Split, Croatia and Kotor, Montanegro shore excursions

[vintagebabe]

We will be visiting Split, Croatia and Kotor, Montanegro in October on the Quest. Anybody have any advice/info on whether these two ports are pretty easy to navigate on your own-or would a guide or a shore excursion best?

 

We are pretty new to this cruising stuff. Normally able to get around ourselves on our other vacations(non cruise), don't know why this is kind-of giving me some stress! I have booked a shore ex. for Split, but wondering if it worth the expense if we could do it easily ourselves.

 

Terri

[ItalianGuest]

Good morning Terri,

 

I assure you that Split and Kotor absolutely don't need to be visited with a guide. You can easly discover this beautiful ports on your own.

I've been there 2 months ago and with a guidebook at hand I think to have visited all.

 

Enjoy your cruise!:)

 

ItalianGuest

 

PS

Have a look at

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=873442&highlight=

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=873443&highlight=

[clivep]

Your itinerary is the same as we did on the Journey in April.

 

This was the first cruise that we have not done any ship excursions at all.

 

Venice - get a public transport pass in advance from VeniceConnected.

 

Ravenna - not docked where expected and free shuttle provided to center... lots to see but easy on your own.

 

Split - docked next to center - not much to see.

 

Kotor - docked next to center - easy on your own.

 

Corfu - considered an excursion but in the end just took the ship's shuttle service into Kerkyra (Corfu town). Very busy and hot. Not much to see.

 

Itea - Taxi to Delphi.

 

Sorrento - 1st day took ferry to Amalfi (not much to see) then ferry back to Positano (very nice) before catching the SITA bus back to Sorrento and the port bus down to the ship.

2nd day took the ferry to Ercolano to visit the ruins of Hercculaneum as we had already visited Pompeii. Caught the train back to Sorrento. Pompeii and Ercolano as easy to get to by train as is Naples.

We had been to Capri on a previous trip so did not go there again. This is very easy to do with the ferry which goes from next to where your tenders drop you off.

[vintagebabe]

thanks for your replies. It does sound like the exact same itinerary. Sounds like Corfu and Split you were not impressed with?? What do you do for transportation to Rome on the last day? We will be staying 2 nights there? Was the port in Venice on the west coast, near the train terminal? We were thinking of taking the train from the airport into Venice, but was wondering if there is room for luggage on the train.

 

I had booked a shore excursion for Split, but now I am thinking I can save the expense.

 

Terri

[TravelerThom]

I overnighted in Split last April 2008 and thought Diocletian's Palace [built circa 305 AD] was well worth the hours we spent poking about this UNESCO World Heritage site. After Diocletian died in 316 AD his Palace basically became the city of Split, and it is still lived in by many people today. You are free to wander around pretty much everywhere without entrance fee except in people's homes. Around the 7th Century Split doubled in size and this newer part of town is just East of the Palace. There is a lovely broad waterfront walkway between the Palace and the sea, and a halfway interesting outdoor market just west of the Palace. The rest of Split doesn't have a lot of tourist interest, but the town of Trogir, less than half an hour away, is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

[clivep]

thanks for your replies. It does sound like the exact same itinerary. Sounds like Corfu and Split you were not impressed with?? What do you do for transportation to Rome on the last day? We will be staying 2 nights there? Was the port in Venice on the west coast, near the train terminal? We were thinking of taking the train from the airport into Venice, but was wondering if there is room for luggage on the train.

 

I had booked a shore excursion for Split, but now I am thinking I can save the expense.

 

Terri

 

We were originally going to stay on the ship in Corfu as we did not expect to find anything of interest and were not wrong. Corfu town is a popular destination for Brits who like to drink a lot so not our cup of tea.

 

In Split we went to the Diocletian's Palace (which was full of stalls selling souvenirs, etc). Pleasant enough place but there was not much else to do.

 

We had a morning flight out of Rome so took the ship's transfer to guarantee getting there on time otherwise we would have taken the train. We have used the train before when boarding and also for day excursions from other cruises. You need to take the port authority's coach from the ship to the port gates then walk a few hundred metres along the front to the train station but at least in this direction you don't need to haul your cases down and up the flight of steps. In Rome the platform is way down at the other end of the station to the exit.

 

The port you are docked at in Venice is the Marittima. See http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruise-terminal-marittima.htm it is near Piazzale Roma which in turn is not far from Ferrovia (the train station). HOWEVER, you will not be going to the train station from Venice Marco Polo airport as there is not a train station at the airport!

You can catch a land bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma then walk or get the 6/ bus or probably the port authority's coach to the ship. Alternatively you can get the Alilaguna water bus from the airport to St Marks (San Marco Giardinetti) on the Blu line and transfer to the Marrone line into the port itself Stazione Marittima, see http://timetable.alilaguna.it/?funzione=1&contesto=1&valore=8&modo=6&lang=en&bodyonly=1

See my posts at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1010534 for more detailed information.

[California Native]

Last year we were in Split and Kotor as part of our in depth land vacation of Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia and absolutely loved both.

They are both very easy to do on your own.

We have quite a bit of information on our personal travel journal regarding these ports.

Our sights to see lists, photos, and Videos, including a Rick Steves video that covers Split. The Montenegro video is towards the bottom.

While in Kotor, I would check to see if there is an option to go to Perast and visit Our Lady of the Rocks Church, along with the Treasury of the main church in the town of Perast.

 

Just go into the link below. The sections you will want are Where we've been and Photos

 

http://ourpassportstamps.com/

 

Enjoy!

 

and if you have any questions on these ports, just let me know!

 

K

[California Native]

Your itinerary is the same as we did on the Journey in April.

 

 

Split - docked next to center - not much to see.

 

 

I find this statement quite sad...

I wonder how much they missed out on?

We were there 2 full days on our land vacation and fully immersed ourselves. If you are passionate about history, architecture and culture your time in port will be full.

on a side note..Diocletians Palace is considered a world heritage site.

 

[TourDeCruise]

Wow. I’m a little astounded over “not much to see” comments on Split and am delighted to see others clarify the significance of Split and share information on touring. Thank you, Thom & where2next.

We haven’t been to the ports the op mentioned, but have learned about Split via the History Channel, Rick Steves’ Croatia video & show, and another Croatia, Montenegro, & Slovenia dvd we have. For a few years, we have been saying we need to get to Split. We booked a specific Azamara cruise for next year because among other desirable ports, it has Split, Kotor, Delphi, and an overnight in Sorrento (yippee – full day at Pompeii this time) on the itinerary, putting it over the top of other nice itineraries.

We thoroughly enjoy visiting ancient sites and consider it a passion. Split has a wonderful opportunity to visit a very fine example of Roman architecture, engineering, and history. Rick Steves’ 2008 Croatia & Slovenia devotes 7-1/2 pages to the touring of Diocletian’s Palace with its cellars, mausoleum, Egyptian sphinxes, Temple of Jupiter, peristyle, and cardo. A short distance from this historic area is the Archaeology Museum with archaeological finds from Split and Salona (Diocletian’s birthplace) and possibly from the earlier Illyrian period. The museum also has medieval artifacts, which are of lesser interest to us, but still of interest to many. We are planning to spend the entire day walking around Split with an in-depth concentration on Diocletian’s Palace and the archaeology museum.

Kotor is supposed to be lovely. In addition to walking around, we plan to hike the strenuous path with its 1500 stairs (over 700 ft. elevation gain) to the fortress at the top for spectacular views of the Bay of Kotor and the chance to see Illyrian remains from 3rd century bc which are supposed to be near the fortress.

Kathy

[Cruizer Bill]

Kathy,

Diana and I went to Split and Dubrovnik last year on the RCI Legend's Italy and Croatia cruise. Spilt was wonderful!! we took a shore excursion to a small walled ISLAND CITY called Trogir, about 10 miles from Spilt. We also saw the original Greek city just inland from present day Split and of course we walked through what remains of the Roman Emperor's Palace right at the harbor of Split. The best deal was offered by a local tour company that ran a bus that left from the dock. It provided what we were told was an excellent tour and a very reasonalble price.

 

Croatia is a gem! VERY clean and industrious. A wonderful place to visit. We are very glad to have seen it and we got there before they adopted the Euro so it is still very inexpensive. We HIGHLY recommend Croatia!!

 

Bill

[MrMojoRisin]

Croatia is a gem! VERY clean and industrious. A wonderful place to visit. We are very glad to have seen it and we got there before they adopted the Euro so it is still very inexpensive. We HIGHLY recommend Croatia!!

Just to clarify the situation - the currency in Croatia is not the Euro but the Kuna (although the Euro is accepted in some places). As a piece of trivia, Kuna means marten (the animal).

[LuAnn]

Loved it! Did it on our own! Wonderful farmers market and fun, winding streets to explore. Did not attempt the "hike" up the mountain...it is a LONG way up! I think you will find the town charming and the cruise up and down to get there beautiful! LuAnn

[Drink-in-Hand/Toes-in-Sand]

I second the recommendation for Trogir! It is also a UNESCO site and so charming. Wander around the walled city, walk along the boardwalk, and spend some time in the town square. It was beautiful and full of architectural detail.

 

We took a ship's tour and after spending the morning in the little resort town, I was a little disappointed when we returned to Split to explore Diocletian's Palace. It was touted as the most well-preserved site from its era, but the palace itself has been cannibalized in essence to make a town. So I wasn't really sure how that equated to "well preserved"... But still unusual and something to see.

 

One of my favorite moments was a stop between Trogir and Split at an old mill. They served a traditional Croatia snack and entertained us with folk music. We loved this little, unexpected piece of their culture.

[California Native]

I was a little disappointed when we returned to Split to explore Diocletian's Palace. It was touted as the most well-preserved site from its era, but the palace itself has been cannibalized in essence to make a town. So I wasn't really sure how that equated to "well preserved"... But still unusual and something to see.

 

 

With all due respect, the town wasn't cannibalized....based on the history and architecture of the day...what you are seeing is how new architectural styles through ages were introduced and INCORPORATED into the town.

Diocletians Palace was deserted and it was the Croatian People that claimed it and preserved it to become a town that everyone lived, worked, and kept safe in from the constant threat of invaders.

Based on other Buildings from Diocletians era, it is WELL PRESERVED...

and I mean this in the most polite way possible, but did you really fully read the history of Split??? Did you really learn about the era of Dioceltian and the generations that followed?????

Were you able to go into the Split History Museum? (I'm assuming not since you divided your day to go to Trogir) This is an excellent museum that really covers everything you ever wanted to know about Split. You would've had a deep appreciated how the town evolved...not to be mention several other incredible museums...Archeological, Church Treasury, Ethnographic....

and instead of using the term cannibalized.....I think you would've been a bit more impressed on how they managed to retain the walls and much of the orignal architecture and still expand and grow....

Personally, we stayed at the Hotel Peristil...we slept in a room that one of our walls was the ACTUAL WALL..

where we had breakfast was in a courtyard as part of the original wall..

with original mosaics just steps from us.

 

We spent 2 full days there in complete immersion, it's sad you can make such a judgement in a couple of hours

[Drink-in-Hand/Toes-in-Sand]

Sorry to offend. Simply offered my opinion.

[GGfour]

Does anyone know of a private tour operator in Kotor? The one I found through the tourist office isn't responding. I'd like to arrange a walking tour of Kotor plus a ride to Budva. Has anyone done that? thanks,

 

Gigi