10 nights in Croatia July 2020
 

Hello,
My husband and I love traveling and have traveled to many European countries, but this summer will visit Croatia for the first time. We have 10 nights total, and are hoping to include Slovenia too. Flights are booked into Dubrovnik and out of Ljubljana and we are going to rent a car (we are aware of one-way drop fee). Would love feedback on proposed itinerary. We love hiking, which is why we wanted to include 2 nights in Slovenian Lakes region, but are willing to re-consider if seems we are stretching ourselves too much. We drove through Dolomites, Austrian and Swiss alps another summer, for background. We also aren’t really into sitting on a beach all day, but realize it will be hot, so might be more inclined to relax by the water at mid-day.
current plan:
2 nights Dubrovnik
1 night Split
1 night Plitvice Lakes
2 nights Rovinj
1 night Bovec
2 nights Bohinj Lake
1 night Ljubljana

thanks for any feedback/ideas!

That plan might work for you, but it would be WAY too ambitious for my tastes! You are basically leaving no time moving from one location to another -- not to mention checking in / out, packing / unpacking, getting lost / oriented, etc. Once you take that into consideration, you are basically giving yourselves just a few hours in Split, Bovec, and Ljubljana -- barely enough to even begin to roam their cores.

Good luck!

Thanks Kja, I’m normally pretty decisive on planning itineraries but there are so many wonderful places in Croatia and Slovenia that it has been hard to make cuts! The more I read about hiking and lakes in Slovenia, the more appealing that sounds, since Croatia will be very busy and also quite hot in July. I just put together an alternative plan and would be interested in any feedback. Thanks!

2 nights Dubrovnik
1 night Mostar
2 nights Split
1 night Plitvice Lakes
3 nights Bohinj Lake
1 night Lubjljana

Mostar is quite a detour between Dubrovnik and Split. It's worth the trip providing you stay overnight, so you can enjoy the Old Town once all the Coach tours have left the place, but between the core hours of 1000-1600 the place will be packed with slow moving crowds.....be careful underfoot as there's lots of cobbles, and crossing the bridge can be a bit challenging.

If you want to watch the locals diving off the Bridge then try and get a vantage point by wind down to the river bank.

IMO, much better!

Mostar is definitely much more charming after day trippers leave -- and after the heat of the day. If you take the bus -- which I recommend -- sit on the left as you leave Dubrovnik. The views from that first stretch are unbelievably beautiful, and it would be a shame if someone couldn't appreciate them because s/he was driving -- not to mention that the extra height of the bus will be a distinct advantage for taking in those sights.

Thanks to both of you on your tips for Mostar - I'm happy that we were able to add it to our itinerary!