Trying to plan a week or 2 abroad next year. Croatia maybe? Can anyone recommend somewhere not mega expensive.

[CuriousMama]

DH and I fancy a holiday abroad next year. We usually go to Majorca or cruises.
We'd like somewhere with history and nice views for hiking.
Can anyone recommend somewhere? I like value for money mainly because we do hiking holidays and they aren't cheap. Plus we're looking at moving house. Probably be year after for that?

Any help appreciated. TIA.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/holidays

Over on the holidays board might be better! 😜

Cheers

We’re near Split at the moment. Due to small children we’re unable to leave the pool for more than a meal without whinging, but the surrounding countryside looks fab.

I’ve heard good things about Albania. There was an Irma in the paper recently about how low cost it was. DB took his family last year and they had a great trip, hiking in the mountains and a few days on the beach.

Item.

I went to Croatia a few miles north of Dubrovnik. It's absolutely gorgeous.

Went with my DD who was 10 at the time and we had a fantastic time.

Thanks both of you.

Corsica has some nice hiking. Not sure how expensive it would be compared to Croatia.

Definitely Slovenia or Montenegro. Both gorgeous, affordable and great hiking

We stayed in Pula in Croatia, beautiful coast for swimming and lots of history in the city itself and nearby eg easy to get the bus places and ferries to islands. We went to Brijuni which is where Tito used to hang out, fascinating.

We found it all pretty inexpensive, buses were cheap and flights were too and since the airport is close to the city it was cheap to transfer too. We stayed on a campsite which was brilliant in many ways as they had statics to rent and you could just jump pretty much from door of accommodation into the sea but it was given to very loud and annoying late night discos so that might be somewhere to avoid! My children all learned to use earplugs that holiday.

Highly recommend Mljet in Croatia. The photo is from the national park. It has two beautiful salt water lakes that are lovely to swim in.

La Palma is good for hiking, cheap and off the beaten track

Go to Montenegro! Fly to Dubrovnik and cross the border… look at the Bay of Kotor, specifically Perast. The most beautiful place ever, and better value than Dubrovnik, but really easy to go to, if you wanted to visit (would recommend too!)

We loved Madeira. No Sandy beaches really, but lovely sea, gorgeous scenery, plenty of hiking, great food and lots to see!

Rhodes? Can get buses easily around the island, lovely beaches and history.

Thanks everyone

Montenegro. Neighbour of Croatia, further down the Adriatic coast. Look at Kotor, specifically the old town. Also, there’s the Bar to Belgrade (or Belgrade to Bar) train, it’s a very scenic journey through the mountains, from Podgorica to Belgrade. Belgrade is wonderful city. The Kalemegdan fortress overlooks the confluence of the Danube and Sava. You can easily spend a couple of nights in Belgrade, cheaply.

www.visit-montenegro.com/destinations/kotor/attractions/old-town-kotor/

amp.theguardian.com/travel/2016/nov/06/balkan-express-railway-belgrade-to-bar-serbia

www.thecrazytourist.com/25-best-things-belgrade-serbia/

Crete ticks all the boxes. Plus there's loads of flight options and the weather is great for much longer than most of Europe.

It's almost like a country in its own right rather than a Greek island. I've been to Croatia. Monte negro. Albania. They honestly don't compare.

There's the Samaria gorge one of the biggest in Europe for hiking. Knossos and Spinalonga for culture. Elounda. Chania. Aghios Giorgios to stay.

Enjoy.

Montenegro, Croatia, Albania - all tick the box!

I’ve travelled through/stayed in Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia and Slovenia extensively over the last 20 years due to having DH’s family in that region. I have to say I really am not impressed and Croatia especially is very over rated. We got back from our last trip 2 days ago and I have sworn I won’t go again and I mean it this time!

Went to Turkey for the first time earlier this year though, the difference was stark and I absolutely loved it. Not expensive, lovely people and food, and loads of historic things to see/activities to do/boat trips. I was surprised at how crystal clear the water was too. I’d recommend going there instead!