Dubrovnik and Split, then where next?
 

In mid September my husband and I will be in Dubrovnik for 4 days, then have 3 more days before we are scheduled to arrive in Venice. Our interests are exploring ancient Roman sites. Figuring that it will take about 1/2 day to go from Dubrovnik to Split by bus, is it reasonable to plan on 1 1/2 days in Split/Trojir, then move (preferably overnight) to Pula for just 1 day? Should we skip Pula and spend more time in Split/Trojir, before going to Venice? Or skip Split/Trojir and spend all our time in Pula? Also, what is the best means of transportation available between Split and Pula, ferry or bus? We don't plan on renting a car.

I was quite disappointed in Trogir/Split. Trogir can be walked in about an hour And the Roman ruins in Split are really incorporated into modern buildings and also a bust. Can be also done in about an hour.

However we loved Istria. We are you not renting a car? It is easy and fun. We spent 5 days in Istria roaming around and loved it. Lots of fun Roman antiquities, and a great church with mummies. Great food. We stopped at one Island for the day and then drove in one day to Istria.

I agree about Trogir; Split is a big city and I like it ( not too many ruins).
Pula is a long way by bus. Air Croatia has flights Split-Zagreb -Pula.

bjk--My son and I will be in Dubrovnik September 10-13. I am hoping 3 days is not too long. Are you planning on day trips out of Dubrovnik? We do not plan on renting a car either. We leave there on September 14 going to Sarajevo.

3 days is certainly not too long in Dubrovnik. You will need one day to walk the city walls and explore the Old Town. On another day you can take the short ferry to Lokrum island and take the cable car up to Srdj Hill. On the 3rd day you can take the ferry or public bus down to Cavtat for a few hours. If by September 10 - 13 you mean you will be departing on the 13th, then you will actually have to squeeze all of this stuff into 2 days.

Our plans originally were to spend the majority of our time touring Croatia with only a day in Venice, but that changed due to an opportunity to spend 4 nights free at the Hilton in Venice and another 4 nights staying with a friend in Rome who is a nun working with the Vatican. My husband hasn't been to either of those cities, and the budget friendly opportunity for free lodging as well as the lure of our friend's insider knowledge of Rome played into the itinerary change.

Given that, we are now planning for 4 days in Dubrovnik with day trips to Mostar and Kotor. Perhaps we should rent a car to move up the coast, include Split/Trojir in that plan and move on to Pula for the last couple of days. Assuming that, what city other than Pula should we visit while in that area?

Since you like ruins, Pula and Porec could figure in your plans. There are also caves near Porec which might interest you.
You can get to Venice from Istria by ferry.

Ray, thanks for the info. We leave Dubrovnik on the 14th, so we will have 3 full days + a few hours the day we arrive. I get bored fast, so I am looking for ways to keep busy. I will print this thread to take with me.

Ray,
I'm currently in Dubrovnik and just a tad board.LOL
Can you shed some light on the water taxi situation?
I've been trying to get the guest relations folks at the Radisson BLU to help me with this but so far they have not had much information to pass along.
I know that a taxi pulls into the dock here from time to time but never on what I would consider a "schedule".
I see the same boats going out to the islands fairly often so I know that a water taxi system of some sort exists.
Thanks in advance.
Lee

Any thoughts on how best to move from either Split to Venice, or Rovinj to Venice?

Sorry for the late relpy about the water taxi system. Hopefully you figured it out by now! I really can't help anyway because I don't know how it works. The water taxi to the Radisson Blu is pretty new, as is the hotel. The water taxi between Dubrovnik, Mlini, Plat, and Cavtat pretty much runs all day and leaves about every half hour.

You can visit Makarska