Croatia itinerary
 

There are 7 of us planning a trip to Croatia in June. I am thinking of staying in Split or Trogir as that seems to be centrally located to all areas . We also may spend a couple of days in Krk. Does anyone have any apartment or villa recommendations for those areas? Thanks

I don't know what you mean by "centrally located to all areas." How many days do you have, and what places are you interested in visiting?
I am generally all for staying longer in one spot, but I think Croatia is one place where you are sometimes better moving every 3 days or so.

Agreeing with yorkshire on all accounts. You can't commute to Dubrovnik or Istria for sightseeing from Split unless you like really long days in a car or on a bus.

We plan to be there 9 days. We will be renting a minivan and will be taking long drives. I do agree that maybe it would be too far to drive to Dubrovnik in 1 day. Maybe we should plan 1 or 2 nights there. Thanks for your feedback.

Good plan--1-2 is good for Dubrovnik imo. And you are correct that Split/Trogir is an excellent base, as you can do day trips to the islands of Hvar, Brac, and Solta. From the mainland there are countless day trips, such as Sibenik to the north and Omis to the south. There are some neat lakes inland from Split (near Imotski) that you might want to check out. I have not been there yet--something for when I return.
I think if you want a place where you can all stay together, your best bet is to look outside of Split (maybe somewhere south), OR on Ciovo, just next to Trogir. Otherwise, you may need to rent 2-3 apartments.

Thanks so much for your advice. This is our 1st time in Croatia. We plan to fly into Zagreb and rent a van there for the duration. We may spend 1 night in Zagreb and then to Split, maybe going to Dubrovnik at the beginning or end of the vaca. We'd like to go to Krk, as that is where my grandparents are from. It is all very confusing to me, trying to figure out how driving will be and finding the right places to stay. I really appreciate all the advise.

If you have family from Krk, I say go for it--that should be pretty amazing. You don't HAVE to go to Dubrovnik, it would still be a great trip if you did not go there. It is gorgeous, but it is crowded and there are plenty of other gems in the country. My only other suggestion would be to stop at Plitvice National Park. Feel free to ask more specific questions. I have never driven in 3 trips there, but plenty of Fodorites have.

Driving on the major roads is very easy - these roads are great and are well-signed BUT many of these turnoff signs carried the names of the major cities they go to, rather than the letter/number assigned to the highway. That means that you might need to know what city names to watch for. For example, you may know that you want to get onto the E65 heading north from Split, but the sign will say "Zagreb Sibenik" not E65. As I recall, viamichelin gave me all the information I needed to know when to turn.

The back roads I drove on were in good condition, but I found that many other drivers (a) wanted to go much faster than I did (so I pulled over frequently to allow them to pass) and (b) cut corners (so I felt I needed to be very careful when approaching a corner if I couldn't see well beyond it).

We stayed at some excellent apartments in Trogir www.apartmani-trogir.com easy walk into town,very nice owners,
You could drive to Plitvice Lakes for a day trip from there.

we also stayed in Apartment Trogir. very clean, good location in Trogir: close to bus station, a local market with fresh foods, plus supermarkets very close. Good restaurants in Old town which is only a short walk. There are different size apts. so you should be able to get a combination that works. The bus to Split was very reasonable and fast so you didn't have to find parking. Don't miss Plitvice, it's wonderful.

Thanks for the driving info.
It's interesting to hear your comments about Plitvice. Although I see that on all the guided tours, I wasn't planning on going there. I think , after finding our apart/villa,my next step is investing in a good map and possible some Croatian language tapes.

Do a google image search on Plitvice--it is quite an amazing place.
The only driving difficulty you'll have is possibly coastal road traffic and parking in cities--so plan for the latter.
With the language, always good to learn the basic niceties (thank you, etc.), but beyond that most everyone I encountered spoke English. Once my pronunciation of Dobre dan was too good and the museum clerk proceeded to speak a few minutes in Hrvatska before I revealed I could not understand.

If you take the time to learn even a little Croatian, the people you encounter will appreciate it. But as yorkshire says, you will likely find that most people speak English (and speak it well).

I have also found that wherever I travel, a few words in the native tongue goes a long way. As of now, I'm thinking of flying from the USA to Zagreb, renting a car and returning it there. After 1 night there, heading to Split. Other that the apartments in Trogir does anyone have any recommendations for a villa or apartment near there?
This is such a helpful site. Kja and Yorkshire, thank you so much!

You might check out the Palace Stafileo Apartments:

http://www.trogironline.com/stafileo/index.htm

Janet.....Please do whatever necessary to at least spend a day and an overnight at Plitvice..unusual and ultra beautiful surroundings. There are several sobes (private lodgings) around the lakes or one of the hotels. Easy ride on motorway from Zagreb..and then on the same road to Split/Trogir. Enjoy!
stu

The Palace Stafileo Apartments look very nice, but will probably need 3 apts which may cost as much as a larger villa. I've been researching villas in Trogir which look very nice. Thanks to all