Hello,
We are considering traveling to Croatia the last week of May, with 2 other couples (all in late 30s-early 40s)... We do have an option of postponing the trip until late June but for various reasons late May would be better for us, schedule wise. We would like to see Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar and maybe a couple of other places. Primarily going for sightseeing (many times in Europe but first time in Croatia) but also, some R&R time, so would love to spend at least one day on the beach if weather allows... We are also debating whether we should do this trip by land or by sea... All recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!!!

I thought late May a lovely time to visit Croatia! Wildflowers are out and it's still shoulder season (so less crowded and more affordable than June). Just be aware that ferry schedules change on 1 June or thereabouts, so when you check schedules, be sure you are looking at the right ones.

For "Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar and maybe a couple of other places," I recommend that you plan on <b>at least</b> 1.5 to 2 weeks. If you have only one week, you will need to make some very difficult choices.

I'm glad I traveled by both land and sea, and am not sure why you think you need to choose between them.

Be sure to consult some good guidebooks -- I found the <i>Rough Guide</i> the best, by far, of the half-dozen or so I used when planning my time in the area.

Hope that helps!

I would really try to schedule two weeks for this trip. I had two weeks and still missed out on most of the islands.

Croatia is a great country with an interesting history, to put it mildly, beautiful scenery, great food, and compelling towns and cities, with the exception of Zagreb.

In a perfect world, I would start in Istria, travel down the coast ultimately to Dubrovnik, and return through the islands by ferry.

I might have a car in Istria and as far south as Split. I would lose the car before I got into Split and take the bus to Dubrovnik. There is basically no good place for a car in Dubrovnik, and the view on the way down is so spectacular that the driver should get to enjoy it, too. You aren't going to want to deal with a car on the island ferries, so you will need to work out how to link ferries with local transportation.

You will be there before the real tourist season, which is great. The beaches I saw were all shingle -- rounded pebbles rather than sand -- but I didn't see all the beaches.

Given it's relatively early in the season, for better weather you could fly into Dubrovnik and work your way north. We took a boat from Dubrovnik to Korcula and a catamaran from Korcula to Hvar and on to Split.

We rented a car in Split and drove inland to Plitvice, a don't-miss sight with stair-stepping cerulean lakes connected by waterfalls.

Then we drove to Istria. But there's a lot along the northern Dalmatian coast too: Sibenik, Zadar, Krka park, not to speak of the islands offshore.

I'm envious; we loved Croatia.

I've been four times in May, it's wonderful, though the sea is a bit chilly.
Let us know how many days you have and what flight options you have. Open-jaw Split and Dubrovnik is ideal, though if you have longer than a week and want to visit Plitvice national park, then Zagreb works too.
For some nature r&r, there are day boats to the tiny Pakleni islands from Hvar. I also enjoyed just walking along the coast from Hvar.