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20 Nights In June

It's our first time in Croatia and plan on spending 20 days in June(we will be in Greece before for 2 weeks). We like to hike, bike, walk see some culture and usually gravitate to the ocean. Here's our itinerary but when i posted our Greece itinerary someone mentioned that flights between the two countries might not be that plentiful. Having said that we are not totally sure where we would fly into but we want to rent a car in Zagreb (or Pula if possible) and start our trip in Rovinj.

Rovinj- 3 nights- Drive to

Plitvice National Park - 1 night - Drive to

Mostar- 2 nights drive-to

Dubrovnik- 4 nights- After day trip to Kotar/Perast dump the car.

Korcula - 3 nights

Hvar - 3 nights

Split/Trogir? 2 nights

That leaves us with a few extra days. We have heard that Brac is super nice and laid back. Any input would be appreciated.

Posted by
27111 posts

Just a few thoughts:

Be sure your rental car is OK to go into Bosnia and Montenegro. It may well just be a matter of clearing your plan at the time you make the rental reservation, but best to be sure.

While you're in Rovinj I hope you'll have time to see Porec (quick stop in Vrsar on the way), Pula if you're interested in Roman ruins, and some of the historic towns in the interior. The latter are difficult without a car.

Four days in Dubrovnik feels sort of long to me, even with one day for Kotor and Perast. Check on cruise ships expected in Dubrovnik and Kotor during your stay and try to schedule yourself to avoid the worst days. Kotor is very picturesque (far better when there's not a monster ship in port), but it's not the only worthwhile town in Montenegro, which is a lovely little country. I enjoyed my day-trips to Herceg-Novi, Ulcinj (Turkish vibe), Cetinje, and Budva, though the latter is a bit like Kotor and wouldn't be my top suggestion for an additional stop. None of those places is more than a 90-minute drive from Kotor. If you chose to spend a night or two or three in Montenegro, you could see a lot with a car (which I didn't have). I've heard that the Lovcen and Durmitor National Parks are lovely.

Back in Croatia, here are a couple of places you didn't mention that are worth some time if you end up with excess days:

Zadar, on the coast north of Split: Very picturesque old quarter on a peninsula. Quite touristy, but for a reason.

Zagreb: It has a large multi-level historic district that feels very different from the coastal cities. Active café culture. Multiple interesting museums. Very much worth a visit. I'd choose time in Zagreb over Zadar because Zagreb is more different from your other destinations.

Sorry, can't help on Brac. Have only been to Hvar and Rab, and too long ago to have useful info.

Posted by
4379 posts

Lucky you, 20 days in Croatia after Greece to boot!
Your itinerary appears well thought out. Brac has a famous beach and an interesting monastery (I did not make it there as there we no tours on offer on out dates and it is a bit out of the way). You might consider Vis as well--perfect for three days and where I have seen the best beaches. Any of the less famous islands would also be nice to get a way from it all, though June will not be as crowded as August.
Now you just need to do flight searches. Have you tried SkyScanner?

Posted by
10 posts

Hello! I did a 16 day trip with my boyfriend in August. Here is our trip and some notes:
Dubrovnik (fly into, 1 night on plane) - 5 nights (a little too long because it was hot and crowded. Had day trips to Peljesac and Mostar. Don't know if I would spend 2 nights there, day trip was a bit crowded.)
Split (Bus to, pick up rental car last day) - 3 nights
Plitvice (rental car) - 1 night (would have liked to spend 1 extra night there to relax)
Rovinj (rental car for 2 nights) - 4 nights (loved having a car and driving to the hill towns, one of the best parts of the trip)
Venice (ferry to) - 3 nights (one of my favorite cities and just a ferry ride away! I could not pass it up)
Fly home

Looking back, I would have done everything and added a few more days!!! Never got to Korcula - definitely would be on my list. I also would have liked to go to Zagreb. A lot of locals say they like to go there for some "city time". I skipped it because we prefer small towns - but I would have liked to see it for a night or so.
In Split we did this awesome 6 island speedboat day tour (with waterworldcroatia.com). Maybe you can do that for just a taste and then decide which island to go back to and stay for a couple nights.

Posted by
1743 posts

May I throw out another suggestion? From Plitvice, go to Sarajevo for a few nights and then to Mostar for one night. Sarajevo is one of the most memorable places I've ever been. Mostar is also wonderful and will give you a glimpse into Bosnian culture, but Sarajevo gives you an opportunity to truly immerse yourself and get a feel for the historic struggles of the people throughout their history. It's much less touristy. In addition, the drive from Plitvice to Sarajevo is gorgeous, and from Sarajevo to Mostar you'll see some of the best scenery in the entire region.

Posted by
6113 posts

Istria really needs a week minimum to do it justice. You have too long in Dubrovnik IMO. You can't take a car from Korcula to Hvar without going back to the mainland.

June will be busy in Hvar town, so if you aren't into clubbing, stay somewhere such as Jelsa or Stari Grad. Brac isn't that different to Hvar, so just pick one. Zlini Rat beach on Brac at that time of year will be hideously busy with day trip boats from Makarska. Avoid.

Add another night to Split/Trogir.

Local schools will be on summer holidays from the middle of June, so places will be getting busier.

Posted by
72 posts

Mike, your map is perfect. You will love croatian and Dalmatian coast with the Islands. Dont forget to order glass of white wine Posip on Korcula.

Have a good time!