JoyChann

Hello wonderful people! My DH & I (60 years young) are flying into and OUT of DBV and have 16 nights (9/25/23 - 10/12/23 to see this beautiful country. I have read & still reading all the helpful trip reports. We have NO itinerary as of yet. We will be flying Eurowing & bringing carry on only luggage. We don't mind short hikes & love walking kayaking, snorkeling, discovering towns & meeting people. We will rent a car for some/most days (except maybe for days in DBV since parking is an issue) Would like to spend 3 or 4 nights in DBV, they maybe drive up coast to Split, see Plitvice NP, then maybe on to Rovinj. We also want to spend a couple of nights on Hvar/Stari Grad or another beautiful island. We would take car on the car ferry or does car ferry quit running in Oct? We don't know if we should stay in DBV when we arrive for 4 nights or stay 1 night then head on up the coast spending 11 nights exploring (staying 3 nights in each place if possible). Once we figure out if we need to go to straight north or stay in DBV, then we will be able to plan how many nights in each place & ask questions accordingly. I guess our concern is things shutting down in October. Thank you all so very much!

Travel_Nerd

Have you already purchased your flight tickets yet? If not, I'd suggest flying multi-city into the north (such as Zagreb or Pula/Trieste if possible) and flying out of Dubrovnik, or reverse. If not, you need to backtrack and return to Dubrovnik at the end. Personally, I despise backtracking but ymmv. If no adjustment is possible, consider taking a flight to your farthest point when you land in Dubrovnik, or see how much a change is possible to see what the cost loss is - maybe they're comparable.

For reference, it took me just short of three weeks to cover the Istrian Peninsula down to Dubrovnik last year and during tourist season where things were fully open and catnarans were on regular schedules. Sorry if I missed it, but how are you intending to travel between points? If renting a car, be aware of the drop off fee renting in one location and dropping it off in another.

EDIT: Research the catmarans/ferry companies Krilo and Jadrolinja for their schedules. They do start limiting their services, possibly during the time you travel. You may need to research what makes sense given those limitations, if applicable; such as service to an island only one day a week, etc.

Some places (mainly restaurants) will start to shut down in late September, if not a little before. I have not been to Hvar but this may be one of those such places, same with Rovinj. Split and Dubrovnik have year round residents and tourists and the impact might be minimal.

Edit 2: how long in each place depends on what you're wanting to see, day trips, etc. In general, 2 nights gives you 1 full day sightseeing, 3 nights is 2 days sightseeing, etc.

CaKnK

I cannot help with answering the questions on how “open” things will be in October. I would check the ferry websites or Rome2rio to see if car ferry service will be going frequently enough for you to make it work with your trip

I did come here to say that we LOVED Split and wish we would have spent more time there and less time in Dubrovnik. The weather was on and off rainy and we found more things to do in Split and generally liked the atmosphere and options more. We stayed within Diocletian’s Palace which I highly recommend. It made it so easy to stop back at “home” between sites or during a brief rain spell if we didn’t want to stop at a cafe. Diocletian’s Palace is such a cool place to stay in! The weather was bad in Dubrovnik so we never got to kayak there.

For Plitvice Lakes NP, we stayed 2 nights. We arrived in the evening, spent the next full day in the park, then spent the morning in the park before leaving on our last day. I think that was a great amount of time.

rialtogrl

Your itinerary sounds good. Of course the car ferries run year around, they are needed to get supplies and locals back and forth. Krilo does not do car ferries, so check Jadrolinija for the schedules. Restaurants will still be open in Hvar, but some accommodation in Plitvice will start to shut down. Rovinj starts to get quieter after October 1st, but many places will still be open. You will not starve, this is for sure.

JoyChann

Hi & thank you for your response! Would you suggest when we land in DBV to rent a car & head on up the coast on day 1? Or do our first 3 nights in DBV? It appears we don't want or need a car in DBV. I am assuming DBV doesn't start shutting down after Oct 1. Thank you!

rialtogrl

I love Dubrovnik and for me three days is good, but for others would be too much. Definitely wait to pick up you car though, you do not need it in Dubrovnik.

JoyChann

Yes our air tickets have been purchased. So, yes we will probably be doing some backtracking. What if we pick up car in DBV drive towards Split stopping along the way to sight see) sleep 1/2 way to Rovinj. Get up, drive to Rovinj (stopping to sight see) spend 3 nights in Rovinj, drive back to Plitvice 2 nights, Split 3 nights, maybe Vis or Hvar 3 nights, ferry back to DBV for 3 nights & catch plane back home. Is that doable?
Thanks so much! We need all your expertise!

rialtogrl

You can’t ferry back to Dubrovnik with a car. I’d stay there on the front end, then pick up the car, from there it sounds good with the overnight somewhere to break up the journey to Rovinj.

On the return for your flight home you can drop the car at the airport and spend your final night close by, in Cavtat or there are even places walking distance to the airport,

JoyChann

Oh, wow! Did not know there is no car ferry back to Dubrovnik from Split! Thanks for that info! So Cavtat is close to DBV airport! Thanks for that info, too!

rialtogrl

You can drive from Split. There is no car ferry from Hvar or Vis to Dubrovnik. You have to take the ferry to Split, then drive. Sorry, I thought you were going to one of those islands after Split.

Scotlandmac

Hvar is certainly one of our favourite islands…the town itself is a beauty.

Enjoyed Cavtat very much too and spent our final night there on one trip, before flying out of Dubrovnik.

In our 10 day trip in June 2023(3rd visit to Croatia) this time, we drove from Zadar and across to and through through several of the Kvaerner Gulf islands to Istria, then Plitvice Lakes and the Kornati Islands.The lakes were deserted due to teeming rain but I thought it was a brilliant time to see the waterfalls.Paths were empty so doing route A took me an hour.) We hike a lot but I wouldn’t fancy 2 nights in the area as it didn’t hold that much appeal, personally.

Dubrovnik is beautiful, have been twice and despite crowds, we like it very much.It’s just so handsome and those walls…

JoyChann

Thanks so very much!

JoyChann

Hi fellow travelers! Here is an itinerary we are thinking of doing & love your feedback, please. (end of September & beginning of Oct)

3 x Dubrovnik, 1 x Peljesac, 2 x Split, 2 or 3 x Hvar, 1 x Plitvice NP, 3 x Isteria (Motovun & Rovinj or all 3 in Motovun), 2 or 3 Zadar, 1 x Mostar, 1 x Cavtat . The only room booked so far is Dubrovnik as we get there late on day 1.

Thank you all!

Scotlandmac

Looks good overall though personally I didn’t enjoy Zadar much.Motovun is tiny so if you want somewhere rural and quiet fair enough.An hour or so was enough for us and I normally love old villages.
By car, not too far away (if you enjoy old churches and frescoes) is amazing St Mary’s church near Beram. Absolutely stunning inside though you have to track down the ‘chatelaine’ in Beram itself who has the keys to the place and allows visitors access.Should be a World Heritage Site.The church is a short drive from the village.
Rovinj is VERY busy and buzzy.
We compromised between the coast and the rural hinterland on our June trip and opted for 2 nights in the lovely Castello Rausch, which was delightful and a good location for touring about.

yorkshire

I would reduce time in Zadar and add it to Istria--three days seems awfully brief after driving all the way north. Maybe you could do Split when you are on the way back south to break up the trip.