Croatia

Croatia is perhaps one of the perfect holiday destinations for people who love the European feel without the high prices & crimes.

Croatians are friendly and try to be helpful, even when their English is no good.

Also, people who are sick and tired of Western Europe and want some destinations for FIT travel, with European structure. Croatia has it, including World Heritage sites.


PART ONE: THE FLIGHT

From Singapore, it is best enjoyed with a flight to Zurich. A380 or whatever plane, it should be a routine flight.

From Zurich, use the Croatian Airlines (Star Alliance) to fly to Zagreb (the capital) on the Dash8 plane.

Fly DAY TIME Please!!!

OK. travellers complain that the Dash8 is very noisy (turboprop) & small (your cabin trolley bag has to be stowed), but it is a short flight.

The most important factor this that this plane does not fly very high (that is why the Dash8 does not carry oxygen masks)

Just bring along your sunglasses and admire the Swiss Alps as this flight circles to Zagreb.

Don't be shocked to find glaciers and waterfalls within your viewing range. You will even see water falling.

On a nice clear day with a sober happy pilot, he may even circle the Alps a bit so that both sides of the windows get some great Alps view.

Zagreb is a small airport that operate all seasons (some Croatian airports only open during tourist seasons). But small is beautiful. You may even see your checked-in bags dash past you while you walk down a few steps of the Dash8, retrieve your stowed cabin bag and walk from the parking apron into the airport terminal.

The Dash8 video
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xYOssGyRaHQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

END OF PART ONE

PART TWO on ZAGREB itself next time ...

If you being here before, can skip PART TWO and go to Dubrovnik.

How to travel in Zagreb?
Modern trams.



http://croatia.hr/en-GB/Homepage

PART TWO: ZAGREB

HOTEL

If you want to experience living in a nostalgic bygone era, stay in the Regent Esplanade. It is like the Raffles Hotel, without the $$$$.

This hotel is in the New Town. Of course, the Medieval Old Town is more interesting. The street lights there are still gas-lit, not electricity.

Exciting for a travel bug. More about that later.


The Regent Esplanade

Locals called it the Esplanade Hotel and it was used as a hotel during the days of Orient Express.
Yes, the train station is not far from it.

see this hotel tag from the olden days.



But the main reason for this hotel is the major tram stop, being close to the train station. Makes travel easy.

http://www.esplanade.hr/



Inside is luxurious. The main entrance is under the clocks. The photo shows the Concierge desk, very helpful.

Thanks brother Neddy. Appreciate your thread

Up your points when I'm back home later.

Raiders said:

Thanks brother Neddy. Appreciate your thread

Up your points when I'm back home later.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your points. I wasn't expecting them. Hvala lijepa.

DRIVING IN CROATIA (and EUROPE)

I use Via Michelin as a guide, and use one of those in-car coute navigator. There have been changes in the tolls, so I will not discuss here.
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk

Good for working out the routes, the tolls and traffic incidents/detours.

ZAGREB

I was having stone buildings overload, and having told by many to skip this city, I had very low expectations of Zagreb. Many think Zagreb is just a place to fly in and out but not much more.

Boy was I wrong. This tiny city is after all a European city - with stylishly dressed women, cafe culture, a variety of architectural styles, and a cosmopolitan feeling without the rush. I really liked Zagreb a lot, esp the Upper Town which I access using the funicular.

People are just discovering Zagreb over the popular Dubrovnik.

Visit this hidden gem before it becomes too touristy and expensive, like Prague.







Travel tips: Zagreb,A break in the Croatian capital
Joanne O'Connor
The Observer, Sunday 11 November 2012


'Lively cafe scene and handsome boulevards': Zagreb at dusk. Photograph: Connie Coleman/Getty Images (They still use gas-lit street lamps)

Zagreb has long been overshadowed by the photogenic charms of medieval Dubrovnik, but that could all be about to change with the launch of a new direct flight to the Croatian capital and the opening of the city's first "boutique B&B". BA will launch a daily service from Heathrow to Zagreb from 9 December with fares from £69 one way (ba.com). In the heart of the old town, Studio Kairos (studio-kairos.com) offers a budget alternative to bland business hotels with just four quirky rooms, a communal area with internet access and bike rental enabling you to explore the city's lively café scene and handsome boulevards. From €48 per night.



Spend an extra day here, preferably when the market is open, before moving on to Dubrovnik.

Next time, I will write about private cruise in Dubrovnik, before ending the day at a private beach for dinner and an unforgetable view of sunset. The beach is surrounded by cliff, so accessible mainly by boat, but people do try to climb the few hundred steps up the cliff. There are also secluded cliff pubs and other stuff.

DUBROVNIK




http://www.tzdubrovnik.hr

A lot of things to see and do here. Gets very touristy in summer.

There are a number of nude beaches along the Dalmatian coast. Enjoy!

The main highlights of this city is the medieval walled Old city.

From from my rental apartment.




Walk on the city wall, there are cafes to break the walk and soak in the beautiful environment.



The easy walk is towards the sea, it goes uphill inland.




One week stay in Dubrovnik is recommended to enjoy the place.


Next time, I will cruise in, http://www.cunardline.com.au/destinations/regions/mediterranean-cruises/dubrovnik/?view=1859

Cruise into Dubrovnik




Destinations
Dubrovnik/Croatia
Korcula/Croatia
Bar/Montenegro
Paxos Island/Greece
Corfu/Greece
Saranda/Albania
Kotor/Montenegro
and back to Dubrovnik/Croatia

You do not need a big ship to cruise





and the staff still do funny things with your bath towels

woahhh....croatia seems to be awesomee....simply fabolous...must visit there once..!!

Now with the high unemployment rate in Western Europe, the crimes have certainly gone up. Think the only nice place left in Western Europe that is safe to travel would be France. But neddy, another Eastern European country you can try is Czech Republic. The ladies look great and it is safe. Haven't been there before though.

Velma said:

Now with the high unemployment rate in Western Europe, the crimes have certainly gone up. Think the only nice place left in Western Europe that is safe to travel would be France. But neddy, another Eastern European country you can try is Czech Republic. The ladies look great and it is safe. Haven't been there before though.

Click to expand...

Long time no see....

CaoPi said:

Long time no see....

Click to expand...

I've been busy solving mysteries around the world with Scooby and the gang with the Mystery Machine. :p

For those who subscribe to international living ...

Travel to Croatia: One of the Most Beautiful Places in Europe
Posted on February 27, 2014 by Gigi Griffis

With scenes like something out of a dream, Croatia is one of the most beautiful places in Europe.
The scene is like something out of a dream: The sea stretches for miles, piercingly blue and dotted with mountainous islands hazy in the distance. The shoreline is rocky and white, and dusty-brown mountains jut into the sky behind it. At sunset, the cities along the coast take on a faint pinkish glow as the light bounces off their terracotta rooftops.

Before I arrived in Croatia, people told me that it was one of the most beautiful places in Europe. “If you love Italy, you’ll love Croatia,” they said. “After all, the Croatian coast is where the Italians go to vacation.” Most of Croatia’s coast is along the historic Dalmatian region—a place that perfectly meshes Italian and Eastern European inspirations in architecture, food, and even language.

I based myself in Split—the second-largest city in Croatia and the hub of central Dalmatia and for only $750 a month rented a small, exposed-stone studio apartment just outside the 2,000-year-old palace built by the Roman emperor Diocletian.

Despite my love affair with Split’s sunny Riva and perfectly-preserved palace, I discovered my real passion for Dalmatia along the coasts to the south of the great city. Here the mountains creep ever closer to the sea and the crowds thin.

From Split, it’s easy to rent a car—or, for the brave among us, a motorcycle—and speed down the coastal roads with their breathtaking views, stopping to take in authentic, small-town Croatia along the way.

The islands off the coast of Split are an equally beautiful place to explore—and are easily accessible by ferry.

The largest island is Brac, home of the small fishing town of Bol, which becomes a bustling tourist mecca in the summer. Just a few miles west of Brac, its sister island, Hvar, boasts one of the oldest towns in all of Europe: walkable, cobbled Stari Grad, with its waterfront cafés, UNESCO-recognized old town, and bustling sailboat harbor.

While those large islands draw the majority of the tourism, the island that most captured my own heart was tiny, green Solta. Even in the summer, this island draws relatively few tourists. Instead, retirees and families retreat to their summer homes here to walk along the natural paths that follow the coast from the port town of Rogac, and to savor authentic local food in family-owned restaurants like Konoba Momcin Dvor, located just a couple miles from the port in the village of Grohote, where I had the best meal of my entire trip.

Because there are few tourists, the people of Solta tend to welcome them with open arms, treating visitors like family. During my own visit in the off-season, the coffee-shop owner near the port closed the shop (which was empty at the time) to drive me up the hill to a local restaurant because it was windy outside and he was concerned that I would catch a cold.

But the best part is that the sunshine, Italian-inspired architecture, and natural beauty of Dalmatia costs much less than a typical European vacation. My own month cost just over $1,300, not including plane tickets, and you could easily spend less by choosing cheaper accommodations (listings on one site start around $450 per month for a private room in a family home).

Editors Note: Learn more about Croatia and other countries in IL’s daily postcard e-letter. Sign up for these free daily postcards here and we’ll send you a Free Report: Welcome to the “new Europe”…welcome to Croatia.

Nice pictures. Sounds like very exotic holiday!