Croatian coast - add Greece or Italy?

[Palmtree]

We were hoping to island hop the coast of Croatia for my 60th also, but Covid put an end to those plans. Still might happen in 2022 but no plans made yet.
We visited Cinque Terre in 1990 while on our honeymoon. Bliss. Then 6 years later in 1996. Visited it again in 2015 and did not recognize the place. It was more crowded than a world cup soccer game. We vowed never to return.

[Bamaman]

I've been traveling to Europe 50 years, and we go once or twice a year. I've been to Italy 12 times or more, but I've never taken time to cross the Adriatic to visit Slovenia, Montenegro, Croatia, etc. I would like to take a slow cruise over there hitting more small ports than the giant cruise ships go to.

My wife's had me chasing down upcoming (October) cruises today out of Venice and around to the Greek Isles and Turkey. Norwegian Cruise Lines has a big sale ending today with second flight free, free drinks, 4 premium restaurant nights, free excursions, 250 min. wifi and free kids--along with 30% off list price. Any more freebies and they'd be paying me to go.

I am seeing most European open jaw flights coming in at $1050 round trip most days. A few days get down to $750, however. No great bargains like our $418 flight to Berlin last March that was cancelled.

We're still being conservative on 2021 travel and later. But we're sure getting bored hanging around home all day every day.

After your cruise out of Venice, you could catch a cheap cruise in the Med. The flight is the expensive part of cruising Europe, 2021. We enjoyed Crete, Malta and there are other places like Capri that would also be nice.

[Scuba]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman I've been traveling to Europe 50 years, and we go once or twice a year. I've been to Italy 12 times or more, but I've never taken time to cross the Adriatic to visit Slovenia, Montenegro, Croatia, etc. I would like to take a slow cruise over there hitting more small ports than the giant cruise ships go to. My wife's had me chasing down upcoming (October) cruises today out of Venice and around to the Greek Isles and Turkey. Norwegian Cruise Lines has a big sale ending today with second flight free, free drinks, 4 premium restaurant nights, free excursions, 250 min. wifi and free kids--along with 30% off list price. Any more freebies and they'd be paying me to go. I am seeing most European open jaw flights coming in at $1050 round trip most days. A few days get down to $750, however. No great bargains like our $418 flight to Berlin last March that was cancelled. We're still being conservative on 2021 travel and later. But we're sure getting bored hanging around home all day every day. After your cruise out of Venice, you could catch a cheap cruise in the Med. The flight is the expensive part of cruising Europe, 2021. We enjoyed Crete, Malta and there are other places like Capri that would also be nice.

The Croatian cruise my friend selected has a 38 passenger max. My kind of cruise. And it’s not too expensive either, about $2K per person for 7 days, great value for such a small boat.

[Scuba]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palmtree We were hoping to island hop the coast of Croatia for my 60th also, but Covid put an end to those plans. Still might happen in 2022 but no plans made yet. We visited Cinque Terre in 1990 while on our honeymoon. Bliss. Then 6 years later in 1996. Visited it again in 2015 and did not recognize the place. It was more crowded than a world cup soccer game. We vowed never to return.

We visited Cinque Terre in 2002 and loved it. I’m afraid the Amalfi Coast will be a bit crowded for our tastes. On the other hand, there must be a reason for the crowds there?

[oiseux]

We took a journey that had us first stay in Nafplio Greece (it might be the most crowded of the places in July), on the Peloppenese peninsula, seeing Corinth and Epidaurus. There are tons of beaches and other site. We then headed on to Olympus and up the coast to Delphi, ending in Meteora (so more east in the final coastal jaunt then west). Have not been to Corfu, but my Greek friend loves it.

One crazy memory of the drive is the fact that on the main roads, you drive to the far right to leave the center open to a virtual third lane.

The Amalfi is indeed different than the Cinque Terre, and not all shops and fancy restaurants. It does get very crowded, especially if you head to Capri as well. And the beaches probably won't be to your liking. Sicily is another alternative for beaches and historic sites, heading from Palermo west to Trapani and the Egadi Islands and then to the South to Agrigento. Amazing rustic food, huge sandy beaches, great archeological sites, wine (and if you head north, Etna).

[Mr._Graybeard]

Re Cyprus: I was there 40 years ago, loved it then. The Greek side is lovely, but the 1974 war was pretty fresh on people's minds at the time. The Turkish side was obviously in tougher economic straits. UN peacekeeping troops were everywhere. According to Wiki, the UN is still patrolling a buffer zone.

As for Turkey, despite the current political situation, Istanbul is more than worth a visit. Where else can you see a building from the Roman Empire that is still in good repair?

[Chuckanut]

Croatia was run by Venice for years back in the old days.

So for a different experience, I would go to Greece.