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.