Sea became home for the next six nights.
Dubrovnik Hilton Review:
http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/...croatia.87818/
We have no personal experience with the following alternate options for the airport to hotel transfer:
Booking a taxi online - http://www.dubrovnikcity.com/guided/taxitransfers.php
Negotiating with a local taxi driver for a fixed price ride to your hotel.
Taking a bus run by a private company. The buses are synchronized with the flight arrivals and leave the airport 20-30 minutes after each arrival.
Late in the evening, we did not see too many taxis at the airport. So, they could name their price for the ride.
The Hilton Hotel
Fortress Lovrijenac - View from the hotel balcony
Fortress Lovrijenac - A stairway in the fortress
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Dubrovnik Hilton Review:
http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/...croatia.87818/
We have no personal experience with the following alternate options for the airport to hotel transfer:
Booking a taxi online - http://www.dubrovnikcity.com/guided/taxitransfers.php
Negotiating with a local taxi driver for a fixed price ride to your hotel.
Taking a bus run by a private company. The buses are synchronized with the flight arrivals and leave the airport 20-30 minutes after each arrival.
Late in the evening, we did not see too many taxis at the airport. So, they could name their price for the ride.
The Hilton Hotel
Fortress Lovrijenac - View from the hotel balcony
Fortress Lovrijenac - A stairway in the fortress
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Last edited by Slow_Mustang; May 14, 2014 at 7:23 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 201
Dubrovnik
The rainy season was not quite over yet in Croatia and we had rain almost every day during our stay there. The UNESCO world heritage listed old town is a fabulous place to visit. From the end of the main city drag one needs to walk down few steps and then pass through a gate to the main street Placa of the enchanted old town. On the left side, every 25 or so steps is another street running parallel to the main street while on the right side the streets ramp up a bit before the stairs show up, that lead to a maze of interconnected winding streets.
The old town is encircled by a wall and walking on this wall is one of the activities that every tourist does. The ticket for entrance to the wall also includes a visit to the Fortress Lovrijenac if done on the same day. The main street Placa through the old town ends at the old harbor where Lokanda restaurant awaits you to spend an afternoon with some seafood and beer/wine at the waterfront. A climb up the steps on the left across from the church towards the end of Placa in the old town brings you to the base station of the cable car for ascent to the highest point in the city for a breathtaking view. There are a couple of places along the way to buy the tickets for the cable car and it is advisable to buy them there rather than at the base of the cable car as the ticketed people can walk right up to the entrance instead of having to wait in a line to buy the tickets, which can run to an hour’s wait at midday during the summer rush.
Lot of tour groups and the folks from the cruises show up during the middle part of the day making every corner of the city look very crowded. Some of the other things to do in Dubrovnik are visiting the Promenade and shopping area in the Babin Kuk area where cruise ships dock, taking day trips to the neighboring countries and taking boat rides from the old port for a trip around the nearby islands. There is also a hiking trail to the upper station of the cable car. Sea food is served everywhere. There are quite a few restaurants on Prijeko street, which is one flight of steps above Placa on the left side. Nishta restaurant on Prijeko takes care of the vegetarian/vegan visitors to the old town. Orhan restaurant is located by the steps leading to Fortress Lovrijenac.
The Old Town
A view of the rain soaked main street in the Old Town from the top of the wall
Old Town main street with the day-crowds thinned out in the late afternoon
Table for two at the Ragusa restaurant
[URL=http://s1364.photobucket.com/user/bencon99/media/a953196f-eec5-4cd0-b186-4aad277780b6_zpscbdec41e.jpg.html][/UR]
Seafood platter at the very informal Lokanda restaurant
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The old town is encircled by a wall and walking on this wall is one of the activities that every tourist does. The ticket for entrance to the wall also includes a visit to the Fortress Lovrijenac if done on the same day. The main street Placa through the old town ends at the old harbor where Lokanda restaurant awaits you to spend an afternoon with some seafood and beer/wine at the waterfront. A climb up the steps on the left across from the church towards the end of Placa in the old town brings you to the base station of the cable car for ascent to the highest point in the city for a breathtaking view. There are a couple of places along the way to buy the tickets for the cable car and it is advisable to buy them there rather than at the base of the cable car as the ticketed people can walk right up to the entrance instead of having to wait in a line to buy the tickets, which can run to an hour’s wait at midday during the summer rush.
Lot of tour groups and the folks from the cruises show up during the middle part of the day making every corner of the city look very crowded. Some of the other things to do in Dubrovnik are visiting the Promenade and shopping area in the Babin Kuk area where cruise ships dock, taking day trips to the neighboring countries and taking boat rides from the old port for a trip around the nearby islands. There is also a hiking trail to the upper station of the cable car. Sea food is served everywhere. There are quite a few restaurants on Prijeko street, which is one flight of steps above Placa on the left side. Nishta restaurant on Prijeko takes care of the vegetarian/vegan visitors to the old town. Orhan restaurant is located by the steps leading to Fortress Lovrijenac.
The Old Town
A view of the rain soaked main street in the Old Town from the top of the wall
Old Town main street with the day-crowds thinned out in the late afternoon
Table for two at the Ragusa restaurant
[URL=http://s1364.photobucket.com/user/bencon99/media/a953196f-eec5-4cd0-b186-4aad277780b6_zpscbdec41e.jpg.html][/UR]
Seafood platter at the very informal Lokanda restaurant
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Last edited by Slow_Mustang; May 15, 2014 at 9:12 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 201
Split
Dubrovnik’s main bus station for long distance buses is located near the new port and is accessible via a short taxi ride; or if you don’t have much luggage, via a city bus. The Split bus schedules are available at http://www.ak-split.hr/EN/vozni.red/index.html . This bus makes detours to touch different towns along the way and takes 4-5 hours to reach Split center.
Perched 299 steps above the Split waterfront/harbor is a bar and a viewpoint with a commanding view of the city and the waterfront. We accessed the viewpoint from the back side by walking on a sloping street and then came down on the steps to the harbor. Promenade is a very lively place with lots of cafes, bars, hotels and restaurants. Walking down the promenade one reaches the entrance to the Roman Emperor Diocletian‘s Retirement Palace. The major part of the palace that is still standing, consists of the Cathedral and Mausoleum building and the structures around it. At the end of the promenade is a narrow street on the left with a whole bunch of souvenir stalls, which opens into a flower/fruit market. Making a right turn on the marina, at the end of the promenade leads to various ferry docks on the right side and the long distance bus station on the left.
The following apartment building is fairly decent for a short stay and is located 10-15 minutes from the promenade. If informed about the bus arrival time, they do provide a free pick up service as well as drop off at the main bus station.
http://www.splitapartments-peric.com/
Split city from the viewpoint
Some of the 299 steps connecting the city street to the viewpoint
Split Waterfront/Harbor
Waterfront buildings by night
Croatian folk dance being performed at a stage at the promenade to celebrate 10 years of something or the other
An unassuming entrance to the Emperor Dialectian's Palace on the Promenade
The Palace Cathedral and Mausoleum entry
The Emperor
A square by the waterfront
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Perched 299 steps above the Split waterfront/harbor is a bar and a viewpoint with a commanding view of the city and the waterfront. We accessed the viewpoint from the back side by walking on a sloping street and then came down on the steps to the harbor. Promenade is a very lively place with lots of cafes, bars, hotels and restaurants. Walking down the promenade one reaches the entrance to the Roman Emperor Diocletian‘s Retirement Palace. The major part of the palace that is still standing, consists of the Cathedral and Mausoleum building and the structures around it. At the end of the promenade is a narrow street on the left with a whole bunch of souvenir stalls, which opens into a flower/fruit market. Making a right turn on the marina, at the end of the promenade leads to various ferry docks on the right side and the long distance bus station on the left.
The following apartment building is fairly decent for a short stay and is located 10-15 minutes from the promenade. If informed about the bus arrival time, they do provide a free pick up service as well as drop off at the main bus station.
http://www.splitapartments-peric.com/
Split city from the viewpoint
Some of the 299 steps connecting the city street to the viewpoint
Split Waterfront/Harbor
Waterfront buildings by night
Croatian folk dance being performed at a stage at the promenade to celebrate 10 years of something or the other
An unassuming entrance to the Emperor Dialectian's Palace on the Promenade
The Palace Cathedral and Mausoleum entry
The Emperor
A square by the waterfront
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Last edited by Slow_Mustang; May 14, 2014 at 10:41 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 201
Day Trips to Mostar and Trogir
We took a day trip from Dubrovnik to Mostar, Bosnia. It was a van trip and not a bus trip, so it was a bit more intimate. It was very educational to learn about the religious divide in the nation that has created stagnation because of the main groups - Christians, Muslims and the Christian Orthodox - not agreeing on anything. The group dominance is measured by the height of the main church tower and the main mosque minaret. Our tour guide was a christian Bosnian, living and working in Dubrovnik and the local Mostar guide was a muslim Bosnian who had some interesting insights into the cultural and historical aspects of Bosnia.
A historic bridge that divides the city of Mostar into the Muslim and Christian quarters
From Split, we took a trip on our own to the nearby city of Trogir. The long distance bus stops there and involves less travel time. Alternately, the Split city bus, available from the city bus station, may be used to get to Trogir. The long distance buses run less frequently though.
Trogir, Croatia - Old Town
Trogir, Old Town Castle
Trogir, Old Town administration building
Trogir, Old Town Center Square
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A historic bridge that divides the city of Mostar into the Muslim and Christian quarters
From Split, we took a trip on our own to the nearby city of Trogir. The long distance bus stops there and involves less travel time. Alternately, the Split city bus, available from the city bus station, may be used to get to Trogir. The long distance buses run less frequently though.
Trogir, Croatia - Old Town
Trogir, Old Town Castle
Trogir, Old Town administration building
Trogir, Old Town Center Square
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Last edited by Slow_Mustang; May 15, 2014 at 12:38 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 201
Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
After a two night stay at Split we took a bus to the Plitvice Lakes National Park from the main bus station. It made quite a few stops and even went off the established route to pick up and drop off people. We made sure to tell the bus conductor to drop us off at the Mukinje station, which comes about a mile before the Park entrance 2. The Jezerce village is home to 23 inns and is the most convenient place for a brief stay outside of the National Park. The National Park does have 2-3 hotels inside its perimeter and a longer stay at the Park would justify being closer to the lakes. A 5 minute walk to the Plitvice Miric Inn from the bus station, check in and we were ready for dinner. You have to pre-order the dinner for them to cook the desired items and have them ready at dinner time. The family run Inn functions very smoothly and the whole family is very friendly and helpful.
Review of Plitvice Miric Inn: http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/...croatia.88043/
One of the many Plitvice Lakes on an over cast day
Another lake and associated waterfalls shrouded in mystery on a misty, rainy day
Nature's wonder
It is advisable to start the park visit by taking the park bus to the highest point, coming down to the midway area and then taking the ferry for the rest of the lakes downstream. Next time I am here, I will make sure to come when the rainy season is over, but then I will have to fight the crowds. Even on this rainy spring day, many day visitors had been bused in from the nearby port and perhaps from Zagreb too, making the middle part of the day quite crowded.
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Review of Plitvice Miric Inn: http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/...croatia.88043/
One of the many Plitvice Lakes on an over cast day
Another lake and associated waterfalls shrouded in mystery on a misty, rainy day
Nature's wonder
It is advisable to start the park visit by taking the park bus to the highest point, coming down to the midway area and then taking the ferry for the rest of the lakes downstream. Next time I am here, I will make sure to come when the rainy season is over, but then I will have to fight the crowds. Even on this rainy spring day, many day visitors had been bused in from the nearby port and perhaps from Zagreb too, making the middle part of the day quite crowded.
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Last edited by Slow_Mustang; May 23, 2014 at 10:30 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 201
#11
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Land NL-1421; Air 1A/8C
Programs: Discretely with AA-G AFFB-C2 UA-EP LHLX-S HH-D
Posts: 289
Slovenia not Slovania
Slow_Mustang'ca. Prosim, please, spell the name of the country with a respectful correctness.
Slovenia. Republika Slovenija.
The term 'Slovania' is neither Slovenian nor English. It is used in some other Slavic languages, but not in the language in which you wrote your report, or of the noble country which you visited.
Hvala.
Paul
Slovenia. Republika Slovenija.
The term 'Slovania' is neither Slovenian nor English. It is used in some other Slavic languages, but not in the language in which you wrote your report, or of the noble country which you visited.
Hvala.
Paul
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 201
Apologies
Slow_Mustang'ca. Prosim, please, spell the name of the country with a respectful correctness.
Slovenia. Republika Slovenija.
The term 'Slovania' is neither Slovenian nor English. It is used in some other Slavic languages, but not in the language in which you wrote your report, or of the noble country which you visited.
Hvala.
Paul
Slovenia. Republika Slovenija.
The term 'Slovania' is neither Slovenian nor English. It is used in some other Slavic languages, but not in the language in which you wrote your report, or of the noble country which you visited.
Hvala.
Paul
On a side note, I have always wondered about the inability of the English speaking world to retain the original names instead of mutating them to their convenience - Milano is Milan, Myanmar is Burma, Mumbai is Bombay and so on. It is good that some of them have started reclaiming their correct original identity. But that is another story.
Hvala.
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 201
Zagreb
After enjoying the Lakes, we bade goodby to the scenic but soggy Plitvice area and took a bus to Zagreb. The Zagreb bus station is located about a 15 minute walk from the Hilton doubletree hotel. On check-in, just by being gold members, we were accorded the privilege of a free in-room WiFi and complementary breakfast in their restaurant.
Tram #2 from in front of the hotel takes you to the main train station. Across from it is the King Tomislav Square and long city parks. A 15 walk along these city parks leads to the city center square (Jelacic Sq.) with a monument to a general/nobleman Ban (a title of noblity) Josip Jelacic in the middle. On the first evening that we were there, they were having a rah-rah gathering in support of some national political leader.
To make the description of the layout simple, I will detail the three paths from this square. Walking up along the right end of this square leads to the cathedral and the bus stop for bus #106 to the Mirogoj Cemetery. Walking up along the left side of the square leads to Tkalciceva, a pedestrianized street with lots of local shops, cafes and restaurants. Also, walking along the left side, straight up are some 30 steps which lead to Dolac Market - an open air fruit and vegetable market open only in the morning; up another 10 or so steps at the end to, I believe, Opatovina Street. This street's claim to fame is that it still has the old style gas lamps for street lighting and a city employee comes around every evening after sunset to light these lamps. It too has some restaurants/bars, but is not well traveled. These three main paths are interconnected by side streets.
The Cathedral and the cemetery were impressive, got some fresh strawberries from Dolac, had a drink on Opatovina and saw the man light up the lamps, and ate at Tkalciceva, where the crowds were glued to TV sets for some soccer game. Did not get to take the funicular or visit the Zagreb Eye or the Museum of Broken Relationships. To visit St. Mark's church and the old town was quite a walk. On the left side of this church is the Governor's Palace which houses the Prime Minister's office/residence and the Parliament. May 1 is a national holiday just like in the rest of Europe and trade unions in Zagreb host picnics at various places in the city where they provide music, free food and soda pop. From Zagreb we took a train to Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Zagreb Hilton Doubletree Hotel review: http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/.../#post-2364529
The Main Train Station
The City Center - Jelacic Square
The Cathedral
The Mirogoj Cemetery
St. Mark's Church
Old style gas lamp for street lighting - a streetlighter comes around to manually light them every evening
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Tram #2 from in front of the hotel takes you to the main train station. Across from it is the King Tomislav Square and long city parks. A 15 walk along these city parks leads to the city center square (Jelacic Sq.) with a monument to a general/nobleman Ban (a title of noblity) Josip Jelacic in the middle. On the first evening that we were there, they were having a rah-rah gathering in support of some national political leader.
To make the description of the layout simple, I will detail the three paths from this square. Walking up along the right end of this square leads to the cathedral and the bus stop for bus #106 to the Mirogoj Cemetery. Walking up along the left side of the square leads to Tkalciceva, a pedestrianized street with lots of local shops, cafes and restaurants. Also, walking along the left side, straight up are some 30 steps which lead to Dolac Market - an open air fruit and vegetable market open only in the morning; up another 10 or so steps at the end to, I believe, Opatovina Street. This street's claim to fame is that it still has the old style gas lamps for street lighting and a city employee comes around every evening after sunset to light these lamps. It too has some restaurants/bars, but is not well traveled. These three main paths are interconnected by side streets.
The Cathedral and the cemetery were impressive, got some fresh strawberries from Dolac, had a drink on Opatovina and saw the man light up the lamps, and ate at Tkalciceva, where the crowds were glued to TV sets for some soccer game. Did not get to take the funicular or visit the Zagreb Eye or the Museum of Broken Relationships. To visit St. Mark's church and the old town was quite a walk. On the left side of this church is the Governor's Palace which houses the Prime Minister's office/residence and the Parliament. May 1 is a national holiday just like in the rest of Europe and trade unions in Zagreb host picnics at various places in the city where they provide music, free food and soda pop. From Zagreb we took a train to Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Zagreb Hilton Doubletree Hotel review: http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/.../#post-2364529
The Main Train Station
The City Center - Jelacic Square
The Cathedral
The Mirogoj Cemetery
St. Mark's Church
Old style gas lamp for street lighting - a streetlighter comes around to manually light them every evening
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Last edited by Slow_Mustang; May 23, 2014 at 10:32 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 201
Ljubljana, Slovenia
After an uneventful train ride along the scenic river, we arrived in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The Grand Union Executive hotel was a 15 minute walk from the train station. After checking in we set about seeing this great city.
The pedestrianized city center is a joy to walk around in. The city center, walk along the river, taking the funicular up to the castle with its associated museum and viewpoints were all enjoyable. Arranging for travel for our next segment from Ljubljana to Venice turned out to be bit of a challenge, as there is no direct train service to Venice and the two buses for that destination were both scheduled for early morning departures. One helpful person at the front desk was able to book us on a shared van ride, operated by the GoOpti company, for which we were grateful. The gods of rain did not let up and partly cloudy days were punctuated by periods of heavy downpours.
Review of Grand Hotel Union Executive: http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/...lovenia.87867/
Monument to the national poet Preseren in the central square named after him
Preseren Square
Monument to Ivan Hribar - a noted banker, diplomat, journalist and a one time revered mayor of Ljubljana
The university law school
Funicular station for a ride to the Ljubljana Castle
City as viewed from the Ljubljana Castle
Sokol restaurant located at Ciril Metodov trg 18 in the city center area - www.gostilna-sokol.com - appeared to have some traditional Slovenian dishes and dishes made with game meat. Namaste restaurant - http://www.restavracija-namaste.si/ - serves some good Indian food.
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The pedestrianized city center is a joy to walk around in. The city center, walk along the river, taking the funicular up to the castle with its associated museum and viewpoints were all enjoyable. Arranging for travel for our next segment from Ljubljana to Venice turned out to be bit of a challenge, as there is no direct train service to Venice and the two buses for that destination were both scheduled for early morning departures. One helpful person at the front desk was able to book us on a shared van ride, operated by the GoOpti company, for which we were grateful. The gods of rain did not let up and partly cloudy days were punctuated by periods of heavy downpours.
Review of Grand Hotel Union Executive: http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/...lovenia.87867/
Monument to the national poet Preseren in the central square named after him
Preseren Square
Monument to Ivan Hribar - a noted banker, diplomat, journalist and a one time revered mayor of Ljubljana
The university law school
Funicular station for a ride to the Ljubljana Castle
City as viewed from the Ljubljana Castle
Sokol restaurant located at Ciril Metodov trg 18 in the city center area - www.gostilna-sokol.com - appeared to have some traditional Slovenian dishes and dishes made with game meat. Namaste restaurant - http://www.restavracija-namaste.si/ - serves some good Indian food.
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Last edited by Slow_Mustang; May 19, 2014 at 6:56 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 201
Bled, Slovenia
We took a half day trip to the city of Bled. It offers a beautiful lake with a church on an island within the lake, a castle on a hilltop built during the German occupation and lots of hotels and restaurants. The multi-lingual driver/tour guide was well informed and courteous. She made us all feel like special guests in her country.
The Lake
A boat on the dock at the far end takes visitors to the church on the island in the lake
The Castle
Printer's shop in the castle - such old style shops were used at one time to print material by the rulers and the clergy to control the masses
The city casino
Walking around the lake, which would take 2-3 hours could be a tranquil activity, but the motorists turn the lake visit into nothing more than a tourist attraction.
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The Lake
A boat on the dock at the far end takes visitors to the church on the island in the lake
The Castle
Printer's shop in the castle - such old style shops were used at one time to print material by the rulers and the clergy to control the masses
The city casino
Walking around the lake, which would take 2-3 hours could be a tranquil activity, but the motorists turn the lake visit into nothing more than a tourist attraction.
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Last edited by Slow_Mustang; May 20, 2014 at 5:02 pm