We loved, loved, loved Vilnius and Riga. I was eh on Minsk. Helsinki is interesting but I feel like not hugely different than where you live. I am dying to go to Poland and Croatia.
I am so helpful I do think we only spent 2 nights each in Vilnius and Riga and it was enough time.
Post by alleinesein on Jan 28, 2015 13:47:38 GMT -5
Croatia. Great food, wonderful people, relaxing. I have not been to Zadar yet but its close to the island of Pag and they make the best cheese on earth there- Paški sir. Zadar is also about an hours drive from Krka National Park.
alleinesein & @uwhuskygirl - You don't think that 3 days will be too short for a visit to that part of Croatia? This was one of my big concerns, since I would rather go somewhere that only needs a few days and save longer trips for when we have more time.
Also, I always thought of the Croatian coast as kind of a beachy destination. Am I wrong? Is there lots to see/do? It will only be in the mid-50°Fs at that time of year (which is still a bit too cold to me for sunbathing or lounging outside with a book).
I would probably save Croatia for a leisurely trip. I spent a day in Helsinki when I was staying in Tallin and that's the way to do it IMO. Tallin was lovely (and super affordable) while Helsinki didn't grab me. The ferry between is fantastic in the winter though - just ice everywhere. One of my favourite travel experiences ever. I've had Riga on my list for years and years (they cancelled the direct flight sadly) as I've heard it's lovely.
alleinesein & @uwhuskygirl - You don't think that 3 days will be too short for a visit to that part of Croatia? This was one of my big concerns, since I would rather go somewhere that only needs a few days and save longer trips for when we have more time.
Also, I always thought of the Croatian coast as kind of a beachy destination. Am I wrong? Is there lots to see/do? It will only be in the mid-50°Fs at that time of year (which is still a bit too cold to me for sunbathing or lounging outside with a book).
I haven't been to zadar, but 3 days was enough for split and dubrovnik (each).
There were lots of beaches, but I didn't end up paying out anyway because I had more fun exploring the city.
Have you been to Ljubljana? We did that and Lake bled last easter and it was absolutely amazing. Like I was blown away by it and 4 days is perfect for Ljubljana and Lake bled.
Haven't been to Ljubljana yet, but there aren't affordable flights on the dates we're traveling. There are tons of trips that are much higher on my wishlist, but I'm a little late on booking for the Easter holiday, so options are fairly limited. That's where the above list came from.
(Also, we're both into geology, so any trip to Slovenia will definitely include some karst exploration, which will likely require a few extra days!)
alleinesein & @uwhuskygirl - You don't think that 3 days will be too short for a visit to that part of Croatia? This was one of my big concerns, since I would rather go somewhere that only needs a few days and save longer trips for when we have more time.
Also, I always thought of the Croatian coast as kind of a beachy destination. Am I wrong? Is there lots to see/do? It will only be in the mid-50°Fs at that time of year (which is still a bit too cold to me for sunbathing or lounging outside with a book).
Croatia is pretty small and if you plan on laying on the beach you might want to make other plans. Croatian 'beaches' are not sandy expanses you can lounge on; most of them are very small and rocky. And a lot of times there is no beach at all just a set of stairs leading into the water.
My first trip to Croatia only had 5 full days and in that time we managed to visit Plitvice Lakes, Pula, Rovinj, Krk, Roc, and Zagreb. It all depends on what you want to do.
You can fly into Zadar in the morning and spend the afternoon checking out the city or visiting the island of Pag. Rent a car for day 2 and spend the day in Krka National Park or checking out the country side. Spend day 3 hanging out Zadar. Since you are only limiting yourself to one city 3 days is sufficient. If you were planning on driving to other cities along the coast then you would want more time.
RE: Slovenia and Ljubljana- You can fly into Zagreb and take the train to Ljubljana. Its a 2-3 hour train journey and its pretty cheap. We paid around USD $40 for 2 people in the first class car. Ljubljana is tiny and you can easily do the city in a day and have time to visit other places.
On behalf of my husband, as I have never been there, Krakow, Poland. He liked the architecture, history, and the food. He thinks I would like it there, and I like quaint cities.
Post by oneslybookworm on Jan 30, 2015 15:40:53 GMT -5
I really loved Krakow and Budapest! I never had a chance to go to Romania, so that could be really cool! I also LOVED Marrakech! Morocco was our favorite vacation!
Post by digitaldiva16 on Feb 6, 2015 2:13:47 GMT -5
I agree with others who say they would do Croatia on a longer trip. Of that list, I would say either Helsinki or Riga. Helsinki seems like it would be a nice-paced weekend trip, maybe even with one day spent in Tallinn. Riga just looks beautiful and I've read that it's very affordable.