I would appreciate any comments regarding the following itinerary.

Day 1: Overnight flight from USA east coast

Day 2: Arrive Split 1:40pm. Afternoon and overnight in Trogir

Day 3: Trogir and/or Dolcetian's Palace. Catamaran to Hvar Grad at 3:00pm. Overnight in Hvar Grad.

Day 4: Hvar

Day 5: Hvar Grad (Option: Catamaran to Brac at 1:00pm and overnight in Brac)

Day 6: Catamaran to Split at 9:00am or 1:00pm. (Option: if in Brac, Catamaran to Split at 1:45pm)

Visit Dolcetian's Palace if we haven't already seen it. Overnight in Trogir.

Day 7: Pick up rental car. Visit Makarska region.

Day 8: Visit Makarska region. Drive to Dubrovnik. Drop off rental car.

Day 9: Dubrovnik

Day 10: Dubrovnik

Day 11: Fly home

QUESTIONS:
If we've seen enough of Hvar, would we be better off going to Brac as suggested in the above option or would we be better off returning to Split a day earlier, allowing a third day in Dubrovnik? Please keep in mind that we're not beach people, but we look forward to seeing old towns in island settings.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your ideas!

Oops! I just realized that the Jadolinija catamaran to Brac (Milna) only goes there one day each week.

So, I could take the car ferry from Jelsa (Hvar) to Bol (Brac) and the next day from Bol to Split. Is Bol worth the effort?

Mike - you could also take a tour from Jelsa to Bol one way (my friend and I went from Bol to Hvar Grad, one way with luggage, charged 1/2 price for whole tour). Reason for suggesting Jelsa is it only takes about 30 minutes from Jelsa to Bol compared to 2 hours from Hvar Grad to Bol. I enjoyed Bol - a different vibe than Hvar - more families and older couples. Zlatni rat is really unique and worthwhile for a whole day. You just need to check to see what time/day ferries go from Bol to Split.

Perhaps it is a little out of your way, but have you thought of visiting Plitvice National Park? To me, it is one of the most beautiful areas in Croatia. It is possible to make a day trip from Trogil.

Trogil is a lovely old town, but so very tiny.

Carta,

You suggested spending a day at Zlatni Rat. There doesn't seem to be anything other than the beach. For us non-beach types, is there other stuff to see that maybe I haven't yet uncovered?


--Mike

Judy,

The one tourist spot I might regret omitting from the itinerary is Plitvice National Park. I'm considering going to Krka National Park instead because it's considerably closer to Trogir.

Mike - if you're not into beaches - and you're only talking about 1 day+night - I would add it on to Dubrovnik so you can have 2 full days there (if you've had your fill of Hvar). Brac is a squat fat island - thus you spend a lot of time in the interior getting to coastal towns. The stone cutting school is a treat - but it's on the other side of the island, opposite of Bol. Also - Brac is a bit more on the resort-catering large-hotel tone.

Thank you, Carta. Very helpful.

Hi Mike,

I think it is at least 150 miles each way and you will want a good 3-4 hours at the park. Although the park is beautiful it is a very long way to go for a day trip.

You might consider spending the extra day in Dubrovnik and doing a day trip from there. If you haven't had enough of Hvar you could rent a car for a day and check out the rest of the island. There are some beautiful little towns and the scenery is great!

Enjoy!

Oops! I meant to say that Plitvice nat'l. park is at least 150 each way!

Thanks, eurotraveller! Your trip report has been safely tucked into my Croatia packet for over a year.

Thanks for confirming that it really is too far to go to Plitvice NP. I'm not even sure that we'll get to Krka NP, which is considerably closer. The idea of casually lingering along the coast on the way to Dubrovnik is very appealing.

Regarding your idea of seeing the small villages on Hvar, we're actually planning on doing that on our first full day on the island. We'll probably spend the second day taking in Hvar Town.

--Mike