Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for February, 2008

Whoops.  Forbes magazine  has turned its lofty attention to Eastern Europe in the latest online issue. And that’s a good thing for Croatia even though Croatians consider themselves part of Mediterranean Europe, thank you very much.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is an “exceptional” Eastern Europe site and fully deserves its mention as one of the region’s top ten highlights. But it’s important to get the facts right. Contrary to the article’s advice that the park is “great for hiking, boating, camping and sightseeing” there is, in fact, no camping allowed in the National Park. Plitvice Lakes custodians guard the integrity of the fragile environment with scrupulous care and camping is not part of the plan. But you can camp outside the park in Korana, only 6km away.

And, by the way, it’s not a place to go “boating” either. There is an authorized park boat that takes you around a few of the larger lakes but that’s it. But it’s true that hiking is wonderful and the wooden walkways linking the lakes and waterfalls make sightseeing a pleasure.

Read more about Plitvice Lakes National Park.

“We love tourists and travellers”, said local art historian, Goran Vukovic. “We just need to preserve the unique atmosphere of Dubrovnik that visitors are coming to see”. He was talking about a recent candlelight protest that drew some 2000 Dubrovnik residents to the streets. At issue was the city’s plan to “redevelop” the area around Pile Gate to accommodate the needs of tourists, specifically the ones that come in vehicles. A vast new underground parking garage has already destroyed a 17th-century orphanage outside Pile Gate. Okay, it may not have been one of Dubrovnik’s architectural masterpieces, but still. The new and boxy “Monument to the Fallen Defenders” outside Pile Gate is also no masterpiece, according to locals. Worse, is the plan to expand and modernize the current local bus stop outside Pile Gate to receive the constant stream of tour buses that bring cruise passengers to the town walls. Approaching Dubrovnik’s classic western gate to the tune of rumbling engines is not the way to fall under the spell of Dubrovnik’s charms.

The project is presented as a “solution” but locals feel that it addresses the wrong problem. What about the fact that the Old Town population has dropped to 900 (from 3000 only a few decades ago) as ballooning real estate values encourage citizens to sell and leave? What about the grocers, butchers and hairdressers that cede ground to souvenir stores? Could Dubrovnik have survived earthquakes, occupation and shelling only to be turned into an amusement park?

Concerned citizens have launched a petition drive to block the project and are appealing to the international art-loving community and UNESCO, which named Dubrovnik a World Heritage Site. “This is an appeal by the citizens of Dubrovnik to those of you all over the world who know and love our beautiful, walled town founded in the 7th century” they declared in their petition to “Save Dubrovnik’s Landmarks”. (You can find it here).

Can a group of “concerned citizens” protect their way of life against the inexorable demands of mass tourism? It sounds like a hopeless cause but Dubrovnik has prevailed over much longer odds.

See more about Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik history.

Ustica Lines has just posted the news of their new passenger ferry route from Trieste to Portoroz (Slovenia), Porec and Rovinj. The service will run from April 24 to September 21 and services are frequent. The catamarans will be zipping back and forth from Trieste twice daily from Tuesday through Sunday. As yet, there is no online booking for these routes but that should change. Check the timetables at Ustica Lines

There hasn’t been a ferry service from Trieste to Croatia for quite a few years. The former Adriatica Navigazione handled the route for a while and Ustica Lines also ran a Trieste ferry for a year or so.  Fortunately  the regional government of Friuli-
Venezia-Giulia is subsidizing the route to the tune of 1.38 million euros.

The new ferry line gives more choices for visitors who want to use northern Italy as a launching pad for their Croatian vacation. In addition to the catamarans, there are also buses from Trieste and Venice to Istria, trains to Zagreb, and the convenient, comfortable catamarans from Venice to Piran, Porec, Rovinj, Pula and Mali Losinj.

See more about Getting to Croatia and Ferries to Croatia.

This week’s Telegraph, had a magnificent spread on travel to Croatia with sections devoted to where to stay, activites, and holiday planning. After wading through all the pages, I can say that their listings were certainly comprehensive; every single tour operator in the UK with a Croatia program this year appears to have been mentioned.

Missing was any mention of small, local operators that offer specialized knowledge at a reasonable price.  Hvar Adventure is one of the more intriguing of the local agencies. The young group– Dean, Riccardo, Veselka, Damir and Josko–is based on Hvar Island and have eons of experience in hiking, trekking and sailing. From guided treks across Hvar’s lavender-scented interior to romantic sunset cruises, Hvar Adventure can help you experience the real Hvar Island, away from the well-beaten tourist track. Here’s a sampling of their 2008 program:

• one week sailing school

• two days, one day, half-day or sunset sailing cruises

• Sea kayaking excursions from a half-day to a week

• Hikes from one-day to a week

• evening wine-tasting tour

• a multi-activity week

• a five-day short break with sailing, kayaking and hiking

Reliable, responsible and dynamic, Hvar Adventure can create an unforgettable holiday in Hvar.

Read more on Hvar Island

Parish authorities in Zagreb had a flash of divine inspiration. Cleverly using the local coffee habit, they managed to exponentially increase the number of daily prayers said in Zagreb. At their newly opened “Jedro” cafe in the Jarun district of Zagreb, the “price” of your caffeine boost isn’t in Croatian kuna but in prayers. For example, a cappuccino costs four Our Fathers and a cola drink costs five Hail Marys. They don’t serve alcohol but imagine what they could charge for a beer!The formula has proved immensely popular. The little coffee shop started with five tables but now people at 20 tables are muttering prayers to their coffee. And they really, really mean it. If only this concept could spread to hotels.

Read more about Zagreb’s pubs, cafes and bars.