Lake Bled to Dubrovnik to Venice

You cannot do both northern and southern parts of Croatia justice in only 5 days. I would definitely stick to the north only for this trip because it makes logistical sense from your other locations (you don't have time to head down all the way to Dubrovnik and back, and it makes no sense to jump around to each extreme of the country like that. It's about 835km from Dubrovnik to Venice - a looooong drive). In general, the distance from northern to southern Croatia is pretty great. I wouldn't do it even if I was traveling alone because it would be too tiring for too little gain. Don't worry, all parts of Croatia are beautiful so even if you miss the middle and southern part this time around, you'll still have a wonderful time.

Thank you, Agnes, for the quick reply. The South looks SO inviting but the miles on the car does not :) I think we would stop one night in between Dubrovnik and Venice if we made the trek, but even then, that is a lot of time in the car.

Wow....a crazy schedule you will try to meet with Dubrovnik on your mind. Why not stay in Slovenia and enjoy what's there? If you must drive further, then Istria would work.

EDIT: This from a person with a travel pace well above the accepted norm of seasoned folks on this forum.

Stick to Slovenia and Istria. Maybe just Slovenia.

We were in Croatia in June and it is such a lovely country to visit, but I agree totally with Agnes' advice. We flew into Venice, then went to Slovenia first, followed by Croatia. I don't know how long you plan to be in Slovenia but I can tell you we loved it! We read many posts where people have commented that they didn't have enough time there. We felt the same....it's just lovely. Lake Bled is beautiful and I'm sure even your kids will enjoy themselves. We drove into Croatia starting from Rovinj, making our way to Plitvice, Split, and eventually Dubrovnik. There's no way you could see much at all trying to see both north and south. With only 5 days stay north. Leave Dubrovnik for another time, and when that time comes go from Dubrovnik to Mostar....you've just got to see that lovely old town.

Thanks, Terry! We have 3 nights in Lake Bled area. I am now very convinced that Dubrovnik is not an option for 5 nights in Croatia....but looking perhaps at Northern Dalmatia if we decide against Istria. So many options and so little time!

You will love Bled, and there's a lot to do there. Do you have plans to go see the caves, Postojna or Skocjan? We toured Skocjan and I think your kids would love it. It's thrilling to see how enormous they are. Highly recommended! Like nothing we had ever seen before.

Are you planning any time in Ljubljana? It's one of favorite cities in Europe. Charming city.

I think adding even Northern Dalmatia is too far with such little time. There is so much to see north of there: not just Istria but what about Plitvice Lakes National Park? Even that is possibly too much. I might stick to Bled, Ljubljana, maybe a few days in Istria or maybe just stay north in Slovenian Istria (Piran is a lovely little town, similar to Rovinj; both were once controlled by Venice and have those Venetian bell towers; both are still officially bilingual).

Remember, if you drive to Croatia and back, you have to cross a border check both ways. Some reports indicate people having to wait a few hours at the borders. is that really how you want to spend your time when you have so little?

In Slovenia, we were planning on seeing Lake Bled, Triglav and maybe one of the caves. We were not planning on Lublijana. But adding a night in Slovenia would definitely be an option. I think it's just the beautiful beaches on the Croatian coast that are calling to us. But again, we do NOT need to spend hours and hours in the car with the kids.

Not everyone enjoys cities, so I can see why someone might leave Ljubljana off of their list.

There is plenty of beautiful coastline to see in Slovenia and northern Croatia.

The only other place I am considering is Sibenik---drive there as a home base and then explore Krka National Park and perhaps the Kornati Islands. Looks like it is 5 hour drive from Lake Bled.

Sibenik is also very far! With kids you must keep things simple. The border crossing into Croatia in August will easily take two hours.

We go every year to Istria and Slovenia. In Slovenia there are lovely beaches and Piran is an absolute gem.

My kids, who are similar in age to yours, love hiking Lake Bohinj, Dvigrad, Safari Bar in Kamenjak peninsula, Fazana, Piran's ice cream, the cat sanctuary in Porec and the steaks of
Istria.

Please go to central and southern Dalmatia on another trip and focus on quality over quantity.

There is plenty to do in Istria and the Kvarner region--absolutely NO reason to spend all day in a car in the heat (remember traffic too). You also need to get on accommodations quick, so don't worry over the decision any more.
If you really want an island, look at Krk (reachable by bridge, ~3 hr drive from Bled region) and Cres/Losinj (Mali Losinj is 5 hours if you went the whole way in one day, via ferry at Brestova).
I have been to Dalmatia three times and the north is just as gorgeous--honestly I'd prefer it in August.
Where do you need to return the car?

I love this forum, and I am very grateful for the thoughtful and prompt responses from this community!

We do have our accommodations booked already--3 nights in the Dolomites (Val Gardena area), 3 nights in an apartment in Kranjska Gora/Slovenia, and 4 nights in an apartment in the Old Town of Rovinj. The car needs to go back to Venice so we can fly out of there--we will spend 2 nights in Venice before heading back to the US. We will stick with our plan and explore Slovenia/Istria with the car. (Dubrovnik, Sibenik, all that is obviously folly--too far for the short time we have).

But any other August travel tips in these areas are very greatly appreciated.

Thanks and hello from Minneapolis, Minnesota!