Adriatic Discovery: Northern Italy, Slovenia and Croatia

Very nice lots to see

We found this an excellent tour. And the tour guide was excellent.

Great variety of sights and experiences. Excellent guide and driver.

An adventure like no other - well organised, awesome guide to locations that er could never have discovered on our own.

Great trip with so many different experiences. A lot of effort into providing different and interesting things. Maje our tour guide was warm and friendly but also very efficient and organised.

Good pace. Right length. High point each day. Excellent guide and transport.

We were very fortunate to only have seven tourists on our bus. Martina ,our tour guide had an excellent knowledge of all places we visited .She was very approachable and had a great sense of humour. There were so many highlights. The scenery travelling through Northern Italy to Slovenia, then Slovenia to Croatia was absolutely stunning. There were so many highlights with Rovinj and the amazing Postojna caves ,Lake Bled,and Plitvitz Lakes National Park . The only thing I was a bit surprised by were a couple of the 4 star hotel rooms were much smaller than I expected. There was nowhere to place a second suitcase except on the floor.

A wonderful trip with a delightful tour guide and a very efficient driver. The small groups of Blue-Roads make all of the difference. In a small bus you really do use the back roads of a country and staying in smaller, local accommodation was an added bonus to add to the experience. I especially loved the accommodation in Rovinj. Seeing the part of Italy from Venice, before heading in to Slovenia, was thoroughly enjoyable. Wonderful scenery and experiences during the whole trip. I never felt rushed so we could all get the most out of every place. Experienced guides - our guide and local guides - with a depth of knowledge and passion for their topic added to the adventure. This was my second Blue-Roads trip and the great journey on each made them winners.

During the hot summer ,any walking tour should be limited,to allow elderly folks to keep up the pace.Shorter walks in the hot weather will be more appreciated.

Great tour but not for those who don’t like walking. I loved it.

Martina was a fantastic tour guide - so knowledgeable and her warm and friendly personality was infectious. I can't fault the itinerary, except for the limestone caves - it was way too crowded so we couldn't hear the local guide. It was also not that special to look at. We have similar caves in Australia so it didn't have the impact I thought it would. I would have preferred a half day to explore at our leisure.

My wife was sick and we only completed three days of the tour, we needed medical assessment and the tour went on and left us. The only follow up was a form sent seeking us to agree not to seek financial redress which we did not sign. No advice was offered for us to rejoin the tour, which we thought may have been provided.

This tour was everything it promised. The tour guide was brilliant; informative, helpful, knowledgeable and interesting. She provided ample information during the bus ride so we were well informed about the areas prior to arriving, allowing us time to enjoy the sights rather than research ourselves. The city's and locations we visited were exactly as promised. The meals included in the tour were of a good standard. The breakfasts were especially scrumptious. The experience of pasta making was a little underwhelming as was tasting it. The accommodations were well located and of a good standard.

Mist of the hotels were great. Guide was amazing very professional and helpful. Driver very attentive, always happy and accommodating.

The guide we had for the Back Roads Adriatic Discovery Tour was very good with knowledge of Northern Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. She was extremely well organised and showed real care for all passengers. However, on some days there are too many activities on the itinerary. This means not reaching a destination one night until 7pm and not having long enough time in places. An example of not having enough time was in the beautiful coastal town of Opatija. Another example where I would have liked more time was Hotel Fenomen, Plitvice. It would have been lovely to have had more time to explore the area of National Park that it was set in as well as enjoy this beautiful resort.

Great guide and driver. Hotels mostly comfortable, some a little small when you have luggage. Town museum war guide a little too long for most. Meal last night very poor.

A most enjoyable tour through northern Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. Beautiful scenery, interesting experiences, comfortable accommodation and an excellent guide.

The trip was wonderful. Every day was a new adventure. Our guide and driver were excellent.

Our tour leader was great, with local knowledge galore. Good accommodation & very comfortable bus.

Rovinj was my highlight

This tour was fantastic Solvenia and Croatia are really worth visiting, really interesting places to visit, the accommodation was good to very good and plenty of free time to explore as we pleased. Our tour guide and driver were the best, extremely knowledgeable and caring. The Adriatic coast is very beautiful and a lot of our group said they would make it a destination for another visit. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour as we have enjoyed all the Back Road tours we have done. Thanks to a great team. Lurley

This is the fourth trip we have done with Back Roads and it did not disappoint. Our guide was knowledgeable on not only the physical aspects of the places we visited but also on the history and political back stories. She was enthusiastic and more than helpful.

Very good tour nice number of people and excellent tour guide and driver and good bus food supplied was also good

A taste of the area which was lovely. 6 on tour so very relaxed. Guide was excellent, very helpful and caring. Good hotels and locations.

Well organised and visits to some different places were appreciated, such as - Villa do Maser - Rovereto and the World War 1 museum and Peace Bell - Motovun and pasta making - Tesla museum And some better known places were excellent - postojana caves - lake Bled despite the rain - Plitvice despite the wet weather - Rovinj was very relaxing and the hotel great The guides we had along the way were all excellent - Loretto in Rovereto - Karen in Bled - Yannis in Ljubljana - Anna at Plitvice lakes Hotels all good with the last one in Zadar being “adequate”. A few things to consider - Apollo Grappa Museum - one to leave out noting that there was no one who enjoyed Grappa on our tour. It’s an acquired taste. - Breaks along the way would have been better at small villages rather than roadside petrol stops. There were 2 large roadside stops that were worthwhile. - Could have done with more suggestions for restaurants from the Blue-Roads Guide Martina. And a bit more social / lighthearted interaction with her generally rather than the formal approach that was taken. - The organised meals we had along the way were great apart from the farewell meal in where the offerings were massive (apart from fish which was excellent); the meat meal was dried out. - We found the ending a bit strange in being offloaded in the Split waterfront. Suggest a morning in Split with a guided tour then a final lunch or dinner to round things off. Don’t take any of this as complaints - they are suggestions on what could be improved for next time - and from a personal perspective. Thoroughly enjoyed, will recommend and it was a wonderful group of people we toured with.

Fantastic tour so many interesting places. We had a great group to travel with and an excellent tour guide and driver. I definitely recommend the tour

Like other Blue-Roads tours the first and last cities on the tour are not actually part of the itinerary. Just pick up, drop off. It is not made clear that the tour will just drive through. If this was made clear other arrangements could be made by the traveller to spend time in these sites to explore.

Great itinerary Very good hotels Experienced tour guide bit a little inflexible. Great bunch of fellow travelers

Loved our Adriatic discovery tour . Our 18 other travellers were all very respectful and we had a great time . Some beautiful areas for sure

Wonderful introduction to some amazing and beautiful landscapes. If you’re looking for smaller size tour groups then Blue-Roads offers this. We had only 13 like minded people plus our great Tour Guide and driver on board. Very good accommodation was greatly appreciated after some long but fabulous day's. The only (personal) thing I would suggest is possibly reduce the history lessons so as to get more free time or have the option of either? Cheers

Hotel in Venice was in handy location and room very spacious but getting to it was a nightmare. Instructions needed more detail. Hotels were on average good, only negative was some of the bathrooms had step into showers that were over 500mm high with limited hand support.

Small group number was good. Maja, the Tour Leader was extremely well organised, approachable, and helpful. Milan, the Driver was also very competent and approachable. Itinerary included a variety of experiences and activities.

Very knowledgeable and caring guide .

Well managed tour by exceptional tour leader

Wow what an amazing adventure the Adriatic Discovery Tour was. Our guide Maja was wonderful. Her knowledge about the places we visited was great and she gave very clear instructions re times we had to meet etc. She was very caring and looked after everyone so well. Thank you Maja. Adam drove our bus with great expertise. We visited very interesting and beautiful places. Our accommodation was very comfortable and meals we shared were excellent. Thankyou Back Road Tours.

Maya was an exceptional tour guide. She is a great promoter of your company. She worked long hours. Took good care of everyone...especially the ones who needed extra care. Accommodation was wonderful...very quirky which I appreciated. Slovenia was the highlight. The caves were worth a second visit.

This tour was 100% enjoyable, thanks to Maja, tour guide and Adam, driver. Both were very professional, friendly, kind and helpful.

Maja is an excellent tour guide, she is very knowledgeable, able to answer any questions given to her. The restaurants we were taken to were excellent, with magnificent views and delicious food. All the places we visited were amazing. Maja and Adam (our driver) were both excellent at their jobs, with Maja being very thoughtful and caring towards all the travellers

The tour was above all expectations! Our guide Maja could not have done more to make the trip excellent. At all times we were well informed as to what was happening, the plan for the next day was clearly delivered both verbally and via wattsapp. Maja was friendly and caring throughout the tour. The driver, Adam, was also great. He was helpful and friendly. The places we visited were all very interesting and educational. Thank you for a wonderful time.

Loved our tour and especially our wonderful guide Maja. She was always happy and positive. She handled any issues with diplomacy and kindness. Her knowledge of the areas we travelled to was enormous and we found her information sessions very interesting. The itinerary was fabulous and we visited absolutely beautiful towns, cities, forests and lakes. Highly recommend this tour.

Our guide Maja was fantastic. It is not easy to please all people on a tour with content but we were both interested in the history, the culture and the landscapes that we learnt about. Maja was very helpful in regards to trying to ensure that our rooms were cleaned as had been requested with the booking. She had no advice of this and advised that Blue-Roads had not recieved the request. I plan to contact our travel agent on our return home in later July to find out who this information was supplied to and will advise Maja of the result. We were very pleased to have Maja's assistance with this. Accommodation - the rooms varied from very small with little room for luggage to more spacious. Favourites were Hotel Cadei Conti, The Melegran and Hotel Fenomen which took top spot. Hotel Belvedere and Hotel Kolovare rooms were small and had little space for two suitcases. Bled Rose Hotel's position was great but as a person with allergies to chemical cleaners (relates to Bernadette) the perfume that permeates the reception, dining area and the rooms is overpowering. Even for some without allergies it was uncomfortable. Meals - we enjoyed most of them with the exception being - The first night where there was a large amount of food but not of a very good standard apart from the first course. Perhaps the second course could have a smaller, tastier piece of chicken with some vegetables. The final dinner was wholly disappointing apart from for those who chose fish whose main meal was enjoyed. The fact that there were only 5 or 6 other people in a very large restaurant was perhaps not a good sign. Places we saw - it was all new territory and we enjoyed it all with our time in natural environments being the favourites.

The whole Adriatic Adventure was fantastic.Maya our tour leader was outstanding in her knowledge and care and organisation. Unfortunately our bus driver Harvey ,did not pay enough attention to his job.Hevrately had 2 hands on the wheel,sped a lot, talked on the phone and to Maya a lot and I felt very unsafe many days. Except for Harvey, who was friendly, the whole tour was fantastic.if I do another trip I will make sure it will not be driven by Harvey though.

Too much travelling and not on back roads. Long days early starts to average locations and poor food provided. Bus driver usually drove with one hand and used his phone! No WiFi on bus. Last night of tour farewell dinner was a debacle and the food was atrocious. Some locations visited were beautiful places and accommodation was good but too short a stay. Overall we felt rushed during the tour and did not enjoy it.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. It was great to get off the major routes and see some of the national parks and smaller towns and villages. Our guide Maia was very knowledgeable and helpful.

we were very satisfied with the Tour. Excellent guide, lovely places to visit. Best of all, small group tour.

This tour exceeded our expectations. The organised activities were fantastic, especially those where the group were the only tourists, the sites were amazing - e.g. Postojna Cave and Plitvice Lake area - accommodation was better than we had hoped. Our tour guide, Martina, was wonderful and loved by the whole group. Her passion, local knowledge, organisation and humour added so much to the experience. This holiday was our first time with Blue-Roads and we did three tours. The small group format was great as we were able to quickly form friendships with all the other group members and move around much more quickly and easily than in larger groups.

We’re on the next tour from Split to Dubrovnik now and this is going fine. But I realise now that our guide Martina H made the tour, she’s very competent and has an infectious, vivacious personality. Keep her on, a real asset to the company. We particularly liked the wine tasting at Villa de Masa, Ljubljana caves, Lake Bled, the Plitvice Lakes, the stop at Rastoke and the included meals were good. We started with a very good driver who had to leave after 3 days for family reasons. The replacement driver was frankly scary, everyone was uncomfortable with him, I’ve been told your co. contracts out the driver hiring but you have got to be proactive here and at least blacklist this guy! Listen to what Martina has to say!

Only drawback was the war museum in northern Italy. The guide droned on and we all wanted time to observe the exhibits and read the details in our own time. Halve her time and let everyone appreciate it better.