CroTouring in Croatia

My husband, Carl, and I toured Croatia privately, Sept. 9-24, 2009. For the first part of our trip we used CroTouring (Milutina Baraèa 20, 51000 Rijeka, Hrvatska, Croatia; phone +385 51 277 086). Their guides made it not just a good trip but a great one.

Carl and I chose Opatija as our base for our first week because we wanted to explore the northern part of Croatia and the southern part of Slovenia and to enjoy the Adriatic.

The manager of CroTouring, Silvia Todorovic, met us at our hotel. She was very helpful in making recommendations. The next day she took us to Plitvice Lakes National Park. We found her extremely knowledgeable about the park and Croatia.

We also took day trips to the Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle and into Istria. Each tour cost $150 for a car and the services of driver Vlatko Vlaho and guide Tomislav Smokvina. Gas, tolls and entry fees were extra.

Tomislav had been scheduled to be both guide and driver, but surgery the week before our trip left him unable to drive, so Vlatko drove for no additional charge. Tomislav is experienced, knowledgeable and extremely personable.

At the end of our stay in Opatjia, they drove us for the six-hour trip to Split for $200 plus $190 for fuel and tolls.

Our trip to Croatia was wonderful, with the side trips from Opatija the highlight. If we can answer any questions, we would be happy to via e-mail c/o ITN.

MARY MARQUARDSEN

Houston, TX