Hi, we are a British family of 3, mum (me!) and dad in our sixties, son in mid-20s. We're planning our first trip to Croatia in mid-May (12th to 27th) and will be there for 15 nights. We are flying from the UK and planning to use Airbnbs. We've had a few problems trying to find flights that suit but have probably settled on flying in to Zagreb, spending a few days then travelling to Split and then down to Dubrovnik and flying home from there.
This is a very loose outline that we're now trying to fill in. We arrive on a Monday and a tentative plan is to stay in Zagreb until the Friday, go south to Split and stay for a week. Then travel to Dubrovnik and stay until we fly home the following Tuesday. Ignoring the 3 days of travel that would be 3 full days in Zagreb, 6 in Split and 3 in Dubrovnik. Does this seem like a reasonable spread of days please?
We are not planning on having a car in Zagreb and are thinking of travelling to Split by train (keen to see the scenery from the train so we can all enjoy it). But I'm hearing quite a lot of negative reviews of it being uncomfortable and it takes 8 hours getting in at 10pm and then having to find our accommodation. There is a sleeper but then we wouldn't see the views anyway! Would driving be a better alternative? There is a bus service but I am prone to travel sickness so I'm not jumping for joy at that thought.
Assuming we take the train we would plan to pick up a car in Split after 2/3 days to enable trips to local towns and sights. After our time in Split we would either drive to Dubrovnik and return the car there on the assumption we wouldn't need it while in Dubrovnik or return the car and take the catamaran (but see above re travel sickness! I haven't ruled out bus or catamaran but I need to think about it).
The other thought is whether to split the holiday further and take a day from Zagreb and a couple of days from Split and go to the Istrian peninsula. It looks beautiful but maybe that's too much travelling?
Our interests are wandering around old towns, eating good food, finding local markets and anything quirky. Also our son enjoys anything animal-related - zoos, wildlife parks etc. We’re not beach people!
Sorry for the ramblings but I am trying to be as specific as possible. We'd be really grateful for any help.