getting from the Plitvice Lakes to Istria in Croatia
 

Can someone please tell me the best way (routes/mode of transport) as well as approximate travel time to get from Plitvice to Istria?

Thanks!

I've never gone from Plitvice to Istria but I can offer a few suggestions.

First, try using the ViaMichelin route tool - its a great asset that I really just discovered yesterday (thanks to a Fodorite) http://www.viamichelin.co.uk It gives you routes and times.

Also, I'm not sure what mode of transportation you are using to get to Plitivice. But assuming you don't have your own car, then I'm guessing the bus would be your best bet. A google search would help you find information on routes and times.

If you are wondering if you should rent a car, my answer is "yes." My experience with driving in Croatia is very positive. Renting a car at Plitvice may be a problem, however.

Car would be best but you can jump on a bus to Karlovac and then another to Rijeka.

Definitely a car would be beneficial. There are lots of spots you cannot get to with public transportation in Istria!

Thanks everyone - based on your responses as well as a few other posts I've read I am going to plan to rent a car. I will drive from Split/Trogir to Plitvice and from there to Istria.

If anyone reading this post has ever made the drive from Plitvice to Istria can you please tell me approx. how long this should take?

Depends on traffic but you can get to Rijeka in 2.5 hours

You are going to have a lovely time - Croatia is truly Paradise. :)

We rented a car in Rovinj in September, drove to Plitvice Lakes, spent the night there in rooms we rented when we arrived, toured the wonderful Plitvice the next day, then drove to Split and turned in our car. We weren't sure if we wanted to take the time to go away from our coastal itinerary to fit in Plitvice, but boy, were we glad we did it!! It was a high point!

LittleVicky is right, 2.5 can easily get you to Rijeka, but to get to Istria it will depend upon where you want to go. For Pula, Rovinj, Porec, or other towns on the coast plan on an additional hour as an average. My weekend house is in the northwest corner, near the Cro-Slo border, and it takes me 45 minutes from the Ucka Tunnel above Rijeka to home, going straight across Istria through the Mirna Valley [passing Buzet and Motovun].
For Pula, Rovinj and Porec, you could take the Yipsilon 'highway' that is maybe not as scenic but an easier drive. Otherwise, Istria is covered with narrowish, winding, but absolutely beautiful roads.

we didnt drive to istria but to split from plitvice
the roads are good all along there- and people speak English
driving is the way to go in croatia

one of my colleagues went to plitvice by bus from the coast and the bus driver wasnt all that helpful
let them off the bus way too early and they had to lug all their luggage all the way to the park along the road!

We drove from Plitvice to Rovinj via Pula last summer. Perhaps one can get there faster but it took us about 4 hours to get from Plitvice to Pula. We probably had about 45 minutes worth of stops so you could make the drive more quickly. The innkeeper in Plitvice told us to drive from Plitvice towards Zagreb until we hit the main freeway that would take us to Rijeka and then we took the Yipsilon Hwy and the Ucka Tunnel. I think that at some point we may have gotten off of the main road heading south to Pula but it was beautiful and we got there! Be on the lookout for Turanj on the way from Plitvice to Zagreb. On your left (heading north) is a monument to the recent war, with tanks and an airplane that was shot down. It is very moving and interesting. It is right there on the side of the road and is worth a 15-30 minute stop (this added to our travel time, of course). Also, between Plitvice and Turanj, about 45 minutes north of Plitvice maybe, there is a town called Ston that has an ATM and a grocery store. There isn't much of that sort in Plitvice so this came in handy for us.

Sorry, the town north of Plitvice with the market is called Slonj, not Ston.

lol Cordelia
glad that was a typo - easily done
cos i was sure we visited little ston between dubrovnik and split
haha
you made me sit up and think !!!

I also sat up and thinked :), as I drive through this area often and never saw a town called Slonj. I imagine you are both referring to Slunj - about halfway between Plitvice and Karlovac.
I'll throw this out as well - for those who are a bit more adventurous - visit Martin Brod, just at the Croatia/BiH border. A small village with a series of waterfalls and cascades running everywhere through it. In times past, there were more than 60 small mills and 16 washing machines. Now there is one washing machine and a handful of mills. Washing machine, you ask??? A trough of fast running water [as for a small mill] that runs into a wooden tub causing a 'jacuzzi' effect that is regulated manually through the amount and speed of the running water. One resident said that he has 10 different programs - 9 for clothing and blankets, and one for "Baba" [grandmother]! The village has a program of accommodation in private homes, as well as a small hotel. Martin Brod is beautiful, but ignored and in need of an economy. I took a group of cyclists there two weeks ago and we all loved it...and we ate very well on the local cuisine of freshwater fish and local produce. The warm breads were milled with grains and corn from the mill, as we witnessed. The prices were embarrassing - we insisted that we pay more than we were asked!