Help Itinerary Suggestions 3 or 4 islands in 11 or so nights

I was thinking fly into Dubrovnik and then jump on ferry to another island and then save Dubrovnik for last since we will fly to NY area from there. (I know day 1 will be tiring)

I concur with the idea to press on to your first island on arrival day and saving Dubrovnik for last.

I think 2 islands and Dubrovnik is as many places I would try to do with the time you have.

Have you researched how much time is involved in moving from island to island? ( I haven't)

Also suspect the first full day you are there will be more a 'recovery from roadkill' kind of day than 'bright and bushy-tailed' activity.

How much packing/unpacking do you want to do?

Thanks Joe. Yes from Dubrovnik to Korcula is less then 2 hours. Then from Korcula to Hvar is like 75 minutes or so. Like you said day 1 will be exhausting with long flight and customs etc. Then Hvar to Split is quick. Longest will be when we leave Split to go to Dubrovnik that's 4.5 or so hours from what I read. IT will be nice to be in Dubrovnik last for the flight home. We did that recently on a trip to Spain where we made our 1st day the long day and the last day we were already in Madrid which is where we flew home from.

Ferries are definitely the way to go. It’s a couple hours between Dubrovnik>Korcula>Hvar>Split roughly even all the way. This is the ferry line route, which basically takes a day from start to finish. Unfortunately, while there’s usually a couple departures they are all in the morning. Taking a ferry onward to your next destination on arrival day would be difficult to impossible. Check the ferry schedules at croatiaferries.com.

So assume you’ll have to stay in Dubrovnik at least one night at the start. Based on your preferences, I’d go Dubrovnik 3 nights, 5 nights between Korcula and Hvar, 2 nights Split, then take the day ferry straight back from Split for the last night in Dubrovnik.

Hvar and Korcula are generally interchangeable and are a matter of preference. I’m not a fan of 2 nights stays, but given you’re not planning on a ton of beach time I don’t think it’s counter productive. You could also eliminate the two nights on one of the islands and put those elsewhere for a slower pace. Adding a night onto Dubrovnik or Split (especially Dubrovnik) is easy to justify because there are good day trips/excursions from either.

We found Korcula to be thoroughly enjoyable during our 3 night stay. The apartment we rented was perfectly appointed; easy walk to Old Town and picturesque view of the harbor. One day could be spent traveling to Badija, Vrnik, Lumbarda, via the Hop-On-Hop-Off Water Taxi. If you are wine drinkers, you can walk to several wineries and enjoy a tasting from the dock in Lumbarda. The Moreska Sword Dance was quite entertaining if they happen to be performing one of the nights you are on the island.

Thank you. Yes the more I read the more I am interested in Korcula. I just have to decide if I will also stop aby Hvar for a few nights or just skip it so we are not rushed. (I guess we could always do a day trip from Split to Hvar if we spend 4 nights in Split.).

In terms of arrival day into Dubrovnik it would be great to straight to Korcula and end trip in Dubrovnik but sounds like that may not be possible if all the ferries leave in am

You definitely have time to visit all the places you want! We once did a 9 day trip to Split, Hvar, Korčula, and Dubrovnik, including a side trip to Mljet. I would head straight to Split and then work your way back so you finish in Dubrovnik and are in the right location for your flight home. The ferry Krilo Star visits all these destinations but if going between Split and Hvar the more direct way is on Jadrolinja as I believe Krilo Star makes a stop in Bol so takes longer.

Thank you Cat VH. Yes I would love to land in Dubrovnik and then proceed to Split or even Korcula so I can work my way back. My only concern is that someone earlier above in the thread so it will be difficult or impossible to land at Dubrovnik and then catch ferry same day to another island. Hopefully they have some midday ferries so I have time for customs, taxi, etc.

Just curious how did you split up the 9 nights in terms of how many nights each island?

Much appreciated

There may be some confusion here. Dubrovnik and Split are not islands.

Thanks acraven. Yes my title should have been destinations not islands.

I totally understand! You could also look at going from Dubrovnik to Split by bus, rather than ferry, I think those go more frequently and can align with your schedule. This is how we split our time- we flew into Split and out of Dubrovnik:

Day 1- arrive in Split in afternoon
Day 2- Split
Day 3- ferry from Split to Hvar, rest of the day in Hvar
Day 4- boat trip from Hvar to Bol to spend the day on Zlatni Rat- this was a little tour boat company, not a ferry
Day 5- boat trip from Hvar to Pakleni Islands (there are many small boats that do this short trip)
Day 6- ferry from Hvar to Korcula, rest of the day in Korcula
Day 7- ferry round trip from Korcula to Mljet (the times on Krilo Star work well for this)
Day 8- ferry from Korcula to Dubrovnik, rest of the day in Dubrovnik
Day 9- Dubrovnik, including Lokrum
Day 10- Dubrovnik, fly home in evening

To summarise: 2 nights in Split, 3 in Hvar, 2 in Korcula, 2 in Dubrovnik

We packed quite a lot in which isn't everyone's style, but this worked well for us and we had a wonderful time. Good luck with your planning!

RE Dubrovnik to Korcula on arrival day: it depends on what time you arrive. There is also the bus, which in my experience left in late afternoon, but you'll have to verify (https://autobusni-kolodvor-dubrovnik.com). The bus goes on a ferry at Orebic, so you are not only limited to catamarans. Check the websites of the two catamaran operators, Krilo and Jadrolinija. I have also seen the Korkyra shuttle company mentioned many times, though I have not used it, but it looks like an easy way to go straight from the airport with no hassle and it does not seem exorbitant.
You have so much time to decide between now and September 2026, so you might want to read about some closer islands, the Elafiti and Mljet.
I would not rule out 4 stops in 11 days, it just depends on what you want to see and do and your personal preferred pace.

Thank you CatVH and Val. Yes I did verify through email with Bookaway Croatia that there is a 2:30 ferry from Dubrovnik to Korcula. Flights from Newark land around 10:15 so that should give us enough time for customs and a taxi to the ferry terminal. We could always have a bus as a backup plan.

Yeah we will just need to determine if we are doing 4 destinations (Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar and Split) OR 3 destinations (Dubrovnik, Korcula and Split). We have decided if we have to choose we will do Korcula over Hvar.

If we do 4 nights in Split we can do a day

Thank you

I am seeing 2:45 and 3:30, so just be sure to check the provider websites. You'll need them for onward travel to Hvar or Split anyway.