Dubronik to Ljubljana itinerary, need help

Haven't done this yet, as in late September we arrive in Dubrovnik, then go to Split (including Mostar tour), Zagreb and Ljubljana (because that is where we return from). After finding the flights, we then arranged that itinerary based on what seemed to give us the least travel and the most time in each location.
Seems to me that you are doing a lot of backtracking. Plitvice is on the way from Split to Zagreb. Rovinj is then all the way back on the coast, and you are going to Zagreb to go to Ljubljana. I don't know about the connections, but Ljubljana is closer to Rovinj than Zagreb. Transit is not up to our US standard of 60 miles in an hour.

If I were planning this, i would sit down with maps and Rome2Rio.com and figure out what my travel options are from locale to locale, and set my itinerary on what is easiest done with the most time spent in place and the least time spent in transit) and prune your itinerary that way. This includes checking on likely connections (and if you are doing this by car rental, you have the added issue of dropping it in another country); buscroatia.com is really useful for your connection options if not using a car.

I would also not wait much longer to reserve lodging. We struck out on many places when we did our lodging bookings in mid-May.

I'd be astonished to have trouble finding lodgings for end of September/early October anywhere on this itinerary, unless you pick an event weekend or holiday weekend. End of September is the end of shoulder season; early October is probably past it on the coast.

I would definitely start in Dubrovnik, because the Dalmatian coast starts to shut down in October, and some excursions become unavailable in October there. In Ljubljana, it probably doesn't much matter if you visit in September or early October - expect a little rain either way.

If by two weeks you mean 13 nights, then try this:

Dubrovnik (2 nights)
Hvar (2 nights)
Split (2 nights)
Rent a car
Plitvice (1 night)
Rovinj (2 nights)
Ljubljana (3 nights)
Drop car in Zagreb
Zagreb (1 night)
Fly out of Zagreb.

It's better to pick up the car and drop it off in Croatia to avoid a steep one-way drop fee. Rental of more than a few days within Croatia (even if you drive to Slovenia for a few days in the middle) should not incur a one-way drop fee. If you want to take buses, I Rovinj/Istria should be removed - you might want to anyway. Without a car, you can fly out of Ljubljana as planned at the end, if you find decent flights that work.

I found renting a car cheap and driving in Croatia and Slovenia easy for an American. Note that border crossings can be long recently due to increased border checks; who knows what they will be like in the fall.

Rovinj is lovely and charming - but it's tiny, and in my view, it's not a great destination in itself. It's better as a base to explore Istria, and you barely have time for that. So I'd probably skip it and add the nights in elsewhere.

If you want to take buses and not rent a car, you can do that between Split, Plitvice, and Zagreb. Take the train (or bus) from Zagreb to Ljubljana. If you want to see Lake Bled as a day trip, take the bus. Having a car in Slovenia would let you explore some of the small towns and pretty drives between Ljubljana and Bled. You could always rent another car in Slovenia only if you want.

So without Rovinj, maybe this:

Dubrovnik (3 nights)
Hvar (2 nights)
Split (2 nights)
Plitvice (1 night)
Ljubljana (3 nights)
Zagreb (2 nights)

I added the nights to Zagreb and Dubrovnik. You could move them around. Dubrovnik is pretty small and doesn't really need three nights unless you are doing day trips - but it is your arrival city, and some people like a day or two to get over jet lag (not me). I don't really care much for Zagreb myself, but some people do - maybe you will. Three nights in Ljubljana assumes at least one day trip to Bled and maybe elsewhere.

Instead of Rovinj, which will be out of the way, why not add another night to Ljubljana and do a day trip to Piran, which is architecturally similar to Rovinj but just over an hour's drive from Ljubljana?

You could end your trip in Ljubljana or Zagreb. If renting a car, aim to drop it off in Zagreb. So if you are going to end in Ljubljana, take a train from Zagreb to Ljubljana and rent another car in Ljubljana for a couple of days if necessary. If using public transport, ending in Ljubljana probably makes more sense than in Zagreb simply to avoid backtracking. With a car it isn't such an issue as you can simply drive to the airport in Zagreb straight from Ljubljana on your departure day.

I agree with what the others have said, especially the comment that going all the way to Rovinj for just 2 nights (basically one day of sightseeing time) is a shame since there is so much else to see in Istria. I think the suggestion to skip it on this trip is a good one. Especially if you don't plan to rent a car, I'd want at least 4 nights in Istria (3 full days).

That said, in mid-summer of 2015 there was a bus connection between Ljubljana and Rovinj. I think it took about 4 hours, but don't hold me to that. I don't know whether the bus was seasonal. I don't think many of the other passengers were foreign tourists.

For Plitvice, do spend the night before your visit in or very near the park so you can get out on the trails well ahead of the day-trippers. Booking.com lists quitea number of options. If you can hit the park Mon-Thu, that may help reduce the crowds as well. It is a 100% outdoor experience, so if you get heavy rain I'd skip it. (Zagreb was beginning to get rainy by the second week of October 2015.) If you will not have a car, I think you'll find the bus service to/fromZagreb and Split still adequate in October, but i have never taken the bus that late in the year.

I ended up flying back home from Zagreb with just one change in Amsterdam and suspect flight connections to and from Zagreb may be better than for Ljubljana, which is a much smaller city.

Thanks for all the suggestions I will definitely rethink the itinerary after all the advice which I greatly appreciate!

We've been to all these cities. In Dubrovnik, our favorite hangout is Buzz Bar. Not on the main street, but out of the way and cheap. In Zagreb, there is a very nice fish restaurant we were in last Friday night called File (fish in Croatian). In Ljubljana, there is a nice hostel called Hostel Cselica, which is in a prison. During this time, you will find cheap lodgings, wonderful temperatures, and easy access to restaurants and bars.

I have changed our itinerary to go from Dubronik, Hvar, Split, Plitvice, Zagreb and end in Ljubjana. Eliminating Istria but may include Piran as a day trip from Ljubjana. The Rome2Rio.com is a great site, thanks.

Much of the accommodation on Hvar will have a 3 night minimum stay. Note that many of the bars and restaurants on Hvar close up for the winter at the end of September. When I left last year on 23 September, the island was beginning to feel like a ghost town and the good weather was starting to break.