Going to Croatia in a few months and trying to fill the itinerary with things to do. We are flying in/out of Frankfurt so anything around there would be great. Our total trip is roughly 2 weeks so we can split it however we want.

Compared to other major German cities, Frankfurt really doesn't offer much that you couldn't find elsewhere in terms of sights. It is the financial capital of Germany, so lots of suits walking around. I would check the schedule to see if there are any events, festivals, concerts, etc.

Wiesbaden and Mainz are a very short direct train from Frankfurt Airport and would be better options

The Pilot said:

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Going to Croatia in a few months and trying to fill the itinerary with things to do. We are flying in/out of Frankfurt so anything around there would be great. Our total trip is roughly 2 weeks so we can split it however we want.

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I just got back from Croatia a month ago and it was amazing. Everything is fresh in my mind!

Dubrovnik is the beautiful walled city where they filmed Game of Thrones. You be able to swim in the water which should be warmer in August/September. If you're inside the walls, get gelato at this shop called Pepinos; it was incredible. Walk on the walls and see the city and beautiful coast from its heights!

Another option: We spent one night in a less touristy, busy town closer to the airport called Cavtat. This might be a better option is you want something laid back. You can still commute to Dubrovnik from here easily.

From Dubrovnik. we bused to Split which is also a busy coastal town. The historical showpiece here is Diocletian's Palace. I love traveling for history so I was absolutely floored and honored to be in the palace of a Roman Emperor from 1700 years ago.

We took a Ferry from Split to Hvar. Hvar is a stunning (Croatian) island in the Adriatic sea. We rode ebikes to Stari Grad which is on the other side of the island and founded possibly as early as 3000 BC! Its a ride with 12 percent grades for plenty of it, so you'll want the ebike if you do this.

Let me know if you want me to dive further into anything.

Pltvice, Zadar, Mljet, Hvar and Korcula if you can swing it in Croatia.

Could easily do 3 weeks there alone.

The Pilot said:

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Going to Croatia in a few months and trying to fill the itinerary with things to do. We are flying in/out of Frankfurt so anything around there would be great. Our total trip is roughly 2 weeks so we can split it however we want.

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I've flown into Frankfort and gone to Heidelberg and area, plus a Rhine trip with an overnight in Bacharach (where we stayed in the old medieval walls), and a side trip into Alsace to Strasbourg. I wouldn't plan on staying in Frankfurt at all.

Heidelberg has a cool castle/fortress overlooking the town and one of the world's oldest universities. We did a really cool hike in Heidelberg where you pass by ancient Celtic walls, then a Roman tower, then ended up at the top where there was a Nazi amphitheater which was used in their propaganda. Was quite the historical spectrum all on one hill/mountain.

There is a small town with some cool old Celtic and Roman ruins called Ladenburg an easy drive from Heidelberg. I can give a good, unique restaurant rec there if you want it.

Rothenburg is a really cool old walled city about 90 mins or so from Heidelberg.

And of course if you're driving or taking a train Munich is more or less on the way, and there is lots to do and see there.

I also did a recent trip to Croatia where we hit Dubrovnik, Hvar, and Split. We loved Croatia. Did a brief flyby of Korcula but would have liked to spent more time there.

There's a lot of cool stuff in both regions, but there's also some cool stuff in between the two regions so it kinda depends on whether you are wanting to drive, train, or fly once you get to Europe.

One thing I wasn't able to work into my Croatia itinerary which I would have really liked to do, which would probably be a good time of year to do so, is to see Plitvic Natl Park in Croatia. Peak summer when we were there is supposed to to be overly crowded and not as good for water flow. If you're going in later Sep or Oct, you might find the conditions more favorable. I'd recommend looking into that because it looks like a pretty amazing place- wonder of the world type stuff.

Really need more details about what you want to see, what your travel party is like, etc.

In general I will say this: the food is a lot better in Croatia, at least on the coast, and the people are a little more fun-loving.

PascalsWager said:

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The Pilot said:

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Going to Croatia in a few months and trying to fill the itinerary with things to do. We are flying in/out of Frankfurt so anything around there would be great. Our total trip is roughly 2 weeks so we can split it however we want.

---

I just got back from Croatia a month ago and it was amazing. Everything is fresh in my mind!

Dubrovnik is the beautiful walled city where they filmed Game of Thrones. You be able to swim in the water which should be warmer in August/September. If you're inside the walls, get gelato at this shop called Pepinos; it was incredible. Walk on the walls and see the city and beautiful coast from its heights!

Another option: We spent one night in a less touristy, busy town closer to the airport called Cavtat. This might be a better option is you want something laid back. You can still commute to Dubrovnik from here easily.

From Dubrovnik. we bused to Split which is also a busy coastal town. The historical showpiece here is Diocletian's Palace. I love traveling for history so I was absolutely floored and honored to be in the palace of a Roman Emperor from 1700 years ago.

We took a Ferry from Split to Hvar. Hvar is a stunning (Croatian) island in the Adriatic sea. We rode ebikes to Stari Grad which is on the other side of the island and founded possibly as early as 3000 BC! Its a ride with 12 percent grades for plenty of it, so you'll want the ebike if you do this.

Let me know if you want me to dive further into anything.

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This.

We were there a week ago and did Split and Dubrovnik. Both are awesome.

Split - Diocletian's Palace
Dubrovnik - we did Banje Beach and Old Town. We would have spent a lot more time here if we could have… it's a great city. And the Game of Thrones filming spots are cool too.

I'm here (Croatia) now, and I have to say it's my new favorite place in the world. Absolutely stunning. We road tripped from Zagreb to Dub and hit up as many spots as possible. I'll give a better write up when I have time, but I wouldn't waste time in Split. Typical port city. Tons of people, very touristy. You need a day in Dub to explore old town; it's really neat. Get to the islands. Brac, Vis, Hvar. That's where the best people, food, experiences are.

Did yall get a rental car in Croatia?

Ya, we did a one way rental.

Spend all your time in Croatia and skip Germany. Croatia is that much better. And definitely hit as many islands as you can. The ferry system works great.

OilManAg91 said:

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Spend all your time in Croatia and skip Germany. Croatia is that much better. And definitely hit as many islands as you can. The ferry system works great.

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We are flying business class and got a good deal on flights to/from Frankfurt.

Going to Frankfurt is great and congrats on business class. Have flown through there multiple times and it's a pretty easy airport to get around, efficient but nothing special. Sure spend a couple days in Germany on your way to Croatia, (maybe Munich beer gardens, Rothenburg or Garmiah area) but just don't spend half your trip or you will probably wish you spent more time in Croatia.

Just doing 2 of 15 days in Germany

We have about a day and a half on the back end that we are debating a day trip from Frankfurt to Zurich. Any other ideas?

Our walking guide in Frankfurt recommended Heidelberg.

I'm going to throw a few different ideas out there for Croatia. While Bavaria is my favorite region and Budapest is my favorite city, Croatia is my favorite country. City after city, village after village, middle-of-nowhere after middle-of-nowhere...Croatia is awesome no matter where you go or what you do.

Lots of folks will tell you about the islands, and they should, but we also spent 2 weeks on just the mainland, which you may not hear as much about.

Dubrovnik feels like the entire walled Old Town and its contents are one big building. Every step is a very steep stair up or down. Others have made great suggestions, but I'll add that you should gondola up to the top of the hill and go to the Homeland War Museum in the old fort. It's so overtly biased & heavy-handed. Their hatred of their Yugoslavian enemies shined through in every word. No museum in America could ever get away with that. And the views are amazing.
The Red History museum is also an entertaining, interactive, & informative peek into life under communist/soviet control. But it's a little farther out of the city center.
Walking the City Walls is a must.

Croatia gets better the farther north you go. After 2 or 3 days in Dubrovnik, rent a car and start driving. Driving in Croatia is very easy, even in the more secluded & hilly roads of Istria.

99% of the coastline of Croatia are open to the public. You can just hop in the water anywhere you want. It's almost like the entire coastline is one big beach (all 100% stone except for the fake sandy ones near resorts). It's pretty awesome to be honest.

Split is fantastic. Lots of Game of Thrones locations & attractions, just like in Dubrovnik. More sprawling & modern than Dubrovnik. Seeing how a modern city had merged in with Diocletian's Palace is fascinating. Kind of reminds me of Rome in that way. Great mix of old & young people, partiers & laid back folks, family friendly yet a hopping night life. Beaches for all tastes and museums for all tastes as well. If you have kids, spend a few minutes in Froggy Land.

Krka National Park is unbelievable. The string of waterfalls will blow your mind. Spend half a day here at least. The main park can get very crowded, but we drove to a couple of secluded spots where we were literally the only people there. Stunning and romantic.

Zadar was my favorite city. Much smaller than Split or Dubrovnik. The Sea Organ, the Sun Salutation, the Roman Forum that has been morphed into a city park where everyone just hangs out on 2000 year old ruins, etc. I could easily live in this city.

Plitvice is the crown jewel of Croatia. Arguably one of the most beautiful places on earth. Stay in a cabin nearby and get there 1st thing in the morning. You can skip Krka if you're going to Pltivice since they're kind of similar, but I'm glad we did both.

The Istria peninsula is awesome part of Croatia. Lots of tiny hilltowns. Lots of secluded artist communities, truffles, and some are almost 100% abandoned...which makes them all that more interesting (the history of this region is truly fascinating).
Rovijn is a cool little town with great beaches & everything else a small city has to offer. The pillbox bunkers built by the Nazis to kill us are now romantic gathering spots to watch the sun set over the Adriatic. It's fascinating how Croatians take the old infrastructure of their brutal oppressive rulers and turn it into something beautful.
I could have spent a couple of weeks in Istria alone, especially if you include the islands, which are less touristy but even better than the more popular ones down south. The whole region is very laid back and very Italian/Venetian. In fact, I heard as much Italian as I did Croatian being spoken by the locals.

The farther north you go in Croatia the fewer tourists you'll see, and the ones you do see are European. We never saw a single American tourist or Asian tourist in Zadar or anywhere in the Istrian region. It truly is a hidden gem that you should take advantage of before everyone else finds out about it.