Croatia with Cross-Culture Journeys

Croatia is a wonderful destination, with six UNESCO World Heritage Sites, great food and wine and, during our June ’06 trip, perfect weather.

My husband, Robert, and I took the 10-night “Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast & Splendid Dubrovnik” tour (land price, $2,795) plus a 4-night pre-tour, “The Beautiful Istrian Peninsula” ($700), from Cross-Culture Journeys (12 White Pine Rd., Amherst, MA 01002; 800/491-1148, www.ccjourneys.com). We highly recommend taking the Istrian pre-tour in combination with the Dalmatian Coast tour.

Cross-Culture Journeys features a small group size of 10 to 16 travelers. There were only nine in our group. The itinerary was well planned, and having 2-night stays at each location was a plus — just the right amount of time. Hotels were 3-star and very conveniently located. We were able to easily walk in the towns and along the promenades in the evenings and during leisure times.

We did a number of excursions that were not listed on the itinerary. One night in Opatija we took in a concert by the Zagreb symphony orchestra. The concert venue was a short walk from our hotel and we paid only for the concert tickets ($10-$15 each).

Katalin Kovats, our guide, was the consummate professional. She was well organized, always pleasant and always available. Sometimes she took the group for walks after dinner.

Katalin had carefully selected local guides who were well informed and personable and had good English-speaking skills. She planned many special lunches at local restaurants with a sampling of local foods. One memorable lunch at the lovely hill town of Motovun on the Istrian Peninsula consisted of truffles, pasta and wine.

After our tour of Krka National Park, Katalin asked if we wanted to explore another part of the park that she had never seen, Roski Slap. Everyone agreed. It was about a half-hour ride by bus, and when we arrived a local vendor offered the group a boat ride upriver through a canyon to see a monastery. Again, everyone agreed to take the boat ride, and Katalin paid the cost of $12 per person — this extra excursion cost us nothing.

Our driver, Laszlo Antal, also went beyond the call of duty: he was available for extra pickups for leisure-time adventurers. We have been on tours where any extra use of the bus and driver was not allowed or where it cost tour members extra.

You need to do considerable walking on this tour. There are many areas where vehicles are not allowed — a real plus for those who enjoy leisurely walking through medieval cities and absorbing all the local ambiance. Historic pedestrian districts do tend to have cobblestones or slippery marble. Some areas are a bit steep. Bring your sturdy shoes!

— JOANNE KOWALCZYK, Dartmouth, MA