Itinerary for Croatia

You are pretty much all over the map. But sure, why not. I can only offer a few comments.

Dubrovnik: Loved the beauty of the place, but the crowds were unbearable. Would never regret the two nights we stayed there. With two nights, stay within the walls, PM me if you are interested and I will dig up the name of the 8 room hotel we stayed in. Pretty nice actually and being able to walk the streets at night after the tourist left made all the difference in the world. We moved on from Dubrovnik by getting a guide and driving down to Podgorica where we got a flight to Budapest. Budapest is a Wizzair hub so it presents all sorts of options.

Podgorica isn't good for anything but the airport, but the Bay of Kotor and the towns along the way are beautiful, tourism is light and the prices in Montenegro are somewhat lower than Croatia. Montenegro was so impressive that we spent a week there the next trip.

Your four nights in Budapest really amounts to 2.5 days which is about half the time the city deserves in my opinion.

Ryanair flies Prague to Krakow a few days a week if you can make that work. Otherwise its 6.5 hours on the train with a change someplace (pretty certain). I havent flown Ryanair, but it doesnt have a great reputation.
Krakow, most days of the week there are direct flights from Krakow to Budapest.

Okay, sorry, just a lot of bits and pieces.....

The problem is Dubrovnik. I use Google Flights to find options. This link is Dubrovnik to Europe, non-stop and under $300. You can see there isnt much. Do the same search but change it to Podgorica and ideas appear. https://www.google.com/flights/#flt=DBV.r/m/02j9z.2018-11-22;c:USD;e:1;s:0;ls:1w;p:30000.2.USD;sd:1;t:e;tt:o

Or look at one stop from Dubrovnik to Prague and spend a day or two someplace new. LOT for instance flies from Dubrovnik to Warsaw to Prague. Warsaw would be an interesting night or two. I believe you can get from Podgorica to Prague through Belgrade and Belgrade is very interesting.

I also noticed that there were some pretty cheap flights from Prague to Kyiv. I love Kyiv, and then there are cheap flights every day to Budapest out of Kyiv.

Dubrovnik is your tough one.

You are going to need a holiday after this marathon slog!

You are going to be weary when you arrive in Split, so have 3 nights here and explore the city and nearby Trogir. Ideally have another night here and take a day trip to Plitvice, one of Croatia’s gems. It’s better staying a night at the park, but after such a long journey to get there, I would try to minimise the number of one night stops.

Take the ferry to Stari Grad on Hvar or Korcula and have 3 - 4 nights here to relax. Vis is too far for such a short visit.

Take the catamaran to Dubrovnik and have 2 nights here.

Alternatively, look at flying into Zagreb, staying the night, then taking the train to Split.

For a trip in June I would absolutely not plan a day-trip to Plitvice. You really need to spend the night in or near the park and get inside right at opening time. It's a wonderful place, but not so much when the walkways are as crowded as the Vatican Museums.

I’m not sure I would go to 3 islands and leave Split out. Diocletian’s Palace is very unusual. Vis was our favorite place in Croatia, but most accommodations require that you stay for 3 nights. Also, there is a catamaran between Vis and Hvar only one day a week. Otherwise you need to go back to Split to get between the two.

Thanks everyone for your advice. We had already decided we'd have to rule Plitvice out, due to lack of time unfortunately ,but are interested in the amount of time people are suggesting to stay in Split, Dubrovnik and the islands. it looks like we'll have to stay 2 nights in Split because of our long flights and tiredness. We hadn't realized Vis was so far away. Do have people have preferences as to whether Korcula or Hvar (staying in Stari Grad) is best, we have no idea and thought we could possibly stay 3 nights on each if that is the requirement. Is 2 nights in Dubrovnik enough or should we add an extra night? I've heard its lovely as long as the cruise ships aren't there? do they go every day in early June, maybe not?

With regards to Dubrovnik. BEAUTIFUL. We were there in May and the place was packed to the point that walking was difficult. BUT, as the night progressed I guess they returned to the ship and things began to get really good. Since we stayed inside the walls everything was right outside our door and we could easily enjoy the evenings. Still, two nights was about right since we didnt plan any side trips, etc.

For Prague, well, its no more crowded than Dubrovnik. I like the Ventana Hotel located behind the Church of Our Lady before Týn at one of the entrances to Old Town. Far enough to be quiet, close enough to be able to see and enjoy.

I always plan our trips to end in Budapest, after towns like Dubrovnik and Prague its nice to be a lot more laid back and walk without bumping into people.

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions.

We have finally come up with an itinerary which could be changed still a little.
Split for 2 nights to recover
Hvar. ( probably staying at Star Grad) 3 nights and an island visit, perhaps Brac unless there are other ideas
Korcula 3 nights perhaps a visit to islands
Dubrovnik 3 nights or is that too much - boats are there for 2 of 3 days one til 9pm I see so a visit to the nearby islands on one day. Then fly to
Prague 4 nights. Fly to
Budapest 4 nights.

Would really appreciate any suggestions on this. We don’t want to be moving all the time now we are older!

Thanks again, the help everyone gives is so helpful.

First - the cruise ship predictions are not always 100% accurate, so don't be shocked if there are ships there each day. That said, I'd target the one day when there (probably) won't be a ship in port, make that your day in Dubrovnik. One full day was enough for me. On another of your days when you're sleeping there, rent a car and do a day trip to Kotor (check there for cruise ships, too).

Is there an easy way to check cruise schedule at ports like Split and Dubrovnik?

Update: http://crew-center.com/dubrovnik-croatia-cruise-ships-schedule-2019

Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar, and Split is the favorite south route. Stayin a few days on each island you do many activities. Dubrovnik and Korcula have many beautiful small islands around. I suggest Proizd Badija and Mljet.

I will be honest with you. Dubrovnik was beautiful; especially at night inside the walls. Staying inside the walls was the best choice I made. But two nights in what was otherwise a Disneyland was pretty much my limit. Further south in Budva I found an environment I enjoyed a lot more. Flights from Podgorica (near Budva) to Budapest are about $75 non stop. Then Budapest to Vienna, again non-stop is about $125. I think that will be cheaper and faster than going from Dubrovnik to Prague then to Budapest. Either way, its all good.

So, just for grins, look at taking a day from Dubrovnik and a day from Prague and spending 2 days in Budva. Now, I hired a driver for this and saw the beautiful Kotor Bay, and drove this amazing road over the mountains to Budva. That will take all of the flight savings...... but at least you see some pretty spectacular scenery.

At my age, I dont do crowds well any longer (explains Dubrovnik) and Prague is more of the same. Again, stunning and I think I would have been disappointed with less than 3 nights. 4? pushing it a bit.

Budapest, okay everyone tell him i am biased, is about perfect with four full days. Then if you love it the way many do, you will return.

Still, what you have is good. Cant go wrong in Eastern Europe.