Croatia without Dubrovnik or Split

That sounds like a very reasonable plan that's based on your own interests. Only you can define what a "must see" is and you can't do it all, even in 14 days (it looks like it's really only 12 days on the ground when you minus out the travel to get there and back). I'm not sure what you're trading off for Split but, for what it's worth, I found it to be very interesting. Besides the city itself, it's right next to Trogir and a great launching point for some of the islands (so it's not as if it's a singular attraction, not tied into other interesting attractions). Maybe you can save it for later and concentrate on the north this time, as you suggested. As beautiful as Dubrovnik is (and crowded as can be), it is way out of the way especially if you're starting that far north. Thumbs up for your plan as far as I'm concerned...I'm sure other people interests will differ but you seem to know what you want to see, so go with it.

I think you are right to try and limit yourself to a smaller area and not trying to over extend yourself. Let's face it, there is always something interesting around the next corner and the idea that you are missing out on something just behind the next hill can be destructive to your holiday.
However that being said I am personally partial to both Dubrovnik and Split and they are rightly so the main highlights of many peoples visit to Croatia. It's true you don't need more than a day or two in both places, but I found that this goes for most of Croatia. The country has vast amounts of lovely towns, cities and sights, but they are also fairly small and neat packages, with the main sigths packed into a small old town or similar. This means you can see a lot of beautifull places in a short amount of time. If you have a car, nothing is set in stone, you might find that you have extra days to spare for a trip further south.

I think it is a great plan. Croatia so much more than Dubrovnik - I feel it really shines in the smaller towns. Our favorite area is Istria and we go there often. We typically base ourselves in a villa rental (we book through myistria.com) in Istria for a week. We have never run out of new places to see and have a huge lists of favorites that we always come back to. We also love the island of Cres which would make another nice stop for a week of exploring. For the lakes, you need two nights and one full day, in my opinion. I have never been in August, but hear it is a madhouse. Maybe think about Krka instead? If you do Krka, Sibenik is a gorgeous town for a base. Zagreb is a bit meh for me, as it is just to similar to Vienna, where I live. After a week in Istria and a couple of nights checking out the lakes, I'd go to an island - we like Brac. From there it is easy to day trip to Split, Trogir and just enjoy the island. Split is one of my favorites, so I can't dismiss it. I find the history fascinating and unlike any other city I have visited. As an alternative to spending the second week at the lakes and Split, I'd suggest spending a second week in Slovenia. Piran, the caves, Bled, mountains - enough to keep you busy for 7 days.

I like your plan. You can return for a second visit and hit Split/Dubrovnik/Montenegro and possibly some Bosnian sights.

I enjoyed a stop-over in Zadar on last year's trip. It's a coastal city not too far south of Istria with a very pretty old town on a peninsula. Nice for wandering. Definitely has been discovered by European tourists, though.

In Istria, I stayed in Rovinj and saw Porec on a day trip with a brief stop in Vrsar. Rovinj and Porec are physically very different, so I recommend seeing both. Vrsar is small but also worth a visit; there were very, very few tourist around on the day of my visit, which was nice. Try to get to a few of the inland towns as well; my favorites were Motovun and Groznjan. Seeing the interior is rather hard to do by public bus, but you can probably pick up a one-day bus tour if you don't want to drive and are based in one of the major coastal towns like Rovinj, Porec, or Pula. I suggest trying to get some information on that ahead of time, because the trip I took ran only one day a week. I'm sorry that I don't remember the name of the operator, but I believe the name of the tour was "Inland Istria". I had to go to three travel agencies in Rovinj before I found one that sold the trip.

I liked Zagreb a lot. The historic area is very nice for wandering or café-sitting. Most of the many museums are a short walk from the tourist district or actually in it. Ask the tourist office for its museum brochure if it's not on display. It was very helpful.

Plitvice was overrun when I was there on a late-August Friday last year. The line to buy tickets was about an hour long at 10 AM. I urge you to stay overnight in the area and get an early start on your walk. Plitvice is lovely and I consider it unmissable, but it will be much more enjoyable if you can get a jump on the day-trippers. I have no idea whether it would make much difference, but I'd try to avoid Friday-Sunday if possible. There's a comprehensive trail map for sale in the shop (not at the ticket booth). I suggest buying that so you have the option of choosing your own route if the marked loops are too crowded for your taste.

I wouldn't agree with "much nicer". I like both of those cities. They do feel quite different, probably because the historic core of Ljubljana is built along a river, and Zagreb is much larger and has a lot of sprawl you have to get past in order to reach the historic district. I found both very worthwhile and would happily visit them again. Incidentally, there is a bus link between Ljubljana and Rovinj (Croatia).

For Istria (and pretty much all of Croatia), you really want to rent a car. The roads are great.

I visited 30 years ago, so much has probably changed. but the high points of my trip in that area were Llubljana, Pula, caves in Postojna, and a keep near there called Predjama.
I also visited the island of Cres, transported there by a fisherman who was happy to take me for free provided I help him practice English!
I enjoyed hiking south on the coast from Opatija to Brestova, and from Brestova I crossed to Cres. But, if you have a car, probably you have to go around elsewhere. Have fun!

Thanks so much everyone. Great advice.

We just do not like having to feel like we have to see everyone else's "must-sees". We have always found in our travels that many of the "off-the -beaten-path" places we have visited are simply beautiful and make our trips so memorable.

Are the islands nearer to Istria as nice as the ones further south? Which ones would you recommend that have beautiful beaches and great for exploring it's medieval villages.

Thanks

Andrea

Maybe Rab? I visited very briefly (day-trip in transit, and dependent on bus and ferry schedules) but remember liking it. I took a very short ferry ride from a place on the coast nearby, but there are also ferries from Rijeka.

Many people like Pula, Rovinj, and Opatjia, but none of them are "small villages". Our small-ship cruise stopped at Koper, Slovinia which had considerable charm and history. The Koper cave excursion was missable.

I concur that Plitvice is not an undiscovered gem. The "trails" were continuous single-line files of people, some older and with walking sticks they desperately needed. For example, it's not remotely comparable to the Black Forest. We were glad our ship had pre-booked the lodge-like trout restaurant, which is full for every lunch. It is still a lovely place, just very busy in the summer. You may have to settle for the hamburger counters.