INTRODUCTION - Croatia and Slovenia - page 16

Fold in one or two seafront villages. Adriatic coastal towns are all variations on the
same theme: A warm stone Old Town with a Venetian bell tower, a tidy boat-speckled har-
bor, ample seafood restaurants, a few hulking communist-era resort hotels on the edge of
town, and soba and apartman signs by every other doorbell. Of course, each town has its
own personality and claims to fame (for a quick run-down of my favorites—including Rov-
inj, Hvar, Kor č ula, and Piran—see the “Croatia & Slovenia at a Glance” sidebar). Beach
bums, sightseers, yachters, historians, partiers—everyone you'll talk to has their ownfavor-
ite town. Don't trust this advice blindly. Try out a few and choose your own top town. Or
just pick one; if a beach vacation is your goal, you can barely go wrong.
Sprinkle liberally with Slovenia. Youwon'tregretsplicingSloveniaintoyouritinerary.
Its spectacular mountain scenery, colorful capital (Ljubljana), Germanic efficiency, and ex-
tremely friendly natives are a pleasant contrast to Croatia. In hindsight, most travelers cite
Slovenia as the biggest pleasant surprise of their itinerary—and wish they'd budgeted more
time there.
Add some spice. This is my secret ingredient. After you've been to one or two of the
coastal resorts, you could head for another one...or you could use that time for something
completely different. Some of these options are easy and convenient—the Roman ruins of
Pula, the hilltop hamlets of the Istrian interior, the imported-Austrian-resort feel of Opatija.
But my favorites involve crossing borders and broadening horizons: the cities of Mostar
and Sarajevo, in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and Montenegro's spectacular Bay of Kotor. A year
from now, you'll barely remember the difference between all those little seaside towns you
toured. But you'll never forget the mosques of Mostar.
Know Before You Go
Yourtripismorelikelytogosmoothlyifyouplanahead.Checkthislistofthingstoarrange
while you're still at home.
You need a passport —but no visa or shots—to travel in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, and Montenegro. You may be denied entry into certain European countries if
your passport is due to expire within three to six months of your ticketed date of return. Get
it renewed if you'll be cutting it close. It can take up to six weeks to get or renew a pass-
port (for more on passports, see www.travel.state.gov ) . Pack a photocopy of your passport
in your luggage in case the original is lost or stolen.
Book rooms well in advance ifyou'llbetravelingduringpeakseason(JulyandAugust)
oranymajorholidaysorfestivals(see here ) .Manyofmyfavoriteaccommodationsarequite
small, with only a few rooms, so they fill up early.
Call your debit- and credit-card companies to let them know the countries you'll be
visiting, to ask about fees, request your PIN code (it will be mailed to you), and more. See
here for details.