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Itinerary Help

Posted by (Cleveland, Ohio, USA) on

We are 2 active 60+ yr olds who travel frequently. This is our first time in Croatia and Slovenia. We walk and hike quite a bit as well as kayak. Also enjoy visiting museums, churches and just sitting in cafes. So basically, a little of everything!!!
We are traveling in late June early July (yes, busy season but that couldn’t be helped)
We will spend a week in Croatia with friends who we will leave in Dubrovnik.
Our plan is as follows:
Leave Dubrovnik and fly to Zagreb. Spend 1 night in Zagreb.( we will be returning to Zagreb at the end of our trip) Rent car following morning.
Drive from Zagreb in the morning to Plitvice. Spend 1 night in Plitvice. Enter Park in late afternoon. Then return to park in early morning (hopefully before crowds).

Depart Plitvice in early afternoon and drive to Rovinj.
Spend 2 or 3 nights in Rovinj. Take a day trip to Pula while staying in Rovinj.
Depart Rovinj and drive to Ljubliana. Possibly stopping in Motovun and/or Trieste.
Spend 5 nights in Ljubliana.
While in this area we plan to drive to Lake Bled, Vintgar Gorge and drive the Julian Alps.
After Ljubliana drive to Zagreb and spend 1 night then fly home.

  1. Any glaring issues or problems with this itinerary?
  2. Do you think 5 nights is too much in Ljubliana?
  3. Rovinj: would you recommend 2 or 3 nights?
  4. Any recommendations on other day trips or “must sees” while in the Ljubliana area?

Thank you so much for your input!

Posted by
55 posts

I would definitly spend more time in Istria, or elswere, then 5 nights in one place

Posted by
3226 posts

Spend a minimum of three nights in Rovinj and two nights in Ljubljana. Drive to Lake Bled and spend one night on Lake Bled. Drive from Bled to the Vršič Pass and continue to Soča. Sleep in Soča.

Posted by
1174 posts

We did a similar driving trip through Croatia and Slovenia and did a night in Rovinj, then staying overnight in Ljubliana. I loved the towns, but after wandering all of the alleys and side streets, one or 2 nights would be enough for me.

We loved Lake Bled and stayed there 3 nights at Penzion Berc. Look it up - it is NOT a pensione. They serve a delicious breakfast and had free bikes for us to use. We biked around the lake, hiked up to the Castle, took a swan boat ride on the lake, and hiked Vintgar Gorge.

Posted by
13 posts

Great responses. Sounds like I will try and do 3 nights in Rovinj. One of the reasons I was thinking of staying so long in Ljubljana is to use it as a base to explore the area. We will have been traveling for over 2 weeks changing hotels every 1-2 days and thought it would be nice to stay put for awhile. Do you think we can do soca from Ljubljana? Thanks GeoffB for sending the link to your Trip Report.

Posted by
1038 posts

I think the itinerary is very solid. As much as I loved Ljubljana, 5 nights feels like one too many. Since you intend on seeing Bled and the Alps, a night (possibly two) makes sense just to cut down on the driving a bit.

Is the trade off on Rovinj for another Istria town? If so, I’d say three nights there for sure.

Posted by
13 posts

Ok....So, looks like
1 night Plitvice
3 nights Rovinj
3 nights Ljubljana
2 nights Bled
return to Zagreb
I'll refer to Rick Steves book to determine which sites to visit from Ljubljana and which to visit from Lake Bled.
Thanks so much for your input.

Now, if I can only find some more affordable air fare. 🤣

Posted by
13 posts

Oops. Just looking at the map.
Does anyone think it makes more sense to go to Ljubljana first and then Lake Bled? Or Lake Bled and then Ljubljana?
Other than where we want the shorter drive (from Rovinj to Ljubljana or Ljubljana to Zagreb)?

Posted by
1038 posts

Love it. Bled first vs Ljubljana first is kind of a coin toss, whether you want “outdoors” or “city” time. Though Ljubljana is pretty far from an urban nightmare lol.

Posted by
3226 posts

Instead of flying from Dubrovnik to Zagreb rent a car in Dubrovnik and drive to Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2h 15m) and sleep in Mostar three nights. A great day trip from Mostar is to take a train to Sarajevo for the day: https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/sarajevo-to-mostar-by-train.htm.
From Mostar drive to Plitvice (4h). From Plitvice drive to Rovinj (3h 15m). From Rovinj drive to Ljubljana (2h 45m). From Ljubljana drive to Lake Bled (45m). From Lake Bled drive to the Vršič Pass (1h) then continue to the Soča River Valley (1h 15m). Drive from the Soča River Valley to Zagreb (3h 45m).

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