12 days Croatia itinerary help -- Brac plus ?
 

I am going with my family (8 in total, 4 adults + 4 kids 10-16yrs) to Croatia in July and we are planning for one week in a villa on Brac. I would love some advice on where else we should go either before or afterwards -- Split? Dubrovnik? Istria? Plitvice Lakes?

From Brac, is a day trip to Dubrovnik do-able or does it necessitate a night or two?

Other than our one-week villa stay, we are just at the beginning stages on our research and decision-making. Just mainly trying to decide if the other "musts" near Brac can be done while we are there or separately.

We are not up for too much driving and would rather have the other 4 days be relatively easy to get to from Brac.

thanks all!!
CCGGTC
(Canadian Czech Girl Going To Croatia:)

You have a wealth of options, and only you can decide what you would most want to see – “must” sees are actually quite person-specific!

One possible exception is the Plitvice Lakes National Park -- 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.

By way of contrast, Split is my favorite city in Croatia, while some people didn’t like it much. Many people adore Istria, and while I’m glad I saw it, I wouldn’t return.

If you haven’t already done so, I strongly encourage you to get a good guidebook or two. I found the Rough Guide far more useful than the other half-dozen or so books I used when planning my time in the area.

Hope that helps!

You might find the following useful for planning your time on Brac...

http://www.bracinfo.com

If you want a day trip by ferry to Split, there's quite a vibrant market every Thursday very close to the Port. In fact Split Old Town is only a 5 minute stroll. A return ticket on the ferry is only 56 Kuna [£7, US$10].