Croatia Itinerary and Hotels -- feedback requested
 

I have planned a trip to Croatia (ending in Austria) in October as follows. Would love to get any feedback on the itinerary and the hotel choices. Thanks.

Fly to Dubrovnik (arrive late afternoon)
4 nights in Dubrovnik (includes the possibility of going to Kotor or Mostar) - Bellevue Hotel
2 nights in Hvar - Palace Hvar Hotel
3 nights in Split (possible day trip to Plitvice Lakes - apartment near Bacvice Beach
3 nights in Zaqreb - Westin Zagreb
4 nights in Vienna - Park Hyatt Vienna
Flight home

Any thoughts (especially around any day trips and hotel choices) welcomed and appreciated. Thanks.

John H.

"4 nights in Dubrovnik (includes the possibility of going to Kotor or Mostar)" -- sounds a bit much to me. Even with Kotor, 3 nights is IME more than enough for Dubrovnik, including Kotor. And it would, IMO, be better to visit Mostar as an overnight -- I thought it had more than enough to justify an overnight stay, particularly because it is much more appealing after day-trippers leave.

"possible day trip to Plitvice Lakes" -- do NOT skip the Plitvice Lakes! I loved my 3-week exploration of Croatia, and thought these lakes the greatest of many highlights. They truly are exceptional. Try to spend a night there before your visit, and then 6 or 7 contiguous hours in the park itself.

In the absence of further information about your interests, I don't feel that I can offer additional advice at this time.

It's a beautiful part of the work -- enjoy!

I agree with the overnight at Plitvice, you could do it in between Split and Zagreb. Though I would leave Split in the AM to visit the park, then spend that night after visiting the park.

I think 4 nights in Dubrovnik is good if you are going to need to get over jet lag.

Are you going to have a car for any of this trip?

I don't think 4 nights in Dubrovnik is too much, it's actually 3 full days there. You can spend one in Dubrovnik, one for Mostar and we really enjoyed a day trip to Cavtat. It was quiet and with less crowds.

I agree with the Plitvice advice, though. Do not skip it, and if you can make it an overnight, that would be much better.

I agree. I don't think 4 nights in Dubrovnik is too much.

I seem to have been unclear: What I meant was that I would not visit Mostar as a day trip from Dubrovnik, but would instead spend a night there. Cutting Mostar out of the equation, I meant that 3 nights would be enough for Dubrovnik + Kotor. JMO

thanks for the feedback -- much appreciated

I agree with kja about planning an overnight rather than a day trip to Mostar. It is much more pleasant in cooler weather with fewer crowds at the early and late part of the day.

I am exploring much the same sort of trip, for September 2015.
This is what I've come up with for a 2 week trip:

Arrive Zagreb from US
Zagreb 2 nights
Plitvice 2 nights
Split 2 nights
Korcula 2 nights
Mostar 2 nights
Dubrovnik 3-4 nights
(Day trip to Montenegro from Dubrovnik)
Depart to US from Dubrovnik

We're trying to keep things a little slower paced rather than trying to see everything and everywhere in 2 weeks...which is tempting!

Interested to see what you decide and what folks with experience in the area think.

It depends on what you want to see and experience, but FWIW, I thought Zagreb deserved at least 3 days, and that didn't count any time for jet lag. BUT I really appreciated its museums; if that isn't your priority, less time might work for you. You might want to start your own thread....

Thank you for your thoughts. I agree, I need to start my own thread. Apologies to JH.