Croatia 2011

Croatia 2011

I spent a couple of weeks travelling around Croatia in the summer of 2011 and here's what I found. It's a great country to visit, and cheap as well. Sadly such cheap prices may not continue with the entry of Croatia into the European Union. The coastline attracts large numbers of visitors, no wonder as it has the cleanest water in the Med, and it is a great alternative to Greece for island hopping if you like your islands slightly more green and cool than the hot dusty islands of the Aegean.

Accommodation

It is possible to get a room or apartment in Croatia for literally peanuts. After I finished a week at the Hotel Jadran a mile or two north of Trogir I decided to stay on in Croatia for another week. I nipped down the road on the local slow bus to Split and found the village of Kastell Stari, one of about seven all beginning with ‘Kastel.’ Here I rented a 6 bed apartment all on my tod for 100 kuna per night which is about £13 at the prevailing exchange rate! This gave me three bedrooms to choose from, a living room, bathroom and kitchen plus balcony all to myself. Kastel Stari is enough on its own for a holiday, with a pretty, restaurant friendly waterfront overlooking the islands, but if you want to mix it with the Split city slickers there is a regular bus service into town.
On the island of Korcula of Marco Polo fame I also rented a nice ensuite room in a modern although slightly unfinished room just 15 minutes walk from the town centre, again for 100 kuna per night, would recommend to anyone.


Hotel Jadran - a clean modern and comfortable hotel right on the shore where you can find your own personal stretch of private rocky beach in the crystal clear waters. It's a shortish walk from Trogir up the coast, or you can get the bus or water taxi. The Croatian Under 21 national football team stayed there recently when they played Georgia in Split, so it can't be bad!


Zagreb

ZagrebZagreb is the capital city of Croatia and sits well inland from the much desired coast. However it is well worth a visit and you can fly there from Gatwick with Easyjet. It is protected from northern winds by the mountain of Medvednica and sits on a spacious plain astride the Sava River. It has a nearly one million population, a quarter of Croatia's total. Forget images of grey ex-communist townscapes as Zagreb has a fine centre packed with classic old buildings worthy of a major city of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. It's also got an ancient heart dating back to the Middle Ages packed into a tidy enclave on a hill above the main square and shopping area. Here is the Parliament and government seat. In the vicinity is the Zagreb Cathedral with its own sweeping space out front from which to admire its architecture.

The shortest funicular in the world on Ilica gets you to the Old Town or Upper Town from the more modern centre in 55 seconds.
South of the main square, Trg bana Jelacica, there are fine swathes of nineteenth century public buildings and gardens built on a gridline pattern, one of which sweeps down to the main rail station, Glavni kolodvor. The main square itself in the centre of town is a great place to browse and people watch, a huge rectangle of fine classic buildings with an impressive statue of Josip Jelacic, who fought against Hungary in the Hungarian revolution of 1848, in the middle. Sometimes they have a market as well. The blue trams continually flow through the square and leave for destinations on an extensive network.
Tomislav Square just north of the rail station has an impressive statue of the first Croatian King, and is an elegant sight as you leave the main railway concourse.
If you head down the main thoroughfare to the left of the railway station you reach the Botanical Gardens, a green oasis in the city centre where you can find a bench for a spot of lunch amongst all the greenery (10000 varieties of plant).
Over on the south side of the Sava river is Novi Zagreb, the newer part of town with its residential blocks set out upon the plain. Today twelve bridges connect north and south, old and new sides of the city.

Did you know that the fountain pen was designed in Zagreb? Engineer Eduard Slavoljub Penkala patented the first fountain pen in 1907.

Tram tickets in Zagreb are eight kuna and can be used over a ninety minute period. The trams are quite fun and got me into the city centre in minutes.




On the square in the Old Town



Church in the Old Town



Old Town



Maksimir Park - the lake

I stayed at the Villa Maximir, Baratanski breg 47. Get the no 7 tram from the bus station, get out at the  football stadium (Dynamo Zagreb), then catch the 203 bus at Bukovacha St bus station and get off at the second stop. Again I could recommend this accommodation which cost me 1470 kuna for six nights (200 euro) about £29 per night which is very good for a whole apartment and not just a room. I got a deal by staying for the week.

Just to the east of my accommodation is Maksimir Park, the Hyde park of the city, and indeed the biggest park in Zagreb. The southern part of the park with its lakes and hill top cafe is well tailored, whilst the northern part is wilder and forested with clear trails to follow. A nice way to spend the afternoon. The park was landscaped in the nineteenth century in the English style



Maksimir Park



Maksimir Park - the cafe

Zagreb Museum (Musej Grada Zagreba) - worth a visit although I had to rush round as I had a train to catch to the coast; traces Zagreb’s development through the ages right from the 'stone pots and archaeology remains' period through to the present. Lots to see.
Opening hours:
Monday - closed
Tuesday - Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturday - 11am to 7pm
Sunday -10am to 2pm

Varadzin

This is an old town whose name was first mentioned in 1181, that has been called the Croatian 'Little Vienna,' well worth a visit lying near the border with Hungary and well north-east of Zagreb. I caught the train there from Zagreb (2.5 hours approx), a nice way of using the time if you're not bothered about speed and like attractive green countryside, sleepy hamlets in rolling hills, and lots of red roofed buildings. It's well worth the ride to see some prettier Croatian countryside. When you get off at the station there is a long straight road that heads into the town centre. I took lunch sitting on a bench in the centre of town and was accosted by an extremely drunk middle aged man who kept starting a sentence and petering out into gibberish like a car that wouldn't start. At least he was harmless but I was glad to get away from him. The walk from the station into the town centre is uneventful, but once you hit the old town you are taken back in time to a world of Baroque architecture and stately old buildings befitting a classy Austro Hungarian watering hole, complete with its own fortress, Stari Grad, built to defend against the Turks. You can easily while away the afternoon strolling the pedestrianised areas bordered by pastel coloured old buildings and taking coffee on a whim. It's that sort of place, a city of artists, craftsmen and music!



Varazdin Old Town



Varadzin - the Castle

Sights.

Visit Stari Grad, the castle - a large white decorated East European fortress with pointed red tiled roofs which you may have to yourself if you go in early summer. I had my own personal guide presumably because it was so quiet. He was a veteran of the Homeland War and made an interesting guide. The fortress is surrounded by a lovely raised grassy walkway which once would have bounded the moat.

The Cathedral in the town centre.

The Amazing World of insects - one of Varadzin's numerous museum collections which comprise many thousands of mummified assorted insects.

Town Cemetery - if you like large, ornate cemetery furniture in an extensive grid of gardens and walkways. It's a short walk from the town centre.


Varadzin Old Town



Jasenovac monume

Jasenovac

Not a place most people go but if you have a rail pass and a Croatia guide book makes for an interesting trip. It is the site of Croatia's most notorious Second World War concentration camp, the equivalent of Germany's Auschwitz. It is a reminder of those dark days when the fascist Ustachi regime ruled Croatia and mistreated its minorities. Now it is a quiet piece of green countryside, an extensive flat area with gentle hills in the distance and a beautiful river bordering one side. Just down the road is a quiet little village with a little shopping centre where you can sit and buy an ice cream. There is a museum (which was closed when I visited despite opening times to the contrary). You can still see where the rail track came in and ran into the side of the camp by the river, and there is still an old steam locomotive with wagon standing at the edge of the site. you can see little mounds raised above the flat landscape which mark different sections of the old camp. In the middle of the site is a huge monument, a salute to modern art which may not be to everyone's taste, which can be reached by crossing a lake from the railway siding.



Concentration camp map by the lake



Jasenovac

Check timings carefully for getting to Jasenovac! If you go by car fair enough, but the rail timetable is very user unfriendly. I caught the train from Zagreb via Sisak and then stopped at a minor rural junction called Sunja, It is here that another line peels off to head through Bosnia Herzegovina. It was midday and the train just had a rest for an hour or two! There was no cafe in the village so I just hit the supermarket and had my lunch on the station platform out of the heat of the sun. Ages later we proceeded to Jasenovac in the mid to late afternoon. I had a fair amount of time to look around bur had to be back a the station early evening to catch the return train

Karlovac, Renaissance town

This town is on the main transport route between Zagreb and the coast, and is also located on four rivers.. A casualty of the Homeland war and also bypassed by people going to the coast but l liked it; it has great potential with a lovely old centre built on a grid street pattern, and a fabulous terrace overlooking the old moat which has now been made into beautiful gardens; I can see this place taking off in the next few years. When you first arrive by train the large station building has a rather forlorn and battered air, and the surrounding area seems a little drab. However once you cross the river the central area proves to be much more inviting.



Karlovac 'moat' area



Karlovac town square

Old Karlovac is designed on a six pointed star pattern which goes back to when it  had to defend against the Turks, a fortress with ditches and a moat dating from 1579. Walls were built around the star shape, and in each of the corners a bastion was built. The street pattern within the old fortification is very much a grid. The main square, Ban Josip Jelacic Square, is Baroque in design and bordered by former noblemens' palaces, merchants houses and the Holy Trinity church. In the centre of the square is a well that dates back to 1859. War damage is still visible in the main square and scaffolding is still up on the building frontage on one side.


Karlovac

The village of Turanj just outside town (within walking distance) represented defence against the Ottoman Empire in times past. It was here during the war of 1991 to 1995 that the enemy was repelled from taking Karlovac and a lot of damage was done. It has a Homeland War Museum well worth seeing with lots of tanks, armoured vehicles, guns and the odd plane arranged in a half circle on a field by the main road. Also included is an armoured vehicle converted from a tractor by the locals, a pretty impressive piece of transformation! An old Austrian military barracks which looks as if it's taken a few big hits in its time stands beside the field. It's two stories but has no roof.



Turanj war museum



Turanj tank



Russian amphibian craft



Tractor converted into an armoured car!

Train travel in Croatia

I bought a pass that enabled me to travel for six days over a fifteen day period. This is adequate if you are doing a two centre holiday and need to travel between the two places, plus a few extra days to do a few trips out. It's fun to explore a new country by rail but Croatia's rail system is pretty ramshackle and behind the times compared even with the UK network, which despite criticisms works very well in transporting vast numbers of people every day more or less on time! Think lots of weeds growing between the rails, bare grey concrete building infrastructure, lots of graffiti (a Croatian obsession), single tracks and infrequent services where you could come a cropper trying to reach and return from more far flung countryside destinations if you don't keep an eye on the timetable!

Look out for the stationmaster at every station - no matter where you stop on the Croatian rail system, no matter how decrepit the station, onto the platform will appear the stationmaster with his bright red cap, pristine white shirt and dark trousers. He will always carry a 'giant lollipop shaped' implement to signal to the train.

The Croatia rail pass costs £109 (123 euro) for six days travel over a period of one month. You can of course buy a pass for different numbers of days up to eight days in a month, and also you can include insurance in the price of your pass for a little extra). It is essential that you write in the date of travel on your pass before you travel. This is worth remembering as the guard always checked my ticket. When you book a seat on the elite Zagreb to Split express, Croatia’s ‘dreamiest’ railway journey, you have to make a reservation on top of your rail pass of seven kuna. If the local station cannot give you a reservation as happened to me because the computer was down, the lady on the train made me a reservation on the spot although letting me on beforehand. For the long journey I took the 12.15 from Zagreb which arrived in Split at 18.35.

Even in Zagreb, the hub of the rail system, some local lines are so obscure that the information desk has to write train times on a piece of paper - this is the case if you want to go to Jasenovic for instance, the site of the Ustachi fascist regime concentration camp, via Sisak, to which trains go at 6.46, 7.42, 8.53, 10.44, 11.42 and 13.43, or if you want to head to Dubova on the Croatian border with Slovenia, in which case you need the train to Ljubljana leaving at 5.00, 6.52. 9.00, 12.30, 18.14, 21.15 and 23.50.
Among the more important destinations from Zagreb with regular timetabled services are Split, Ogulin, Rijeka, Varadzin, Kotoriba, Vinkovci and Osijek

If you end up in Ploce, a rather uninspiring port between Split and Dubrovnik you can catch the train to Mostar and Sarajevo if you want to see that bridge and do a little research on the Homeland War, only thing is the train leaves either at 6.05 in the morning or 16.52, not much good for afternoon outings! It might be best to tackle the journey the other way from Zagreb.



Zagreb railway station exhibit

My train - long wait in middle of nowhere!

Bus travel in Croatia

This is a cheap and quick way of getting around as the buses are modern and comfortable, and often full! You can use them to get up and down the coast to different resorts, just be aware that there are different bus companies that do the same routes so it can be a bit confusing! For example travelling from Split to Trogir is a half hour journey but you can pay numerous different prices depending on when you turn up at the ticket office.

Another example: Split to Zadar is a 3 to 3.5 hour journey depending on who you go with which could be one of a host of companies (I counted at least eight!) The price varies from 80 to 126 kuna single and 126 to 199 return.

The Best Rail Trip in Croatia

Zagreb - Split Express

This is the peerless trip from Zagreb to Split, Starting off from the main rail station in Zagreb, the two car express train heads south west across the plain, south and then south  east and over the mountain range that runs parallel to the coast, then descends in spectacular fashion down to the Central Dalmatian coast. If you like lots of wide vistas and majestic mountain scenery this is the journey for you, well worth it. Make sure you have your camera ready!


View from train Zagreb to Split

The view from the train up in the mountains - superb!

Approaching the Adriatic towards Split

Split

Split is the energetic, bustling metropolis on the Croatian coast which is worth a trip in itself as well as being a great embarkation point for the island ferries, notably to Brac, Hvar and Korcula. You can stay in Split or in the babble of villages (Kastela) that stretch out along the coast towards Trogir, as I did.
The centre of Split is concentrated on the old town which is a jumble of ancient settlement bolted onto the remains of the Roman Emperor Diocletian's summer palace. He wasn't a very nice person but his architectural legacy is quite impressive and leads to an engaging hotch potch of ruins, old churches, walls and narrow alleys filled to the brim with restaurants, cafes, squares and markets, just the place for a summer stroll. You also have geezers dressed as Roman soldiers in the ancient square to entertain the family. The waterfront provides a natural focus for the city and runs down one side of the old palace area, it's a wide modern promenade backed by lots of cafes with extensive outside seating areas to take a coffee or ice cream under the canopies. Or you can sit and sun yourself on the plentiful benches and gaze out at the Jadrolina ferries, and decide which one you will catch to which island. As you sit and face the waterfront, walking around the harbour to the left gives access to the transport hub of Split. Here you will find both the bus and railway terminus, and a few minutes further on your right is the ferry port.

If you go pass the ferry port and up over the hill to the left you reach the town beach which is well served with facilities. The tide goes a long way out and it would be safe for families. Unfortunately I was not able to enjoy the beach because a terrific rainstorm arrived (it was the end of the season!) so I found a cafe to shelter and have a read.

Going the other way from the city centre there is a high wooded outcrop that stretches out to the west with great views of the city and surrounding area once you hit the top at the end of a brisk walk on a well marked path.
Or if you walk along the shore to the west a fair way you pass marina land and eventually get to a string of beaches and also the Mestrovic Gallery. Ivan Mestrovuc is one of Croatia's most impressive twentieth century cultural warriors and was amongst other things a sculptor and painter. Part of his legacy has been preserved in the Mestrovic Gallery in an imposing mansion building set high up looking out over the Adriatic. Here on two floors are numerous sculptures of Mestrovic's work, and even film of the great man working on his masterpieces. There is a strong Biblical theme with his sculptures, and he recreates various Biblical characters in various states of agony or ecstasy, all with exaggerated emotion. There is a cafe there as well if you fancy a break from marble gazing before you hit the beach. Built in the 1930s, the mansion was actually Mestrovic's home when he was in Croatia but he didn't like the way things were going in his home country which was now part of a communist Yugoslavia, and emigrated to the U.S. after the Second World War. He must have enjoyed it when he was there however, because there is an impressive garden in front with bronze sculptures and great views over towards the islands.

If you go out the front gate of the mansion and head down the road a little way you get to Crikvine-Kastelet, a sixteenth century Rennaisance summerhouse bought by Mestrovic for peace and contemplation. Here is the Holy Crucifix Church which Mestrovic decorated with wooden wall reliefs depicting the life of Christ. These reliefs are seen as a masterpiece of European sacral sculpture



Spilt - the waterfront



Marina at Split



Split city centre near waterfront

Trogir

Just half an hour's bus drive down the coast is Trogir, a real gem of a town, a world heritage site, an ancient architectural masterpiece in miniature, all squeezed onto a tiny island sandwiched between the mainland and the island of Ciovo. It goes right back to Greek colonists in the 3rd century BC. The Romans, Byzantines, Hungarians, Venetians and Napoleon have all occupied the town.  St Lawrence Cathedral on the main square is a great visit where you can climb right up to the open roof and gaze at the bells, plus there are  lots and lots of narrow alleyways and hidden little squares to explore, all packed with more restaurants and cafes, you'll be happy. One smaller square squeezed between the main square and the promenade we dubbed 'ice cream square.' The promenade or quay boasts an array of superyachts through the summer. The Croatian coast is a yachtsman's heaven and Trogir is a favourite stopping off point. A great place to pose in your shades. If you can spare the odd £19000 per week to rent a yacht off a fisherman then you're in business!

The market is also worth a visit and explodes with fruit and vegetables, cheeses, meats, beachwear and suchlike. It sits on the mainland just over the road bridge between Trogir and the mainland. Over the road from the market is the bus station from where you can get buses up and down the coast including slow and fast buses to Split, and over to the island of Ciovo.

Airport - sandwiched between the string of villages known as Kastela and Trogir (5km) is Split Airport which sits right on the Adriatic. You can fly here with Easyjet amongst other airlines. The great thing is that the airport is right in the middle of a cracking tourist area so once you land you don't have far to go to enjoy the Croatian coast.

You can also get boats to the nearby islands of Ciovo, Devinik Veli and Solta from Trogir (the two island tour). Or you can just walk over the bridge to Ciovo! That's how close the island is.



Trogir fort



Trogir



Trogir - superyacht

Trogir waterfront



Trogir

Ciovo

This island doesn't seem to be made much of in the tourist books but would be a perfectly acceptable way of spending a whole holiday. It's not very big, has some decent beaches, including the usual rocky spots, and is very easy to cycle in one day. There are hills, but they are not too daunting. I rented a bike together with two others and we cycled the length of the island and found a great cliff faced shoreline on the southern coast with a quiet spot for swimming and snorkelling. The northern shore nearest the mainland has lots of straggled settlement and the road hugs this shore to Slatine.
Later on the road climbs up over the back of the island and down over the other side, and needs plenty of puff. Early on in the ride my lack of nowse about changing gear led to the chain coming off and we had to call out the rescue van to fix it! The western end of the island has the most settlement with resort areas and beaches.The main settlement is called Okrug Gornji. Just north of here is a private caravan and camping site on a little wooded promontory with its own private beach and very good cafe. For a small fee you can access the site just for the day and enjoy the beach as we did, taking lunch at the cafe. If you are a beach bum, this would be a great daily visit. You can comfortably walk from Trogir to the campsite and adjacent resorts and beaches by crossing the bridge at Trogir and then taking the narrow lane straight ahead of you that burrows between houses up and over the hill to the other side (just make sure you dodge the frequent motorbikes and scooters!). When you hit the main road again you turn left and just walk down to the promontory to your right.

Zadar

Up the coast to the north west from Split, Zadar is quite a large resort overlooking more islands to wet your appetite. It's got a great old city with ramparts, and undersea 'organ' played by the sea, and a decent beach area which gets very crowded in the summer.

You can get to Zadar from Trogri by bus, a straightforward scenic journey up the coast is the best way to get there unless you hire a car. A more tortuous method of getting there from Split is to take the train if you've got all day! You take the Zagreb express first, then get off at Knin, a Serbian stronghold in the war. There you have to wait for another train that cuts through gorges and hills and plenty of neglected looking stations to get to Zadar in snail time.



Zadar - the Old |Town by the watefront

Zadar OldTown



Zadar Old Town

Sibenik

It's a scenic ride up the coast north west from Zadar to the town of Sibenik, which has a grand old centre with the impressive cathedral church of St Jacob which goes back to the 15th and 16th centuries. The cathedral has a frieze of 72 heads carved in stone showing citizens of those times. You can also take a walk up to the top of the hill above the town for a great view of the town and waterfront.


Sibenik centre from the waterfront



St Jacob's Cathedra, Sibenik



Sibenik



Sibenik - the waterfront

Primosten

A little town on the coast between Split and Sibenik on the main bus route. From the main road it is delectably inviting as you look out over a pristine stretch of coastline and see the old town perched on a tiny peninsula gleaming like a jewel in the crystal waters of the Med. If you alight at the main bus stop which is just shy of the peninsula you are almost on the beach on the mainland side, which stretches invitingly along the coast, around, and then back on itself on another long low peninsula.
It's a great place to spend an afternoon, wandering through the old town with its narrow streets and alleys on the peninsula, up the hill to the old church for great views, then hit the beaches later for a swim. The old town was an island five centuries ago, but the inhabitants built a causeway so they could go off to their fields the more easily on the mainland.



Primosten view from the mainland

Primosten from the mainland



Beach at Primosten

Krka National Park

This National Park on the Krka River is one of Croatia's eight national parks, and is quite a short road trip from Sibenik. It's an impressive area of lakes, waterfalls, forests, rich flora and fauna, and hills with opportunity for walking, boating, photography and swimming. The brown bear also lives here, although I spotted no more than a few fish! There's a great place for a dip at the base of the waterfalls, but don't go in without robust plastic footwear or you'll be hobbling painfully over unwalkable underwater rocks. feeling like a man with pebbled feet! And it also gets very crowded!
Note - you can see the remains of the first hydroelectric plant, 'Krka,' built in eastern Europe at the southern of the park which provided early electricity to Sibenik.
There is a Fransiscan monastery on the island of Visovac, and also another Krka monastery and fortresses in the park.
Admission to park is 90 kuna.



Krka waterfalls



Krka bathing area

Brac (visited in 2010)

Brac is a very large island just off the coast from Split which you can visit for the day quite easily. Once you get to the main port of Supetar you can get a bus to that famous beach, Zlatny rat, one of the best in Croatia, on the other side of the island. The bus ride is very up and down across the island. After a steep climb out of Supetar you traverse very open scenery with lots of views over the island, out to sea and across to the mainland. The bus negotiates various villages and got very crowded by the time we had picked up a group of teenagers. Nearing the coast on the other side of the island, you get great views over to Hvar as the bus descends a spectacular coastal route down into Bol, the town adjacent to Zlatny rat. Here a spit of land comes to a point, beach on both sides with forest in the middle, and when I visited it was very crowded, although the weather turned and the beach emptied quite quickly later in the afternoon. You can get to the beach by walking along the shore west from Bol town centre, and find yourself a cosy spot as there are a number of stretches of beach, although if you want to reach the famous bit it is quite a walk, and you must leave yourself enough time to get back for the bus. This is important because if you visit in late August early September as I did the last bus back to the port leaves quite early, something like 4pm, and if you miss this there are taxi drivers who will circle like sharks and probably charge you an exorbitant fee, because it's quite a ride back! Fortunately I wasn't caught out.
Brac is famous for the stone quarried here which has been used in some of the world's most iconic buildings like the White House, and was even used for Diocletian's Palace in Split.

Supetar itself is worth a visit, it has a pretty harbour as well as being the ferry port. There are some fine old buildings, and also an ornate cemetery right on the sea shore to the west of the town centre if you like looking at very decorative mausoleums and tombs, typically Catholic in nature. Supetar is a great place to eat in the early evening before catching the ferry back to Split, as there are plenty of restaurants round the port.

Korcula



Korcula Town




View from Korcula Town

Korcula is a mean island to visit for a week. It's lush and green with sinewy mountain ranges cutting through the middle, garnished with lots of forest. The ride from the ferry port of Vela Luka at the western end of the island to Korcula Town over towards the east is worth it because you get a picture postcard view of the geography of the island as the bus negotiates steep gradients, valleys and crests with great views out over the hills to sea. Then there's Korcula Town awaiting you on the coast where Marco Polo is supposed to have lived. It is one of the best preserved medieval cities in the Med. The town sits snugly on its own little peninsula opposite the mainland, compact and walkable in a morning. You can still visit the tower adjacent to his supposed dwelling (now in ruins) where there is an exhibition of his life. Korcula's street map is shaped like a herring bone with a central core and ribs leading off to either side.



Arrivng on Korcula

Partisan's radio from World War Two

Museum Korcula (Gradski Muzej Korcula) - this gives you a very cosy view of the history of Korcula from ancient times to the present day including a stone mason collection, archeology, kitted out nineteenth century rooms including a kitchen, a history of the shipbuilding industry here, still going on today shy of the ferry to the mainland, and details of the wartime experiences of the island when it was invaded and taken over by the Germans for a while.



Korcula from the bus

You can get the bus from Korcula town to Lambarda, the nearest decent beach resort, for 25 kuna return, 15 kuna one way. It's also a walkable distance although you have to hug the road edge. A little further on the bus comes to the end of the line, and here you can get off and walk down to the left to one beach and to the right to Vela Przina which I considered the best beach, a safe family orientated beach with shallow waters, a restaurant and volleyball court. It gets pretty crowded so be prepared!

Cycling on Korcula

Bike rental - I think I got a deal from the girl at the office from being a dude! but it cost me 55kuna for 12 hours.
This is a great way to travel for a day certainly along the coast where you can take a ride to a furtherflung beach resort. You can rent cycles in Korcula Town. However you'd need thighs like ship engine room pistons to negotiate the roads inland; it's pretty mountainous and unless you are training for the Tour De France you'd have a tough day's cycling, although would be rewarded with great views if you were still vertical.

A worthwhile day's cycling which I did is from Korcula Town west along the northern coast to the resort of Racise, although be ready for a few switchbacks. You pass through little resort villages and see great coastal scenery until you round one last bend and head into Rasice, a good stop for lunch or even the rest of the afternoon. A little bit more effort cycling up out of the village along the coast takes you to a parking area from where you can descend a tricky cliff path to a lovely secluded  beach cove of white sand edging translucent sea. If you don't like crowds this is the place to go. There is another beach further on which I tried to access but is was not worth the time.

Korcula to Dubrovnik bus journey.

If you want a spectacular bus ride along the Croatian coast then catch the bus from Korcula Town to Dubrovnik. It almost immediately takes the ferry over to the mainland, and then you take a long ascent out of the port onto the crest of the coastal mountains. The road then snakes along the top with great views down to sea and across to the islands, it's a real humdinger of a ride. The bus leaves the promontory upon which the ferry to Korcula stands and you are faced with an ancient wall necklacing the coastal hills that was designed to keep the Ottomans out. At one point the bus stops for a break by a bar looking down on a beach resort far far below, and I meet and chat with a fellow beer drinking Brit who has been exploring the area. The coastline is all far reaching vistas with distant islands, dizzy heights looking down on a magnificent coastline, and a road snaking up and down and along the indented shore through scattered resorts.

Dubrovnik

I only reached Dubrovnik in the evening before I flew back to the UK, so was not able to do it justice. However, I did pop into the Old City after finding accommodation at Cavtat in the evening.

You can get a local bus from Cavtat into the city but have to be careful to get off at the right point i.e. by the old city walls to your left. Otherwise the bus will take you much further into the 'new' town' and you will have a longish walk back. The city is quite an impressive sight at night with the massive ramparts encircling the ancient heart. There are big gateways for you to enter at certain points, and the one I entered found me perched at the top of a steep, narrow and dead straight descent by stairs into the bowels of the city, a dramatic introduction. As you head downwards you pass innumerable little streets crossing the main stairs, until you reach the bottom where a wide people filled boulevard cuts straight through the centre from one end of the city to the other, lined with the usual restaurants and cafes. This is the honeypot of Dubrovnik, the place to see and be seen. It is difficult not to be caught up with the excitement of the crowds wandering up and down, but the usual warren of side streets, undiscovered squares and sweeping stone stairways up to another architectural gem will prevent any boredom setting in.

Cavtat is a resort just a bus ride south east of Dubrovnik which would be a perfectly good holiday base in itself, plus the fact that it is right next to the international airport for Dubrovnik. it is a small medieval town and has a ducal palace and the Sokol Fortress.

Prices

£1 = 8 kuna approx

Food and drink

You can have a decent meal for 85 kuna

Coffee:

7 kuna in Karlovac - the cheapest I found and you normally get a glass of water with your coffee

One of the best deals I have had travelling was the ‘Good Food’ shop which I thought could be a winner in the UK; I had a fantastic beef salad in Zagreb for 30 kuna and then a drink for 10 kuna, and the salad is huge, you really feel you have had a decent feed. I would recommend to anyone.

Trogir

Boat ride from Hotel Jadran to Trogir was 10 kuna

Bus Split to Trogir - price depends on which company you buy your ticket from - 21 kuna
 Krka National Park - entry ticket 90 kuna.