Four Week Vacation in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria.

Northeastern Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, southern Austria, in 31 days.

Short Summary.

Day 1	Fly from U.S. to Venice.	Night on trans-Atlantic flight
Day 2	Day in Venice. Jet Lag Recovery.	Venice, Italy
Day 3	Venice	Venice, Italy
Day 4	Venice	Venice, Italy
Day 5	Venice	Venice, Italy
Day 6	Venice to Trieste	Trieste, Italy
Day 7	Trieste	Trieste, Italy
Day 8	Trieste to Rijeka	Rijeka, Croatia
Day 9	Rijeka and Istrian Peninsula to Pula	Pula, Croatia
Day 10	Pula and Istrian Peninsula	Pula, Croatia
Day 11	Pula to Cres to Mali Losinj to Zadar	Zadar, Croatia
Day 12	Day in Zadar	Zadar, Croatia
Day 13	Pula to Paklenica to Plitvička Jezera	Plitvička Jezera, Croatia
Day 14	Plitvička Jezera	Plitvička Jezera, Croatia
Day 15	Plitvička Jezera to Zagreb	Zagreb, Croatia
Day 16	Zagreb	Zagreb, Croatia
Day 17	Zagreb	Zagreb, Croatia
Day 18	Zagreb to Ljubljana	Ljubljana, Slovenia
Day 19	Ljubljana	Ljubljana, Slovenia
Day 20	Ljubljana to Podhom	Podhom, Slovenia
Day 21	Podhom (Bled)	Podhom, Slovenia
Day 22	Podhom to Jesenice to Villach	Villach, Austria
Day 23	Villach	Villach, Austria
Day 24	Villach to Lienz	Lienz, Austria
Day 25	Lienz to Bolzano	Bolzano, Italy
Day 26	Bolzano	Bolzano, Italy
Day 27	Bolzano to Verona	Verona, Italy
Day 28	Verona	Verona, Italy
Day 29	Verona	Verona, Italy
Day 30	Verona to Padua	Padua, Italy
Day 31	Padua	Padua, Italy
Day 32	Return flight	Home

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Travel Resources Page

Some notes about travel on this trip.

Travel description	Distance	Duration of travel
Day 1. Flight to Venice. Generally the cheapest airport along this route is the Marco Polo airport near Venice. I checked Verona, Ljublljana, and Zagreb airports, and they tended to be more expensive. Typically, at most of times of the year, in 2020 one could get round-trip tickets at convenient times from Illinois to Venice for about $1,100 (217 Myrfti). There are usually layovers in Frankfurt, Germany or Paris, France or Amsterdam, Netherlands if flying out of Chicago. A more inexpensive option is to fly Turkish Air from Chicago to Venice with a flight change in Istanbul. This approach has flights in the evenings, and a 14-hour overnight layover in Istanbul on the return, or you can return with a morning flight (9:15 a.m.) and have a shorter connection in Istanbul, arriving in Chicago around 6:00 p.m. the same day you leave Venice. Such Turkish Air flights cost only $700 (138 Myrfti), and with an airport hotel in Istanbul (plus transport between the airport and hotel) costing about $50-$120), this would still be cheaper than other American and European airline options.	Trans-Atlantic flight	3 hours to get to the airport and check in and wait. 15 hours of flights and connections (with Turkish Air) or 12 hours with other flights that stop in western European gateway cities. And then a couple hours to get through customs and get from the aiport to a hotel. Total door-to-door travel time could be 17-20 hours. For example, a 9:30 p.m. flight from Chicago might get you to the Marco Polo airport by4:10 p.m. the following day. A flight on Lufthansa out of Chicago at 4:00 p.m. could get you to the Venice airport at 10:00 a.m. the next day.
Day 2. Getting from the Marco Polo airport you can either take a ferry or bus. The Alilaguna Lines ferry boats leave every 15 to 30 minutes from the airport and get you to Madonna dell'Orto in Venice after about 30 minutes. Cost was about $9 (1.8 Myrfti). Busses are more frequent (every 10 to 15 minutes) and take about the same amount of time, and cost between $4 and $12 (0.80 and 2.40 Myrfti). Busses bring you to Liberta Santa Chiara or Venezia Piazzale Roma in Venice. I would probably stay at Hotel Guerrini or else get an apartment. For a couple, the cost will be between $80 and $105 per night (15.8 to 20.7 Myrfti); with two children the cost would be about $150 (29.6 Myrfti) per night. I tend to choose hotels by using a lodging website (Agoda and Booking and Trivago are the ones I most often use, with Google and Tripadvisor also being useful) doing a search after filtering the search to just the top one or two quality or rating categories and the bottom one or two price categories, and then look at a map to see which properties offering high quality at lower prices are most convenient for someone carrying luggage from the train/bus/ferry stop. I sometimes book directly with the hotel after finding them using the booking websites. No plans for the arrival day. If you arrive in the morning or day-time, it's important to expose yourself to the sunlight and stay outdoors, going for a walk as much as possible, and eat meals at the time local people eat them. Jet lag might make you want to sleep early, but try to stay up at least to 7:00 or 8:00 p.m., and try not to get out of bed at least until 5:00 a.m. if you happen to wake up very early. I have found that staying outdoors as much as possible and eating at the regular local times for meals is the best way to fight jet-lag.	About 30 minutes
Day 3. This is your first of three full days in Venice. Venice is certainly worth three full days. I would use this day (weather permitting) as a day for walking tours. I like architecture, so I would wander around the city and explore the public spaces and study the buildings. I would certainly visit St. Mark’s Square, take the elevator up the Campanile di San Marco, walk over the Rialto Bridge, and I would probably say some prayers in St. Mark’s Basilica, going there very early or late in the day (to avoid lines).
Day 4. A second day in Venice. I like history, and I like art, so I would use a full day in Venice to visit museums. I would want to see the Gallerie dell’Accademia, The Doge’s Palace, the Museo Storico Navale di Venezia, the Museo Correr, and the Ca'Rezzonico.
Day 5. A third day in Venice. There would still be more museums and sites I would want to explore. I would use the vaporetto (water busses) using a one day pass (4.4 myrfti / $22.25) to explore two of the outlying Venician Islands: Burano and Murano. I would visit the Museo del Merletto on Burano, , and I would want to go out to Murano and visit the Museum of Glass.
Day 6. This morning would be a time to see anything else in Venice, or take a second look. After lunch, go to the train station and take a train to Trieste. i recommend the RE-2211 that deaprts Venezia S. Lucia to Trieste Centrale at 13:39 (1:39 p.m.) and arrives at 15:44 (3:44 p.m.)
Day 7. Trieste
Day 8. To get from Trieste to Rijeka (in Croatia), the best transport is bus. I would take FlixBus 406 to get from Trieste to Rijeka. That bus departs Trieste at 6:45 p.m. and arrives in Rijeka at 8:30 p.m. In Rijeka, I’d stay at Deluxe Ploech. Maybe go out for a night treat at Dnevni Boravak.
Day 9. In the morning after breakfast it would be worthwhile to spend a couple hours looking around Rijeka. The Museum of the City of Rijeka and the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Coast are near the old town. Before lunch, I would rent a car for a week. The car would be picked up in Rijeka and returned in Zagreb, after seven days. Cost ought to be under $400 (79 Myrfti) It is not a long drive from Rijeka to Pula, but the point is to visit some places in Istria. The Učka Nature Park, Viewpoint Lupoglav, Humska Konoba (a restaurant that has a couple vegetarian items), and the Zarecki Krov Waterfall are all close along the route between Rijeka to Pula. In Pula I would stay at the Park Plaza Arena Pula Hotel
Day 10. Pula is nice enough to spend the whole day there, but I would probably also use the rental car and go out to visit Bale and Rovinj, two towns in Istria not far from Pula.
Day 11. After a morning in Pula, I would drive a short distance up the Istria coast to Brestova. There is a ferry from Brestova to Porozina (ferry route 334) by Jadrolinija. You can take a ferry at 11:15 (arrive 11:35) or 12:45 (arrive 13:05). Cost for car on the ferry is 115 Kn. ($17, or 3.4 Myrfti). Assuming you arrive on Cres Island at 11:35, you would have about four hours to explore the island and get to Mali Losinj to catch the ferry on to Kadar. So, you have about 1h and 45 minutes for driving and 2 hours and 30 minutes for lunch and walking around. I would stop to see the Cres Museum, and I'd go for a swim at Zaglav beach, and I'd walk around the vaillage of Osor and the town of Mali Lošinj. You must have your car ready at Marina Lošinj by 3:30-4:00 p.m., as depending upon the time of year, the ferry to Zadar departs at 4:00 or 4:15 or 4:30 p.m. It’s a long ferry ride, stopping at several other islands before you finally reach Zadar between 10:40 and 11:10 p.m. In Zadar I would stay at Apartments & Rooms Kolovare Beach.
Day 12. A relaxing day in Zadar
Day 13. In the morning, drive to Paklenica National Park and hike in Paklenica National Park for a while. Then drive about 2 hours to drive to Plitvička Jezera, where there are many affordable apartments that have high ratings. I would stay at Apartments Nada & Yoya. There might be time in the late afternoon to look around.
Day 14. A full day to enjoy Plitvička lakes. Hike around on the trails and take some boats across some lakes.
Day 15. Drive to Zagreb and return the rental car.
Day 16. A full day in Zagreb
Day 17. A second full day in Zagreb
Day 18. This is another day in Zagreb, but in the evening after dinner, take your belongings to the train station. Train from Zagreb to Ljubljana departs at 6:38 p.m. and arrives at 8:56 p.m. In Ljubljana stay at the Writer’s Place.
Day 19. A full day in Ljubljana.
Day 20. Most of the day in Ljubljana. Then in the afternoon take the train RE 2414, which departs Ljubljana to Jesenice at 3:32 p.m., and arrives at 4:41 p.m. After a ten minute change/wait in Jesenice, take train RE 601 towards Nova Gorica, getting off at the first stop, Podhom (4:51 to 5:01 p.m.). It's a 1.3 kilometer walk from the Podhom train station to Gosče Vintgartiš.
Day 21. Use this day to hike in the Vintar Gorge, and then get a shuttle to Blejsko jezero (Lake Bled) and hike around there.
Day 22. In the morning take a train from Podhom to Jesenice (depart at 9:30 a.m. to arrive in Jesenice at 9:42), and then take a train (# EC 212) at 10:17 a.m. that arrives in Villach at 10:58 a.m. Enjoy Villach.
Day 23. Spend the day in Villach.
Day 24. Take a train to Lienz. Depart Villach at 9:54 a.m. and arrive in Lienz at 11:37 a.m. Either this afternoon or else tomorrow morning go for a hike in the mountains. Use cable-car lifts up Linzer-Bergbahnen, Schigebiet Zettersfeld up to Steinermandl. From there, hike about three miles along the ridge to Goiselemandl and Neualplseen, and then back down or else just hike around to enjoy the views of the Dolomites. You might take the cable cars to get down.
Day 25. You can take another hike in the mountains around Lienz in the morning. After lunch, take the train (#400) from Lienz to Fortezza (depart 1:50 p.m. and arrive 4:10 p.m.), and then after a five-minute wait in Fortezza catch the RE20729 at 4:15 p.m. to get you to Bolzano at 4:49 p.m. Night in Bolzano.
Day 26. A full day in Bolzano.
Day 27. Depart Bolzano at 2:25 p.m. and arrive in Verona at 4:14 p.m.
Day 28. A full day in Verona
Day 29. Second full day in Verona
Day 30. Train to Padua at 2:22 p.m., arriving there at 3:20 p.m.
Day 31. A full day in Bolzano
Day 32. Morning flight from Venice airport to return to the USA.

Notes about the costs.

I use dollars for the year I research costs and then convert those dollars into Myrfti units. A Myrfti is a sort of inflation-adjusted price. I set 100 Myrfti as the equivalent of 1% of the median year-round full-time American worker's wage/salary (so 1 Myrfti is 0.01% of the median year-round full-time earnings). So, if the median year-round full-time American worker earns $50,000, a Myrfti is equal to $5, and 100 Myrfti are $500. In 2020 when I priced this trip, the most recent information about year-round, full-time workers came from a 2019 report on incomes from 2018. $50,653 was the full-time, year-round worker median earning in 2018, so I set 1 Myrfti to be worth $5.07 (technically, 5.0653).

The dollar prices will soon be out-of-date, but the Myrfti prices should be close to what you would pay in any year.

	Day	Cost item description	Cost in 2020 $	Cost in Myrfti
	Day 19		$105 $253	Myrfti: 41 Myrfti: 52

Comments

This is one of a series of approximately month-long tours of Europe I’ve planned. The cost of getting over to Europe is so high, that it is worthwhile to save up and spend significant time (2 to 4 weeks, ideally) over there. There are three approaches to visiting Europe for a two-week to a four-week major vacation. First, you can try to see as many places as possible, to get a variety of experiences and see a variety of places. Doing this, you should try to have two or three nights in each place, and keep the single nights in one place to a minimum. Second, you can pick three places to see and know well, and spend 5-10 days in each of those three places. You would probably pick a couple major cities and a smaller city or town, and see if you could get a discounted weekly rate, or some sort of a discount for staying there for an extended stay. Using these three places as your home bases, you would take day-trips to areas of interest within an hour or two of each of your bases. The third approach is to do a home exchange or stay for your entire visit in one place. You can save money by doing this sort of month rental as opposed to staying a variety of hotels. By staying in one place as your home base, you can get a deeper understanding of one place, perhaps make some friendships, and even perhaps take an intensive language study course for a couple weeks.

I have done all three sorts of visits, and each approach has its advantages. I probably prefer the longer stay in one single place, but I have no objections to a long trek all over the continent.

Car rental and rail travel each have their advantages. I would typically mix the two, using trains for a few long-haul or overnight trips, or for some short day-trips from a base, and using cars for medium-distances or exploring areas away from the rail networks. I also like a mix of visits to areas of natural beauty for hikes, stops in small towns and villages in rural settings, and stays in larger cities with all their cultural attractions. The major European cities such as Berlin, London, Paris, Barcelona, and so forth are each worthy of at least a week or more for a satisfying visit.