Itinerary help Split - Hvar/Korcula - Dubrovnik

Sounds great. We did an 8 day trip that included Dubrovnik 4 days with two day trips, Korcula 2 nights, Split 2 nights with one day trip and it was fine, but two more days would have been even better. We took ferries between them. Loved it.

I wrote a rather detailed trip report - you want to start at post #56 - https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/amalfi-coast-rome-and-croatia-images-of-three-hot-but-wonderful-weeks-854867/page3/

The photos are here: https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p284109872

Personally, I thought one day in Dubrovnik itself was plenty. We stayed 3 nights, spent one day in the city, spent one day on a day trip to Kotor (and loved that). That was enough Dubrovnik for us.

We loved Korcula (one of our most favorite places on our trip), but we didn't care much for Hvar town (Hvar town seemed crass, touristy, and geared very much for the disco-all-night, trust-fund set - which ain't us).

Although many folks are wowed by Split, we were not charmed by it. We found it completely packed with crowds off cruise ships, to the point we were happy to leave after spending less than 24 hours.

A car is helpful for some things in this area - notably, Plitvice, which should not be missed. But a car is just an annoyance when you're actually in the old cities. I think one needs to use a mix of rental car plus public transit (depending on the location) to make most things work.

Your first day maybe lost to jet lag, but your second day there should be sufficient to see Dubrovnik itself, but you could take a day trip from here.

You are going before the Hvar party season starts, but I prefer Stari Grad to Hvar town at any time of year. Three nights on an island is sensible - it won’t limit your accommodation choices, as a 2 night stay would. Half will prefer Korcula and half Hvar.

It’s a daily catamaran that links these islands - Krilo.hr will give you the info. Note that when I was there in September, this catamaran was cancelled for 2 consecutive days as it was too windy for the service to operate.

I would take a night off Dubrovnik and add it to Split or stay at Plitvice for a night. The city itself can be seen in a full day and nearby Trogir is a half day trip. Taking a car to Plitvice would give you the option to explore the coast en route.

You don’t need a car in Dubrovnik or Split. I always take a car to the islands, but I stay put for 2-3 weeks rather than island hopping, which you can’t do by catamaran. You could always hire a car on Korcula/ Hvar for a day.

Thank you for the great reply.
When the ferry is canceled because of wind does that mean that there is no way on or off the island ?

Weather delays are not common. When they do occur, the company tries to facilitate (for example, the one time this happened to me, a boat from Vela Luka to Lastovo was cancelled, but we hung out for a couple hours and they put is on a later boat.)
Hvar and Korcula are both excellent and you can't go wrong. See schedules on the Krilo and Jadrolinja websites.
As for time in Split and Dubrovnik, perhaps listing the day trips you wish to do would help. I feel like Split has more options with public transport.

Dubrovnik itself is small, but nice. Being there after dark is great - fewer tourists. Go to the Buzz Bar - not the Buza Bar - for cheap wine. You can do a trip to Cavtat (45 min) or to Kotor (2 hrs each way).

As to Split, there is the Palace. There is the Museum of Archeology. There is a day trip to Trogir. There is a small party island off of Split that we have not gotten to.

Krilo Star (Kapetan Luka ferry agency) speed boat connects daily south islands: Split - Brac - Hvar - Korcula - Dubrovnik. You can book tickets online. Ferry ports are located in the center of the towns near bus stations. Local Taxi service you can use in case your hotel/hostel/BnB is not in the center.

Itinerary for staying at Korcula
Day 1 Sandy beach Lumbarda.
Day 2 Sandy beach Trstenica and Viganj
Day 3 Day trip to Hvar
Day 4 Day trip to NP Mljet

Hi, we did a 3 week trip to Croatia last year and covered some of the areas you have mentioned. From Split we did a day trip to Mostar, it's an amazing place and on our way back we stopped at a very famous church....hmmmm....can't remember the name right now. We spent 4 days in split.....left my rental care will STIXT and took a ferry to HVAR, spent 2 nights in in HVAR ...so rent a scooter in HVAR a great way to see many small towns and its cheap. I think we paid like $30 for day rental. Took the ferry back to Split, picked up our rental and drove to Dubrovnik, Definitely take the coastal route. It was stunning drive.....we really enjoyed our trip. In Dubrovnik we stayed inside the old city so it was fun. Croatia is fun.....have a great time.

If the catamarans aren’t running, from Stari Grad on Hvar, you can get the Jadrolinija ferry to Split, which takes 2 hours. There are several per day, unlike the catamaran.

Likewise for Korcula, the ferry runs between Orebic on the mainland to Domince on Korcula and there are buses running between Dubrovnik and Orebic.

I don’t know how often the catamarans get cancelled, but I was surprised when the Krilo Dubrovnik to Split service was cancelled for 2 consecutive days in early September.

It is a good itinerary for 10 days - not too packed yet you will see the best od Dalmatia. Also late May is the best time to visit this places. If you need to choose between Hvar and Korcula I would go with Korcula. It is beautiful and less crowded than Hvar. It has good ferry/catamaran connections both with Dubrovnik and Split. I suggest renting a bike to explore the island.

If you are thinking of renting a car during your time in Dubrovnik or Split my advice is to first check if your accommodation has free parking if not you will pay a fortune for parking. In Dubrovnik you actually don't need a car because everything is walking distance and traffic can be a disaster.

While in Dubrovnik I definitely suggest you do a day trip to Kotor. You can see more here https://mappingcroatia.com/croatia-itinerary/dubrovnik-to-montenegro-day-trip/ .

Renting a car in Split is a better options because the city is much bigger and it is easier to move around by car. You can visit neighbouring cities like Trogir or even go to Krka National Park.