I'm planning a two week trip to Croatia for our family (includes 2 teens) for August 2019. Unfortunately August is the only time that works for us, which makes me a little nervous because I am concerned about areas being over-touristed.
I am struggling a bit with the itinerary and looking for advice.
Current plan is:
Day 1 - arrive Zagreb in the afternoon, sleep in Zagreb
Day 2 - hang out in Zagreb, drive out near Plitvice to sleep
Day 3 - Plitvice, sleep somewhere near Zadar (agroturizams?)
Day 4 - Zadar to see the sea organ and sun salutation, head out to Dogi Otok for night
Day 5 - Dugi Otok,
Day 6 - to Sibenik (read this is more low-key during tourist season)
Day 7 - Split
Day 8 - Vis or Korcula
Day 9 - Vis or Korcula
Day 10 - Dubrovnik
Day 11 - Dubrovnik
Day 12 - Dubrovnik
Here are some questions and considerations:
1. Have found it is easier traveling with kids to have a few home bases instead of sleeping in a new place each night. Right now our itinerary has a lot of new places, but I'm not sure how to overcome that given the long distances. It's also best to keep car rides less than 2 hours at a time. I'd rather miss a few spots and have focused time in a few great places.
2. I don't feel compelled to go to lots of islands. If there's one that you'd recommend as on the quieter side, more artsy and less partying, good food, nice beaches and good for village walks or countryside biking, I'd be happy to go to just one. Dugi Otok adds a lot of travel time, but my impression was that it is less traveled and has a nice sandy beach. Is it worth it? Korcula is more convenient than Vis and looks beautiful, but will it be overrun in August?
3. I'm agonizing over whether to try to get out to Istria. I would love to find a nice hilltown that's not overrun by tourists and possibly stay in an agroturizam. However, this seems like this adds a lot of travel. The coastal towns look beautiful as well, but again a bit concerned by travel time and crowds. Any thoughts?
4. Can add another day to this trip.
5. We are using frequent flyer miles which limits airport options. We can use Zagreb, Trieste, Split as airports. Since flights between Dubrovnik and Zagreb are cheap, we could also buy a flight between the two so that we only need to drive one way.
6. Any hidden gem recommendations, especially for affordable places to stay?
Thanks so much for your advice!