Croatia Travel Blog

According to an article in today’s Croatian Times, Dubrovnik tourism authorities are working hard to convince the world that Dubrovnik is not just a summer destination, but also a great place to visit all year. Unlike many destinations along the Croatian coast, Dubrovnik does have regular (although less frequent) flights in the winter. British Airways flies from Gatwick and there are flights from Rome, Frankfurt and Paris as well. Next year, Croatia Airlines will also have regular winter flights to Dubrovnik. Blessed with a mild climate, Dubrovnik can be chilly but not bitter cold in the winter. OK, winter is not the season to explore Dubrovnik beaches, but it’s perfect weather for appreciating the outdoors without worrying about sunstroke!

I’ll go even further and say that it’s even better to visit Dubrovnik in winter than in summer. Here’s why:

1. Fewer tourists. This is a big one. As great as Dubrovnik is, the Old Town is small. Very small. You have a main street (Stradun), a few parallel streets and a few dozen side streets. That’s it. Now imagine a morning when cruise ships disgorge 5000 passengers, augmented by a thousand or so regular tourists. The streets are elbow-to-elbow, walking Dubrovnik’s  walls is a jostling match and there are lines for everything. This is no way to visit a World Heritage Site.

2. Cheaper. Except for the Christmas-New Year’s period when Croatians head to their Adriatic pearl, Dubrovnik hotel rates are up to 50% cheaper  in winter. Private accommodation is also cheaper plus you won’t get hit with minimum-stay requirements.

3. More authentic. Without the crush of tourists, you can appreciate Dubrovnik as a living, breathing town, not a museum. Many locals find it profitable to rent out their apartments and move out of town for the summer. In winter, they return to re-kindle old friendships. The cafes, bars restaurants are suddenly filled with locals.

4. Local Festivals. Participating in Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Dubrovnik can be a wonderfully festive way to experience local culture but even better are the local festivals that liven up the winter months. Festa 2012 is a big theatrical event at the end of January; St Blaise day in February is when all Dubrovnik turns out to honor their patron saint; Dubrovnik Carnival is a blowout that culminates in a Masked Ball; and the Oyster Festival in March ushers in the milder weather and the beginning of the new tourist season.

5. Cultural Life. Dubrovnik prides itself on a lively artistic and musical tradition. There are enough classical music lovers to support an orchestra, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra which has a full season of concerts and recitals during the winter months. Art lovers will find plenty of openings and special exhibits to titillate their eyeballs while the mercury drops.

See more on visiting Dubrovnik.

 

Zadar Airport has had a banner year, handling some 285,000 passengers who use the airport as a gateway to Zadar and the surrounding national parks: Plitvice Lakes, Paklenica, Krka Waterfalls and Kornati Islands. Four national parks easily reachable from Zadar!

Forecasting ever-increasing visitor numbers the airport and local authorities have made a substantial investment in Zadar Airport. The domestic arrivals terminal is being expanded and will cover  an area of about 7200 square meters in plenty of time to welcome 2012 visitors. Currently the second phase of the project is complete, which expands the terminal to 690 square meters.

Next up are plans to extend the runway from 2500 to 3200 meters which will allow larger planes to land. The Airport is hoping that the EU will come up with the 15 million euros necessary to complete the project.

 

As 2011 draws to a close and travel publishers issue their “Best” lists, Istria has emerged as the must- see, must- visit, must-go destination of the year.

Lonely Planet placed Istria number 2 on its “top ten regions” in this article.

Travel and Leisure named Istria as a “life-changing trip” in this article.

National Geographic named Istria “best of the world” in this article.

Is this a case of jumping on the bandwagon? Maybe a little bit. After all, Istria has had the same mild climate, great wine, sparkling sea and rolling hills since the Romans marched in 2000 years ago. The Venetians built the colorful port towns, the Austrians built the infrastructure, the Italians left their cuisine, Tito built the hotels and not too much has changed since except that the hotels have sprouted wellness centers.

So why is Istria bursting onto the “best of” lists now? Because  Istria is relatively unknown to the American market (and thus, readers of National Geo and T & L) and seems like a daring alternative to the over-familiarity of Tuscany and the French Riviera. That’s not to say that Istria doesn’t deserve all the attention. It does! By all means, swim the waters, dine in the fine restaurants, bike the hills and wander the old towns. But book ahead because I have a sneaking feeling that, after all these lists, Istria is going to be very, very busy next year.

See more about Istria; read about my visit to Istria this year

The countryside around Zagreb is one of the most under-appreciated regions of Croatia and Veliki Tabor its crown jewel. This 16th-century castle has long been striking on the outside and eerily empty inside. That’s now been fixed. After a long restoration, the castle is now open for visitors. Go. You won’t be disappointed. I even liked it way back when there was nothing much to see, just because it conjured up an era of star-crossed lovers and fair damsels. Now, it’s even more beautiful and it contains a museum that takes you through its history.

With a web of international flights, Croatia should not lack for visitors next year. Here’s an early roundup of 2012 flights to Croatia:

Monarch Airlines will fly from Manchester, Birmingham and London Gatwick to Dubrovnik.

Croatia Airlines will start two weekly flights from Munich to Dubrovnik on April 16. Alas, this year’s service from Vienna and Istanbul to Dubrovnik will be retired. Zadar will get a direct weekly flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle starting on May 1. And this year’s popular Zagreb to Athens route will resume next summer, making it easy to extend your Mediterranean holiday to Greece. In more good news, fun-loving French  can spend New Year’s in Dubrovnik with a direct route from Paris Charles de Gaulle that will run twice weekly  all year.

Why do Russians visit Zagreb in winter? Who knows. Maybe Zagreb is warmer than Moscow. Maybe they’ll make a beeline to the balmier Dalmatian coast. This year Aeroflot will maintain daily flights between Zagreb and Moscow throughout the year.

Connections to Scandinavia and Central Europe are already scheduled for next year. Check out the following (with a thanks to Ex-Yu Aviation news):

Stockholm – Dubrovnik (March 25) SAS

Karlsruhe – Zadar (March 28) Ryanair

Copenhagen – Split (March 31) SAS

Helsinki – Dubrovnik (April 02) Finnair

Dubrovnik – Munich (April 16) Croatia Airlines

Zadar – Paris (May 01) Croatia Airlines

Bern – Split (May 05) SkyWork Airlines

Frankfurt – Rijeka (May 05) Condor

Frankfurt – Dubrovnik (May 13) Condor

Manchester – Pula (May 19) Jet2.com

Zurich – Dubrovnik (May 27) Edelweiss Air

Bergen – Split (June 25) SAS

Stavanger – Split (June 25) SAS

Copenhagen – Dubrovnik (July 04) SAS

Rotterdam – Split (July 07) Transavia.com

See more on cheap flights to Croatia!