Help with itinerary from Dubrovnik to Split 6 nights

In late October, that is the itinerary I would follow. I would probably not do the Plitvice day trip unless I was sure I would never be back in the country. Krka park is much closer, or--even more convenient--would be to stop somewhere somewhat similar in Bosnia called Kravice waterfalls (make sure your rental car contract allows cross-border travel). I'd also stop at Mostar instead of the Montenegro trip. https://www.kravice.com/
I have been to Croatia four times but not Bosnia, but I bookmarked a lot of places in Hercegovina for next time. I have visited Montenegro, but I would not make the round-trip when there are other things to do instead.
Between Dubrovnik and Split, you could stop at Ston to see the wall, Makarska for Biokovo park, Omis (they have rafting there)

Thank you! Those are great suggestions. I had wondered about doing Mostar and the waterfalls you mentioned so I appreciate your insights. I don't know that we will go back to Croatia since we have so many other bucket list places to go. What would you do in Dubrovnik instead of a day trip to Montenegro? Any other great places to see? should we be doing day trip to Hvar? It sounds like we have several neat places to see on the way from Dubrovnik to Split.

Gosh it's been so long I cannot really remember what we did but there is plenty to keep you occupied for a couple days--walking the walls, the various small museums (I liked the pharmacy one). If the weather is great, then I'd do an island day trip (Hvar from Split).
If you are interested in Montenegro, don't let me dissuade you--I'd just play it by ear. A drive around the bay and up toward Cetinje would be nice.
You might even stop for a night at Mostar but that does require an extra hotel change.

We were on the RS Adriatic tour last month. Here are some of my thoughts:

Walk the wall in Dubrovnik early. By 11:30 AM we were running into spots so crowded that we were barely moving.

We went to Mostar, and I wish we would have stayed 2 nights instead of 1. I would have enjoyed more time exploring Bazar Kujundžiluk (and I'm not a shopper). The restaurant options all looked amazing, and the photo ops from below the bridge were so good! I would find a local guide who lived there during the war to give you a walking tour.

I had always wanted to see Plitvice Lakes National Park, but I was disappointed. I wasn't wowed by the scenery (maybe I'm spoiled by living in northern Minnesota), and it was SO CROWDED.

In Split we walked over to Restaurant Adriatic for some good food and beautiful views.

Have a great trip!

Those are very helpful insights. Thank you. I am very curious if it is crowded at Plitvice Lakes in late October. Does anyone know that? Maybe we can just do the Krka or Kravice waterfalls and skip that part. I keep looking at reviews of Plitvice and I have seen others complain about the crowds. I am sure a lot is relative. Interesting idea to stay in Mostar one night. I can look into that. It seems like there are so many amazing things to do I am wishing we had more time there. Does anyone have names of tours they took that they liked? There are so many options of tour companies. We have learned that the tour guide makes all the difference. Also, any recommendations for restaurants would be great as well.

With such a short stay I wouldn’t cram too much in. In Dubrovnik
Walk the walls
Ferry out to Lokrum island for a nice hike and lunch (only one cafe there)
Visit the various museums - Ethnographic, Maritime, Pharmacy, City Hall, etc
Cable car ride up to Mt Srď, either have lunch, dinner, or just drinks - make reservation
Take a boat ride around the outside of the city at sunset
Visit the Churches
Look for advertising for concerts, usually as you enter the city
The IT office on the Main Street is always up-to-date on happenings

It is not too long a drive from Dubrovnik to split, but you could also take a ferry to Split, about 3 hours, check on Croatiaferries.com. So much easier then the car,

Split
Tour the underground of Diocletian Palace
Visit the church and climb the tower (if able to), there is a crypt but it is small and empty
Museums
Lovely shopping
Day trips to Krka National Park and/or Trogir
ferry to Hvar and back
Affordable private walking tour with guide - Pero Ugarkovič, email [email protected]
One day tour to Mostar with Mate Perajica at privatedriverguideincroatia.com

Restaurant
Dubrovnik - Dubravka (just outside the Pile Gate behind the shop of the same name)
Split - Fife (at the end of the Riva near a church)

Thank you so much. This is super helpful. I will check these things out. I appreciate the links and references.

This individual does just planning or can set up the entire trip with guides and reserviations and all. She is good. Very good. Worth every penny in a country that isnt just super easy to get around in.

Dijana Krkotic
Guide & Tour Designer
Doclea Travel 
 +382 69 277 749
[email protected]
www.docleatravel.com

Regarding Plitvice Lakes, our guide has us take the 8:00 AM tram near entrance 2 to ST 3. From there we hiked to P2 where we took the boat to P3. In early September that was a nice route with everyone going in the same direction. The hike between P3 to entrance 1 was where we encountered a lot of people hiking in both directions. There is a picture on this blog that is how the hike between P3 and entrance was for us on Monday, September 9th.

I don't know where you are from, but I can see better waterfalls and have a better hiking experience on the North Shore of Lake Superior. I haven't been to Kravica, but I would go there while you are in Bosnia instead of going all the way to Plitvice Lakes.

We just returned from 9 days in Croatia. It is so amazing. We stayed in a villa in Razanj which is just north of Split. We went to Plivitce one day and it was a long drive (my brother rented a van for the 6 of us) and was super crowded which made it difficult to enjoy. We are in the Pacific Northwest so we all were not too wowed. We did another day at Krka and it was even more crowded and we were all joking about pushing people into the water. We all loved some smaller towns close by which I can't remember the names. We did a day in Split at Diocleacians Palace. We did not take a tour. It was pouring down rain and the people with umbrellas were crazy. We did a day up at Klis Fortress and it is amazing. We went early right when it opened. The views were stunning. My favorite of the entire trip was Dubrovnik. We are huge history people. We stayed in the walled city for 2 nights. We did a city tour as well as a wall tour. Both entirely worth it. And the groups were small.

I am just seeing you responses and really do appreciate them. Thank you. I find it really interesting to hear about your negative experiences at Plitvice. That seems to be something I am hearing a lot and we have decided not to go there. However, we had thought we would go to Krka. Interesting that you didn't think that was very impressive either. I will look into the places that you mentioned. Thanks for the references on for the trip planner. I usually like planning trips but this one feels extra overwhelming because there seem to be so many neat places to see.

The smaller town nearby Michele refers to is probably Trogir.

Ewwww, well you are leaving soon I guess (this year, correct?) I just realized OCTOBER. Enjoy...... We have another planning a similar trip same time of year, but next year. So do a trip report.

For future reference: Plitvice Lakes National Park is gorgeous, but it is totally blasted by day-trippers. If you Google photos Plitvice, some of the results will give you an idea of how bad it's likely to be. (The less-crowded photos could be from many, many years ago; it was already bad in 2015.) The way to have a good visit there is to spend the night in the immediate area. If you arrive around mid-afternoon, you can see part of the park on your arrival day. Otherwise, be sure to get a really early start the next morning.

I live near the Rocky Mountains (Banff, Lake Louise, etc.), and I have seen many fabulous waterfalls there in my life, but I am not so jaded that I didn't think Plitvice was gorgeous. I really enjoyed it. We were there in late spring, 2022, (before tourism had really come back with a vengeance), and we followed the advice of staying overnight at one of the park hotels and visiting late in the day and early the next morning. During our late-in-the-day visit, the park was really uncrowded, and there were times when there was nobody else in sight. So, if you really want to go to Plitvice, try to do it that way.

However, with the amount of time you have, I don't think that's the best use of your time. As others have suggested, Krka would probably be a better option for you. Still, I'd recommend visiting early or late in the day and trying to avoid the mid-day crowds.