Driving Split to Ljubljana

I've never driven in Europe, so I have no idea how accurate that 5-hour time estimate is, but it does seem that you have time for one stop if you leave reasonably early. If Postojna or Skocjan interest you, I'd say "Go for it." Check hours of operation at the caves to be sure you aren't heading for the last tour. I think it's possible for a tour to be full, especially an English-language tour.

If you are spending several says in Ljubljana, I think you can get to Postojna on a day-trip, even via public transportation. Skocjan is trickier and might require some walking or a taxi for the last few miles, depending on your timimg.

I really enjoyed my overnight (about half-day) stop in Zadar last year, but I haven't been to Split in over 20 years and am not sure whether Zadar would be a bit too similar to Split. It's not terribly far off the direct Split-Ljubljana route.

It all depends on the time of day that you leave Split. If you start early enough, you could stop at Plitvice Lakes along the way. While Plitvice deserves a full day, you could see some of the lakes with a couple hours.

Yes, Mike, but the latest reports (and my experience last summer) suggest that Plitvice is likely to be a zoo if visited at mid-day, unless wrosenhi is planning an off-season trip. I would be very sad for someone's first visit to the park to be like my 2015 visit, which fortunately was my third.

Thank you!

Last summer we took a road trip through Slovenia and Croatia. We didn't drive from Split to Ljubljana (we went from Ljubljana to Plitvice Lakes, from Plitvice to Piran, and from Piran back to Ljubljana). While the roads in Croatia are a bit slower, the roads in Slovenia are excellent and very fast. Once you get onto the main highway in Slovenia you will fly. My daughter and I visited Pojstojna (sp?) Cave and loved it--it is well worth a side trip. It is only about 15-20 minutes off the main highway. Even better, the park is very well-run. They handle the lines incredibly well. We got there mid-day and waited in line only 5 minutes to buy tickets. We got our tickets for a tour half an hour later, had a quick lunch, saw the "Human Fish" (weird salamander critter), and went on the excellent tour. I hear that Skojan Cave is even more magnificent, but Pojstojna was pretty special. I agree with the posters above that it would be hard to put Plitvice Lakes into the middle of this trip, but a visit to either cave would be very doable. Enjoy--we loved Slovenia and Croatia!

That's why I qualified my statement with "if you leave early enough." The drive from Split is about 2.5 hours, so if you got a very early start to the day, you could arrive at the park around 8:00 or 8:30. I would never suggest a mid-day arrival in the high season or even shoulder season. Nevertheless, because of the interconnectedness of the boardwalks, it's possible to hike as much or as little as you wish. You could spend all day or just a couple hours.

5-6 hours sounds about right for the drive. Either of the caves can easily be done as a stop along the way. If you leave Split by 8 or 9am, you should be able to get to Skocjan to catch the penultimate 4pm tour, the last tour is at 5pm. The last tour in Postojna is an hour later, at 6pm (only July and August). That said, if you'll be doing the drive on a summer weekend, anticipate heavy traffic and queues at the border crossings, which can easily add a couple of hours to your drive.

Another option for a stop along the way is Opatija, near Rijeka. The Austrian-influenced architecture makes it quite different from other seaside resort towns you will encounter in Croatia.