What I did in the following ports - Rijeka, Dubrovnik, Hvar and Koper. Embarkation in Trieste.

[ollienbertsmum]

I have just come off the NCL Gem on a 5 day cruise of Croatia and Slovenia.  I know that some of these ports are fairly new (our waiter told us that NCL are testing the route) so I thought that a review might be helpful for some travellers.   

 

DH and I usually like to DIY.  We like to walk around a lot and usually do about 10 k a day when on holiday.   We only speak English and Spanish, that did not hinder us in Italy, Croatia and Slovenia.  

 

Even though I am not very into ship tours due to large numbers of people, I do check out what is on offer.  I don’t really recall very much of great interest to me.  

 

Trieste was a good port to start off our cruise.   Getting to and from the train and bus station (beside each other) was mega easy.  We had arrived at about 8.30 the previous evening.  I wandered around early in the morning, we then had till 2 pm on the final day.  It actually was a bit longer than we needed.  Stunning buildings along the water front.  You can tell that Trieste has been a thriving city and still seems to be thriving.  That said, the two Italian cities we visited, Bologna and Trieste were the only places that we witnessed beggars.  I genuinely did not have any money anyway.  All my money was on my card.  

 

Rijeka - A bit similar to Trieste.  Looking over my photos I can’t really tell which port is which.  I think it was the best shopping centre (Hvar had beautiful shops but they were expensive).  I was not cruising to shop, but I had already realised that I was cold on the ship so I bought some warmish leggings to go under my tops.    In Rijeka there was a staircase of 561 steps to get up to Trsat castle.  It was not really that difficult and worth the climb.  We have to find ways of working off the big breakfasts.  Views were lovely.  

 

 

I think that there were beaches nearby that would be a good way to pass the day in summer.  

 I also think that there must have been trips to Lubljana and Bled. 

 

Dubrovnik - We had been to Dubrovnik before so I was less excited about this port.  In the event,  I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.  Our last visit had  been in hotter weather (September) and it had been more crowded.  This time we could better appreciate the beauty of the city.  

We took the ship shuttle into town (Pile Gate).  We nipped into the tourist info there and got a map and directions to the cable car for more views.  It was not far but we did have to ask to confirm we were on the right route.  When we got there, there was a bit of a queue and it was not clear where to buy tickets.  There were ticket sales in shops below the cable car, but cash only.  Once we found the official office, we got our tickets.  The views were lovely.  

 

We could easily have walked back down, DH was not keen.    Back in Dubrovnik

 

In the old town DH was cross when we got charged 10 euro for two small cans of beer (take-out).  I pointed out to him that the absence of prices should have been a red flag.    Bars beside were charging less for beer.  We were ‘tricked’.  

 

I stopped to try and find postcards and stamps.  When I asked if they had postcards I got quite a blunt ‘no’, which DH found a bit rude.  I recalled that in 2019 I had got exactly the same style of response.  I think Croatians don’t add flowers to their language.  They didn’t have stamps, what else did I need to know?  [actually telling me where the post office is situated might have helped].  

 

I walked down to the little beach where they do kayaking.  That was attractive and peaceful. 

 

Getting on the shuttle back was a bit of a scrum, I don’t think anyone checked the ticket on the way back! 

 

Incidentally this sign was in the port 

 

 

I think taxis would be plentiful early on.  We could also have gone into town explored and then got a taxi from near to the cable car.  With more than two in the party it would have bee a good value way of getting around.

 

Just a note - the cruise daily info sheet stated that it was 25 minutes from the cruise port to the Pile Gate drop off.  That is not true, it is more like 10 minutes.  We could have walked it easily.  

 

Hvar - I don’t know what I expected but this was much better.  It clearly was an expensive place to be but our drinks were less expensive than  our hole in the wall bar in Dubrovnik.  You can tell that this attracts the rich crowd.  Lovely weather helped.  

 

This was a tender port.  

 

We walked along the sea front.  All of the beaches were rocky and as a result the water was crystal clear.   I fancied dipping my feet in to see the temperature of the water but could not see anywhere that would be safe from the odd rogue wave.  I didn’t want to dampen my shoes and so the day.  

 

I found more stairs, fewer than in Rijeka, and climbed up to a castle where I wrote some postcards while admiring the views.   Buying cards, finding stamps and finding postboxes is always a little mission when I visit new places.  I managed to do this in Hvar.  I’m always nervous that I have posted my cards in a private mail box but I think I did it right.  

 

On the steps back down into town, I passed a Benedictine Convent that had a lace museum.  I knew that lace making is a symbol of Hvar.  It is a bit of a niche interest but I would have liked to go and see.  It was 5 euro but they didn’t accept cards.  I had brought out 10 euro today to buy my postcards, I only had a few coins left.  I made do with a post card of the lace.  

Again I have no idea what the ship had to offer in terms of tours.  I would have been very interested in seeing Stari Grad Plain and Stari Grad itself.  I would certainly have done this as a ship tour.  We might have got to see and smell some lavender fields.  We would probably have easily done it with a taxi but we really did not want to get up early enough to get an early tender that would allow us to do this in comfort.  

 

Koper (Slovenia) - We woke to rain, but it mostly stopped by the time we went ashore.  Here I had planned further ‘strolling around’.  When we walked out of the port there were some kiosks selling tours.  The company was Istranka tours.  They had a good selection including several local famous caves, a ‘wine fountain tour’ ???, Lake Bled and Lubljana - and the tour for me if only I had seen it, a Lipizzaner Stud Farm.  My favourite ever ever TV show as a child (White Horses) was set on a stud farm near Lubljana.  How  would I have known that I could have gone back 50 years in time.  

 

However, for only 25 euro we could go on a scenic drive and spend two hours in the town of Piran.   So I booked for the last tour at  1 pm.  We had time to wander round the highlights of

Koper.  It was stunning even in the rain, but it seemed as if we were done in 45 mins.  There was a tower to climb but I had done quite a few climbs during the week.  I bought another card because we were in a different country.    

 

The panoramic tour was really good value.  The guide talked non-stop.  The two hours in Piran was enough time to see around.  This would make a great spot in the summer.    Another good view from a castle.  I had about 40 minutes to spare and noticed an aquarium.  It was tiny but I needed a toilet break before getting back on the bus.   For 7 euro I could kill time and the call of nature.  

 

 

 

We could have visited Lake Bled and Ljubljana from Koper.  Were I to go again I would look up ‘istranka tours’ and arrange ahead.  In reality I think I would prefer Ljubljana as a whole weekend destination.   I would certainly get to see those Lipizzaner horses then.  

 

 

 

So all in all a good set of ports, there was more to interest me than I expected.   I hope that helps someone choosing what to do if in these relatively unreported ports.   Happy to answer any questions.  

[edinburgher]

ollienbertsmum

 

Just finished reading your long post complete with photos as was familiar with all of these places.  thank you for doing that as it was an interesting read and the photos brought back some memories.

 

However, you said

In Rijeka there was a staircase of 561 steps to get up to Trsat castle.  Having travelled up the road, I know that too was very long and extremely steep. These days we avoid such exertions whenever possible.

 

I know you said you are enthusiastic DIYers, as are we, but we took a public bus all the way up and back again when we were ready to leave the area at the top and a lack of language skills has never held us back in any country, so I would encourage you to look at bus options on your next trip to anywhere.

 

Should you find yourselves back in Dubrovnik, I would suggest you take the public bus to Cavtat.Iit leaves from inside the bus station next to the port gates. The views you posted from the cable car are the views you get from the bus.  Many many past threads with the word Cavtat.  Pull them up and reading them might tempt you.

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by edinburgher

[Vineyard View]

I very much appreciated the time you took, and pictures you posted. We head out to this area next week. 
We are taking a small boat from Vis Island to Hvar. It sounds like you really enjoyed that island. I knew from past time in Dubrovnik that lace and needlework is quite lovely in Croatia (I have a wonderful piece from there)  but I was not aware that lace making is a symbol of Hvar. 

We stop in Koper as well. Our plan is to take a bus or taxi to Piran. Probably explore, have lunch, and decide when it’s time to return. I am happy to hear that you enjoyed this little town as well. 
 

‘thank you again!