Croatia in April/May

You will not be swimming at beaches in April/May.

I suggest basing in Split.

thank you, that is what we thought!

Use ViaMichelin.com to check driving times. Understand that they do not include stopping, getting lost, dealing with traffic jams, looking for parking, or walking from the place you had to park to the place you actually want to go.

Croatia is a long, skinny country. It's not a place to go and park yourself in one location--unless you just want to veg out on a beach or something like that--because you cannot stay in one place and see very much of it. Split is perhaps the best single base if you want to spend a lot of time visiting islands, but staying there will not allow you to visit Dubrovnik, Plitvice Lakes National Park, the Istrian Peninsula, or Zagreb. It's a rare visitor to Croatia who doesn't want to see at least Dubrovnik (touristy though it is) and Plitvice (which requires a night spent in or near the park to avoid the really unpleasant mid-day crowds).

May is sometimes okay for swimming if you can handle a bit colder water, and if the weather is good

We just returned from a 13- night trip to Croatia, Montenegro, and Slovenia. I agree with everyone else that you certainly cannot base yourselves in one place for 10 days. And I also agree that Split is a good base for 3 to 5 nights. We spent 4 nights in Split. We had one day of sightseeing in Split that included a 2-hour private tour with Maja Benzon, recommended by Rick. She was awesome! We also wandered around Split on our own, visited the market and did a little bit of shopping.

We took the catamaran to Hvar Island on the second day, and spent the whole day there. We left Split at 9;45AM and returned to Split on the 6PM catamaran from Hvar Town.

On our 3rd day, we drove to Trogir and spent several hours there. We visited the Ethnographic Museum (very interesting) when we returned to Split.

There are other day trips you can do from Split, such as visit Sibenik, Klis Fortress, and Krka National Park.

I agree with the other poster about visiting Dubrovnik and Plitvice Lakes National Park. We spent 3 nights in Dubrovnik, which included a daytrip around the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, and one night at Plitvice Lakes.

Thank you so much for the info!

Hi. Split would be the best solution. Close to beaches and other cities. But it might be a bit cold for swimming as other posters have suggested. You may be lucky with the weather though. It is also a good idea to visit Plitvice National Park. Have fun!

Thank you! I believe our base will be in Split. We plan to drive to Dubrovnik and stay there a few days at the beginning of our holiday then back to split and discover the area.

Why are you going to Split first, then driving to Dubrovnik, and then back to Split? You can fly from Boston to Dubrovnik, which is what we did this past September. We picked up our rental car the morning we left Dubrovnik, and then drove to Split. Are you planning on visiting Plitvice Lakes National Park? Have you made your airline reservations yet? Are you committed to flying into Split?

We had purchased our flight from Boston to Rome 278 US dollars round trip (includes checked bag).. We bought the tickets knowing it would be a springboard to another location in Europe . We decided Croatia was a good fit for us.

Wow! That is a great price. Where did you find it? If it's still available, I would consider a trip to Italy next year for my husband and myself.

So are you saying that the only flights to Croatia from Rome are to Split? If so, then you don't have a choice. If you have a choice, I would consider flying into Dubrovnik instead of Split so that you don't have to backtrack. But either way, you will have a great trip. Croatia is beautiful!

We got the airfare via Scotts cheap flights.....British Airways.
Thank you!
I am sure we will have a great time!