Croatia: Small country, Big vacation!
A Pat and Mike's Specialty!
Interested in our small-group tour to Croatia in September 2013? Let us know at travel@patandmikestravel.com
Croatia has as much to offer as several other fascinating countries put together. If you like the castles and valleys of Austria, Germany and France, you will love Croatia, which has the highest concentration of castles in Europe (after the Loire Valley). If you love the French Riviera, the Italian Riviera or the Amalfi Coast in Italy, you will really love the Istrian and Dalmatian coasts of Croatia. If you like capital cities like Budapest, etc., you will love Zagreb. If you like beautiful lush green mountains and blue lakes, you will love Plitvice Lakes. If you like the Greek Islands, you will love Croatia's 1100 islands.
A thumbnail sketch of Croatia: good wine, fabulous beaches and coastline, as well as gorgeous islands, the most pristine clean water in all the Mediterranean area, ravishing scenery, historic cities, charming villages, picturesque towns, marvelous churches and monasteries, folk art, fascinating culture, striking architecture, and well-preserved Roman ruins and antiquities.
Itinerary Outline (subject to slight changes as we finalize the details):
Day 1: Depart the USA
Day 2: Arrive Zagreb Upon arrival, Nick the guide will greet us and transfer us to the hotel. Tonight you get over jet lag to be ready to roll tomorrow morning.
Day 3: Zagreb to Bled, Slovenia We head north a bit into the beautiful countryside of Slovenia. We will enjoy a few stops for photo ops and then enjoy lunch on top of a little hill in the Castle Country. After lunch we drive onward to the beautiful little lakeside town of Bled. Bled is a lake at the base of the Julian Alps. You will enjoy Bled!
Day 4: Bled, Slovenia to Rovinj, Croatia This morning we will enjoy a ride on little unique row boats to a small island in the middle of the lake, as well as a visit to a castle located on top of a large monolithic like rock. Then we’ll head off to Istria and a little city called Rovinj, which is a charming, relaxing place where you’ll find picturesque squares, narrow streets, some very good restaurants with typical Istrian dishes and excellent local wine and beautiful waterfront settings. That evening we will enjoy our Welcome Dinner at a restaurant in town.
Day 5: Rovinj, Croatia Free day to enjoy and explore as you wish.
Day 6: Rovinj > Pula > Opatija We will head south to Pula where we will stop and tour the historic amphitheater that is almost as large as, and better preserved than, the one in Rome. Then, off to beautiful Opatija, which sits in a spectacular setting known as the Riviera of Croatia. It was a renowned spa for the Hapsburgs during the Austrian-Hungarian Empire times. Our guide Nick (who lives in this area) will take you on a short orientation walking tour to include seeing some of the grand vacation homes from the Hapsburg times.
Day 7: Opatija This morning you will enjoy a beautiful, panoramic boat ride on the Adriatic along the coastline.
Day 8: Opatija to Plitvice Lakes The Plitvice Lakes are surrounded by lush, forested mountains and have 16 levels of lakes connected by waterfalls. It is a natural phenomenon of a rare and unique beauty. It is one of the most beautiful national parks in all of Europe and is on UNESCO's list of World Natural Heritage sites. Overnight in a hotel in the national park.
Day 9: Plitvice Lakes to Trogir/Split Start the day with a walking tour of the fantastically beautiful lower-level lakes. On one level we ride a flat-bottom boat to the next level and go from there.
Day 10: Trogir/Split to Hvar Island This morning we will have a walking tour of Split and the Palace of Diocletian, after which you will have free time to do as you wish until mid-afternoon when we meet at the dock to catch the ferry for the beautiful two-hour ride to Hvar Island. Once on Hvar we will
travel over the hill down to the port town of Hvar where we will check in to our hotel for a three-night stay. Nick will take us for an orientation walk around sunset time. You will love what you see! It is like a movie-set wonderland! Hvar is called the sunniest island in the entire Adriatic. Condé Nast Magazine rates Hvar Island as one of the top ten islands in the world!
Day 11: Hvar After breakfast we will go back to the other side of the island to explore and enjoy two quaint port towns with time for snacks, shopping and a bite to eat, of course. Once we return to our hotel you are then on your own for the next day and a half to explore and enjoy as you wish.
Day 12: Hvar Full day to relax and do as you wish.
Day 13: Hvar to Dubrovik This morning we drive to the south end of Hvar Island and take the short 30-minute ferry ride back to the mainland where we then take a drive though lovely valleys and along a beautiful coastline to Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik, known as "the Crown Jewel of the Mediterranean," is set on a peninsula jutting into the Adriatic. It is simply one of the prettiest places in the world. This medieval walled city is 1,000 years old and an architectural marvel. Entering its gates is like a step back in time.
Day 14: Day trip to Kotor, Montenegro Kotor is a medieval walled city that is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It lies at the southern end of the Bay of Kotor. Gorgeous!
Day 15: Dubrovnik This morning you'll enjoy a walking tour of Dubrovnik and the afternoon is free to explore as you wish. You should definitely make the time to walk all the way around on the castle walls of the old city.
Day 16: Dubrovnik A full free day to shop, explore, swim, relax, as you wish. Farewell dinner.
Day 17: Dubrovnik to USA
Dubrovnik on the Dalmatian Coast
Want to see the detailed flyer for more information? Contact: travel@patandmikestravel.com
Download the flyer for our group trip to Croatia.
Price: $3,999 per person double occupancy, not including international airfare