Croatia Itinerary 8 days
Feb 17th, 2016, 01:54 PM
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Croatia Itinerary 8 days
Need help with itinerary for Croatia. We are a family of four going in early May. Dont know whether to fly into Zagreb rent a car to Plitvice Lakes. Then head down to Split, go to one of the islands Hvar, or Korcula and then Dubrovnik.
Can anyone tell me how long it takes to drive from Plitvice to Split or is it better to take a bus.
My other choice is to fly into Montenegro go to Kotor, Dubronik,one of the islands and fly out of Split.
We like to hike, swim(water may be too cold) , take in the scenery. Thanks.
Can anyone tell me how long it takes to drive from Plitvice to Split or is it better to take a bus.
My other choice is to fly into Montenegro go to Kotor, Dubronik,one of the islands and fly out of Split.
We like to hike, swim(water may be too cold) , take in the scenery. Thanks.
Feb 17th, 2016, 02:04 PM
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You don't say the age of the kids, so it's hard to give advice based on what they'd like.
I'd recommend the first itinerary, though, over the second. Arrive in Zagreb, rent a car, drive to Plitvice, and relax for the remainder of the day. Tour the park next morning, then drive to Split and drop off the car there. (The drive should be no more than 3 hours.) One or two nights in Split, one or two nights on one of the islands, and a few nights at the end in Dubrovnik. You could take a day trip to Montenegro from Dubrovnik if you like.
As an option, spend the second night in Trogir, then head to Split the next day. Trogir is a lovely small city about a half hour from Split.
Whatever you decide, you are in for a treat!
I'd recommend the first itinerary, though, over the second. Arrive in Zagreb, rent a car, drive to Plitvice, and relax for the remainder of the day. Tour the park next morning, then drive to Split and drop off the car there. (The drive should be no more than 3 hours.) One or two nights in Split, one or two nights on one of the islands, and a few nights at the end in Dubrovnik. You could take a day trip to Montenegro from Dubrovnik if you like.
As an option, spend the second night in Trogir, then head to Split the next day. Trogir is a lovely small city about a half hour from Split.
Whatever you decide, you are in for a treat!
Feb 17th, 2016, 04:38 PM
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Probably too cold to swim in May. I recommend the first itinerary as well.
Keeping the car to get to an island might be both a curse and a burden, depending on your plans. A car lets you explore the island beyond the main towns, but you have fewer ferry options, whereas there are more people-only catamaran options. But if you figure out the local ferry schedules, you can certainly make it work, assuming you plan to get to the ferry dock early enough and wait to make sure you get a spot.
You might want a car in Dubrovnik only to visit Montenegro (but you could also do an excursion tour if they are offered in May or take public buses.) Otherwise, a car is an unneeded burden in Dubrovnik because you have to park it. I'd ditch the car in Dubrovnik and stay in the old town or just outside it and walk in.
Personally, with only eight days (seven nights?), I'd skip Montenegro this trip even though I loved the scenery along the Bay of Kotor. Leave it open as an option - or add a few more days if you can!!
May isn't that busy in Croatia yet - I visited the first two weeks last May. (The waterfalls at Plitvice were still heavy from the spring rains.)
Keeping the car to get to an island might be both a curse and a burden, depending on your plans. A car lets you explore the island beyond the main towns, but you have fewer ferry options, whereas there are more people-only catamaran options. But if you figure out the local ferry schedules, you can certainly make it work, assuming you plan to get to the ferry dock early enough and wait to make sure you get a spot.
You might want a car in Dubrovnik only to visit Montenegro (but you could also do an excursion tour if they are offered in May or take public buses.) Otherwise, a car is an unneeded burden in Dubrovnik because you have to park it. I'd ditch the car in Dubrovnik and stay in the old town or just outside it and walk in.
Personally, with only eight days (seven nights?), I'd skip Montenegro this trip even though I loved the scenery along the Bay of Kotor. Leave it open as an option - or add a few more days if you can!!
May isn't that busy in Croatia yet - I visited the first two weeks last May. (The waterfalls at Plitvice were still heavy from the spring rains.)
Feb 17th, 2016, 07:41 PM
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Either trip could be quite delightful!
IMO, the Plitvice Lakes National Park is, IMO, the single most un-missable of Croatia's many splendors. Not only are the lakes connected by travertine waterfall formations, each lake has unique microbiota, and as a result, the lakes are different colors. The best way to see that is to make a single, long loop through the park -- something on the order of 6 hours or more (including time for the boat that connects the lower and upper lakes), and by all means, start at the lowest part of the park so you are facing the falls as you proceed.
Given that, the option that includes the Plitvice Lakes would be my choice -- EXCEPT that I don't think you have time to do everything you are trying to do! YMMV. If you choose this option, and if you are traveling from anywhere other than Europe, you might want to <b>either</b> spend a night in underrated Zagreb at the start of your trip <b>or</b> travel from Split to Zagreb rather than the reverse. Why? Although many people don't realize it, driving with jet lag is just as dangerous as driving drunk. So, whichever direction you choose, you would have 1 night in Zagreb (to either recover from jet lag OR to make sure you are there before your departure), 1 night in Plitvice, 2 nights on an island (Hvar Town was too upscale for my tastes, but many people love it, and you certainly have options), then 2 or 3 nights in Split or Trogir. I suppose you could make it to Dubrovnik if you trim these times and skip everything else -- not my choice, but not my trip, either! ;-)
For good estimates of driving times, check viamichelin.com
When I went (2009), I read many reports of trouble catching a bus in the Plitvice Lakes area -- one could get there easily by bus, getting out was the snag. I have no idea whether that was, or more importantly, still is true.
Should you choose the southern route, you could fly into Dubrovnik for, say, 2 or 3 nights and -- after dealing with jet lag -- rent or a car or join a tour for a day to visit Kotor (returning to Dubrovnik for the night); then perhaps 2 nights on Korcula or Hvar (I think early May could still be too early for Korcula, but don't know for sure); then on to Split / Trogir for 2 or 3 nights.
Be sure to check ferry schedules carefully -- many of them change on 1 June, so you'll want to be sure you are looking at the right ones.
Hope that helps!
IMO, the Plitvice Lakes National Park is, IMO, the single most un-missable of Croatia's many splendors. Not only are the lakes connected by travertine waterfall formations, each lake has unique microbiota, and as a result, the lakes are different colors. The best way to see that is to make a single, long loop through the park -- something on the order of 6 hours or more (including time for the boat that connects the lower and upper lakes), and by all means, start at the lowest part of the park so you are facing the falls as you proceed.
Given that, the option that includes the Plitvice Lakes would be my choice -- EXCEPT that I don't think you have time to do everything you are trying to do! YMMV. If you choose this option, and if you are traveling from anywhere other than Europe, you might want to <b>either</b> spend a night in underrated Zagreb at the start of your trip <b>or</b> travel from Split to Zagreb rather than the reverse. Why? Although many people don't realize it, driving with jet lag is just as dangerous as driving drunk. So, whichever direction you choose, you would have 1 night in Zagreb (to either recover from jet lag OR to make sure you are there before your departure), 1 night in Plitvice, 2 nights on an island (Hvar Town was too upscale for my tastes, but many people love it, and you certainly have options), then 2 or 3 nights in Split or Trogir. I suppose you could make it to Dubrovnik if you trim these times and skip everything else -- not my choice, but not my trip, either! ;-)
For good estimates of driving times, check viamichelin.com
When I went (2009), I read many reports of trouble catching a bus in the Plitvice Lakes area -- one could get there easily by bus, getting out was the snag. I have no idea whether that was, or more importantly, still is true.
Should you choose the southern route, you could fly into Dubrovnik for, say, 2 or 3 nights and -- after dealing with jet lag -- rent or a car or join a tour for a day to visit Kotor (returning to Dubrovnik for the night); then perhaps 2 nights on Korcula or Hvar (I think early May could still be too early for Korcula, but don't know for sure); then on to Split / Trogir for 2 or 3 nights.
Be sure to check ferry schedules carefully -- many of them change on 1 June, so you'll want to be sure you are looking at the right ones.
Hope that helps!
Feb 18th, 2016, 08:17 PM
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Thank you kja & Andrew. You have been very helpful What other island would you recommend? Especially in early May.I think the water will be too cold for us to go swimming. Also please provide suggestions for sight seeing. If I don't take a car to the island how easy is it to get around?
Feb 18th, 2016, 08:25 PM
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Which islands would make sense depend on your interests and which itinerary you choose, although Hvar should work for either route.
Public transportation on many islands is quite good, but it depends on the island and the extent to which it relies on tourism.
I would recommend that you consult some good guidebooks, whether you buy them or review them at a library. I found the Rough Guide BY FAR the best of the half-dozen guidebooks with which I worked when planning my time in the area, but you'll probably also benefit from looking at some that feature inspirational high-quality pictures (e.g., Eyewitness or Insight). One of the things I appreciate about the Rough Guide is its coverage of public transportation. You can also check Rome2rio.com -- but be sure you're looking at options for the times when you will be traveling.
Good luck!
Public transportation on many islands is quite good, but it depends on the island and the extent to which it relies on tourism.
I would recommend that you consult some good guidebooks, whether you buy them or review them at a library. I found the Rough Guide BY FAR the best of the half-dozen guidebooks with which I worked when planning my time in the area, but you'll probably also benefit from looking at some that feature inspirational high-quality pictures (e.g., Eyewitness or Insight). One of the things I appreciate about the Rough Guide is its coverage of public transportation. You can also check Rome2rio.com -- but be sure you're looking at options for the times when you will be traveling.
Good luck!
