Please sign in to post.

2 week trip to Croatia. Flying into Zagreb and out of Dubrovnik.

Does anyone have any suggestions of a company for a reasonable rental car, what not to miss and places to stay?

Right now we’re thinking of including Zegrab 2 nights, Plitvice Lakes 1 night, Pula 2 nights, Zadar 2 nights, Split 2 nights, Krka Nat’l Park 1 night, Hvar 1 night, Montenegro 1 day, Dubrovnik 2 nights. Anything to add or delete? Places to stay?

Has anyone stayed in Croatia in early October? How is the weather? Is everything open?

Posted by
3777 posts

Pula is out of the way and will be chilly in early October. When we were in Zadar October 1, 2021 the hotel we were staying at was closing down for the season after we left. It would be better if you could move your trip up by a week or 2. We started our trip in Dubrovnik on September 16 and it was very warm and not too crowded.

Posted by
17646 posts

Pula. Since it's early October it's probably best to average Sept and Oct and round down, so 72 for a high and 54 for a low just before the sun rises in the morning; not counting for global warming.

OH, and i've been there mid-October (many years ago) and I don't remember anything being closed.

For your Montenegro day, ask Dijana for advice and rates

Dijana Krkotic

Executive director

Doclea Travel

Address: Bulevar Sv. Petra

Cetinjskog br. 79

81 000 Podgorica

Phone: +382 20 675 197

Mob: +382 69 277 749

E-mail:dijana@docleatravel.com

www.docleatravel.com

Posted by
5687 posts

joannebrewer, I've been to Croatia twice in early October, including just last October.

The weather can be warm and sunny if you are lucky, but it's also possible you'll get big rain storms and chilly, windy weather. It may not be gradual - just warm a few days, then a storm comes in and suddenly it's colder and wet...then maybe warm again a few days later. Obviously it varies a little every year. Last fall, I delayed my arrival into Split by a few days because the last few days of September, they were getting hammered by rain (and I had already been through that in Split once!). By the time I arrived October 2, I had great weather for the next day days in Croatia and later Slovenia - not a single drop of rain. It was warm enough to swim (but not that warm) if I wanted to - I did a few times. Not many others were swimming. Once I got in the water, it was fine.

I don't know what your interests are. Apparently you like national parks, so that's fine. Plitvice is amazing. I didn't see all of Krka, just the huge cascading waterfall, Skradinski Buk. If you're into parks then it's worth your time to spend time there, but I wasn't interested in spending a night - just spent a few hours at the big waterfall, walking up and around it.

Pula and Zadar both have some Roman ruins, but I wasn't really that excited about them. (I'd been to Rome and Pompeii.) Again, if those things interest you, go for it. Zadar was not my favorite town - it was nice, but one night there was plenty. I much preferred the town of Sibenik, which was much less touristy (I spent only a few hours there not a night). SIbenik would make a good base for Krka - it's not far from the park.

Some people are excited by the islands. I finally explored Hvar as well as Brac and Vis on this trip (saw Korcula years earlier). The islands are definitely slowing down by early October. I did day trips from Split to Hvar, Brac, and Vis. Hvar Town was beautiful but seemed too upscale for my tastes. (Would probably have the most going on in October for an island.) Supetar (Brac) was very pleasant but seemed ordinary compared to Hvar. But Vis (town) was somehow amazing - hard to explain why, but I really fell in love with it. So after a quick day trip from Split, I came back for two more nights. Since it was October, it was pretty slow, but restaurants were open, and that's where I went swimming. (If you like cats, there some very friendly strays on all the islands, especially on Vis.)

Unless you are dying to see the old Roman amphitheater in Pula, I'd probably skip it and add a few more nights on islands. (If you want to go to Istria, consider the charming little town of Rovinj instead of Pula.) You might also consider being flexible in your schedule since it might rain and you might want to re-arrange. Things would be slow enough in October that you could wait until the last minute to book things, except your arrival and departure hotels as the beginning/end of the trip. (If you have a smart phone, very easy to book with sites like Booking.com.) E.g. if it's going to rain for the days you had planned for islands, but the weather will clear up later, maybe re-arrange. Have alternative places to consider like Mostar, Bosnia, instead of the islands if the weather is poor. Don't lock yourself into places where the hotels are non-refundable if enjoying them is dependent on the weather. I doubt I would have gone to Vis if it had been rainy and windy.

I didn't rent a car this last trip - just took ferries, trains, buses. Last time I rented with Oryx. Before that, I used Sixt. Any of them are probably OK - be sure to get insurance to cover car damage, don't rely on your credit card for insurance coverage.

Posted by
3953 posts

I will second some of what others have said.

  1. Consider Rovinj for your 2 nights instead of Pula - although I really enjoyed Pula as a day trip.

  2. Krka is beautiful, but also a bit similar and smaller than Plitvice. I am having trouble figuring out why you would need an overnight there. Extend your stay in one city and do it as a day trip or between stops.

  3. Zadar - interesting but with limited nights, I agree you should move these nights elsewhere, and my vote would also be an island.

  4. Which island? I have limited experience and you should do more of your own research to see which might be what you are looking for. I loved Korćula over Hvar the last week of September enough that I will be going back this year.

  5. If you decide on a day trip to Montenegro, I will second the recommendation of Dijana.

  6. Car: I used UniRent for a less expensive car rental in 2021. I had pick up in Dubrovnik and drop off in Split, but they do seem to have an office in Zagreb. So you could rent in Zagreb, drop in Split, then ferry the rest of the way ending in Dubrovnik.

Posted by
3 posts

Wow, thank you all for the great information! A lot to consider. I can still change our air reservation this morning, which I may do considering what everyone said about the weather.

Again, many thanks for your information.