Greece and Croatia

Lisa
Consider flying in to one place and flying out of another. (Fly in to Venice? Vienna? Fly out of Athens?) I've had good luck with this.
Sometimes saved money!
Head down the Dalmatian Coast. Consider stays in Split, Hvar, Korcula, Dubrovnik. (Your choice depending on how it fits into your itinerary). Then take a boat to Greece?
I don't know your travel style. I prefer to spend more time rather than blow through places in a rush. I'm from Los Angeles. When I go to Europe, my brain always has scream at my body to slow down! Get into the energy of the different towns. Pick a few spots, then spend more time in fewer places. Just my suggestion. Reply to this

Hi Lisa

Hmm...I'm pretty budget minded, so I tend to pick certain things carefully such as where I might fly in to, if it were me. A starting point I might suggest is Lubljana, Slovenia, but is it cheaper to fly in thru Venice, for example? Based on my experience, it probably is. Again, sorry no straight answers, but just trying to give you options. If the entry city doesn't matter, start in Lubljana which is a pretty little city, then take the train to Split. Why? Because I think you will love the sights as you take the the train down the Dalmatian coast. The water is prettier on this side of the Adriatic in my opinion. Split is cool because you get to have that posh Euro-Italian feel for alot less money! With the fashionistas sitting in the sidewalk cafes next to the pier with all the yachts, it's kinda cool lol. It also has very cool Roman ruins. Lodging? Again a question that is hard to answer. I was there at the end of March of 2006. So it wasn't high season. I was on my way to Dobrovnik, and the train only goes as far as Split. When I jumped off the train one of the old ladies who offer rooms approached me. On a hunch (and because I had time to kill) I went and looked at the room she was offering. She kept saying, "Nice house, little house". My travel angel (who is always very close to me) blessed me again.
The "little" house turned out to be a quaint little cottage in front of her house. It was only me, but there were 2 full size beds in the cottage, it had a kitchen, and hot water. Cost per night? About $25.00. But should you take a chance with one of the little old ladies? Depends. Ask how far it is and try to see if you can get a straight answer. This cottage turned out to be about a 10-15 minute walk from the train station. Would you put up with that far of a walk with your luggage? What if it wasn't to your liking and you had to walk back? These are the things you have to consider. The cottage was clean, if very modest, the price was right, and the selling point for me? It was in a little neighborhood where the locals lived. Very cool to me. On the way to see the cottage she ducked into this alley, and came out with a couple of loaves of bread. Aha! I knew where I was going to go get breakfast! Stop at the little market in the neighborhood for some cheese, and voila! But would YOU like the cottage? Some people would look at it and and say, "Ugh! Dirty and dingy". It wasn't. It was clean (which is important to me) But there was no tv (no big deal to me) and the sparse furnishing (beds in one room, small table in the kitchen) was modest. I don't know if that is for you and your family.

On the bus to Dubrovnik, stay in Korcula. One of the islands off the coast. Or Hvar. Since I think you'd like to spend a week in Greece, I'd say Split, then Korcula/Hvar, then Dubrovnik with its famous walled city. That should take care of your Croatia week.

Also always go to the the open market in these towns. It's a great way to soak up the local vibe.

Regards

Jaime Reply to this

That's fantastic info Jamie, thank you so much!

Can't wait to hear about your trip, Shari. Have a wonderful time.

Lisa Reply to this