Planning for next year..late May early June. I have been reading a lot and it is so hard to narrow it down. We would like to spend as little time as possible on the road with a few bases. Our philosophy is one day "sight see" ...next day relax, enjoy soaking up culture, explore.. repeat. Never been to Croatia so tentative idea:
Fly to Dubrovnik and spend 4 days in the city and day trip to?? (MLJET, other island or Mostar, )
Ferry to Korcula for 2-3nights
Ferry to Split for 3-4 nights with side trips to Trogir, Solta,Krka
Should we add Pula and Isteria or Zagreb? We are kind of "city and museumed out". BUT IF recommended would consider.
Our big limitation is that we will not have a car. We are not comfortable driving so I have to rely on public transportation thank you for any help suggestions. We have done a great deal of traveling but never to this part of Europe and are looking forward to a new adventure
Posted by
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico
1925 posts
Although it's possible to get around Croatia by public transportation, I don't know anything about the options and can't advise you on specifics if you wanted to go further afield.
But I think it would be a great plan to limit your visit to the southern Dalmatian coast, starting in Dubrovnik and ending in Split. And you could easily take side trips by private guide, group tour, or (maybe not quite so easily) public transportation. I especially recommend Mostar as a day trip from Dubrovnik.
Do some research on the side trips you're most interested in and the logistics of getting there and back without a car, and use that to tweak the number of days you spend in each destination. Split, I think, is not worth more than a day unless you plan on using it as a base to go on some of those day trips you mention.
Of course the more time you have total, the more you can see. You could visit Plitvice as a day trip from Split, but it's a long day, and you'll be there at the peak of the crowded part of the day. It's much better to get to Plitvice the night before, spend the night, and visit the park early the next day.
I wouldn't advise you to add additional destinations (Istria or Zagreb) unless you have enough time to spend there. Istria in particular is easy with a car and not so much without one.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
20184 posts
Fly to Dubrovnik and spend 4 days in the city and day trip to??
I would be crazy out of my mind after the second night. Dubrovnik is STUNNING, but Dubrovnik is a tourist Disneyland and 2 nights is all i could handle. We went south instead of north and really fell in love with Montenegro so i cant help beyond my comment on Dubrovnik. Returning to Montenegro in a few weeks to see some of what we missed on the first trip. Love the place.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
It's a shame you don't want to rent a car, because driving there is quite easy for Americans, especially in May, when it's not so touristy yet so not so busy on the roads. I've driven there twice. Piece of cake, at least outside of Dubrovnik (you don't need a car there - best to pick it up when you leave). Probably not expensive, either.
Croatia does have a good bus system, though. Try the GetByBus website to check bus times or check the Rome2Rio website to figure out how to get from place to place. I think you'll find getting up to Istria by bus from the south is a big pain, a long bus ride. There are flights up to Pula from Split or Zadar, though, I think. It's certainly possible to get around Croatia by bus and ferry (and occasionally, by train), but because driving is so easy and relatively cheap, it never seemed worth not driving, to me.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
Unless you are adding more nights, you don't have time for Istria and this region is best explored by car. One full day in Dubrovnik plus however many days you want for day trips is sufficient.
The catamaran to Korcula arrives in the evening, so 2 nights there only gives one day there, so I would stay for 3 nights. You could also take the bus, but there aren't many services a day.
Split merits a full day and for me, Trogir is a must. The parks are more difficult to cover without a car and would be long days by public transport.