Please take a look at Croatia/Montenegro/Slovenia/Trieste plans
 

Hello all
My husband and I will be traveling to Croatia in the fall (I don't have flights dialed in yet)
We are planning on the last 2-3 weeks of September and first week in October for about a total of 3 to 4 weeks.
Arrive from California to Dubrovnik - 4 nights with a day trip to Montenegro and a day trip to Korcula
Rent a car and Leave Dubrovnik for a drive to Split on the way visit Ston and Omis 4 nights Split
While in Split take a day trip to Hvar
Drive to Trogir for 2 nights
Drive to Plitvice Lakes (not sure if 2 nights is overkill?)
Drive to Zagreb 3 nights
Train to Ljubliana 3 nights with day trip to Lake Bled
Fly from Ljubliana to Trieste for 4-5 nights
Fly home

We are in beginning stages. Is it too much? I'm trying to not change locations too often if possible. As I read about all the beautiful places to visit in Montenegro I am tempted to spend more time there as well as in Slovenia. We can add more days to this trip.
We haveacquaintances that live in Croatia part time and if they re available we will do some traveling with them but for now that is unknown.
Thank you all

It is less rushed than many itineraries I see for this region.

Personally, I'd want to overnight in Korčula for a couple of nights. Depending on interests, of course. Personallly, I only needed 3 nights (2 full days) was sufficient for my tastes for Trieste. Others might disagree with me (actually found the city quite dull but visited after Venice). YMMV. Two nights in Plitvice gives you one full day to explore the park and should be sufficient.

Why fly from Ljubljana to Trieste, though? Take a bus (about 90 minutes) or maybe a transfer (about 60 minutes) via car. Try GoOpti. If you fly, you'd be spending more time getting to/from airports and waiting for departure.

In general, it sounds to me like a good plan. Just a few comments:

Much as I love Trogir, I’m not sure that 2 nights there make sense when you also have 4 nights in Split. Trogir is only about ½ hour from Split and it is small. You might add a night to Split and visit Trogir as a day trip.

IMO, whether 2 nights is “overkill” for the Plitvice Lakes really depends on two things: your interest in hiking the park (the main area can easily take 6 or even 8 hours, but there are many other trails as well) and your flexibility in the event of rain.

Zagreb has a lot to offer; whether 2 days+ is enough for you would depend on your interests.

For Ljubliana, 3 nights could mean only 2 days. Whether that’s enough for you again depends on your interests.

Too much overall? Not by my standards, but we all have different approaches. If you have extra time, there are many gorgeous parts of Croatia that you are missing, and as you note, lovely areas in Montenegro, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzigovena….

Have you consulted the Rough Guide to Croatia? IMO, it’s the best of the printed guides.

I agree with kja about Trogir. You can easily visit Trogir from Split for the day. It didn't hold enough interest to us to spend a night or two there. There would be fewer restaurant choices. Split is more interesting and has more restaurant choices.

I wonder if a daytrip to Korcula from Dubrovnik would be too long of a daytrip? We didn't go there so I can't really say. It would make more sense to spend a night or two in Korcula on the way to Split (by ferry, of course). However, that means you would bypass Ston and Omis.

If you can add more time to this trip, then I think spending a few nights in Montenegro would be nice. Or a few nights in Mostar. We visited the Bay of Kotor as a daytrip from Dubrovnik, which worked out fine, but you have more time than us, so perhaps spending a few nights would be better.

I can't comment on Trieste except to say that I've read comments by other travelers, and they were not enamored of Trieste.

I think a day trip to Kotor would be just fine; we did that while on holiday in Dubrovnik. The challenge, of course, are the day trippers and the cruise ships waiting to disgorge their charges in Kotor. They clog the Old Town, and almost none of them climb to the top of the fortress for the views.

We, personally, adore Trieste. That might be owing to having friends (with a sailboat) who live there, but that aside, 4-5 days might be a bit much even if you're there during Barcolana. Trieste is worth a full day-ish to explore. Nearby Muggia is charming for a seaside lunch and walkabout; and the Rilke trail (easy) rarely disappoints with its cliffside views.

Thanks all for the very quick input.
Travel_nerd I did want to say train to Trieste! Looking at comments maybe only 2 nights and then maybe Venice for a few nights before heading home or just straight to Venice...
Thank you all for advice on Trogir! Will make a change on that! Also a few nights in Korcula sounds great. And then yes a ferry to Split. I will look at all options and tweak!
Thank you!

If you decide to stay in Korcula, try to do it on a night when the moresca is performed. Awesome!

I’m doing basically the same trip in reverse also starting in September. I leave 9/1 and return 10/13 so 6 weeks. I’m going north to south so hopefully I’ll have warm weather at the end of my trip.

My trip looks like this:
Zagreb - 5 night
Pick up rental car
Ljubljana - 3 nights
Lake Bled - 3 nights with day trip to Lake Bohinj
Trieste - 3 nights with a day trip to Prosecco
Rovinj - 3 nighta
Opatija - 2 nights
Plitvich National Park - 2 nights
Zadar - 2 nights
Sibernik - 2 nights
Split - 5 nights with day trips to Hvar and Trojir
Korcula - 3 nights
Mostar, Bosnia - 2 nights
Dubrovnik - 5 nights with day trip to Kotar, Montenegro by bus, return rental car upon arrival in Dubrovnik

Have fun planning and have have a terrific trip!

@ joannyc: Looks like a nice trip! You might consider Lovran instead of Opatija, and if you hope to visit the Krka National Park, add a night to Sibenik. (I'd take that night from Dubrovnik.)

Thanks, Kja!

I’ll take a look at Lovran. I can also do it as a day trip from Opatija. I have a free hotel there! I don’t plan on going to Krka, I think Plitvice will be enough for me.

I also will be stopping in Ston/Mali Ston on my way to Dubrovnik for a look around and maybe lunch.

Sorry, mztish, didn’t mean to highjack your thread!

@ joannyc: I hope your time in Opatija is more pleasant than mine. Do try to walk the lungomare from Opatija to Lovran (or vice versa). I'm sure you realize that Krka and Plitvice are quite different and am also sure that you've given the matter due consideration. Enjoy!

@ mztish: I join joannyc in apologizing, even while hoping that these comments prove useful to you!

You can take the short car ferry to and from Korčula (from Orebić) and head up the coast by car. It is a spectacular drive. You can see Ston, and Omiš on the way. You could break up the journey too, with an overnight somewhere en-route, allowing you a bit more time rather than rushing up to Split.

I would not do a day trip to Hvar, it would be 100 euros on the catamaran for two people round trip, it is much better to go if you can spend a night or two and either drive (taking the car ferry) or take advantage of the lower cost commuter catamarans (leaving Split in the afternoon and Hvar in the morning.)

Also I would not consider a day trip to Montenegro, not in high season for sure and not even in October. The new EES system getting in and out of the Schengen area is a total mess. You could be waiting hours to cross, in both directions. It is only worth it if you plan to spend a few days in Montenegro. And go against traffic (traffic being the eight gazillion miserable people doing a day trip from Dubrovnik.)