Savage in Croatia and Montenegro
We have recently returned from a trip along the Adriatic coast. Were in 4 countries: Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Albania. Traveled everywhere themselves, savages. The borders were crossed by buses, no questions or problems arose. Now I want to tell you a little about our trip. Maybe this will save someone time and money. For those who doubt the rationality of our wild holiday, I want
bring these numbers for comparison:
The price of a ticket to any Croatian or Montenegrin airport is about 200 euros (for a round trip). That is approximately 100 euros in one direction. And that's it! Then everything depends on you, you can not spend more at all. And through a travel agency, the minimum price (in a bugger in some outback) is 1.500 euros (for three)! ! !
Now decide for yourself which is better, see 4 countries and live where you want or sit
in a bedbug among the rocks and walk to the sea over the mountain in the heat.
So. We flew to the airport in Zadar.
The distance from the airport to the city is about 10 km. There is a bus to the central bus station (from almost all airports in Croatia), it costs 25-35 Croatian kunas. You can also take a taxi for 20 euros (about 140 kunas). The exchange rate of the Croatian kuna in relation to the euro is approximately 7:1, that is, for 1 euro they give about 7 kunas. You can change money right at the airport or at any branch of any bank. By the way, Raiffeisen Bank is very popular in Croatia and Montenegro, I advise you to get a debit card for travel there, there are ATMs everywhere. Several buses run around the city, the fare is from 7 to 10 kunas. The name of the area where he goes is indicated on the bus itself. Therefore, it is better to first look at the map of the city. Although the cities themselves are small, you can walk on foot, especially along the seashore. If you need to go to another city, you can take a taxi, but it is better to get to the station (in Croatian and Bosnian "kolodvor", in Montenegrin "stanica") and take a bus.
The fare is from 2 kunas and more, depending on the distance.
Croatia and Montenegro have very expensive hotels compared to other countries. Moreover, the payment is not taken per room, but per person! Thus, if you take a "triple" for three, it will cost more than a "single". The cost of such a room is from 120 to 300 euros per day! ! ! And this is in an ordinary three-star hotel! I haven't seen this anywhere else...
But in these countries there are a lot of private apartments for rent for any number of nights (at least for one) and it is much cheaper, better and more convenient. The cost of private apartments is from 30 to 70 euros per day (about 100 kunas per person) and you can stay there for two or three (yes, at least five of them) and this is the cost of the entire apartment, often two-room, and not for each person like in a hotel. It is very easy to rent an apartment in Croatia and Montenegro. You need to go along the coastal streets and find houses with signs SOBE, that is, "rooms" ("soba" is "room" in Croatian).
Although the inscription can be made in other languages, for example: Zimmer (in German), Camere (in Italian), Apartmani, etc. All this means the same thing - "rooms". There may also be a small blue plaque on the house itself with the designation of the bed and, often, an indication of the stars. If you find such a sign, then you can safely call or go straight into the yard and look for the owner. Russians usually have no problems with the language, since Croatian belongs to the South Slavic group and is quite understandable for us. However, before the trip, it is still better to look through the Croatian phrasebook. In addition, you can simply ask any local resident sitting in the courtyard if rooms are rented here, as a rule, the answer is yes.
Hotels in Croatia are quite decent, with greenery and swimming pools, as a rule, they are located on the seashore, but very expensive.
Rooms in Croatian hotels are average, but quite clean and comfortable, often overlooking the sea or mountains.
Many have a minibar, but the drinks there are bad, often overdue for several years (! ), and separate money is taken for them, and not small ones, so I do not advise drinking them. It is better to buy the same in the store, although there the quality leaves much to be desired.
The service in the hotels is not very good, I would say more like the Soviet one. But you can easily communicate with the staff, the majority understands Russian, and in some places Russian managers work. And if you leaf through a Croatian phrasebook at your leisure and learn a few words, then you can communicate in their language, it's not difficult at all.
The Adriatic Sea, on the coast of which Croatia and Montenegro are located, is not very warm, it cannot be compared with the Turkish White (Mediterranean) or Red, the water is rather nasty and cold, you can’t swim much. And there are practically no natural beaches in our understanding of the word at all.
I declare this with full responsibility, as I traveled the entire coast right up to Albania. Almost everywhere the scenery is the same - rocks that go into the sea. And these are not even stones, but sharp rocks. To lie down on such a beach is very difficult or even impossible. True, the hotels have their own, artificial beaches, covered with sand or fine gravel, but they are small and there are a lot of people, it is unrealistic to sunbathe calmly. In addition, in many places the seashore is concreted and intended for mooring boats, of which there are in bulk. So these concrete sections are the best Croatian beaches (usually next to the highway). The only large sandy beach I have seen is in Ulcinj (Montenegro). These are the famous Great Beaches. Really great, they stretch to the horizon and there is natural fine sand.
However, since this is actually the only beach on the entire coast, everyone comes here, there are tens of thousands of people and kilometer-long rows of umbrellas. That is, clothes can be put only near the water itself. But that is not all. You won't be able to swim there either, because it's very shallow. The depth of the sea near the coast is from 20 cm to 1 meter, and it stretches for tens of meters, almost to the buoys. And then jet skis with drunken tourists, boats, etc. , are already rushing around, it’s also dangerous to swim. Plus, due to the fine sand and a large number of people, the water is rather dirty, pieces of paper, cigarette butts, women's pads, bags, etc. are floating. In general, there is no beach holiday in these countries!
As for entertainment, there are many discos in Croatia and Montenegro, especially on ships (both at sea and off the coast), casinos, nightclubs, as well as parks, carousels, etc. And if you wish, you can take an excursion to the islands or to the neighboring country.
It will be useful and interesting for everyone, especially children. Agencies offering such excursions are in bulk on the beaches and in ports, as well as in the territory of the "old cities" (the ancient part of the city) or somewhere nearby. For lovers of antiquity, almost every city has medieval buildings, fortresses and temples, or even the remains of ancient palaces. In general, there is something to see. And for athletes, mountains and everything connected with them. That's really a lot in Croatia, so it's the mountains, where you can wander for weeks, and they offer a simply divine view of the sea.
There are a lot of interesting things for children in Croatia and Montenegro. These are boat trips and medieval cities (and cathedrals) and many parks. However, I categorically do not advise taking small children there, under 8 years old. The fact is that in summer the weather there is very warm, the air heats up to 50 degrees, and when the water evaporates, this gives a greenhouse effect - it is very stuffy and difficult to breathe.
And the sun burns much stronger than in Russia, you can burn out in half an hour and then you simply won’t go out into the street, as your whole body starts to burn from the heat. During the day, you can only move in the shade, otherwise you can get sunstroke. But even in the shade, many people feel bad because of the high temperature, and children get heatstroke (overheating) and you won’t find cold water there. Therefore, with small children, you can only go to a good (expensive) hotel on the seashore and sit there under the air conditioner all day. And to go to the sea early in the morning or late in the evening, but is it a rest ... .