Itinerary as we speak (new) Zadar advice

I will be in Croatia for the first time this September, so I can't really comment on each destination. However, I notice you have many one night stays. It seems to me you will be spending a lot of time packing, unpacking, and driving to the next destination. Will this give you enough time to see what you want to see?

When you say Hven, I assume you mean Hvar. I have read that many accommodations on the islands require a 2-night or 3-night minimum stay. Have you made your hotel reservations yet?

Well, you’ll see Croatia from a window. If that’s what you want, then this is a perfect itinerary.

Skip Zadar and Hvar; add a night to Korcula and one to Split. Trying to do one night especially on one of the islands is a waste of time.

I have been in Croatia almost 6 years ago...and I can tell you Plitvice Lake National Park does deserve more attention and time than just a day! Consider to spend time to visit some of the almost 300 square km of the Park, a crystal clear water, 16 lakes linked by cascades...amazing! If I can, I would also suggest
http://hotel-degenija.com/restaurant-degenija
a good restaurant, great taste, spartan style.
Bye

Eharts,

Which car company are you using?

I agree with the others that it seems like there are too many hotel stays.

You can decrease the number places you stay by skipping Zadar as suggested. You can pit stop at Krka and then go on to split from Plitvice.

When you boat to the islands you can stay the night in split so you don't have to constantly have a new accomadation. You may be doing this already but it just wasn't clear.

Same for Dubrovnik. You should be able to day trip to Mostar or Kotor out of Dubrovnik but perhaps cut one of these out and spend more time in Plitvice, Split or Dubrovnik to get a chance to breathe.

Thanks to everyone for the quick replies. The point about hitting too many places is well taken, and we will adjust - probably no Krka and Hvar. My one remaining question concerns Zadar. The sun installation and wave organ sound cool. I would gather that there’s nothing else of great import there, but what about stopping off for an hour or so to enjoy those on our way to somewhere else? Is that a good idea?

Zadar is off the main highway quite a ways - look at a map. It's not quite as quick of a stop-off as it appears. The small old town is on a congested peninsula, so you'll have to park in a lot.

Yes, the sea organ and the Sun Salutation are kind of cool - but not really worth a lot of extra effort to see in my opinion. (And the Sun Salutation doesn't do anything until after dark when it releases its energy.) The town itself is interesting with old Roman ruins scattered around what was the old Roman forum.

If you were visiting Plitvice all day then driving south and hoping to stop in Zadar for a few hours and then sleep in Split? I wouldn't do it. I'd probably just push on for Split. If you get headed south early enough, you might squeeze in a stop at Krka (check the hours) - you can park at Skradin and take a boat up to the big Skradinski Buk waterfalls, spend an hour, then take the boat back. That doesn't have to take all day. Just make sure you time it so you can get a boat back to Skradin at the end of the day.