Hi, I'm just starting to plan a trip next Sep-Oct to Northern Italy then 1.5-2 weeks in Croatia. My husband and I are in our 60s and in decent shape--love outdoors, moderate hiking and sightseeing; we're not big into history/museums but strive to see the major sites. We've been to other parts of Europe a handful of times and my husband enjoys driving so we plan to get a car in both Italy (driving through the Dolomites), then I assume we'll need to return it in/near Venice. Would the ferry from Venice to Pula be a good beginning? Here are some of the locations that caught my attention so far: Plitvice Lakes NP and Krka NP (lodging suggestions?), Rovinj, Korcula, and Dubrovnik. We would need to rent another car so how would we best transport from Pula to maybe rent in Rovinj and return in Dubrovnik? We generally try to avoid larger cities, so I don't think I'm as interested in Split and Zagreb. We like to stay 3 nights in each and feel free to suggest other locations instead. I admit I haven't spent much time in the forum to review similar posts so feel free to send me links instead of responding. I appreciate your suggestions!
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First check the ferry schedule carefully because I think it is seasonal and not daily, but that is how I would approach it.
You could rent the car in Pula. Stay wherever you like in Istria (a few days, if interested in hill tows and such), then drive to Plitvice area for a night (most say it is best to spend late afternoon and early morning in the park), then head to the Krka area where you could stay in Sibenik or somewhere rural. You might read up on the Kornati islands and see if that is something you might want to do as well. So, depending on your personal list, a few days in this area.
You might want to at least see Diocletian's palace in Split because it is really cool.
Last, end with a few days in the Korcula and Dubrovnik areas.
Plitvice and Krka are very famous and crowded, but there are many other parks in the country, so I would encourage you to look into those.