Croatia Itinerary

It's great to see an itinerary that is not rushed...I think you'll really enjoy your trip as you have it planned. If I were to offer any critique at all it may be to shorten the time in Korcula by one night and put it elsewhere..only because Korcula is not particularly big and you can still see it very leisurely in 2 full days. I would probably take one day from Korcula and add to Split to allow for seeing nearby Trogir or even go to another island like Brac as a day trip (Split has much more to do than Korcula and is larger, so my thinking is to add time there). But then again, if you're seeking a relaxing trip, you did a great job planning. I loved the Peljesac Peninsula where you are planning to visit Mali Ston and the wineries, it's gorgeous. Consider seeing the walled town of Ston as well, as it's close by.

Generally a sensible itinery, but a few thoughts. It isn't possible to do a day trip from Hvar to Vis, unless you go back to Split and out again, so this is better covered from Split, although with an extra day in Split, I would go to Trogir, not Vis. The islands you plan to visit aren't that different compared with say Hvar vs Pag.

There's so much more to Hvar than Hvar town. Be sure to visit Stari Grad, Vrboska (little Venice) and Jelsa. I would be tempted to stay in Stari and do a day trip to Hvar town by bus, as this will give you more accommodation options. You can get the ferry here from Split and as a foot passenger, there will be no problem getting onboard, as I have never seen the boats full to capacity and there are 7 boats a day. Stari is less of a party destination than Hvar town and has a great selection of restaurants located around the harbour.

Check which days Dubrovnik will be overrun with cruise ships and plan your day there accordingly, which may need swapping with one of your side trips.

You are travelling peak period, so you need to book the Krilo catamaran tickets asap. I am aware of someone travelling in August who says they can no longer get tickets for their intended day of travel. There is only one boat a day. Likewise, you need to book accommodation asap. Most of the best stuff will have gone by now and on the islands, most have 3/4 nights minimum booking.

Is it possible to fly ooen jaw out of Dubrovnik rather than back tracking to Split? This is c 4 hours by bus, so you may want to leave Dubrovnik before evening. Look to stay in Trogir rather than Split as it's closer to the airport.

We just returned from two weeks in Croatia. We followed a similar itinerary (2 nights in Split, 3 nights on Hvar, 4 nights in Dubrovnik with day trips to Montenegro and Mostar, 2 nights in Plitvice and 3 nights in Zagreb with a day trip to Lake Bled). Your itinerary appears good to me. I would strongly encourage you to purchase your ferry and/or bus tickets in advance as even in mid May we saw people having to wait for availability. If your intent is to go to Vis to visit the blue cave, you can arrange it from Hvar. At that time of the year we were told that there are often delays to visit the cave as you can only ride in approved boats due to narrow openings. Expect to run into traffic on your day trip to Montenegro as there really only is one major highway into and out of the area. Are you planning on taking a private or group tour? The reason I ask is that the private tours get through the border crossings much faster. Enjoy!

I had to backtrack from Dubrovnik to Split myself because the flights from Dubrovnik were much more expensive and not as well connected with the US. So if you need to take this option (it sounds like it), I would recommend going by bus before the evening (before sun set) so that you can enjoy the scenery and it's not a total waste. I remember that bus trip with fondness - I really enjoyed looking out the window those 4 hours. If the rest of the time you're on a catamaran, going by land may offer a nice perspective. The bus is inexpensive, modern, and comfy but it does leave from the main bus station which is outside the walled city and by the Gruz port (from what I recall).

We took the bus from Split to Dubrovnik and my wife wound up take pictures the whole way. Beautiful scenery even on a rainy day. Pics: http://bit.ly/CroatBus

Aug 17th: Depart Korcula in evening for Dubrovnik. Sleep in Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik is particularly beautiful at night. Also, this is August so it might be a tad cooler. Hopefully you arrive before 8pm so you can enjoy it.

Aug 18th: Dubrovnik
As beautiful as Dubrovnik is, one day was our limit in this tourist mecca.

Aug 19th: Dubrovnik (Day Trip to Montenegro)
The drive down the coast and around the Bay is pretty special. A pretty resort towns like Herceg Novi with an interesting church or two, beaches, restaurants; mostly devoid of tourists that speak English. If you start about 9 am you can reach Perast about noon including stops along the way for coffee on the bay or shopping on one of the boardwalks.

We spent the night in a wonderful little hotel in Perast http://q-ec.bstatic.com/images/hotel/840x460/161/16154710.jpg with café that was built on the very edge of the bay. Beautiful spot in the evening https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/07/5f/32/17/hotel-conte.jpg . During the day trips to Our Lady of the Rocks http://www.century21hn.com/images/our_lady_of_the_rock.jpg that sits in the middle of the Bay.

Aug 20th Dubrovnik (Day Trip to Mali Ston and Wineries)
There are two routes from Dubrovnik to Perast so you can take the low road there and the high road through Trebinje back, but go past Dubrovnik and keep going on to Mali Ston.

Aug 21st: Depart Dubronik in evening and sleep in Split
Mali Ston to Split

Aug 22nd: Fly Home from Split.