Macedonia, Greek Islands and Croatia

[AFLflyer]

ok - so i reckon we have settled on a destination(s) for our next OS adventure.
Keen to concentrate on the above places and miss the typical Europe crowds.
Any tips from fellow SAfooty travel posters would be appreciated?

Anyone been to Macedonia?
I have heard great things, the coastline is meant to be amazing and still pretty much untouched from mas-tourism (but for how long??)

what are your travel tips to miss the mass tourist places in the Greek Islands and Croatia, time to visit etc?

we will only have about 3 weeks.

[redandblack]

Athens looks terrible, apart from the Acropolis, but is alive and shouldn't be missed.

There are crowds on Santorini, but that's for a good reason. It's one of the great sights of the world.

Similarly Croatia. It's along time since I hitchhiked down the Croatian coast to Dubrovnik, but it's spectacular.

Any of the Greek Islands are worthwhile, including Mykonos. If you don't want any crowds, get on a ferry to islands like Spetses. I've only been by train through Macedonia, fleeing from Skopje, probably my worst destination, although that was a very long time ago.

If you're in the Greek Island area, though, see Turkey, it's wonderful.

[AFLflyer]

Athens looks terrible, apart from the Acropolis, but is alive and shouldn't be missed.

There are crowds on Santorini, but that's for a good reason. It's one of the great sights of the world.

Similarly Croatia. It's along time since I hitchhiked down the Croatian coast to Dubrovnik, but it's spectacular.

Any of the Greek Islands are worthwhile, including Mykonos. If you don't want any crowds, get on a ferry to islands like Spetses. I've only been by train through Macedonia, fleeing from Skopje, probably my worst destination, although that was a very long time ago.

If you're in the Greek Island area, though, see Turkey, it's wonderful.

thanks R&B. good special on Getaway just then, the last island Argonos (or something) looked good. Santorini, looks like a must visit for a day or two!

[mickey]

Macedonia is on the top of my list of places to visit, purely to see where my family came from and stuff like that. if u do go, make sure u dont refer to them as Greeks..........

[AFLflyer]

Macedonia is on the top of my list of places to visit, purely to see where my family came from and stuff like that. if u do go, make sure u dont refer to them as Greeks..........

Yeah, it's a place i know nothing about, apart from browsing their tourist web sites and reading a bit about their turbulent history. Scenery, mountains, coastline and national parks look unreal.

[devilsadvocate]

Croatia is beautiful, and I also fully agree with R&B's recommendation to get over to Turkey. That place is amazing.

On Croatia, I stayed near Dubrovnik (absolutely unreal place regardless of all the tourists), stayed at Zadar and also Split. I can't recommend all of them highly enough. Croatia is a fantastic country, with some really friendly people, good food and good beer!!

While you're in that general region, Montenegro is worth a look. I had a couple of days at HercogNovi. It's spectacular. there is a burger vendor on the beach and for 2 euros, you'll get the greatest burger you'll ever have in your life. I reckon I at 12 in 2 days. Breakfast lunch and dinner!

Funny story - we stayed at a hotel that was a 'former' soviet military hospital and mental health facility. However, the use of the term 'former' was very, very loose indeed, with the 3 lowest levels still used as a mental health hospital and retirement care home. It's fair to say, the mood at breakfast was quite unique! As was sitting at the bar at 9pm with some clearly unwell characters moving around the place

[AFLflyer]

yeah, heard good things about montenegro too!
need to extend our time i reckon. will begin planning soon.
keen to visit turkey to

[AFLflyer]

got any photos of those places DA?

[devilsadvocate]

got any photos of those places DA?

Will see if I can dig a few up over the weekend. Would be good to have a look back through them myself.
I'm 99% certain I have one of the burger stand!!

[AFLflyer]

got any photos of those places DA?

Will see if I can dig a few up over the weekend. Would be good to have a look back through them myself.
I'm 99% certain I have one of the burger stand!!

nice. mmmm, burgers.
wonder what overland would be like from G.islands, following the coast to the top of Croatia. Will look into it i think
affordability of these places in comparison to say Spain??
cheaper more expensive?

[Pat Malone]

ok - so i reckon we have settled on a destination(s) for our next OS adventure.
Keen to concentrate on the above places and miss the typical Europe crowds.
Any tips from fellow SAfooty travel posters would be appreciated?

Anyone been to Macedonia?
I have heard great things, the coastline is meant to be amazing and still pretty much untouched from mas-tourism (but for how long??)

what are your travel tips to miss the mass tourist places in the Greek Islands and Croatia, time to visit etc?

we will only have about 3 weeks.

1 day is long enough in Athens, the place is filthy. Visit the historical sites and get out. Ferries leave every morning from Athens and dont have to be prebooked as prices dont change, although I booked my ferry out of every port when I arrived so I knew the right times. Santorini is awesome, donkey rides and sunsets are the main attractions. It would be the safest island probably to hire a 4 wheeler or scooter and get around, not alot of traffic. I would think 2 nights, 3 days is enough in Santorini, the sunsets have to be the best in the world. Ios and Mykonos will be packed. Mykonos is probably more picturesque than Ios and a better place to take the missus considering its a gay island, not to much competition for you. Crete is pretty busy and Rhodes is not the nicest so I would look at some other islands if you are looking for a quieter time.
As for recommendations in Croatia, you cannot go past Sail Croatia for price, beauty and enjoyment. For about $800 per person you get a 7 night cruise through the islands including breakfast and lunch on board, mooring each night at a different location to head out and party/wine and dine/explore. Its an awesome way to see Croatia, http://sail-croatia.com/index.php/tradi ... ?task=view

[Pat Malone]

And if there is any country I can recommend it is Slovenia. Get out of Ljubiana and in to the Triglav National Park. Lake Bled is amazing and its really cheap and quiet. In the summer months you can go white water rafting, canyoning (walking and jumping from the top of waterfalls to the bottom, amazing), kayaking etc and can go skiing or boarding during the winter. After Sail Croatia which finished in Split we caught a train to Ljubiana and stayed 2 nights there before heading up to the National Park. Only need 4 or 5 days there which is plenty, and is on the way back to Frankfurt which is one of the cheapest airports in Europe to fly in to and out of from Oz. Also if you are looking up flights use skyscanner.net its really helpful, like an international webjet.

[AFLflyer]

Cheers Sam,
That sailing trip looks awesome? did you get rough waters, or was it mostly calm.. what time of year? Would be a good way to finish the trip. I guess you would be living pretty closely to your fellow travellers.
sounds good.

[AFLflyer]

And if there is any country I can recommend it is Slovenia. Get out of Ljubiana and in to the Triglav National Park. Lake Bled is amazing and its really cheap and quiet. In the summer months you can go white water rafting, canyoning (walking and jumping from the top of waterfalls to the bottom, amazing), kayaking etc and can go skiing or boarding during the winter. After Sail Croatia which finished in Split we caught a train to Ljubiana and stayed 2 nights there before heading up to the National Park. Only need 4 or 5 days there which is plenty, and is on the way back to Frankfurt which is one of the cheapest airports in Europe to fly in to and out of from Oz. Also if you are looking up flights use skyscanner.net its really helpful, like an international webjet.

what did you pay for return frankfurt flights?

[Pat Malone]

No rough waters at all really, you travel so close to the coast that noone on our boat got sea sick once. You do travel reasonably close to your fellow travellers and the bunk bed situation isnt the most romantic but some couples on our trip got the double bed cabins. We went in the first week of September on our cruise, it is a little cheaper and the end of the tourist season so the places are not nearly as packed (was in dubrovnik and split a month earlier when travelling through Croatia on bus and it was 5 times as busy in late July). The way things work is people get up in the morning for breakfast and then either go back to bed if they have had a big night or go and sunbake on the deck whilst u motor along. The boat stops before lunch for a swim and then it stops again for lunch. Everyone usually sunbakes and reads books for the hour or so after lunch until you reach port and then all head off to visit the town. Cabins above deck get fresh air as well so is worth paying the bit extra.

I got flights in to London and out of Frankfurt last year for just under $1400, flying through KL. I had to go back and forth from Flight Centre 3 times to get them to come down (they originally quoted 1900) but was as cheap as they come really in the end.

[redandblack]

I agree about Frankfurt. I'm not sure why so many people travelling on the continent think they have to go through London.

[devilsadvocate]

got any photos of those places DA?

Will see if I can dig a few up over the weekend. Would be good to have a look back through them myself.
I'm 99% certain I have one of the burger stand!!

nice. mmmm, burgers.
wonder what overland would be like from G.islands, following the coast to the top of Croatia. Will look into it i think
affordability of these places in comparison to say Spain??
cheaper more expensive?

That's the exact route I took. Will post more details later, but Albania

[redandblack]

I went on an overnight bus trip once from Dubrovnik to Skopje, around Albania over the mountains.

[Pat Malone]

Going from Greek islands to Croatia was pretty expensive when I looked into it last year, although I only tried to organise it whilst I was there. Another option would be flying from athens to zadar or Zagreb and bus or train to split. Flights are also cheap to Rome from Athens if u wanted to stop over there and you can then fly to split from Rome or alternatively fly up the itialian coast to Ancona and catch and overnight ferry across. I did this as it was a cheapr option at the time. The size of the ferry means that it can be really rough outside but calm on board so sea sickness isn't a concern.

Milan is also a really cheap hub to fly through in Europe so if you are looking at flights on skyscanner it's always worth looking through Milan as well.

[devilsadvocate]

Some pics of Montenegro: (alas, I don't have one of the burger joint)
Not sure where this place is exactly, but it was a beautiful spot: (taken from a bus)


A small town at a Montenegro ferry crossing - the dude fishing has the life!!




Hercog Novi at night: