Hi all, I am looking for some help with my itinerary and then also wondering if there is another option I do not know of that might fit the bill. This is a trip with my daughter (20) and her friend for my daughter's graduation from university. The two girls will have been in Maastricht, Ibiza, Barcelona and Rome before meeting me. I have only purchased my ticket into Split, they will be coming in from Rome. I will arrive one day before them. My daughter wants beach time and swim time, I only instead on Plitvice, I figured two islands would be nice - my daughter wants Vis for sure and then I was looking at Hvar as a possibility. This is what I was thinking:

June 19 - Trogir or Split (just me)
June 20- they arrive 10ish, Split
June 21 - Hvar
June 22- Hvar
June 23- Hvar
June 24- private transfer to Vis
June 25- Vis
June 26- Vis
June 27 - ferry to Split drive to Plitvice
June 28 - Plitvice in the AM drive to Zadar
June 29 - morning fight to Eindhoven

I have the option of taking a water flight out of Spit at 4:10 which would give us that day to explore Split too so something like this
June 19 - Trogir or Split (just me)
June 20 - Hvar
June 21 - Hvar
June 22- Hvar
June 23- private transfer to Vis
June 24- Vis
June 25- Vis
June 26- ferry to Split drive to Plitvice
June 27 - Plitvice in the AM drive to Split
June 28 - Split
June 29 - afternoon fight to AMS

If we miss out on Dubrovnik is that aa shame? Is there another option for sea and swim I should consider? I know I am running late on getting this booked!

Thanks for any input

Your time for Plitvice is too short. The drive isn't bad but the line to get into the park and the time you'll want to spend there make this an all day trip from Split. We stayed two nights near the part so we could spend an entire day there. Dubrovnik is pretty interesting but at the same time it's crowded and touristy. You could miss it if you don't have enough time.

If what you want to do is swim and spend time on the beach this itinerary is good. If you want to see Croatia it's not.

MichGuy-Thanks for your input. I was planning on getting to Plitvice at 7:00 AM and doing route c taking about 4-5 hours there. I have seen that recommended many times as being a good idea allowing one to see much of the highlights. Is there somewhere else you would suggest that would allow for seeing more of Croatia but still has the sea/beach we are looking for? Somewhere along the coastline that is charming? I would be fine skipping Hvar. Thank you.

If we switched our itinerary around and knowing I have the option of flying out of Pula, Zadar, Split and Rijeka on the 29th, all those flights go in the morning except Split which goes in the late afternoon, what would you do, keeping in mind we would like to stay along the coast? June 20- Split
21- Vis
22- Vis
23- Vis
24- Drive to Plitvice
25-
26-
27-
28-
29 - flight

Your plan for Plitvice is doable but it's going to be a tough day. It's not that the park has "highlights", it's more of a linear walk from one end to the other, which you can do in 5 hours. Fortunately, driving in Croatia, especially on the expressways, is really easy.

I wish I could be more help with the coastal areas in Croatia. We came in from Slovenia and spent our time in Istria, Zagreb, and Dubrovnik-Kotor in addition to Split and Plitvice. Hopefully someone else can give you a good tip for a stop between Zadar and Dubrovnik.

With the ease of driving in Croatia, I think it would be a good idea to fly in and out of Split. You could set up all your island ferrys from there. Then, if you get a good lead on a coastal location, you could rent a car and go there. Then drive back to Split, drop the car, and fly out. Three hours of driving each side of Split covers a lot of territory.