8 day Croatia Itinerary advice

I read Trogir is closer to the Split airport. Maybe we should stay there our last night and stay someplace else between our island stay and PL? I had wanted to avoid Split because it seems so crowded and is a main hub for the ferries.

Thank you

A few things to consider.

Since August is peak season, many places require a minimum two nights stay. This is likely to be true on Korcula or Brac, maybe in Trogir as well.

Maybe consider hiring a driver/guide to take you to Kotor. It will be much less stressful than driving yourself with the two kids, and it will save you the time and trouble of picking up and dropping off a rental car. And you won't need a car on the islands. Consider picking up the car in Split when you arrive there on the ferry from the island.

I'd also consider a day trip to Mostar instead of Kotor. Kotor is lovely, but Mostar is as well, and the recent history is going to be interesting and meaningful for you and for your kids.

I do think you are trying to squeeze too much into a 7-night trip. I hate to suggest skipping Plitvice, which is just fabulous, but it will eat up a lot of your time, as it's a long drive. I think you'll enjoy your trip more if you concentrate on southern Croatia. Maybe this:

Dubrovnik (3 nights, with day trip on third day)
Korcula or Brac (2 nights)
Trogir (2 nights)

Gosh - avoid Split? It's a great town, and it's a town, not a bump in the road like Dubrovnik. There's lots of stuff to do in Split. I think you are doing yourself a disservice by not spending some time there. There's the palace itself. There's the archeology museum. There's lots of restaurants and shops. I would take either a bus or ferry from Dubrovnik to Split, and stay in Split for 3 nights. You can do a day trip to Trogir from there, and probably a day trip to PL. However, considering your time, you may wish to omit PL and go to Krka. Many say they are similar.

Another thing that is in Split that is less common in Croatia is a fine sandy beach which is very popular with tourists and residents alike.

You are cramming in a lot. As to the trip to Kotor - I'd reconsider. It's nice, but Dubrovnik is nicer. You have such little time that a day trip may be a lot of traveling for a little payoff.

All those one night stays and in August--the hottest, busiest time of year--would make me crazy.
To go to Kotor you are going to mostly probably sit in traffic. I would skip that and probably Plitvice too. You could go to Krka instead, as it is much closer to Split (bonus you can swim there).
Brac is too far form Dubrovnik for a day trip, but there are other islands offshore. I think it would be more efficient to stop on an island in between Dubrovnik and Split. See Krilo catamaran website for ideas.
You can have an amazing trip in August, but you should slow down a bit--less time in the car and more in the water and enjoying the types of things you like to do.

We were in Croatia last September. We spent 2 nights in Dubrovnik, 2 nights in Split, 2 nights Korcula. We liked Dubrovnik and Split, but LOVED Korcula. You may be able to "avoid the crowds" by touring early in the am. As for Korcula, it was less touristy when we were there. We would have been happy to spend 3 nights. We felt relaxed and thought it was like our vacation from our vacation. Our hotel was across the street from the beach. We enjoyed a day of beach time. Very walkable island. We had a
wonderful meal under the stars at Nonno. Korcula was magical.

Thank you for your replies!
We would really like to see Plitvice Lakes while we are in Croatia.

Day 1: Dubrovnik (arrive @9am)
Day 2: Dubrovnik
Day 3: Travel to Korcula
Day 4: Korcula
Day 5: Travel to Split
Day 6: Travel to Plitvice Lakes (is it doable to stop at Krka on the way?)
Day 7: Plitvice Lakes, Travel to Trogir
Day 8: fly out of Split airport @3pm

How does this revision look?
I also asked in another post about skipping the island stay and rather staying near Omis with
a private beach. I'm trying to figure out what would be best with crowds/traffic and children.

Thank you

Hope you can work Plitvice Lakes in your itinerary. We stayed overnight in the park. We arrived late afternoon. The next morning our group hiked the lakes before the tour buses arrived. Our guide suggested we start up lake. It was a good call because most tour companies start down lake. Your 11-16 yo will love the hike! I've also heard that a late afternoon hike is another option after the tour groups leave. All in all it was one of the most memorable stops on our trip!