Croatian coast - add Greece or Italy?

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Scuba

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We are planing a cruise on a small ship along the Croatian coast to celebrate my best friend’s 60th birthday in July 2022. Will likely spend 3 nights in Venice before the cruise. We are trying to decide what to add on to this.

We were originally thinking of starting in Rome and exploring the Amalfi coast first, but now I’m hesitant for two reasons. First, we’ve been to Cinque Terre, and after researching the Amalfi coast, it looks like a much more crowded and touristy version of Cinque Terre. High end shopping and fancy restaurants aren’t really our thing. Secondly, if we do want to explore the Amalfi coast, I’ve read that July is a bad time as it’s one of the most crowded months. What do you think - is a trip to Amalfi Coast really that different than Cinque Terre, other than being larger with more variety of shops and restaurants?

If we don’t do the Rome/Amalfi Coast, another option is Corfu, Crete, and the Western coast of Greece. We went to Athens and several Greek islands in 2018 and loved it. We found that each island (Milos, Naxos , Skopelos, Rhodes and Santorini) was sufficiently different from the others visited such that we never felt we were seeing the same old thing even after six weeks. Santorini was beautiful but was our least favorite island due to the tourist mobs.

We like beautiful natural scenery, good authentic food and wine (love local tavernas and trattorias more than Michelin starred restaurants), nice beaches, and some culture/historical attractions. We have seen enough duomos and medieval walled cities after two weeks in Tuscany to last us the rest of our lives.
 
So much to consider. We have been to Greece a number of times. We spent five weeks in Greece pre covid. Three weeks were spent in the Ionian Islands, of which Corfu is the most well known.

We enjoyed Corfu but we very much preferred Kefelonia and Zakynthos. So much so that we stayed on Kefelonia for 10 days.

We have spent a fair amount of time on Crete over the years and toured other islands. If possible Greece and Cyprus are on our list to return this fall.
We enjoy Turkey, especially along the Med coast to Antalya. There are ferry connections between the Greek islands-easy to get to Rhodes.

One of our favorite trips involved 10 days on Malta and then a short hop over to Sicily for three weeks. We had a rental car and toured, then caught the ferry and spent some time on Lipari, in the Aeolian islands off the coast of Sicily.

We would never go in the summer. Our choice is always spring, just after Greek easter, or fall...mid Sept/Oct timeframe.

Our advice would be to pick a spot and spend some time there vs trying to see everything. There is so much to see and do.

IF you plan on renting a car you will definitely need an International Drivers Lic. It is now mandatory. We were asked for it every time we rented a car on our 2019 trip. It may now be an EU requirement, not certain.
 
The Amalfi coast and Greek islands are so crowded with giant cruise ships in the summer it takes all the fun out of it. It's so beautiful, but I don't care if I ever go back.

It's been awhile since I was in the former Yugoslavia, but the Croatian coast is amazing too; and somewhere I was trying to visit before the lockdown. If you've already seen Italy and Greece, I'd just focus on spending more time along the coast - esp. in Split and Hvar. If you haven't been there, you'll be very pleasantly surprised. It's a gem!
 
We spent time on the Croatian coast traveling independently. We took the ferry from Ancona, Italy over to Split.

Then we took the Jhardlelina (sp) ferry system down the coast to Dubrovnic, stopping along the way. Then the night ferry back to Bari, Italy and along to Sorrento.

If you go to Dubrovnik my strong advice is to look up the cruise ship port sched and avoid it when there are multiple cruise ships in port. It is a zoo otherwise.

We do not bother with Cinque Terre or Amalfi any more. Far too crowded. We might consider if it was very much off season even then it would be a stretch.
 
Our Adriaric small ship cruise started at Dubrovnick and was 8 days with only one stop on the coast (Spilt). The islands are fascinating because they were settled around 1000 AD and have all the history.

Then we rented a car and drove from Dubrovnik to Zagreb, with overnight stops on the island of Krk and then Pula which has an intact coliseum.

It is a fascinating place well-worth the time.
 
I was talking yesterday to a close friend who lives in Lugano, Switzerland on the Italian border.

He is working from home, and feels almost like a prisoner after a year's staying at home.

He says Italy is a closed border except for 20,000 Italians that come across the border to work in the Lake Como area.

We often travel to or through Italy, however 2020 and 2021 are off years for us going to Europe.

Greece is reopening shortly, but it's a necessity since their entire economy is tourism. I don't know that mid Summer will be a very good time to plan such a trip. But if you're going, the eastern side of the Adriatic would be safer than Italy healthwise.
 
Thanks for the comments so far. Yes, so many choices!

We don’t have control over the timing, as my best friend’s birthday is in July and she wants to be on the ship for her birthday. It is a small ship with a 38-passenger max.

Good point about Italy being closed to tourists. I’m just assuming that by July 2022 that won’t be the case but I suppose time will tell.
 
Another alternative is to spend time in Turkey....along the Med coast or fly inland to Cappadocia.

We rented a car in Marmaris and spent a few weeks driving along the coast to Antalya. It was wonderful. Very good local ferry connections between some Greek Islands such as Rhodes.
 
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brett said:
Another alternative is to spend time in Turkey....along the Med coast or fly inland to Cappadocia.

We rented a car in Marmaris and spent a few weeks driving along the coast to Antalya. It was wonderful. Very good local ferry connections between some Greek Islands such as Rhodes.
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Yes after our three weeks in Croatia, we flew to Istanbul for 8 days. Great experience.
 
We both have bucket lists as well as preferred locations.

We typically have somewhere in Europe where we want to go. We select based on our list, air fares, rental prices etc. After that we look at where else to go at the same time. We usually travel for 7-9 weeks at a time. Greece, Turkey, and Italy are favourites. Our trips typically involve one or more of these.

Lots of good low cost carriers in Europe, or at least there were pre covid. Last trip to Athens we bought a return ticket. We flew into Athens with a return home from London on that ticket. Very seldom do we buy a return ticket to and from the same city.

Why London? We were not sure where we would end up but one thing we knew for certain that we could always get an inexpensive flight from where ever in Europe to London (or Paris, etc. depending on airline pricing). Sometimes we leave home with a fairly flexible schedule that only covers the first week or so.
 
That London thing is a good idea. I think traveling in retirement is a completely different mindset. When you're working away it's all about getting there and getting back and it's big a hurry as possible. I'm wondering if Amsterdam would work well for Seattle.
 
It is all about the airlines that service your home city. And about the fares for multi destination tickets.

We live in Calgary now. More often than not for Europe we are being ticketed from Toronto (visit relatives first) but flying home to Calgary. We like London because from time to time we can get a direct flight home. It is a competitive route which helps keep pricing in line.

Yes, retirement travel is another mindset. Completely different than our structured travel for work or for vacation during those working years. We have gone the other way when it comes to travel. Sometimes we only book accommodation two or three days in advance, once in a while even less. Depends on where we happen to be and where we plan to go.
 
Hello Scuba! I live in Italy and last summer I was planning to spent around 10-15 days in the Amalfi coast so I can give you some tips about it

getting closer to the 1th of August (so something like 15++ of July) till the first week of september, both the Amalfi coast and the Cinque Terre are really really really crowded! Unless you are using a boat to enjoy the sea, I really don't reccomend going there.

As far as " Cinque Terre and Amalfi coast looks similar" I can tell you they are really different
Cinque Terre is in Liguria and it's one of the favorit spot for people coming from North of Italy, especially Milan. You can think of Milan like an Italian New York City

Amalfi coast is in the south of Italy, and both people or food are really different from the North. I've never been there, but listening to US podcast I think you can compare people from CinqueTerre vs Amalfi with something like NY vs Houston!

Between CinqueTerre and Amalfi you have all Tuscany, so depending on what is your plan ( more sea holiday, or city and historic trip, or food and wine tasting, etc) you can decide where to go, but if you want a more "standard" sea holiday, skip both Amalfi and CinqueTerre!

You have plenty of place in Italy where you can have a wonderful sea + food + historic place nearby, without been in the crowdest place fighting to find a spot in a decent restaurant or to enjoy the beach!

If you have the boat, starting from Rome you can decide to go north or south

up ==> I really reccomend Argentario, Giglio Island, Elba Island, Capraia
down ==> Ischia, Procida, Capri, and if you can go to all of the Eolie Islands, which are one of the best place you can go in Italy if you are lucky enough to travel with your boat ( i really reccomend going directly there and skipping even Rome if you are sick of cities, historic site etc)
 
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On our pre covid trip to Greece we left two weeks blank. We were not certain what we would do. Perhaps pickup up a last minute cruise, or go to Israel, Morocco, Portugal, etc. Our only restriction of sorts was the firm date on an airline ticket home from London and the expiration date of our travel medical insurance policy.

So...we ended up on Cyprus for two weeks. Enjoyed it very much. Short inexpensive air hop from Athens or from Crete. So glad we went. We had resort time at both ends of the island, time in the mountains, and two days in Nicosia. We did not know what to expect when we went. We hope to return...next time to tour the Turkish part of the island.

We had a car for the entire 14 days. Roads were excellent. Driving was a snap.
 
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Elfigus said:
Hello Scuba! I live in Italy and last summer I was planning to spent around 10-15 days in the Amalfi coast so I can give you some tips about it

getting closer to the 1th of August (so something like 15++ of July) till the first week of september, both the Amalfi coast and the Cinque Terre are really really really crowded! Unless you are using a boat to enjoy the sea, I really don't reccomend going there.

As far as " Cinque Terre and Amalfi coast looks similar" I can tell you they are really different
Cinque Terre is in Liguria and it's one of the favorit spot for people coming from North of Italy, especially Milan. You can think of Milan like an Italian New York City

Amalfi coast is in the south of Italy, and both people or food are really different from the North. I've never been there, but listening to US podcast I think you can compare people from CinqueTerre vs Amalfi with something like NY vs Houston!

Between CinqueTerre and Amalfi you have all Tuscany, so depending on what is your plan ( more sea holiday, or city and historic trip, or food and wine tasting, etc) you can decide where to go, but if you want a more "standard" sea holiday, skip both Amalfi and CinqueTerre!

You have plenty of place in Italy where you can have a wonderful sea + food + historic place nearby, without been in the crowdest place fighting to find a spot in a decent restaurant or to enjoy the beach!

If you have the boat, starting from Rome you can decide to go north or south

up ==> I really reccomend Argentario, Giglio Island, Elba Island, Capraia
down ==> Ischia, Procida, Capri, and if you can go to all of the Eolie Islands, which are one of the best place you can go in Italy if you are lucky enough to travel with your boat ( i really reccomend going directly there and skipping even Rome if you are sick of cities, historic site etc)
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Thank you for this information. Great “off the beaten track” suggestions. We loved Cinque Terre and Tuscany when we were there, but it was almost 20 years ago so probably busier now. We are leaning towards doing Rome and Amalfi Coast/Southern Italy at a separate, less busy time. Our Croatia trip is mid-July so we will want to add something immediately before or after for probably 4-6 weeks.
 
brett said:
On our pre covid trip to Greece we left two weeks blank. We were not certain what we would do. Perhaps pickup up a last minute cruise, or go to Israel, Morocco, Portugal, etc. Our only restriction of sorts was the firm date on an airline ticket home from London and the expiration date of our travel medical insurance policy.

So...we ended up on Cyprus for two weeks. Enjoyed it very much. Short inexpensive air hop from Athens or from Crete. So glad we went. We had resort time at both ends of the island, time in the mountains, and two days in Nicosia. We did not know what to expect when we went. We hope to return...next time to tour the Turkish part of the island.

We had a car for the entire 14 days. Roads were excellent. Driving was a snap.
Click to expand...



Interesting, we hadn’t considered Cyprus. I love your travel style! Thank you for all the ideas.
 
My spouse's favorites...

-anywhere in Italy. If I want to go someone where she is not so sure of I just add in some time in Italy. That always does the trick.

-her two all time southern Europe favorites over the past few years:

1. Pre covid trip to Ionian Islands via Ioannini/Metreora, then Corfu, Kefelonia (best) and Zakynthos.

2. Three weeks (almost) on Sicily with car (except in Cefalu, Palermo and the Aeolian islands).
 
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brett said:
My spouse's favorites...

-anywhere in Italy. If I want to go someone where she is not so sure of I just add in some time in Italy. That always does the trick.

-her two all time southern Europe favorites over the past few years:

1. Pre covid trip to Ionian Islands via Ioannini/Metreora, then Corfu, Kefelonia (best) and Zakynthos.

2. Three weeks (almost) on Sicily with car (except in Cefalu, Palermo and the Aeolian islands).
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Thank you! The Ionian islands sound great to me. Actually they all sound interesting.
 
The fruit and vegetables grown in volcanic soil of Sicily gave us a new appreciation for what they should taste like! Caprese salad like it should taste.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Bamaman said:
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.
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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.
 
Palmtree said:
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.
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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?
 
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).
 
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