First Time Solo Traveller

[joshww]

Hey folks,

Glad to have found this board. I'm planning for my first backpacking trip - also my first solo trip - to the Balkans, notably Slovenia and Croatia, for around 3 weeks. Tentative dates of travel are between end April to early May.

Here's the thing: I'm having a bit of trouble piecing my itinerary together as I found out that there are constraints such as once-a-week ferry rides or day-trips being available only once-a-week, etc. All of this make the planning process rather challenging. As such, any advice - including where to go - is appreciated.

Cheers,
Josh

[Eagle]

joshww, Welcome! In order to provide suggestions, it would help to have a bit of further information.

- Where are you flying from?

- Are there any cities / towns that you specifically want to visit in the countries you mentioned?

- What types of sights / attractions do you want to see?

A few suggestions to begin with.....

You might get lots of good ideas on places to visit by checking a few Guidebooks. For travel in that part of the world, the Lonely Planet books would be a good start, and / or Rick Steves Croatia & Slovenia (newly updated for 2008 - next revision will be 2010). I don't know where you're located, but these should be available at your local Library or book stores.

When you have an approximate list of the cities you want to visit, it will be easier to establish a travel route. The transportation options in that area don't seem to be as good as other parts of Europe, so it's definitely a good idea to do some research first.

I don't have a lot of information on travel in the Balkans / Adriatic area, but I'm sure some of our members can help (calling MTH!). I may be heading into that part of the world in May / June, so will be able to offer more specific information after that.

Good luck with your planning!

[joshww]

Hi Eagle,

Thanks for your post.

I'm based in Singapore and will be flying into and out of Munich, so I will also be spending some time in that city.

As to Slovenia/Croatia, I'll definitely want to experience the culture of the cities, look at architecture, visit museums and do a bit of adventure sports and cycling. So Dubrovnik, Split, Bled and Ljubjlana are definitely in.

I think the problem is more on trying to coordinate where I should be at a particular given time, given that cruises, for instance, run only on certain day(s) in the week. And that limits how much time I can spend in certain cities (assuming I fly into Munich on Saturday to fully utilise my leave with the company).

Cheers,
J

[madamtrashheap]

Dec 22, 2008 10:58:57 GMT -5 Eagle said:

I don't have a lot of information on travel in the Balkans / Adriatic area, but I'm sure some of our members can help (calling MTH!). I may be heading into that part of the world in May / June, so will be able to offer more specific information after that.

You rang?!! ;D

joshww, if you're considering a visit to Croatia on your trip, perhaps put Croatia at the end of your trip as early May is still a little chilly on the Adriatic and whilst things are open (unlike Greece where they only just get going on the islands at the start of May) the water won't be super warm for swimming, if that was on your agenda. If it's just sightseeing, then you'll be fine at that time of year.

Here are a few previous Posts on Croatia and Slovenia:
pretravel.proboards1.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=3151&page=1
pretravel.proboards1.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=intinary&thread=7444&page=1

And a film on countries that might interest you: pretravel.proboards1.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=nontravel&thread=7620&page=1

What other cities/countries (apart from Munich) are you considering for your trip? This will have a bearing on the best direction/method of travel for your trip.

[joshww]

MTH, wow thanks for the links.

Haha, haven't considered swimming yet but I think I might. Kayaking is a definite though.

I've also narrowed down the cities (and itinerary) which I really want to visit to :

• Flying into Munich, overnight train to Zagreb, then fly to Dubrovnik
  
• Dubrovnik (5nights), then Split (3nights), with day excursions to Montenegro, Mostar and hopefully Hvar or Korcula. All in for the Adriatic experience; then
  
• Zagreb, and crossing the border to Ljubjlana, the two capital cities (3nights each);
  
• Bled, for adventure sports and the Slovenian Alps (2nights); before finally headed off to
  
• Munich (4 nights), with day trip to the Neunschwanstein castle if possible. Flying out from Munich
  

I did contemplate putting Croatia to the back of the trip but my only constraint is the lack of travel agents (based on my online research) that run day excursions during that time of the year. There is one who have said that they will be running trips from mid-April onwards, but the Montenegro trip is only availale on Tuesday and Mostar's on Thursdays. So I tried to fit Dubrovnik to a Monday-Friday timing, with the rest of the itinerary revolving around it.

Any advice on what I can do to change things around?

Cheers,
Josh

[joshww]

Sorry, one other question. Do you have any good itinerary on how to spend the couple of days in Munich?

[Eagle]

joshww,

Do you have any good itinerary on how to spend the couple of days in Munich?

I was just in Munich in May, so can provide a few suggestions. There are lots of choices, depending on your interests.

First of all, to reach Munich from the airport use the S8 train. There's a station right at the airport and travel time is about 30 minutes. I believe the S1 also travels that route, however as I recall the trains "split" at some point so you'd have to be sure to be on the part that's going into the city (easier to use the S8).

I find visits to cities much more interesting and rewarding by using local walking or day tours, and Munich is no exception. Here's a few possibilities for you to consider:

> Munich Walks tour - this tour lasts a couple of hours and provides a good overview of the city and history.

> Third Reich tour - if you're interested in WW-II history, this explains the origins of the Nazi party (which started in Bavaria / Munich).

> Dachau - another important site related to WW-II. This was the first of the "camps" and is located a short distance outside Munich and easily done as a day trip. It's a bit "sanitized" compared to some of the other camps, but still a moving and important site.

You can tour the above three sites on your own if you plan the transportation links carefully. I preferred to take guided tours as I fing they enrich my travel experience and make the visits more interesting. For the above sites, I used Radius Tours. They have an office in the Munich train station (check their web site for details and current prices).

> The Castles - the two castles located in Fussen (SW of Munich) of "Mad" King Lugwig are well worth visiting. Hohenschwangau was his original home, while Neuschwanstein was completed just prior to his death (this was the Castle that Walt Disney used to model his "Sleeping Beauty Castle" in Disneyland). It's spectacular to see the interior (note that NO photos are allowed of the interior of the Castle, but photos taken from the Castle looking outside are allowed - I'm sure they would prefer that visitors buy one of their souvenir books, as the tours are routed through numerous shops on the way through the Castle).

You can also use Radius Tours for these, however they don't provide the actual tour of the Castles. Visitors must use the "official" tour guides for that part, and entrance times are booked very precisely. If you choose a Radius tour, they make all the arrangements including transportation to and from Fussen.

Of course in Munich, just walking around Marienplatz, the Viktualien market area or visiting the Hofbrauhaus are always interesting. I also really enjoyed the Deutsches Museum, but be sure to allow lots of time, as there are over 16 kM of exhibits! In addition to the main Museum in Munich, there are two "satellite" Museums on the outskirts of the city (for those that really like Museums). You won't have any trouble finding things to do in Munich!

I'd suggest checking a couple of Guidebooks, to get information on lodgings, open and closing times of Museums, transit details, etc.

Cheers!

[herrbert]

If there is some time left, you can also add either Innsbruck or Salzburg to this trip. Both are only a few hours away from Munich. I think that Salzburg is a little bit easier to reach from Bled.

Some other options on the Balkan/Adriatic region can be a visit to the capital of Bosnia-Herzogoniva: Sarajevo. A city with a lot of history, and a city that has been working hard to last couple of years to wipe away the scars, that were left during the war in the 90's.

From Duvrovnik, it is possible to take a bus to Kotor in Montenegro. It's a beautiful little city, just across the border with Croatia. I haven't done too much of research on Montenergo, but it seems like a good destination, that I want to visit in the near future.

If you like the coast more, than I would suggest also taking some time on the Istria-peninsula. (on the map, look for: Pula.) But like someone already wrote: for perfect beachweather it might be too early in the season.

[madamtrashheap]

Dec 23, 2008 10:24:33 GMT -5 joshww said:

I did contemplate putting Croatia to the back of the trip but my only constraint is the lack of travel agents (based on my online research) that run day excursions during that time of the year. There is one who have said that they will be running trips from mid-April onwards, but the Montenegro trip is only availale on Tuesday and Mostar's on Thursdays. So I tried to fit Dubrovnik to a Monday-Friday timing, with the rest of the itinerary revolving around it.

Josh, things look pretty good in terms of order and that you're not really look for a beach holiday means that mid-April will be suitable, even for kayaking! If you are constrained by the dates/times of your cruises/boats then go with what's available in this instance.

[joshww]

Thank you all for your help.

I've finetuned the draft itinerary by rearranging (again) the route, took out the Montenegro daytrip requirement and added one night in Salzburg (but it's optional still, not sure if can accomplish much in one day).

So here it is:

• Arrive Munich 18 Apr, overnight train to Zagreb (arrives at 8am). Then fly to Split
  
• Split (3 nights), followed by Dubrovnik (4 nights), with day trips to Mostar and Korcula.
  
• Ljubljana + Zagreb (2/3 or 3/2 nights, haven't decided)
  
• Bled (2 nights)
  
• Extra night either at Salzburg, or extend say at Zagreb.
  
• Munich (4nights). Leave Munich on 8 May.
  

Any advice on the itinerary, especially the first two days where there's a lot of travelling involved? And, Sarajevo sounds excellent!!! Any advice on how to fit it in?

Thanks for your help!

[joshww]

Some updates.

Something cropped up and now the trip's been reduced to two weeks (I'd be in Montenegro for a week before that) and so looks like I'll start from Dubrovnik. So new itinerary is:

Either Dubrovnik 5nights, with day trips to Split or Dubrovnik 3nights, Split 2nights
Zagreb, either 2 or 3 nights
Ljubljana, 3 nights (Bled is now daytrip)
Munich 2 nights then headed back home (I'll have 3 days in Munich over the Easter weekend before heading down to Montenegro).

Any suggestions on whether this change is workable? Should I do Split as a daytrip? Or should I head to Bosnia instead?

Cheers!

[madamtrashheap]

joshww, it's a shame that you've had to cut your time down, but you'll still be able to see most of the places you'd intended. I'd be more inclined to spend 3 nights Dubrovnik and 2 nights Split rather than trying to do Split as a day trip. Then you can continue on to Zagreb, etc. Bled as a day trip from Ljubljana is certainly doable as it's only around 50kms from Ljubljana. As you still have around 5 days in Munich, you'll still be able to do a day trip to the castles/Romantic Road, just make sure you plan it for when they are open as some may be closed around the Easter period.

[joshww]

Just wanted to say that ... I've booked my flight! Will fly into Munich on Apr 10 and out on May 2.

[madamtrashheap]

Start crossing those dates off the calendar! ;D