Croatia for 2 weeks where should we stay if it's just one place

Split and Korçula

Suki beat me to a couple favorite bases! We were in Korcula for two nights on a tour and wished we had a couple more nights there. Split is lovely and merits a few nights. We’ve been to Hvar and it was fine for a night but would not use it as a base.

We loved Slovenia! Our favorite city is Ljubljana. We spent 4 nights and didn’t want to leave. We were in Slovenia & Croatia in 2018 in the month of September. It was lovely. Enjoy your planning!

We crave a non USA experience. a different culture, different cuisine,
to enjoy the water, see some new sights , stroll around, ride bikes,
hike, swim eat.

Then going EAST is the way to go.

And so we are thinking of re booking everything. So m question to you
is WHERE? We've never been to Croatia. We are going Sept 3 for 2
weeks. so Charming villages, great swimming spots, great food, good
bike riding and access to other places either by Boat, Ferry, Car,
public transportation other than Ferries not so much.

Budapest: Great swimming (thermal baths), great food (some of the most varied and good food I have found in any country, Charming Villages (Szentendre, Tihany) non USA experience. a different culture, different cuisine

Then to Montenegro (Wizz Air to Podgorica): Great Swimming (beaches), Plenty of Water Sports, Villages (more like small towns: Perast, Budva, Stari Bar, Ulcinj - a very non USA experience, Ostrog Monastery), Ferry (on the road to Dubrovnik) non USA experience. a different culture, different cuisine

Then to Croatia (drive): Dubrovnik (about all in Croatia that I get excited about even if it is a Balkan Disney), non USA experience. a different culture, different cuisine

Then Home

Optional Stop

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Mostar and Sarajevo - a very non USA experience. a different culture, different cuisine

Of course you will need a guide and driver for my ideas. But in the Balkan its cheap. Most of the cost can be made up in the Hotel cost savings.... I know one if you are interested.

I am not into cycling so cant help there much but I have seen websites for cycling in all of these locations.

Hmmmm. Such a wonderful dilemma. First I will say, I spent an entire month (minus 6 nights) in Croatia September, 2021. So even 3 weeks traveling through Croatia for the entire time would be fun to fill.

However, if you really want to simplify, you could fly to Zagreb, rent a car and head to Slovenia for a week, Budapest for a week, and maybe Istria for a week. In whatever order works for you. Then return the car in Zagreb. Slovenia, Croatia, and Budapest are easy to find apartments so that you are self-contained. And a car makes you as self sufficient as you want to be.

Definitely keep a week in Slovenia (and I liked the countryside better than Lublijana but that is just me). Two weeks in Croatia could be Istria and an island (check connections and activities before deciding). I loved Korcula and will go back, but it is smaller with fewer options than Hvar (which I liked a bit less but I think I would like better not staying in Hvar Town).

However, you could easily move around more in Croatia with 2 weeks and a car and make it 3 bases.

We visited Slovenia and Croatia last month. We had a wonderful time! I think a week to 10 days by Lake Bohinj (Slovenia) would be delightful. You could make day trips to Ljubljana, Lake Bled and to drive through the mountains. The lake is beautiful with lots of hiking opportunities near by. The people were extremely friendly and we encountered few, if any Americans. It was a very European experience.
We also spent a few days in Rovinj, Croatia and would happily have spent more time there. Rovinj is a cute harbor town with lots of restaurants, cafes and shops. We went on a wonderful bike ride around the Golden Cape and had a refreshing swim in the Adriatic Sea. Some of us went snorkling and scuba diving in Pula. We loved visiting the little hill town of Groznjan. If we had more time we would have visited a winery or two and done a little more exploring of the hill country. I wish we could have stayed longer!
If you want to simplify your trip and stay in two places, I think this would be an awesome vacation!

Split is great. You can take ferries to Hvar (1 hour) and Korcula. You can also get to Plitvice Lakes National Park by public transit.

Istria and Kvarner
You could choose one base in Istria with a car, as driving distances are pretty short. You can drive among villages and tool around seeing a lot independently, plus there is a bike path called Parenzana.
Then, to get even further away, hop over to one of the islands (I've been to Losinj and Cres) and do some hiking and beach time.
I am not afraid of covid either, but I really did not want to get it on my vacation this year and I did something similar in a different country. Nature heals! If ever there was a time to get away from it all, this is it.
All of Croatia is just a beautiful as the popular southern parts.