Hello- I am doing a 15 trip and want to hit Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro and Bosnia. I will be flying into Dubrovnik and out of Ljubjana. We will be renting a car and will have it with us the entire trip. Am I including too many places? I tried to include stops like Makarska and Zadar to shorten the driving distances. Should I skip one of the islands? Any recommendations and advice will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!!
14-Aug Arrive in Dubrovnik @ 2PM, Explore
15-Aug Explore Dubrovnik
16-Aug Day trip to Montenegro, Sleep in Dubrovnik
17-Aug Drive to Mostar early am, Sleep in Mostar
18-Aug Drive to Makarska, sleep in Makarska
19-Aug Early AM ferry to Brac, sleep in Brac
20-Aug Early Am ferry to Split
21-Aug Explore Split and Trogir
22-Aug Take ferry to Hvar
23-Aug Relax in Hvar
24-Aug Ferry from Hvar and drive Zadar (to make drive shorter to Rovinj)
25-Aug Explore Rovinj and Piran
26-Aug Drive to Soca Valley/Lake Whitewater rafting?
27-Aug Julian alps and drive through Lake Bled
28-Aug Explore Ljubjana
29-Aug Fly back home
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
Couple of comments/questions:
1) How much time will you have in Mostar? I would say having at least a full day is required to make the drive worth it.
2) Is Makarska just a sleeping destination or do you want to spend some time checking out the place? It seems like you'll have to juggle time between Mostar and Makarska because it's a bit crunched.
3) I think the ferry from Makarska to Brac will drop you off at a different part of the island (Sumartin) than Supetar, which is the base for the Split ferry. Will you have your car with you, or some way to get around the island to get back to the Split ferry on other side?
4) One day for Split and Trogir is a bit tight. Probably 1.5 would be the minimum and 2 days would be better, if you have it. Split is pretty big and there are lots of attractions.
5) Any consideration for not renting a car until you leave north of Split? I got around everywhere by bus and it was fine, although it won't be as efficient as your plan.
I can't comment on any place north of Split as I have never been.
Posted by
Portland
3644 posts
I've been to some of the places you're planning to include, so I'll give you my take on them. In general, I think you're trying to cram in too much. We scratched Hvar from our list, when we heard it was a big place for nightlife. You're most likely younger than we are, so maybe that's an attraction for you. Rovinj is an attractive town, but there are no blockbuster sights. However, it looks to me like you plan to drive there, explore AND drive to Piran AND see it in one day. Seems awfully rushed. Lake Bled is worth a half-day. However, in August, parking could be a real problem. They've just instituted a new system which limits all parking to 2 hours, except for in a lot located before you get very far into the town. It's so new that the people at the TI office had to check to find the location. Ljubljana can be done in a one day.
Posted by
Pico Rivera, CA
594 posts
I agree with the previous posts. The trip is a bit crammed. I did a day trip to Montenegro on my own once. It's a very long day and if you're ok with that then go for it. I believe I left Dubrovnik no later than 7 am and got back probably around 10 pm. Seems like you're doing a ton of driving though. The drives between many of these destinations will probably wear you out.
Makarska has really nothing to see other than going to the beaches there. So if it's just for an overnight then that's ok.
And I see that you're going to Brac, then Split, and then Hvar. Seems like a lot of double backing to me. Isn't there a ferry between Brac and Hvar? And then you can take the ferry from Hvar to Split and be done with the islands.
Are you picking up your car and dropping off in Slovenia? I believe that comes with a hefty surcharge. You should look into that.
Posted by
Wisconsin
570 posts
Definitely check on surcharges for dropping off the car in a different country. Could be an issue.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all for the feedback, I have read all of your comments and will look at what to cut out. It will be a tough decision. :)
I will speak to the rental company.
- I was planning on driving to monster first thing in the morning and spending the entire day there, and staying the night. 2) I would leave for first thing in the morning from MOnstar and leave for Makarska. I thought staying there for a day would make it more relaxing, than trying to get on a ferry after driving from MOnstar. 3) I was planning on bring the car to the islands... im not sure what to do yet? 5) I wanted to have a car in order to be flexible and to be able to make pit stops at places that look interesting during the drive.
Posted by
Green Bay, WI, UAS
43 posts
I just returned from there. Rented a car and did my own driving. Roads are great. Distances are easily covered. Time allowed in Dubrovnik is good. Day trip to Montenegro is fine. Visit Kotor and Bay of Kotor, but don't go farther south than that. Kotor and bay are beautiful and worth the trip. We went south of there, too to a town called Budya, or something like that. Not worth the time. Arriving in Mostar by 10=11 is probably ok. We stayed 2 nights and booked a taxi driver to give us a tour. It was a good tour. He took us to a medieval town, also the Dervish House, a waterfall and Modjugorje. Was glad we did that. Otherwise half a day and an evening are plenty for Mostar. Don't think Hvar deserves more than one night. We visited Korcula. It was nice. The big thing in Split is the palace. Our hotel was right there, and the palace is filled with shops. One day in Split is plenty. Loved the region. Would go back at the drop of a hat! Easy driving, people were very warm, friendly and welcoming, the region was very clean, and low priced.