Originally Posted by panecott

Your photos are glorious! Thank you for this wonderful report.
I'm going to Croatia and Slovenia in May and now I can't wait!

Originally Posted by Topgun777

Hello, Was really impressed with your photos. What camera did you use if it's ok to ask. I just bought a new mirrorless Nikon z 50. Larry

Originally Posted by russ_in_LA

If I had to do it again, I would have done the same 17 day itinerary by car, but from north to south, as follows: Rovinj, Plitvice, Zadar, Split (park car for the duration), (car ferry to and from) Hvar, Mimice, (car ferry to and from) Korcula, (turn in car), Dubrovnik. It would have made it easier for Hvar to take a car ferry instead of the passenger ferry because it was a challenge moving our luggage onto and off of the ferry. It would also would have been helpful for touring the interior of Hvar.

As for how much time to spend there, 17 days felt good, but if I was working with fewer days and had to cut time from the schedule above, I would first cut Mimice, mostly because I had it there for zip lining, which we ended up not doing (although we loved our time there). If I had to cut more time I would have deleted Zadar, and then Rovinj (although we loved it, it was the furthest out of the way, and would combine well with a future trip to Slovenia).

On Hvar I would have skipped the Three Cave tour. It was too much time spent getting to each location and not enough time spent enjoying them. The 90 minute ride back at full speed on choppy seas messed up my neck and back for days. Instead I would have booked a private boat to take us to coves in and around Hvar.

Driving was not difficult, but we did not drive in Split, and drove in Dubrovnik only to our apartment and then the airport. Google maps for navigation doesn’t always get it right, so be aware.

For anyone who really doesn’t want to drive, it is very easy to travel by ferry. The Dubrovnik-Korcula-Hvar-Split ferry route is well developed and really hits the highlights. Day trips to other islands from Split and Dubrovnik are plentiful.

Originally Posted by scrb11

I read this thread again because I've been planning a trip to the NE of Italy, with plans to spend a few days in Trieste. There are day trip possibilities to some nearby destinations in Slovenia and while it's not too long a drive from Trieste to Rovinj, I understanding border crossing into and back out of Croatia can be very difficult.

But just looking at pictures, it looks beautiful.

Still a day trip fro Trieste is probably not in the cards.

So I've been thinking about 7-10 days next May/June.

Unfortunately, Rovinj is so far away from the other Croatian destinations. And it doesn't seem that easy to reach via direct flights from other European airports. For instance, there are direct flights from Frankfurt and Munich to Rijeka and then not too long a drive to Rovinj, Pula, etc.

But my guess is that Split and Dubrovnik would have more direct flight options. I am looking to combine this relatively short trip with a week or two around Maggiore.

Did you drive from one of the other places you visited all the way out to Rovinj, just to visit it?

Google Maps indicates 3 hour drive from Rovinj to Plitvice Lakes. I guess that's not too bad but even getting to Rovinj is so difficult.

Maybe for a trip up to 10 day is not enough to have both Istria and Dalmatian coast, unless you're prepared to drive for some long stretches, in which case you're losing half or more a day. Or maybe just fly between Istria and Dalmatia.

Originally Posted by scrb11

Thanks, I will have to look at it again. I heard the crossing into Slovenia is not bad but Croatia could be another story because they're not in Schengen.

Another option I saw is that there are ferries from Venice to several Istrian ports, takes about 3.5 hours. That's tough but alternatives seem worse. Most flights from Italy to Croatia are 6-7 hours or more because of long layovers.

I saw one direct flight from Frankfurt to Pula and it's not every day.

I haven't dug into flights to other Croatian airports but guessing flights to Zagreb and Dubrovnik from European airports are better, not as long layovers.

Originally Posted by PegS

I enjoyed this casually the first time I read it, but now that I'm dusting off our original 2020 Vienna/Munich trip I seem to have lost my enthusiasm for those locations. I might end up in Croatia instead now revisiting this thread with fresh eyes!

Originally Posted by PegS

I enjoyed this casually the first time I read it, but now that I'm dusting off our original 2020 Vienna/Munich trip I seem to have lost my enthusiasm for those locations. I might end up in Croatia instead now revisiting this thread with fresh eyes!

Originally Posted by TPAYT

I came across your report as we are thinking of Sept 2023
trip to Croatia. Your descriptions and photos definitely will help in the planning.

Originally Posted by ANUJ

Thank you for the wonderful TR and photos. We visited Croatia in Sep 2019, our last roadtrip in Europe before the pandemic! Very fond memories (esp Plitvice, Rovinj/Istria and Dubrovnik). It's beautiful yet highly underrated. We spent a few nights between Mostar and Kotor, and enjoyed the little dash of Bosnia and Montenegro as well.

Originally Posted by stokebailey

Beautiful.