2 weeks: Croatia + Medjugorje (self-drive)

Posted by Travel Addict 1967 (Chicago) on 01/21/25 12:07 AM

Hi Everyone! My sister and I are planning a rental car road trip through Croatia + Medjugorje, approx dates April 21 to May 8. We are routing ourselves through Munich (my sister will already be there visiting friends), take a puddle-jump flight into Dubrovnik on the front-end, then depart home from either Split or Zagreb depending how flights sort out. We currently have a room reserved at the Hilton Imperial in Dubrovnik Old Town, I might fly in a day earlier to arrive late afternoon Mon, April 21 (day after Easter) to have some chill time from jetlag, and sister would arrive late afternoon April 22, we have a hotel check-out date currently set for Fri, April 25, we will end up with the 23rd and 24th full days of sightseeing in Dubrovnik.

1) Is that enough time to see the highlights of Dubrovnik, and what would you recommend? We definitely want to do Game of Thrones related stuff/tour, we like history, architecture, churches, walking on beaches (if we have time, not swimming), not necessarily into museums.
1a) If I arrive on Mon, April 21 (late afternoon), will things be open being the day after Easter?
1b) What's the best transport option to go from DUB airport to hotel (Hilton Imperial Old Town)? The hotel has an airport shuttle that can be arranged, but don't know if that's more expensive than taxi/Uber, what's the best option?

2) Pick up rental car in Dubrovnik (city center vs airport ?). I've read Sixt is a reliable agency, and is there a way to guarantee NOT getting a Renault car, we've had bad luck with them in the past.
2a) Drive to Medjugorje for a few hours (going here is a non-negotiable, no time for Mostar), see the highlights, go to mass. Is it worth spending a night around it or move on to next destination? If we stay overnight in Medjugorje, any recommendations for accommodations and food?
2b) Also, do you know how we obtain the rental car extra certificate to cross border in/out of Boz-Herz?

3) From here, we're not sure what we want to see an do with the time we have while working our way north to depart home from Split or Zagreb. We do want to see some of the islands, not sure which ones are best for our itinerary, how much time to spend at them. We'll have a car so assume we'll either car ferry over, maybe stay a night at one of them, and/or leave car at a mainland port and do passenger ferry, mix of options?

4) How much time in Split, and best things to see in and around Split? Should we base in Split or somewhere nicer and still accessible to day trips? I don't know if we'll have time for Plitvice or Krka.

5) Can you drive along the coast or is it only inland?

There's so much to see and do, so many different opinions, don't know the logical way to plan this within 2 week timeframe, I've researched a lot of itinerary suggestions, but many don't include Medjugorje. Seems like Zagreb is logical to fly out of, maps say it's a 4+ hour drive from Split, so we need to factor that in. We like the flexibility of self-drive and have done a lot of them over the years.

What other suggestions and recommendations?

Thanks!

Posted by awrzesinski

01/27/25 10:43 PM

1127 posts

A lot here, but I’ll comment where I can. On the face of it, I don’t necessarily see anything crazy.

Two full days sightseeing in Dubrovnik is plenty really. Depending how deep into GoT you are, there’s plenty of tours available. Like, GoT tours are ever present at every key sight. You can essentially get the experience just by hanging around town. Imho, what I saw was a lot of flipping through photos of where you were, with relevant scenes which they then kind of rehash. YMMV. You’re there in shoulder season, so beach stuff is iffy. You can always head out to Lokrum to get some nature. It’s not cheap, but it’s worthwhile. Dubrovnik is full of last minute tourist options, no need to sweat it.

Split deserves 1-2 nights. It’s fairly small, but lively. You don’t want to stay too far from the center/Diocletian’s palace. The Varros neighborhood has some recommended RS places, looked nice, and was a short walk away. There’s some decent beaches accessible from Split if the weather agrees. There’s not exactly tons to see, but I also feel the place is a bit undersold.

Idk how feasible island hopping is. They are pretty seasonal places, and services scale along with the crowds. It also sounds like days are getting limited at this point. I think your best bet would be to try some day excursions from either Dubrovnik or Split. If the weather is ok, you ought to be able to find a group excursion company. See what’s out there now, but I’d wait until you’re there to book anything. Driving to another coastal town like Trogir or Sibenik might be a better fit for similar experiences.

Of everything here, I’d recommend trying hard to stop at Plitvice for a night. It’s an incredible place. Best practice is see part in late afternoon then early morning. Given the time of year, crowds should be awesomely light. You can do this overnight on the way to Zagreb to break up that drive. Try to give yourself a full day in Zagreb if you can.