my wife and i are going to Croatia for the first time in early September. we are flying in to Venice (staying there for a few days) then taking the ferry to Istria where we will probably stay in Ravinj for a few days. we want to then make it down to split/hvar/dubrovnik. can you offer some advice on how to best get down there. we only have 13 nights total for the trip. is renting a car the vest way to go? is that easy? or is flying a better option? i imagine a ferry would take too long.

also - does venice/ravinj/split/hvar/dubrovnik sound like a good itinerary? are we missing anything amazing?

If you are going to Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik, I would try to add in Korcula, which is in the same area. It (along with Dubrovnik and Rovinj) was one of my favorite places in Croatia. It too is a walled town, but small and charming -- also way less crowded than Dubrovnik and Split.

"also - does venice/ravinj/split/hvar/dubrovnik sound like a good itinerary? are we missing anything amazing?

Nacionalni Park Plitvička jezera.

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/..._Plitvice.html

3 nights Venice --is that included in the 13 days?
3 nights Rovinj (I think a car is a good idea in Istria)
So that's 6.
For the remaining 7 days, I suggest checking Croatia airlines flights to Split or Dubrovnik before committing to driving. If you drive, I do suggest stopping at Plitvice as you head south.
1 night Plitvice
3 nights Hvar
3 nights Dubrovnik
(For those last two stop, you have multiple options)
Another question, where are you departing from?

We fly home from Dubrovnik.

We are going to do the same IT (except ours include Plitvice and we will be there for only 10 days) and also in September. Where are you flying from? When are you going to Dubrovnik? We will be taking a day tour to Montenegro while in Dubrovnik and looking for a couple to share the car/expense of a private tour. Let me know if you're interested.

There is a catamaran from Pula to Zadar which may suit your travel dates. It takes 5 hours, stops at islands and costs only $16
www.lnp.hr

Ah - at first glance I thought the Istrians of Croatia and Slovenia had declared independence!