Split or Porec

Hi there, am looking to visiting croatia next June and not sure where to book. We like, beaches, nice restaurants, shopping and historics. Where would be the best place to visit and stay. All help appreciated. Thanks TIna

|||

If the choice is between Split and Porec I would say none of the above. Rather, look at staying in Trogir, which will put you close to Split and the islands.

|||

First, how many days will you be here? Croatia is not a large country and you can easily visit Istria (Porec) and Split (Dalmatia) together. One of the real virtues of Split of course is that it is the jumping off point via ferries from here to Vis, Hvar, Brac and Solta. This quartet of islands offers some marvelous sightseeing, history, swimming, and gastronomy. Split is also home to Diocletian%26#39;s Palace, a 1,700 year-old treasure from Roman times to the present and some excellent museums and as Croatia%26#39;s second largest city, a lot more ammenities than Trogir, with its historic Greek, medieval and Renaissance core does not. Trogir is only 40 minutes away by local bus from Split, but since it is much smaller it makes it more crowded--and unless you have a car, getting to the fine beaches on Ciovo, the island %26quot;attached%26quot; to Trogir by a tiny bridge, can be tough. (You can walk to the sandy blue flag town beach in Split, Bacvice, in 10 minutes from the city center). While Trogir surely is worth a visit for the day, Split is a better %26quot;base%26quot;. And Crostia%26#39;s most-visited destination, Dubrovnik, is a 5 hour bus ride from Split. Porec is completely different than what you see and experience on the Dalmatia coast, so you need to read up about it and as important, where you can go FROM Porec if you want to use it as a base. A good primter to get you started would be a site like www.sightseeingcroatia.com, which has direct links from these cities and towns and many others only to local tourist boards and providers that we have used personally or friends have highly recommended. See as much of Croatia as you can!

|||

Thanks for that, have seen a holiday in Split, markaska, so may book that one. It looks very nice, and a good base to visit the islands.

|||

Imagine my surprise. www.sightseeingcroatia.com is located in the city of Split. I would have never guessed that????

I still say take a few hours to wander around Split and then get out of the city and enjoy yourself in Trogir or Makarska if you want to go there.

|||

I decided to live in Split after traveling up and down the coast over the past several years. One of the main reasons is that being the second largest city (but still a very liveable 200,000 people) it has the best, easiest access to the rest of the country.

The airport, located near Trogir, has lots of direct flights to many international countries and the 45 minute flight to Zagreb is usually less than $50.

But unlike Trogir, Split is Dalmatia%26#39;s hub for the ferry system, bus system and train system (which runs no further south than Split).

The year round cultural scene here and the city%26#39;s infrastructure (from excellent shopping to comprehensive medical facilities) also attracted me. As well of course as the people here, whose interaction with tourists is refreshingly seamless.

In the off season the historic core of Trogir, where the shops as well as the sites are, is practically deserted. This is nice if you want to visit in peace and quiet, but living there year round is more difficult.

During the season, despite the fact that it has more beaches than Split, Ciovo is much more congested, as is Trogir too with its more narrow alleys and chock a block shops and restaurants.

Now that the water taxi from Split to Trogir has improved, I use it (and buses leave twice an hour too) and recommend it to friends and travelers who come here as the best way to enjoy Trogir and still use Split as a base to the islands and to go futher south to Omis, Makarska and Dubrovnik.

Although Split still has the reputation of a transit city, the local tourist board and hotels are reporting that there does seem to be a shift and people are spending more time here. This is a good sign because like Dubrovnik and Sibenik and Zadar, there is much more to enjoy here than just the city historic core.