Hello,

I'm trying to organise a trip to Croatia with my husband and my kids (4 and 6) and need some feedback and suggestions.
We would be going from July 23rd to August 3rd.

Here is what it looks like for now (flights and car booked):
Day 1: Arrive at Zagreb around 11pm - night in the city
Day 2: Visit Zagreb for the day and road to Plitvice
Day 3: Visit the parc and road to Zadar
Day 4: Visit Zadar and a beach (Nin maybe or Zaton Beach) + road to Sibenik
Day 5: Trip to Krka in the morning and visit of Sibenik in the afternoon
Day 6: Morning at the beach (Solaris?) + Trogir + Kliss - night at Split
Day 7: Split and ferry to an island (which one?)
Day 8: Visit the Island
Day 9: Island in the morning+ road to Ston
Day 10: Ston - Mostar - Dubrovnik (with stops in Kravica, Pocitelj)
Day 11: Dubrovnik
Day 12: Dubrovnik + Catvat + late flight

Islands
I'm struggling to choose an island: Hvrar, Korcula, Brac, Vis... Too many choices I have been looking at guides for days now and still cant decide. Vis is probably the one I would dismiss because of the distance and because we would have to go back to Split before continuing our journey.
With all the sightseeing, Im looking for a quite place where my kids can enjoy themselves mostly. Ideally I dont want to go to a too croweded area and prefer sandy and kids-friendly beaches.

• What would you suggest?

Montenegro or Elaphite Islands
I'm thinking about removing one step and keeping one day for a day trip from Dubrovnik (either to Kotor ot to the Elpahite Islands).

• Would the Elpahite experience be completly different from the previous islands and Peljesac Peninsula?
• Is there any step that would be worth removing in favor of a day trip?

Any suggestions or advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

I’ve never traveled with children, so I could be wrong – but I think this itinerary is quite ambitious for traveling with children that young.

If there is any chance that you will have jet lag, I would strongly encourage you to delay your departure for the Plitvice Lakes: Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and nothing you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter your other constraints and no matter your prior experience! And please be patient with me if you think I’m being overly adamant, but I know too many people who have died or been seriously injured in accidents to which jet lag was a contributing factor, and I know too many people who will spend the rest of their lives dealing with the knowledge that they were responsible for accidents that resulted in multiple deaths, including those of children, all because they were too confident in their ability to drive safely with jet lag. The issue has become a bit of a cause célèbre for me….

For the Plitvice Lakes National Park, you might want to be able to visit on two separate days. For adults, I generally recommend a single loop of about 6 hours; I think that would be a bit much for children as young as yours, although I’m sure you know their limits. Even so, the park will likely be extremely crowded at that time of year, so being able to adjust your time in the park in response to the crowds, the weather, and your family members’ energy levels might be to your advantage.

You might be able to visit the Krka National Park in the morning AND Sibenik in the afternoon – but whether you can again depends on what you want to see/do and where you’ll be staying. I could not have done both in the same day; YMMV.

I don’t know Kliss, but day 6 also strikes me as quite ambitious – and your plan leaves no time for Split itself.

I didn’t spend time on beaches in Croatia, and so can’t answer your questions about them. Sorry!

Thank you for your reply.

I appreciate your concern and I think you are pefectly right about driving with jet lags. Fortunately, there is only an hour difference from where we leave so that wont be an issue.
We thought about spending two days in Plitivice and read some blogs about families that choosed to do that. Im just scared that my kids will get bored the second day - but I will consider your advice and rethink about it.

Kliss is famous for being a Game of Thrones filming location and is 25 min away from Split -- but you might be right about this day and the previous one being rushed. I could probably skip the Solaris beach and go to one in Trogir instead.

Split visit is during Day 7 and we would take the last ferry for an Island nearby.

Thanks again!