I posted a while back seeking advice for taking teen boys to Europe. We now have our flights to Europe and within Europe booked, so I'm looking to drill down on the Croatia leg of the trip.
We are flying into Dubrovnik and out from Split, with 6 nights to spend in Croatia total before heading to Italy and then Spain. Would have preferred a full week in Croatia but the intra-Europe flight schedule didn't cooperate, which means we are having to make some tough decisions on what to include.
I think I'm going to have to rule out a day trip to Plitvice, unfortunately, as we just don't have enough time. Looks really cool, as does one of the other parks which is a little closer, so I'm a little bummed about that.
Still trying to decide whether I want to do just two nights in Dubrovnik or 3. 2 nights would really only end up being 36 hours or so given our evening arrival time and ferry schedules out. And I'd like to do this boat outing where they pull oysters out of the bay and you eat them right on the boat, which takes a half day in itself.
After leaving Dubrovnik I think I want to just base out of one island so as to limit the bag drags, and possibly do a day trip or two from there. If we had an extra day I'd definitely do two islands, but doing only two nights at each stop with some travel in between, all after a long flight, I think would keep us from ever relaxing and unwinding.
So if we go that route it means only one out of Korcula, Hvar, or Vis make the cut as our island base, with the possibility of a day trip or stop in at another on the way.
We want to swim, snorkel, do a little hiking, see sights, and eat and drink well. And we want to soak in some of the local culture and not just the highest-density tourist spots.
My wife is concerned that Hvar is going to end up being too much of a party and jet set type experience and feel overwhelmingly touristy without any local culture. It's a bigger island, so I know we can get away from that, to some extent, but I don't know if it makes sense to go to Hvar and not stay in Hvar town, which means we can't really get too far away from it without some effort.
Korcula is a little further from our exit point in Split, and I'm a little worried that if we spend as many as 4 nights there we might get a little bored. I do like that Korcula is pretty big on wine and wine culture.
And Vis has a couple of cool spots like the Blue Cave I'd like to see, but I haven't looked into it quite as much as the other two.
Any insight into Dubrovnik or picking an island is appreciated. And any recommendations for lodging, dining, or activities (including snorkeling spots or lesser known beaches) would be great as well.
We are flying into Dubrovnik and out from Split, with 6 nights to spend in Croatia total before heading to Italy and then Spain. Would have preferred a full week in Croatia but the intra-Europe flight schedule didn't cooperate, which means we are having to make some tough decisions on what to include.
I think I'm going to have to rule out a day trip to Plitvice, unfortunately, as we just don't have enough time. Looks really cool, as does one of the other parks which is a little closer, so I'm a little bummed about that.
Still trying to decide whether I want to do just two nights in Dubrovnik or 3. 2 nights would really only end up being 36 hours or so given our evening arrival time and ferry schedules out. And I'd like to do this boat outing where they pull oysters out of the bay and you eat them right on the boat, which takes a half day in itself.
After leaving Dubrovnik I think I want to just base out of one island so as to limit the bag drags, and possibly do a day trip or two from there. If we had an extra day I'd definitely do two islands, but doing only two nights at each stop with some travel in between, all after a long flight, I think would keep us from ever relaxing and unwinding.
So if we go that route it means only one out of Korcula, Hvar, or Vis make the cut as our island base, with the possibility of a day trip or stop in at another on the way.
We want to swim, snorkel, do a little hiking, see sights, and eat and drink well. And we want to soak in some of the local culture and not just the highest-density tourist spots.
My wife is concerned that Hvar is going to end up being too much of a party and jet set type experience and feel overwhelmingly touristy without any local culture. It's a bigger island, so I know we can get away from that, to some extent, but I don't know if it makes sense to go to Hvar and not stay in Hvar town, which means we can't really get too far away from it without some effort.
Korcula is a little further from our exit point in Split, and I'm a little worried that if we spend as many as 4 nights there we might get a little bored. I do like that Korcula is pretty big on wine and wine culture.
And Vis has a couple of cool spots like the Blue Cave I'd like to see, but I haven't looked into it quite as much as the other two.
Any insight into Dubrovnik or picking an island is appreciated. And any recommendations for lodging, dining, or activities (including snorkeling spots or lesser known beaches) would be great as well.
