Drive or Fly Croatia coast
 

We are planning a 2 week trip in Slovenia and Croatia. After touring Slovenia, Istria and Plitvice by rental car, should we fly from Rijeka or Zagreb down to Dubrovnik? Is the drive down the coast to Split and Dubrovnik worth the time? There will be 3 of us and I am considering time as well as cost. I read on an older thread that it takes a long time to drive from Split to Dubrovnik--has this changed in recent years with the new highway?

We would consider a day trip to Hvar from Split, but definitely don't want to spend 7-9 hours on a ferry going to Dubrovnik.

I think there can be a lot of traffic in high season driving from Split to Dubrovnik (may be even worse on weekends). But when I drove it in early October, the roads were almost empty, especially the A1 freeway that ends around Ploce as you are driving south. So it depends in part on the time of the year you will go how hard it is to drive.

If you are already at Plitvice, you're not really going to save a ton of time driving back to Zagreb (two hours) and flying to Dubrovnik vs driving - maybe a few hours saved. It does save a long day of driving if you were planning to do it in a single day, but you will miss some nice scenery driving down the coast. And you skip two airports - have to consider the extra time to check-in, get to airport early enough, then arrange for transportation from the airport into Dubrovnik.

I agree with Andrew. There is really not much time saved by flying since you need to be at the airport so early for flights. Plus, there is always the possibility of flight delays and if it is windy, flights from Zagreb to Dubrovnik are often diverted to Split where you will be put on a bus anyway. The drive down the coast to Dubrovnik is very nice and you'll have the opportunity to stop in some small villages along the way.

Definitely keep the car.

After the first part of your trip, how much time will you have for Split and Dubrovnik? There are a lot of interesting destinations both north and south of Split along the coast. And, to my mind, a visit to at least one island is a must-do -- if only a daytrip.

We took the Jadrolinija boat from Dubrovnik to Korcula, stayed a couple nights, then continued on by catamaran to Split. We greatly enjoyed the 4-hour boat trip along the coast and between islands.

To my mind rushing around, maximizing your destinations misses the point of Croatia. Instead slow down, go back in time, see fewer places in more depth.

That said, we only spent half a day in Split. That was enough for me. We did spend some time in Trogir.

From Plitvice you are less than 3 hours from Split. Split is 4 hours from Dubrovnik.
Are you flying out of Dubrovnik? If not, I would explore the northern islands if you want to visit the coast.

We will be in Ljubljana for 2 days, 2 days in Lake Bled-Julian Alps area then I was thinking 2 days in Istria, 2 days in Plitvice and one day driving down to Dubrovnik. How big is Istria, actually- is 2 days too much?

Spend some time with some maps--seriously I am not being flippant. If you are not grasping the distances then looking and calculating will help you visualize. I think 2 days is too brief a time in any one town, so 2 days in a region is not enough time.

Two days in Istria isn't much. It's such a lovely area and a wonderful place to just kind of slow down and soak up the beauty. Here are a few images from Rovinj, if you're interested:

http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p61923403.html
http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p61923412.html
and http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p61923407.html

And the interior has lovely landscapes, small hill towns and great food and wines. Here's Motovun:

http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p61923480.html
and http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p63534750.html

The drive along the sea in Istria also provides many interesting places to stop - it would be a shame to drive on by in a rush to get someplace else. Here's Plovin: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p61923484.html

> Istria - is 2 days too much?

It depends on what you want to see and experience, but I think most people would find that too little time for even the highlights of Istria.

Julia,

Your pictures are breathtaking. They make me want to go back and explore some more.

Ichin, I agree with the other posters; I don't think you'll be disappointed if you drive. The Adriatic Coast is one of the most beautiful drives in the world, in my opinion. As others have said, there will be more traffic in peak season, so it will likely take longer than in off-peak, but I wouldn't miss it.