One Month in Croatia

Overall plan sounds fine, but as you hinted at, I don't think you will find 3 bases that work for all of this. You can find reasonable bases for some of this, but you will either need more than 3 of them, or you will need to do some of these places on their own (not from a base) - probably a combination of both.

In particular, I think you will find that islands do not work well as day trips. You end up with just a few hours on the island (with all the other day-trippers, which means you see the islands at their worst), and spend too much of your day ferrying around.

You should be aware that ferry schedules are highly impacted by high-season/low-season variability - and your travel time definitely puts you out outside of their definition of "high season" (generally early June through end of August). That'll help with crowds, but it will greatly impact your ability to efficiently connect via some ferry routes (in low season, some routes go less frequently, some routes simply don't go at all).

Ljubljana is the obvious base for Slovenia, although if your focus is Julian Alps you might pick Bled or another location outside Ljubljana. Lake Bled is lovely (we did an overnight there), but I don't think we would have been happy staying there (in the town) for days. We liked Ljubljana a lot, though.

For Istria, Rovinj is the obvious pick, or maybe one of the hill towns (eg Motovun). Those Istrian hill towns are small though (less going on there than Italian hill towns, for example) so if you want quiet, they might be perfect, but if you want to stroll the streets at night taking in the scene, you might feel like they're a bit small and limited for your tastes.

Once you get down into Croatia though, it becomes more challenging to find a good base. You might want to fine-tune your list for non-Istria Croatia and take a hard look at a map and travel times...I think you may find that there's no single "base" that works efficiently for "everything else"...from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, that's a lot of territory and getting between your destinations won't be super-efficient.

I wish I could be helpful, but I think David has nailed it. You are just going to need a lot more hotels than you prefer on this trip. I dislike changing hotels, too, but at least you're planning a car trip and will not be constantly trekking to and from train stations with luggage in tow.

If you are totally unwilling to stay in more than three places plus Plitvice, you must sharply reduce the territory you're trying to cover or drop a lot of the places you want to see (don't do that--they're all great). You could do Dubrovnik, Istria, Ljubljana and one night at Plitvice, but that would leave a lot of holes in your itinerary--starting with probably no islands, no Zagreb (way too much to see to be a day-trip from Ljubljana unless you want to do the 4-hour RT at least twice), no Sarajevo, and no Split.

One of the problems you have is that with the exception of Istria and some of the rural places you'll want to see in Slovenia, all your identified targets are full-day destinations or more. They aren't places where you'd be likely to be satisfied with just two or three hours, even if you were willing to drive four hours to get to them.

I think even in Slovenia you may benefit from spending one night away from Ljubljana. I know that suggestion has been made in some earlier threads about driving through the Julian Alps. I haven't made that trip myself. I agree with David on not wanting to spend a lot of nights in Bled. If you want to do a lot of active things, it may work to spend a few nights in a rural area, but Ljubljana is a much more interesting place after dark and has a lot of sights itself.

You may not need a full week in Istria, since the towns are mostly quite small and don't take long to see. But it's a very pretty area and I'd think 5 nights would be a reasonable minimum, assuming you want to include Pula as well as Rovinj, Porec, Vrsar, Motovun and Groznjan.

I don't see Zagreb on your list, which is a shame for a month in Croatia. It's a great capital, and deserves 2 full days, minimum.

Since April is a bit early for islands, you could do day trips from Dubrovnik and Split. Start off the trip with a quicker pace than what you prefer, but slow down as you move north.

I have been digesting all of your suggestions and thank you for them as they have helped me further drill down on this trip.

I have for the most part abandoned my “base” plan but still have a few longer stays to satisfy our travel style:

Fly into Dubrovnik from London April 18
5 nights Dubrovnik

Rental car to Mostar and Sarejvo
1 night Mostar
3 nights Sarejvo

Drive to Split
3 nights Split

Ferry to Korcula
2 Nights Korcula

Drive to Plitvice
1 night Plitvice

Drive to Rovnji
5 nights Rovnji

Drive to Soca Valley with stops in Karst region
1 night in that area (suggestions?)

Drive to Lake Bled through the Julian Alps
1 night Lake Bled

Drive Ljubljana
3 nights Ljubljana

Drive to Zagreb and return rental.
1 night Zagreb before flight out next day

I am still puzzling over best sequence of Split/Korcula re transportation: W do not wish to take a car to Korcula which means we would have to park it for that time: If not for the Mostar/Sarejvo section, we would not start a rental until after we leave Split. One possibility would be to rent a car in Dubrovnik for the M/S segment return car to Dubrovnik, ferry to Korcula, ferry to Split and pick up another vehicle for the rest of the trip. Of course planning the ferry this far in advance is iffy. We do have 1 unplanned day in the plan at this point so perhaps could “wing it”.

We are trying to see the places that interest us the most with the understanding that “you can’t see it all” and that at our age and our still lengthy bucket list, we will most likely not return.
Thanks for any advice you may give.

I would map it out. Some backtracking in my view of the order of locations. Mostly I think you are wise to consider staying several days.

When in Dubrovnik, you could do a day in Kotor, and see the fabulous Bay of Kotor.

I think you are slighting yourself by not spending 2 days in Zagreb. It's a very pleasant place. Lots of great museums, a cathedral, history, a great square. We've been many times, and return again next summer.

Take 1 day away from Rovinj, and put it on Zagreb.

I wouldn't worry about taking the car to Korcula from Mostar - that's how I would do it. Drive from Mostar to Ploče and take the ferry to Trpanj...or detour to the south and back up the Pelješac peninsula to Orebić, then take the short ferry at Orebić to Korcula. Check it out on a Google Map.

Then park the car in Korcula town for two days. Given the one-way rental price, sometimes it won't cost much more to rent the car a few extra days.

Then drive from Korcula Town over to Vela Luka and take the car ferry from there to Split. This is probably going to be more convenient and save you time on a limited schedule. Remember, the Korcula Town catamaran (no cars) may leave at 6am (mine did). Check the schedules.

Although I really like Istria, I'm also fond of Zagreb. I'd say if you enjoy art, you need the extra day in Zagreb. It will be one of your few opportunities on this trip to get to art museums, I think. (Ljubljana has some, but I don't think there's much comparison--though I'm no expert.) Zagreb also has a large bi-level historic district and an active café culture.

Yes take the car to Korcula, either before or after Mostar makes the most sense. It's just a short hop over from Orebic.

Such helpful information. Thank you.

We are willing to shave off a day in Slovenia or a day in Rovinj in order to get an extra day in Zagreb as suggested and to make the Sarajevo/Korcula trip happen. Because Google Maps tells me it is a 5 hour drive from Sarajevo to Orebic, I am thinking we should leave Dubrovnik early and drive straight through to Sarajevo for 3 nights and on the return make the drive to Mostar for a one night stay before driving the 3 hours to Orebic. That might give us a little more time in Korcula if the ferries work out.

My worry is the ferry schedule at that time of year. We would be leaving Mostar on Saturday 27 to catch a ferry from Orebic to Korcula and leaving Vela Luka for Split on Monday April 29. We would be taking the car as suggested. Do you think the ferry schedule would accomodate that plan? Living on an island myself, I know there can be some uncertainities around ferry schedules!

The other alternative would be to skip Korcula and add days elsewhere. Though my husband is pretty attached to the Korkula trip........

Argghhh

From what I can tell, the ferry from Oriek to Korcula is foot traffic only.

The ferry from Orebić to Korcula takes cars - and buses. Our bus took it.

Here is the schedule you need:
https://www.jadrolinija.hr/docs/default-source/lokalne-linije-2018---red-plovidbe/634-orebi%C4%87---domin%C4%8De-gb.pdf?sfvrsn=0

The Korcula car ferry port is called Domince, a really short drive from Korcula old town.
Only catamarans call at Korcula old town.

Just returned from fifteen days in Croatia. Definitely need two to two and a half days in Zagreb. Rovinj was lovely but five days seems a lot unless you plan to just chill. Also liked Split and beautiful Hvar. Croatia is unbelievably beautiful...you will love it.

Rovinj itself needs about four hours. It's tiny. But it's a great base for Istria. I assumed five days in Rovinj means day trips to hill towns, Porec, Pula, etc. And Rovinj is charming and beautiful - a great base to return to at night.

Still investigating ferry connections but we are now wondering if it might be better to skip Korcula due to the amount of time it may take for such a short visit especiall considering we will be off season.

We have added a day to Zagreb and are thinking of an extra night in Mostar for day trips to Blagj, Kravice and Pocitelj. From there we would make our way to Split.

Andrew, we wanted a stopover in a small, walkable town with potential day trips. We are also trying to
pick a few spots where my husband might be able to do some kayaking (not a tour). It seemed like Rovinj might be such a place.

Mostar is small. I would think one night there would be sufficient, unless you arrive late the first day and leave early the last. The old town doesn't take a lot of time to explore (or rather the two sides, the Croat and the Muslim sides). Blagj doesn't take much time and neither does Kravice, which could be a stop on the way to Split (didn't visit Pocitelj). In May you can drive all the way to the falls at Kravice - I did. You get there, spend a few minute admiring the falls, and move on.

Up to you whether you skip Korcula or not, but I completely understand your reluctance given the time investment. It's a place well worth visiting otherwise. I visited at the other end of the season, in mid-October, and Korcula Town was by then almost done for the season - very dead at night. Not sure it would feel the same way or not in mid-May, but tourism has grown a lot in Croatia since I visited Korcula, so maybe not.

If you want to stop somewhere else in Croatia, I might recommend the lovely town of Sibenik north of Split or (not far away from Sibenik) Krka National Park. Most people who visit Krka I take it visit only the huge Skradinski Buk waterfall (like I did). You can park at the town of Skradin and just take a boat up to the falls. Won't take all day.

CIndy, I agree with others, 4 days in Rovinj would probably be too many as it is very tiny, so I think its good that you are taking away one day there and adding it elsewhere. Might I suggest staying in Porec as a base? It is a lovely, walkable town that is right on the water and has several good restaurants. Also, as others have mentioned, the ferry schedules at that time of year will be an issue so plan carefully for that. I've had the experience of booking and paying for ferry tickets from Venice to Porec, early in the season, getting to the ferry departure terminal only to find that the ferry had been cancelled and we were transported on a bus that took longer and was not as expensive. We were never reimbursed for the difference in price between the ferry and the bus.

Four nights in Rovinj is about three days. You have Rovinj, Porec, tiny Vrsar, Pula, and the two inland towns of Motovun and Groznjan. Plus all the places I don't know anything about. That looks like more than two days' worth of sights to me.

Well after a week of OCD trip planning, I have digested all the information kindly offered from you all and think I have an improved plan.

Day 1: Flying into Dubrovnik, arriving about 4:30pm. (This is booked). Airbnb for 4 nights including Easter Sunday.
Questions:
1. This is Easter weekend. Will there be Easter festivities?.
2. Is 3 days on the ground too many?

Day 5: Passenger ferry Monday morning headed toward Split. On the way stop at one island for 2 nights.
Question: Which island is better for a passenger only (no car).

Day 7: Continue onto Split by ferry for 3 night stay.

Day 10: Pick up rental car and head to Saravejo for 4 nights.
Question: Google Maps says about the same travel time to Saravejo and Mostar from Split as Dubrovnik. Does this ring true with real experience?

Day 14: Leave Saravejo for Mostar. Overnight in Mostar.

Day 15: Drive to Plitvice. Get there in time to walk part of the park. Overnight Plitvice.

Day 16: Back to park for continued walk. Drive to Rovinj.

Day 17: 4 nights in Rovinj with day trips and walks in the area.

Day 21: Drive to Ljubljana. Overnight for 3 nights.

Day 24: Overnight Bohinj or Bled with plan of making the loop through the Julian Alps.

Day 25: Drive to Zagreb for 3 nights, returning rental car.

Day 28: Fly to London for overnight before flying home to Seattle with a 5 night stopover in Iceland.

I have checked out ferry schedules and it seems the schedule will work for us. This plan postpones car rental (easier on the driver) and gives us a small taste of the islands. It also gives several stops to slow down with a longer stay.

Any glaring mistakes on my part? Thank you.

My two cents.

We have been to Ljubljana twice and LOVE the town. But on our last trip with friends who love to hike, we spent more nights - 3 - in Lake Bled. Our B&B, Penzion Berc, was right by the lake and had bikes for our free use. We had 2 full days to hike and did not even get close to all the hiking that the owners at the B&B gave us. And we rode bikes too.

So, if you LOVE to hike and walk, Lake Bled is a good consideration for more nights instead of Ljubljana. And you are right there for the Julian Alps.

Late in your planning but I will mention a couple of things from our Sep 2013 trip. First we enjoyed every thing & every where (except driving in Split with many roads under repair). We drove from Ljubljana to Lake Bled mostly on picturesque side roads. Stayed night in Bled. Did 'pletna' boat to island. Walked thru Ventgar Gorge - a trip highlight! Over the Julian Alps with many stops. Unbelievable terrain for fighting. Night in Kobarid. Great small WW1 museum & Italian war memorial there. Thru Soca Valley with stops. Night in Pivka. Skocjan caves next day - very impressive! On to Piran and Rovinj. I think you might enjoy reversing our trip and going clockwise over Alps to Ljubljana then Zagreb. We drove to Hvar taking ferry to east end & narrow winding road to Hvar town. Liked Hvar. A Split to Hvar passenger ferry stopped in town. Did not go to Korcula. I think you will enjoy your trip however you arrange it. People were "shy" until we talked with them a bit; then very friendly. Maybe left over from Tito days.

Instead of staying in crowded Dubrovnik, I suggest the beautiful small fishing village of Cavtat. It’s just south of Dubrovnik, very near the Dubrovnik airport so it’s a shorter trip to your hotel after that long flight. You can take a bus or boat into Dubrovnik one day (you can see the harbor from Cavtat so you can pick a day with few/smaller cruise ships). You may even be able to kayak around Cavtat. I love sitting by the harbor there at sunset with a glass of wine watching the yachts dock. Gorgeous place. Good restaurants. You might consider staying at Villa Andro, just a few steps from the harbor.

I'm so envious of your trip -- it sounds fantasticf!

My two cents: despite many other people on travel forums, we did not love Split. So for me, three nights is too many. You might consider renting a car for a day and heading to Trogir or a park nearby, such as Krka. Last fall we spent several days in Zadar and really enjoyed it. We also spent two nights on Vis, which was simply gorgeous. We can't wait to go back!

Enjoy your trip.

DD

Don’t pass up Split. Korcula is very similar to Dubrovnik, but less tourists, more locals. My husband’s father is from Dubrovnik, family still lives there, and whenever we visited we would day trips, like Mostar, or visit the islands, but never made it to Split. This is since 1977. Go figure. Anyway, this past summer we finally visited and stayed in Split for 3 nights. It was wonderful. So much history, so different from Dubrovnik. We wondered why we never visited before and will visit again.

We had a wonderful tour guide we hired, Pero Uragkovic (ligna@gmail.com) who gave us a tour of the palace. He also does day trips to Trogir, a partially walled city.

I'm coming into this late, having just posted a trip report from our 3 weeks in the Balkans. Some additional thoughts:

--We LOVED Dubrovnik, so don't shortchange yourself there. The problem, I think, is by starting there, the rest will be semi-anti-climactic in my opinion. From there, you can go out to Lokrum Island for a day as well as to Bay of Kotor readily. And you can kayak there.

--Sarajevo was amazing, and very different from the other sites, partly due to its history. Do a day trip there to Lukomir, the most remote village in the country.

A little late - sorry / I see backtracking. I would have suggested:
Fly into Split 2-3 nights, no car
Fast Cat to Korcula, 2 nights, no car
Fast Cat Dubrovnik, 3 nights, no car
Rent car (Hertz) just outside wall Dubrovnik
Drive to Kotar, Montenegro 1,2 nights
Drive to Sarajevo 2 nights
Drive back to Dubrovnik or a town along the coast toward Split 1 night
Drive to Plitvice and walk small lower lakes, spend 1 -2 night, Morning around upper lakes
Drive and go to Rab Island 2 nights or 1 night Opitija
Drive to Rovinj at least 4 nights ( side trips a. Pula for 6th most complete amphitheater in the world; b. Bruniji Tito’s home on island, c. Hill towns Motovun Groznjan d. Old town Rovinj (great places to stay in old town as base, farmers market, art museum, excellent restaurants and great atmosphere),
Head toward Slovenia - one day drive (Lippinezer Stallion Farm, Caves) to Lubjljana 3 nights
Drive through Julian Alps and stay here and there to Lake bled 2 nights
Drive to Zegreb and turn in car when ready
I will loosely add up my nights - plus or minus 26 nights plus Zegreb or additional days where ever interest are. No backtracking!
Sorry I didn’t see this to throw in my ideas 4 times Croatiz and 40 days Croatia/Slovenia May/June 2018
Have a great time! They are fantastic countries!
Susan

Revision Kotor to Sarajevo
I just looked at google earth since I didn’t realize how far away it is to get to Sarajevo (have not been there, just Kotor)
Obviously you wouldn’t spend two hours going back toward Dubrovnik. Sarajevo from Kotor is not that many hours driving. Sarajevo to Plitvice NP seems to be about 5 hours. It is very efficient.

Rental car agencies have all kinds of restrictions so sort out the terms before you go.
Susan

Yeah, Susan - in 2015 I drove from Kotor to Sarajevo (with a stop in Trebinje for a night). I drove through Mostar (which I had visited before so didn't stop again). The drive from Mostar to Sarajevo along the river is very beautiful. The train takes the same route mostly so would have the same view (also buses too of course, though I wouldn't enjoy the view from a bus myself).

I also drove from Sarajevo on to Plitvice - again, stopped for a night, in the town of Jajce. Both Jajce (beautiful waterfall below the town) and the town of Travnik are worth stops. I stopped in Una national park in Bosnia too (not too far from Plitvice; one huge waterfall), which is a completely different "back to nature" experience from the crowded, wooden-boardwalk experience at Plitvice. I loved Plitvice too, but it is very different from Una! The drive from Sarajevo to Plitvice is also pretty through mountains and green rolling hills. I found driving in Bosnia in 2015 very easy - roads were better than I had been led to expect.