Hi, we are doing a 9-day bike ride down the Croatia coast during the end of May - starting in Zadar and ending in Dubrovnik. We will have 3 days in Zadar on the front end so plan to visit Plitvice National Park. The bike ride will take us from Zadar to Biograd na Moru, Vodice, Split, Vela Luka, Orebic, Slano and ending in Dubrovnik.

We then plan to spend 7 days working our way back up to Zadar to fly home. Flights are already booked.

So working our way back up to Zadar, we are looking at staying in Dubrovnik for a couple of days, then head to Korcula for a couple of days, then Hvar for a couple of days, one day in Split and then back to Zadar for our last night before flight back to USA. Wondering if there is anyway to work Pula in at the front end during the 3 days in Zadar or at the end?

Open to any suggestions.

Thanks.

You can see your transportation options by consulting rome2rio.com
Be sure to click through to the underlying links and enter the correct dates for your proposed trip.

Zadar to Pula is roughly a 4 hour drive and the ferry, if it’s running, is about 4 1/2 or more hours. So, it’s not a trip I’d plan on if you’re staying only 3 nights in Zadar.

I'm pretty sure one can drive from Zadar to Pula without taking a ferry, though it would take more than 4 hours ... and either way (with or without ferry), I think you'd be routed around Rijeka, and traffic there can be a nightmare, potentially adding a substantial chunk of time to the trip in each direction.

FWIW: whether it's worth making time for Pula depends, IMO, on your priorities. I thought a day and a half sufficient for Zadar, so you could -- if its a priority -- carve out some time to spend a night in Pula and have a very limited amount of time to visit it. Other people would want more time in Zadar or, for that matter, in Pula. Your trip, your call.

Thanks for the replies. We will not go to Pula.

Regarding the route back up to Zadar from Dubrovnik, would you recommend any activities, accommodations, changes to destinations, etc.? We like exploring the areas, history, architecture and a little bit of water adventures. We prefer staying on the outskirts rather than in the middle of the touristy areas. The itinerary right now for the last 8 days is:

Dubrovnik 2 nights
Korcula 2 nights
Hvar 2 nights
Split 1 night
Zadar 1 night prior to flying home the next day

Appreciate getting any input from others' experiences.

Your travel back seems really rushed to me, imho. I'd want more than just a few hours in Split. One night wouldn't give you much time given 1)how popular and busy it is and 2) all there is to see. Then again, for my interests, there is a lot. Edit: And really only having 1 full day in Dubrovnik would not be enough for me. Maybe now, but I've been twice. It took me 2 trips to see everything I personally wanted to see.

I'd get some good guidebooks tbh. You settled on these areas for a reason, certainly you were interested in them enough to choose them, yes?

For accomodations, please give us a budget per night. Check booking.com for availability and reviews (you must stay at a particular lodging in order to review). June has been getting busier and busier in all of these towns. Book now.

Remember your time in transit eats into your sightseeing "budget." 2 nights in a place gives you just 1 full day to explore/experience. So only 2 nights on Korčula gives you 1 day, for instance. Figure transit into your plans as it cuts into your time "being" there once checking out/in and other logistics are complete.

I'm a great fan of Split, so I'd want more time there. YMMV.

If you mean Hvar Town when you mention Hvar, well, it was quite touristy even before Croatia became so popular. By May of 2009, I found it "party central" for the yacht crowd. And I found Hvar Town less interesting architecturally than almost anywhere else in that stretch of Croatia, though there are some lovely corners. Stari Grad is likely to be much less touristy ... but might not be what you are seeking.

Sibenik has some amazing architecture and is a good gateway for the Krka National Park.

There's WAY more in this area than you can possibly visit in the time you have. A good guide book, such as the Rough Guide, should help you choose what fits YOUR interests.

You'll see some amazing things no matter what you choose!

P.S. I fully appreciate Travel_Nerd's comments about your pace, but I'm a bit more sanguine about it: With the exception of Split (already noted), I think one can enjoy the highlights of some of your chosen destinations -- Dubrovnik, Korcula Town, somewhere on Hvar -- with just a day and a half. And depending on your mode of travel and how long you take to check in/out, pack/unpack, you'd probably have closer to 1.5 days in some of these locations than just 1 day. Still, T_N raises a very good point that I hope you take into consideration.

Another P.S.: I just noticed that you seem to be planning to visit the Plitvice Lakes National Park DURING your initial 3 days in Zadar. I hope you mean that you really have 3 days (not 3 nights) in Zadar and that you are willing to rent a car for that day -- it will most likely take a FULL day, which I sincerely hope is not one on which you will have jet lag! (IF you cross multiple time zones, you will not be safe to drive -- safe for yourselves or anyone else on the road -- for at least a day or two.) You'll want to check the forecast carefully and pick a day when the chance of rain is low. Good luck!