travel from Ljubljana to Plitvice to Istria to Venice in 4 days
 

Hi- this is a question: 2 ladies will be finishing up a bus tour of Slovenia early Monday morning June 10, and hope to see Plitvice and Istrian Pen before returning to Venice on Thur to fly home to US on next day, Fri. Prefer not renting a car. Any advice on best way to get from Ljubljana to Plitvice then to coast then to Venice on Thur, with least problems/least hassle? Cost is a factor, but not wasting time is more important. Thanks for any input.

If not wasting time is the key, then renting a car will be your best solution. It is difficult (but not impossible) to see the Plitvice Lakes by public transportation; likewise, it is difficult (but not impossible) to see parts of Istria by public transportation. IME, iIt will be extremely difficult to see both the Plitvice Lakes AND Istria in such a short time using only public transportation.

Maybe others can offer more specific information about your transportation options.

I you fully committed to avoiding a car rental?

Make that "Are you" not "I you"...

i just want to encourage that driving in croatia was super easy... and this will make your trip much more simple. i would pick it up in croatia where it's most convenient, then do your trip, and drop it off where you can get a ferry to venice. there are other postings on fodors about various ferry options.

Almost impossible without a car, public transport take a lot of time and it's complicated between two countries. Plitvice are out of way and Istria have poor public transport service.