By car in Croatia and Montenegro
We have never been to the Adriatic and with a little skepticism listened to the reviews of friends, but we decided to go anyway and see all the main "sights" of Croatia and Montenegro in 10 May days. Let me tell you right now - I was delighted! Lufthansa flew to Zagreb (with a transfer in Munich), spent the night at the Porin Hotel - nothing special, but you can stay for one night. If you need advice - from the airport to the hotel for a taxi do not pay more than 10 euros! It is better to try to take a taxi from Cammeo - they are decent, otherwise the mafia is no worse than in Moscow at Sheremetyevo - the prices will be three times higher. Even at the reception of the hotel they warned about this. In the morning we rented a "Polo" - the car drove us through all the mountains and valleys without any problems (the consumption was 5.5 liters per 100 km), and off we went! First to Plitvice Lakes National Park. The road from the airport took less than 2.5 hours. There is beauty in the park, we recommend it to everyone, we spent 5.5 hours there without tension, but more would be already tiring. We spent the night not far, about three kilometers, in the "private sector", it's there at every turn (but we booked in advance), the room is clean and comfortable, one thing is inconvenient - breakfast is usually not included, they won't even give a cup of coffee. And in the morning - to the coast! And there - the beauty is indescribable, every turn is worthy of being photographed on a postcard! We drove along the entire coast from Zadar to the south. We visited Trogir, a very pretty small town, spent the night in Split - Apartments Priska, Poljana Tina Ujevica Street - very convenient, almost in the center of the old town, 15 minutes to the pier, two bakeries 5 meters from the entrance, a wonderful market - 10-15 minutes walk (and the fish market is generally 5 minutes away, just interesting to see), a supermarket 100 meters away. These apartments included a bedroom and a living room - the atmosphere is just homely, as if visiting a grandmother. And a kitchenette where you can cook. Minus - there is no parking, that is, either pay or look for where to stumble nearby (we found, after spending 15-20 minutes, the car stood there for two days, completely safe). From Split we went to the island of Brac, but it takes a lot of time, and somehow we were not impressed in general. . . although the fish restaurant was excellent - but not cheap. Then we moved to Dubrovnik, crossing the border twice: Croatia/Bosnia and Bosnia/Croatia. At first we thought that we would have to sail by ferry, bypassing Bosnia, but it turned out that everything was very simple and fast by land. In Dubrovnik, we booked in advance Villa Vinka - apartments and rooms; if you decide, take an apartment, it's worth the difference in money. "Room" is small, it's normal to spend one night, but for longer - "apartments" (much larger and includes a stove and kettle). Very nice young owner - Davor. They have private parking which is very convenient. Bus stop to the old town - 100 meters, 15 min drive to the gates of the old town. Nearby is a "promenade" with numerous cafes and restaurants, a shopping center and a supermarket - 10 minutes walk. Again, a bakery - right at the entrance. All bakeries open at 6 am and the freshest pastries can be found for every taste. The only inconvenience - they were looking for a way to get there for a long time, the streets with one-way traffic got confused, I had to call the owners with the help of local residents. Well, you have to go to Dubrovnik! The most beautiful city. We walked along the fortress wall - 2 km, took more than an hour - with photos. In the old city, I ate the most delicious seafood salad in my life. We climbed up on the funicular - the views are amazing. We descended back on foot (35 min) - for a change. . . Well, I won’t say that it’s super, but it’s good for maintaining physical fitness. From Dubrovnik we went to Cilipi (on Sundays at 11 o'clock a group with folk songs and dances performs there), Trsteno and Ston. Everyone should go to Ston! The second longest wall (after the Chinese one) and the best oysters and mussels in Croatia have been preserved there, hundreds of cages in the bay. I confirm - the wall is long, the oysters are awesome! Their most oyster season is mid-March, but they are good in early May as well. We recommend the Bistro Stagnum restaurant - tables in the courtyard, a large hearth where meat and fish are cooked, a homely spiritual atmosphere. You can spend the night with them, but you must definitely book. Then we, having refueled to capacity, went to Montenegro and spent three days there. Were in the national Durmitor Park (there was still snow on the paths) and, in fact, if it were not for the canyon of the Tara River, to which we still drove 20 km, there were no special impressions. No, the mountains, of course, are good. . . On the way back we stopped at Ostrog. . . the road is frightening - I almost climbed onto my husband's knees, trying to move away from the edge of the cliff : ) ! But it was worth it to get there. In general, all along the way - BEAUTIFUL !! ! Valleys, gorges, tiled red roofs, blooming gardens. . . And all along the coast - the smell of flowering orange trees, just go crazy !! ! In Montenegro, you should definitely see the island of St. Stefan - you can’t get to the island, but take a walk around and take pictures! Budva is a good place too, and you should definitely drive around the entire Boka Kotorska Bay. We did not go further south than St. Stephen, there was not enough time. We returned to Croatia, stopped again in Ston (oh, oysters !! ), spent the night there and drove north along the toll highway. We got to Opatija in the evening and stayed there for one night at the Miramar hotel (we were, in my opinion, the only English-speaking tourists, all the rest were from Austria and Germany). Not cheap, but great! Arranged a bourgeois vacation on the last day : ) ! Dinner (if you take half board) cost - just ridiculous - 10 euros per person (without wine), which included a salad bar and cold and hot appetizers, soup and dessert (all to choose from 2 options). In the morning we swam in a pool with heated sea water (this was the first and last time we swam, since the water in the sea was cold - well, people swam, of course, anyway... ) and drove along the motorway to Zagreb - it took 2 hours. We flew with Lufthansa to Moscow via Frankfurt. They brought home wine (white - malvasia - from Istria and red Vranac from Montenegro), amazing smell and taste of honey collected from orange trees (bought from peasants when they passed the valley of the Neretva River, they also bought another honey, from some unknown plants, but also of wonderful taste, marmalade from nectarines and tangerines, homemade olives). Well, about the local "prshut", I think everyone knows. I'm not a big fan, but delicious. It’s a pity you won’t bring oysters - that means we’ll go again, and we’ll eat there from the heart! : )
