Croatia: Help with 7 day itinerary
 

Hi everyone!

I am so amazed by everyone's expertise on this forum, so thought I'd start this thread to get some advice on a 7 day itinerary in Croatia.

We have to be in Dubrovnik smack dab in the middle of the week...so we'll have two days free, then two days in Dubrovnik, and then three more days to play with.

Trying to decide where to fly in and fly out - we're flexible. Considering flying into Dubrovnik and out of Split, and potentially seeing Hvar and Vis. Not sure what makes sense logistically.

So would love insights on:
1) Where you'd go with those 7 days
2) How you'd arrange it logistically (flying in where, driving/ferrying where, flying out of where)
3) Any must-dos in any of those locales?

In case it helps with advice, we tend to travel with an emphasis on getting to know an area through food and locals, with less time spent at museums/historical sites. We also tend to travel pretty quickly, e.g., did an 8 day trip in Italy and covered Rome, Cinqueterre, and Siena in that time.

Thanks everyone!!!!

Plitvice Lakes National Park, an amazing park full of lakes and waterfalls, should at least be on your radar even if you can't quite fit it in. It was the highlight of Croatia for me (even over Dubrovnik.) It's a little bit of a push from Split, but as you are the kind of traveler who seems to do that, you might be able to pull it off. The closest major city is Zagreb if you would consider flying in/out of there.

I agree Plitvice is a must-see, but I have difficulty fitting it into an itinerary, so I think I would do something like the following, with the caveat that the entire thing may change based on the month this trip is occurring.
Fly into Split, enjoy two days there, with day trips as you desire.
To Dubrovnik by road, bus or car.
Return to Split by sea, spending tow days on an island. Korcula would work well. Spend last night in Trogir.
Or course there are a million options, but with the two days in Dubrovnik it is difficult to maximize time.

Much as I love the glorious Plitvice Lakes, I tend to agree with yorkshire, noting that with only 2 days in Split (and is that really 2 days? or is it 2 NIGHTS = 1 day?) you will have to be VERY selective. Even if it really is 2 days at the beginning and 3 days at the end, I might consider reversing yorkshire's plan to have more time in Split.... If you do that, you might be able to fit in a visit to the Krka National Park, which is not, by any means, a true substitute for the Plitvice Lakes, but would at least give you a glimpse of travertine waterfalls. Or, if you do have 3 days at the end, you could take Andrew's suggestion of visiting the Plitvice Lakes on your way to a flight out of Zagreb.

I think you'll need to spend some time with guidebooks to decide what options suit YOUR interests most closely.

I mentioned Plitvice because I consider it a "must see" in Croatia and because the OP is the kind of traveler who typically covers a lot of ground in a trip.

While kja and others love Split, some of us did not (I know I am not the only one). Not that I hated Split, but it wasn't my favorite place. With only a week in Croatia, I wouldn't waste more than half a day there myself (though for practical reasons, with ferry/catamaran schedules, you may wind up needing to spend at least a night there anyway). If I had a choice of spending three nights in Split or half a day seeing Diocletian's Palace there and a night in Plitvice before departing out of Zagreb, I'd choose the latter. Getting into Plitvice late in the evening (staying at a park hotel) and seeing the park first thing the next morning before a final night in Zagreb would work as a rushed trip at least for some travelers.

Even if not going to Plitvice, I'd still spend more time on the islands than in Split - maybe in Korcula or Hvar then take the catamaran and spend the final day in Split before flying out.

Just to be clear – when I said that you would need to be selective about your time in Split, I wasn’t presuming that you would necessarily spend all of your time IN Split. Yes, I loved it, but honestly, I loved all the other places that have been mentioned, too! :-) (Well, OK, I didn't make it to Vis -- but I would have liked to!) What really matters is what suits YOUR interests.

Depending on the month, any time you allocate “to” Split could, as noted above, include visits to Hvar (or possibly Vis) or Trogir or the Krka National Park, in addition to or instead of Split itself.

I still think that Andrew's suggestion of visiting the Plitvice Lakes on your way to a flight out of Zagreb is worth considering, but you have some tough choices to make!

Whatever you choose, you'll see some wonderful things!

You all have already been INCREDIBLY helpful!!!! I'm so grateful to you all for sharing your expert opinions!

In case it's helpful to know - per all of your posts - we will be traveling the last week of June / first week of July.

Does that change any of the suggestions? Many thanks again!

Also, in case this is a factor in an itinerary, we are definitely open to flying in and out of different cities. :)

Ok everyone, opinions welcome!:

Option 1:
-F Day 1: Fly into Zagreb or Split. Settle in.
-S Day 2: Rent a car and visit Plitvice for a day/night.
-S Day 3: Spend a day in Split
-M Day 4: Drive to Dubrovnik
-T Day 5: Dubrovnik
-W Day 6: Ferry to island
-T Day 7: Island
-F Day 8: Island to Split
-S Day 9: Fly out of Split

Option 2 (same as above except):
- Day 1: Fly into Dubrovnik
- Day 2: Montenegro
- Day 3: Montenegro
- Day 4: Dubrovnik...

So Option 1 would be getting time in Plitvice and Split. Option 2 would save us the driving and would let us visit Montenegro. Would love any thoughts -- thanks so much!

Option 1, but turn the car in once you reach Split. You won't need a car after that, and it could actually be an encumbrance.

Awesome thanks kja! Would you recommend then taking the bus from Split to Dubrovnik?

I've also been trying to understand the ferry system for getting from Dubrovnik to Hvar (which we are considering making our island "home base," with a few boat day trips to other islands). It's quite confusing, but seems like taking a bus back from Dubrovnik to Split and then a ferry from Split to Hvar is the most efficient way to go (given the days of the week we'll be traveling - Weds from Dubrovnik to Hvar).

Thanks again for the help!

Yes, take the bus from Split to Dubrovnik. Not only is it comfortable, but it will let you sit back and enjoy the scenery.

I'm no expert on the ferry schedules, but agree that they can be confusing. Be SURE you are looking at the schedules for the correct month, and if your choice is Hvar, look for ferries and catamarans to either Hvar Town or Stari Grad (which is connected to Hvar Town by bus). The main company is jadrolinija.

Hope that helps!

Also, in summer there are additional routes:
http://www.jadrolinija.hr/
http://www.krilo.hr/en/
I vote for #1. Although I enjoyed my visit to Kotor, Split and or Zagreb and Plitvice have the edge.

great, thanks again kja! we'll do the bus from split to dubrovnik (and likely again from Dubrovnik to split, if that's the best way to get back to Hvar). do you know if it's necessary or possible to book ahead of time? we'll be traveling at a peak time of year.

thanks, yorkshire, for the additional links! glad you are also on board with #1. much appreciated :)

if you are going on as a foot passenger, I don't think you'll need an advance reservation for the ferry, but yorkshire knows far better than I....

In high season, it is certainly possible for a bus to fill up, but in early July is is doubtful, and buses between Split and Dubrovnik are practically hourly.
Catamarans sell out in high season, but again in early July I would probably take my chances.

Hi there -- we went to Dubrovnik a few years ago and would highly recommend using the services of Zoran. No matter how much time you have in Dubrovnik, you absolutely should contact him. He is a local and can do everything from airport transfers to day trips to Mostar and Montenegro to lodgings. - Here is a piece from the trip report I wrote: Perhaps the highlight of our vacation was the day we booked with Zoran from www.vacationindubrovnik.com. Zoran picked us up at 9:00 for our day trip to Mostar. A native Dubrovnian, he was an excellant guide and really engaged our sons in the tour - Zoran is a big sports fan! We stopped at picturesque places and small villages along the way where Zoran would explain the local culture. When we arrived in Mostar we walked through both sides and Zoran took us to a small Bosnian restaurant, which we never would have found on our own, for perhaps the best meal of our trip - meat, cheese and spinach pies along with a mixed grill that was absolutely delicious.

Hope this helps.

Hi All,

We are planning a last minute trip to Croatia from London Mar 30-April 6. It's not beach weather, so we I think we can cover all this. Please let me know if you think it is too much. What we really want to see is Plitvice Lakes and Dubrovnik/Motar/Mljet.
Is there much open on Easter Sunday n the South? Are there ferries to Mljet on Easter Sunday? Is the park open?
Or should we go to Hvar from Split and skip Mljet?
We have a flight from Dubrovnik back to London on April 6, but all else is open.

This is the itinerary I came up with.
3/30 Day 1 fly London to Zagreb/ drive to Plitvice Lakes/stay Plitvice
3/31 Day 2 Plitvice all day drive to Split/ stay Split or other small town
4/1 Day 3 am in Split , Drive to Dubrovnik
4/2 Day 4 Dubrovnik
4/3 Day 5 Motar
4/5 Day 6 Miljet (this is Easter Sunday)
4/6 Day 7 am in Dubrovnik/ fly to London

We are open to suggestions.
Thank you!

Why would you back track to Mostar (you mean "Mostar" in BiH not Motar" right?). Stopping in Mostar for a night between Split and Dubrovnik make more sense. Put all your Dubrovnik time at the end before you fly out. You wouldn't need the car in Dubrovnik so you can drop it once you get there.

I agree with Andrew.

I'm not sure about the ferries to Mljet.

This itinerary sounds fast-paced to me. You might consider skipping Mljet and spending the extra time in or around Split / Trogir. Or if visiting one of the islands is a high priority, you might see if the times work for you to visit Korcula. Just a thought....

Thanks. Which is a better use of a day, Mostar or the Bay of Kotor?
Is it worth it to start in Zagreb and go to PLitvice? I really want to hike around the waterfalls, but don't want to rush the whole trip.Am I better off just flying round trip to Dubrovnik? I would still have to drive up to Split and back down to Dubrovnik. I will skip Mljet. What is the weather in Korcula typically in early April? Shopuld we go to Hvar from Split instead?
I really appriciate your help!

I think Mostar provides a greater contrast to the other places you will visit than Kotor, but neither would be a bad choice.

The Plitvice Lakes are, IMO, the single most spectacular thing to see in beautiful Croatia. Part of what makes these lakes so magnificent is that each 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).

Any good guidebook, or a google search, should provide information on climate.

Hvar and Korcula are both beautiful. Hvar Town is more upscale than I prefer, but many people love it. If you can't decide based on what you want to see and experience, then see which one fits your schedule better. (And do check the schedules first -- no reason to make a decision if one or the other is not an option!)

I'd consider saving Plitvice for another trip. Last week there were over two meters of snow on the ground there. When that starts to melt, its gonna be soggy and possibly flooded, and the first week of April is not all that far away.

You ARE rushing the trip, so maybe focus on Dalmatia and come back when you have more time, for Zagreb and Plitvice.

Having said that, Plitvice National park is open daily, even holidays, so it would be open on Easter.

Split has an airport so maybe you can fly into Split and out of Dubrovnik, if that works better for you.

And if you stick to the Split-Dubrovnik corridor you could possible visit Krka National Park (not that far from Split, but in the opposite direction from Dubrovnik) instead of Plitvice. I've only been to Plitvice, but I hear Krka (lots of waterfalls) is nice too.

We would go from Zagreb to Plitvice, stay over night, after hiking leave from Plitvice and drive to Mostar. How long is the drive? We would be leaving late in the day, is there a good place to stay half way?
We might then stay overnight in Mostar and then drive to Dubrovnik.
Is this too much?

For driving times and routes, check viamichelin
http://www.viamichelin.com

if you are driving yourself to Mostar you need to check that your car can be taken into BiH as some firms have restrictions.
We used a guide to drive .

Yes, you must have the right papers in the car to go into BiH - but if you have them, driving to Mostar is really easy. I was nervous about it ahead of time, but it was nothing.

I drove from Zagreb to Plitvice, Plitvice to Makarska (actually the town of Baska Voda), Makarska to Mostar, and Mostar to Dubrovnik. I too worried about a long drive from Plitvice to Mostar in a single day - I probably could have done it but the night in Makarska helped (in retrospect, I might have stayed in a town like Zadar or elsewhere, because Baska Voda, while pleasant, wasn't particularly memorable, and I'll bet it's pretty dead in April.)

The drive from Zagreb to Plitvice is about two hours. I forget how long the drive from Plitvice to Mostar (total) would have been. There may not be much traffic in the off season. Much of the drive is on the modern A1 freeway (with tolls).

OK, I added a day to accomodate Plitvice Lakes.We fly out of Zagreb it was easier and cheaper than going back to Split to fly. We won't have any time to explore Zagreb, but that will be for another trip. I think this is the outline
Day 1 arrive Dubrovnik at 11am, day and night in Dubrovnik
Day 2 Dubrovnik all day and night
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7 Split to Plitvice for the whole day Night in Plitcvice
Day 8 Plitvice in the am, drive to Zagreb and fly out late in the day

Now the question is, do we do Mostar as a day trip, meaning drive from Dubrovnik to Mostar, spend the day then drive to Split or do we spend the night in Mostar before moving on to Split? I am trying not to do any backtracking.

Since it is early April, should we plan to spend time on an island or stick to the main land Split/ Trogir/Sienebik?
If we do go to an island, which one would have more things and dining options open this early in the season? Mljet, Korcula or Brac?
Is it still to cold to enjoy a boat ride?
If it is too cold, should we skip the island and spend an extra day in Dubrovnik to visit Kotor as a day trip?

We have 4 nights to play with, it would be great to spend atleast 2 of them in one spot to relax.
Thanks
Amy

karishim, Split would be the obvious choice, as it is convenient for visiting islands if the weather is good, has plenty of its own interest if it isn't, and is close for day trips to Sibenik, etc.

I agree with yorkshire (as usual).

I thought Mostar well worth visiting during the day and especially enchanting after the day trippers left, so I think an overnight is well worth considering.