Croatia trip August 3-16, 2025

I loved Plitvice but people say it is so crowded these days, and I don't know how extensive the opportunities are in the area for hiking, etc., as most just do a day there. Depending on your interests, I would look into Paklenica, which is near Zadar, and Velebit, which runs up the coast. (I have not been to either, just visited the country four times so am familiar with the parks.)
If you travel from Zagreb to Istria (def. by car), you could come across a small park called Risjnak (I passed by this one in a bus once) and in Istria, you have Ucka. I skirted Ucka by staying in Lovran once, en route to Losinj. You might want Cres and Losinj on your list. So, as you see you have many many options and it is advised to book early for any coastal spot in August.
If you chose Velebit you could merge your two goals and stay somewhere on the coast.
I have not explored Istria but everyone says the Premantura area is tops for beaches. I was in the Kvarner region last and I thought the area north of Rabac looked gorgeous (near where the ferry to Cres departs).
You basically can't go wrong--but decisions, decisions--good luck!

Thanks for all if that helpful information! I am awaiting arrival if my Rick Steves Croatia guidebook to use in addition to my Lonely Planet book - will get going with making lodging reservations as soon as I can figure out a good plan. Thanks again!

Plitvice is beautiful but you could just spend a morning there---make sure to get there early to beat the crowds. We spent 3 nights in Skradin and loved it. It's a tiny town that's the gateway to Krka National Park. There's a river with a beach for swimming and there are other hikes and towns in the area. Primosten is also charming with a lovely beach. Car rental is easy, just make sure you pick lodgings with dedicated parking. We spent the night before Plitvice in Slunj, a ten minute walk to the river at Rastoke. After Plitvice, we spent a night in Lovran. which is a very cute small town. before continuing to Rovinj for a few nights.

Thanks for that information - that is helpful. We may skip Plitvice after all and stay close to another park for a couple of days - may end up being dependent on the type of lodging that we can find. I was fantasizing about finding some sort of eco-minded lodging - group of cabins with meals provided in a common area or some type of outdoors oriented hotel near hiking. Thanks again.

John

What do you think of this itinerary for our August trip to Croatia:
2 nights in Zagreb
2 nights in Skradin (spend a day in the park)
5 nights on either Cres or Krk island
3 nights in/near Rovinj in Istria
1 night staying back near airport in Zagreb to fly back early the next day

Again, our objectives are to relax, do some hiking, explore cities/towns, swim, eat and generally appreciate the landscape and culture of Croatia

We didn't go to Cres or Krk Island, so I can't really comment but it does seem like a long time to spend there. You could fit Plitvice before or after Skradin, but you'd want to get there at opening time.

Thank you. Something about hunkering down for 5 nights in a nice Airbnb on Cres or Krk island seems appealing to me - saw some rentals in little towns, with patios, walk to restaurants, grocery stores and little beaches - seems like a nice little beach vacation tucked in there!

For your time near Plitvice Lakes, I’d highly recommend looking into eco-lodges or family-run guesthouses in the nearby village of Rastovača or even further out toward Korana or Grabovac. These areas offer great access to the park (especially helpful for early morning visits before the crowds), and many lodgings are built with sustainability in mind.

When it comes to the coast, you’ll find lots of charming Istrian towns to base yourselves. Rovinj is a popular and a great spot, but for something a bit quieter and more relaxed, consider places like Vrsar, Bale, or even Motovun if you don’t mind being a short drive from the sea. These make great bases for exploring Istria’s vineyards, olive groves, and coastline.

As for transportation — yes, you can rent a car from Zagreb, and many travelers do. But if you’d rather avoid the stress of driving unfamiliar roads, finding parking in small towns, or dealing with tight timing, a private transfer service can make a world of difference. You can stop anywhere you want, linger in a park or at a scenic overlook, and never worry about directions or schedules.

If that sounds appealing, consider reaching out to Ivan Ćosić (MC-Travel Croatia) on Facebook. He’s a professional driver with a new/comfortable van, and offers exactly the kind of flexible, friendly service that makes exploring Croatia so easy.

Wishing you great trip and if you go the private driver route, Ivan does a great job!

Something about hunkering down for 5 nights in a nice Airbnb on Cres
or Krk island seems appealing to me - saw some rentals in little
towns, with patios, walk to restaurants, grocery stores and little
beaches - seems like a nice little beach vacation tucked in there!

The island of Krk is more touristy, while Cres is a bit more laid-back.
But my favorite place in this area is Mali Losinj on the island of Losinj, which is connected to Cres by a (small) bridge in Osor.
A beautiful little town by the sea surrounded by pine forest, beautiful pebble bays with crystal clear water.
https://www.visitlosinj.hr/losinj-archipelago.aspx

Mali Losinj can also be reached by a slow ferry (Jadrolinija) from Zadar, which saves 5 hours by car, while the ferry takes 5:45 hours.
August is high season so accommodation can be limited.

Thank you. I may end up planning 5 days on Mljet Island - down in between Split and Dubrovnik, rather than Cres or Krk Islands - we have a friend who stayed on Mljet and loved it - looks very serene, and I found some Airbnbs that are right on the water, walkable to grocery and restaurants. Just need to figure out the car ferry situation to get us there with our rental car.

Just nailed down our itinerary - will be renting a car from the time we leave Zagreb, so will be bringing the car on the car ferry to Mljet:

-arrive in Zagreb on Sunday 8/03 and staying in Zagreb 2 nights - spend the one full day we have exploring Zagreb, art, food
-2 nights in Skradin; will spend the one full day taking the boat to Krka National Park to hike
-6 nights in waterfront airbnb in small village on Mljet Island (island between Split and Dubrovnik) - swim, hike, eat, explore island
-2 nights up near Rovinj on Istrian coast - have not yet booked any accomodations yet for these 2 nights - waiting to get a sense for how long it will take to drive back up the coast (north) once we depart Mljet Island and get back to the mainland - we are flexible on these 2 days - can really go anywhere, but it seems as if we can drive up to the Rovinj area from central Dalmatia in about 5-6 hours or so and Rovinj and the surrounding area look beautiful
-last night back in hotel near to Zagreb airport to fly out the morning on 8/16

I appreciate the input.

John

I would not have wanted all that travel from north to south, but I am sure Mljet will be gorgeous. Have a great trip!

I’m happy you passed up Krk, not my favorite island. Cres is a difficult to get to, so another good decision.
And the drive will be a little longer than 6 hours. It takes us 6 hours to drive from Dubrovnik to Rijeka and Rovinj Is about an hour and 15 from Rijeka.

We decided not to travel all the way up to the Istrian peninsula for the 4th leg of our trip - may figure out something in the Zadar area for 2 nights before heading back to Zagreb for our last night.

Skipping Istria for this trip makes sense. We didn't make it to Zadar, but it looks very nice. We stopped at Primosten for a few hours and thought it was charming and the beach was lovely.

We decided to stay in Sibenik for the final 2 night leg of our trip, before heading back to Zagreb fly home. It looks like a beautiful small city with access to many beaches.

Try to visit the Falconry Center http://sokolarskicentar.com/ We were there a few years ago and enjoyed the talk!