Split or Dubrovnik?

[houseworkneverends]

Looking at a villa in Croatia next year for 8 of us. I've never been to Croatia before but I'm impressed by the quality of villa's for the price.

But I'm torn over going to Split (or should I say area's surrounding split) or head more for Dubrovnik, Rovinj or Porec.

We'll be 4 adults and 4 children - children will be 11, 6, 6, 6 (not triplets - my twins and DN who is also 6)

We want a fairly quiet area, but somewhere we can walk or have a short drive to supermarkets, a town with a market or a restaurant or two, but we definitely don't want to be in a bustling city.

Dubrovnik is not quiet in the summer 🙈 spilt is the quieter of the two. What about somewhere like zadar? Thats smaller but some lovely sun sets 😁

Depends how much you like Game of Thrones.

Even in Split, you can hardly go five yards without the theme tune blaring out. Soni imagine Dubrovnik will be worse!

(I'm a fan of the books but find the touristy fixation naff)

Split is pretty nice though, we loved it. Plenty to do within reach of the city.

Split

Split is lovely

Dubrovnik and Split I would say are a bit party town in the Summer.
My sons, who are not party animals, went to Zadar last year and absolutely loved it.
Quiet, not busy. Plenty to do.
Its also in a good area ( that Dubrovnik isn’t ) for day trips to some of the Islands.
I wouldn’t chose Dubrovnik or Split with young kids.

I love Dubrovnik but it is SO HOT in the summer. The main square has sandstone (?) buildings that just seem to reflect the heat and make it like a cooker that no other part of Croatia seems to suffer from.

One thing to bear in mind is that it's a big cruise ship destination too. When we have been, DH has downloaded an app with cruise ship arrivals so we can avoid them 😀

It's a lovely place but with that age children I'd go for Split.

We went to split last year and never once heard the theme tune.

OP I'd say hire a car, as public transport was a nightmare and we ended up having to Uber everywhere which cost a fortune.

Also be prepared for them to be quite fed up of tourists 😅🙈 the attitudes were very different from elsewhere we've been in Europe where they have been more friendly and family focused!

Neither….both overrated…full of cruise ship trippers every day…..go Zadar….just lovely there

Hi. I’m going to Trogir near Split in July. It looks charming. Any info?

Dubrovnik is lovely but very busy in the summer. Rovinj is nice but quite small. Somewhere near or in Split would be great. It’s a beautiful country and agree that hiring a car would be great.

@Batgin in what way is public transport bad?

I did Dubrovnik last September and didn’t hear the GOT music once. However it did Chuck it down every day. So ruined my experience. It was full of families and kids .

It’s not at all. It’s reasonably priced and they stick to the timetables. I loved the buses in Dubrovnik and found them clean and tidy too.

I'm piggybacking on your thread OP. Am going for 2 weeks in Summer with a car hire and need to start researching where to go so I'll be taking notes!

@Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong and @Deebee90 It was reasonably priced yes, but the buses we tried to take either didn't turn up, or were so overcrowded either you couldn't get on or they didn't stop.

This was peak summer holidays.

We stayed just outside of split and were trying to bus in. We gave up and used Uber to save in stress and standing out in the heat with 3 young kids.

@Deebee90 I noticed you said you stayed in Dubrovnik, so maybe that explains the difference in experiences with public transport, as we stayed just outside of split (15 mins drive)

Have you looked at the islands like Hvar or Korcula? They are a good option for families and easy to get around by boat for days out. Dubrovnik is fine for a couple of days but more to do further north i think.

I've been to both, and liked them both. Definitely consider visiting one or two of the islands while you are there. I have to say I preferred Dubrovnik, which seems to put me in the minority, but I'd go back to either if I could.

I liked Croatia in general as I spent 2 weeks there travelling alone and didn't get the usual hassle from people trying to get you into their restaurant, or street vendors pressuring you to buy from them, and other such things. It was nicer than neighbouring Montenegro where people seemed to outwardly hate us just for existing.

thank you everyone

I’ve been looking at a villa in Omis, it’s a small town/village but with a few restaurants. It’s about 20km away from Split with access to a beach. We don’t want total isolation but definitely don’t want the constant crowds either.

OP, Omis is nice and an easy drive from Split airport. It’s a bit touristy but quiet compared to the cities.

Dubrovnik is gorgeous but expensive (and really hot in the summer). To the PP who’s taking a hire car, check you can take it to Dubrovnik if you hire it elsewhere in Croatia. We stayed in Zaton which is nearby (two very tiny hamlets, really), and went in on the bus to Dubrovnik a couple of times, buses were reliable and only a couple of euros, I think.

Trogir is very pretty, we went on a day trip a few years ago.

Zadar is lovely and has the Venetian architecture but a less ‘polished’ and less touristy vibe. There’s also lovely towns and villages to base yourself in relatively nearby, eg. Drage, Pakostane.

I love Croatia, enjoy!

Trogir has a beautiful but very tiny old town. Are you staying on Ciovo? That’s the island right opposite, there’s a lot more accommodation there. If you are, be aware there are very few restaurants there- you’ll need to get over to the old town. This is doable and technically a shortish walk, but it’s STEEP. It’s hard work if you’re fit and healthy, and I would say not possible if you have any mobility issues. Don’t take heels, either. You can park very easily and I think quite cheaply right outside the old town, but that obviously means someone not drinking.

Also, highly recommend a visit to TRS. It’s Michelin listed although not starred, and absolutely amazing.

I’ve been to both and would say neither.

I've just got back from Split and have previously visited Dubrovnik. Split is a bit smaller and feels marginally less full of day trippers than Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is really beautiful but as PP said look up the cruise ship timetable then organise a day trip to somewhere else on that day.

Split is a great jumping off point for the islands and while I was there spent a week on Brac (Bol specifically) and it was absolutely lovely. Lots of gorgeous harbour towns.

We spent the last night in Trogir which was small and beautiful but I imagine it could get very claustrophobic at the height of summer.

There’s a bar in Split that uses the steps of Diocletian’s Palace as seating, and there’s live music and people dancing in the square most evenings. That is a pretty special experience.

I absolutely loved Dubrovnik but then we are mad about Game of Thrones. We stayed outside the town (because it's tiny and we wanted a pool) and we went to one of the islands. We found lots to do every day. It was very hot and we got Ubers into the town and back out which weren't very expensive. The public water fountains are clean and the water is safe to drink. I loved all the food.

There are details for when cruises come in and I have never seen anything like it when they swept through. So the next time we just avoided them.