maitaitom

After spending three nights in Dubrovnik, I have two free nights before visiting Plitvice. We have one night in Plitvice, and then it is on to Ljubljana. We will have a car.

My first choice was two nights in Hvar, but the drive from Hvar (including ferry) seems awfully long, but Hvar looks lovely.

Do you think it would be better to drive to Trogir, stay there two nights with a side trip into Split, and then on to Plitvice, or should we suck it up and take the long drive from Hvar to Plitvice?

There is no extra time on either end, so these are my two choices. Thanks.

tcreath

Hello Tom!

I can't comment on Hvar because we were unable to visit on our trip to Croatia (a product of traveling to Croatia in November...lack of accommodations!) but Trogir was absolutely lovely and I much preferred it to Split. It's a tiny town but very nice to wander around in and a good place to base yourself for a few days, and I remember from reading your past trip report to Italy that you like small towns so you should feel at home. And Split is less than an hour away so that is an easy side trip.

Tracy

tcreath

topping with the hopes that maitaitom will get more responses.

Tracy

danon

an island, closer to Spli than Hvar, is Brac. You can take a day trip
from Split to Brac - we relay liked it. We also liked Split ( many here don't).

danon

p.s.
http://www.supetar-brac-croatia.com/

GeoffHamer

The drive from Hvar to Plitvice is the same as the drive from Split to Plitvice, so I was rather confused by the question.
Hvar is worth visiting and is possible as a day trip from Split, or you can stop overnight there, leaving the car on the mainland.
Brac is a good alternative, with a shorter crossiong and more frequent ferries.
It may depend on the time of year. Ferries can be full in the peak season, and the islands are fairly dead in winter.

yorkshire

I think it would take you about 5 hours to drive to Trogir, depending on time of year (traffic, how many stops, etc.). It is about the same length to Plitvice, so Trogir seems like a good choice to me.
I would prefer that to 1) queuing up for the ferry out of Dbv, 2)the interminable ferry ride (8 hours I think--gorgeous but LONG) and then having to tack line-up and ferry time off of Hvar to your drive to Plitvice.
Alternatively, you could drive to Drvenik and drive across Hvar--I'm sure some of the gold folks here can tell you how long that would take.
With a car, it would be easy for you to do a day trip to Hvar, just ferry over to Stari Grad from Split one morning and you can see a good chunk of the island.

yorkshire

"The drive from Hvar to Plitvice is the same as the drive from Split to Plitvice, so I was rather confused by the question."
I think she means including the ferry time from Hvar to Split, which would make for a longer drive, counting queue time and the 1+ hour ferry ride.

maitaitom

Thank you all for your suggestions. I think we have decided on Trogir for a couple of nights, with a side trip to Split. I'm trying be a benevolent dictator on this journey, since we have a couple of longer drives in the Czech Republic and from Krakow to Vienna earlier in the trip.

Barb

when are you going to be in Dubrovnik?

maitaitom

"when are you going to be in Dubrovnik?"

We arrive Dubrovnik June 5 and depart June 8. I have called the Buza Bar to make sure they restock before we get there.

Mathieu

Tom,

I’ve been to Trogir and yes it is very pretty. Good food too; I had one excellent day there, but I don’t know if I’d do two if I had 2 to spare as you do.

What I’d recommend is 2 days on the island of Brac, as another poster has recommended. Its a short ferry ride from Split. I spent 3 nights/4 days there and it was absolutely wonderful. After landing at the main ferry port (I think called Supetar, but I could be wrong), take a bus or cab over the island to the sleepy town of Bol. You can find good accommodation in the town itself. However there are (or were in 2004) 3 good hotels all in a row a short distance away from the town perched on the hillside and nestled among the pines. I stayed in the middle one. All 3 are linked by a beautiful long wooden boardwalk that snakes its way through the pines and leads at one end to the famous ‘Zlatni Rat’ (Golden Horn) beach, and the town of Bol at the other. It is quite magical to stroll along it (as many do) at dusk and at night when it is lit, all the while having the glittering sea on the other side of you.

To slake a thirst, step off the boardwalk mid-way and seat yourself at a cool outdoor bar located amidst the same pines, with funky white furniture, candle lanterns and lounge music descending from high up the trees. A single malt or 4 can slip down real smooth very quickly. Trust me.

Barb

Tom, I'll be there 4/11-4/24, so I will make sure the Buza Bar is well, um, re-stocked for you. You do know it's just beer and wine though - no maitais.

maitaitom

"You do know it's just beer and wine though - no maitais."

Oh well. I am an equal opportunity drinker.

One other question, What if I drove from Dubrovnik to Trogir with a detour to Mostar? Do you think that would be too much for one day. It looks like about 2 hours from Dubrovnik to Mostar and another 3 1/2 hours to Trogir. Is that correct? Thanks.

Barb

Well JuliaT and I drove last Oct. from Mostar to Dubrovnik and it was a good 3+ drive. Because of the strict speeding laws, we drove the speed limit, which made it seem like a slow trip, but if you want to take the chance and "go for it", it might be quicker. More importantly, in my opinion, Mostar deserves a day, if not an overnight. It's really a very interesting and amazing place.