I would appreciate any advice someone might have about the best way to travel the above route. We have booked 4 nights in Venice, and and 5 nights in Prague but are unclear how to proceed further. I had hoped to find a ferry to Dubrovnik from Venice but this doesn't appear to be possible and We don't plan to drive down the Italian coast on this trip to take a ferry from Ancona. There are 4 of us going and we plan to rend a car for part of the trip.One of our kids isn't too fond of winding roads.
We definitely plan to visit Plitvice Park for 2 overnights,would like to spend 4-5 days in Dubrovnik, taking in the side trip to Kotor, and maybe Mostar, and would like to spend 1 night in Cesky Krumlov.Ljubliana, Split, maybe Korcula are all possibilities. It would be great if anyone could give us some tips so that we aren't doing much back tracking and make the best use of our time.Sincerely,
Evelyn

We have planned a trip covering similar areas and that's how we plan to do it.
We'll be going to Prague first. From Prague, we're flying down to Dubrovnik and work ourselves up the cost by car/ferry to Istria. From Istria, we're taking a boat to Venice. If you're starting from Venice, you probably can do it reverse. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the info. I had contemplated the possibility of a flight but was hoping to check out some alternatives. Have a great time. Will you be going soon ?

You'll need to make your way to Rijeka from Venice (ferry to Pula or another west Istrian town, bus to Rijeka OR bus/train to Trieste, then from there to Rijeka). An overnight ferry departs to Dubrovnik from there.
You can visit Mostar and Kotor from Dubrovnik (make sure rental contract allows it), but I don't know where to suggest Plitvice. Maybe if you stop near Rijeka before going on the ferry south? Or get off the ferry in Split and visit from there, but your child will not like that drive!
I am assuming you visit Prague first, then make your way to Venice?

Hi,
This is almost the same trip I have planned with my mother and daughter, in reverse. And not as much time. We are going from Prague, to Croatia, to Venice. I am having trouble figuring the best route and travel method. It does not seem too easy to get to Croatia or to get around once in Croatia. Everything seems to take either a really long time or is really expensive.

I'm beginning to wonder if it is worth going from Prague to Croatia if we only have about 4 nights to spend there? Any thoughts?

If we do go to Croatia, what is the best way? Trains from Prague seem quite long and still almost $200. Perhaps flying to Dubrovnik or Split, then renting a car to drive up to Istria, where we can catch a ferry to Venice?

Previous poster, what airlines are you using to go from Prague to Dubrovnik, if you don't mind me asking?

Any advice on if this is do-able, or if we should just take Croatia out of the itinerary with only 4 nights to spend, I would really appreciate it. Thank you!
Shelley

NamasterfromUSA,
I booked our tickets from Prague to Dubrovnik with Skyeurope that costs me about $150 per ticket. I found it to be the most efficient way. Any other options would involve multiple changes/connection and lots of time. But I will not go to Croatia though if I only have 4 days.

I also just booked on skyeurope for the same price to go from Dubrovnik to Prague . After looking at bus/train options and checking out what we were actually most interested in, this seems the most reasonable. I would also agree with wky123. I haven't been there yet but I think 4 days would just feel so rushed.
Good luck!
Now, does anyone know of a ferry connection between Venice and Split? apparently there was a ferry until 2005 and will be again in 2008 according to some travel blogs ,but nothing currently. One of the blogs suggested taking a bus to Cesenatico,Italy then a Catamaran to Hvar. I can't find any info on this route. Does anyone have a suggestion or a web site? The company wasn't listed in this blog.
Thanks!
Evelyn

There is no direct connection between Venica and Split. This website shows the routes. http://www.cemar.it/dest/ferries_croatia.htm
The Rijeka-Dubrovnik ferry stops at Split.
You'll need to make your way to Rijeka from Venice (ferry to Pula or another west Istrian town, bus to Rijeka OR bus/train to Trieste, then from there to Rijeka).

What we decided to do was to take the overnight train from Venice to Zagreb then rent a car to go down to Split, checking out Plitvitce Park en route. I don't know if it is worth keeping the car to go to Split, then tak the car ferry to Korcula and to Dubrovnik, just so that we have our own wheels for Mostar and Kotor, although I guess we need to check to make sure that we can take a car into Bosnia and Montenegro. Any tips for car rental?
Thanks!
Evelyn