Only 6 days on Dalmatian Coast

I love Croatia and have been four times, but with all of these transport complications, allow me to suggest what I would do--stay in Italy! If you still want coastal, Monte Conero just south of Ancona is lovely--it reminded me very much of Croatia, the white pebble beaches, the plant life, the clear sea. There are a million other options within reach of Ravenna, but I would not waste one second of a six day excursion.
If you are set on Croatia but not wed to the Dalmatian coast, Istria would be an option, very realistic with your time frame.

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I love Croatia and have been four times, but with all of these transport complications, allow me to suggest what I would do--stay in Italy! If you still want coastal, Monte Conero just south of Ancona is lovely--it reminded me very much of Croatia, the white pebble beaches, the plant life, the clear sea. There are a million other options within reach of Ravenna, but I would not waste one second of a six day excursion.
If you are set on Croatia but not wed to the Dalmatian coast, Istria would be an option, very realistic with your time frame.

I know that definitely makes the most sense logically, but I have been wanting to go to Croatia for years and years, I really wanted to spend my 40th birthday there last summer and we were still in lockdown in Ontario at that point so leaving the country wasn't an option. We purposely booked a cruise that DIDN'T include Croatia because we want to spend more time there, but we booked the cruise with my parents and just did not think about how restricted it would make our schedule and it's too late to back out of that now - financially and my parents would be really disappointed. So I figured an extra week to spend in Croatia would be sufficient to see a few highlights but now when I'm looking at all the transport logistics it's much more complicated than I thought! Also, I have traveled quite a bit in Italy so it just doesn't excite me much at this point. We're seeing Venice at the beginning of our trip because my kids really want to go and my dad has never been but I've been 4 times and while I enjoy it, I really want to explore new places! Who knew traveling between 2 really close countries would be so difficult?!

Istria looks lovely and I would love to visit in the future, but Dubrovnik is where I really want to go. I know, that doesn't make my life easy! Lol! The cruise the week after ours stops at Split and Dubrovnik and I've even contemplated just booking that cruise as well to make my life a little easier but the times in port are not very long so I think I would be disappointed. I found a flight that goes from Bologna to Split, connecting in Vienna, that gets us there at 7:15pm on that day we disembark from our cruise (Sunday). I would like to fly home the following Sunday which leaves us with 6 full days in between. We usually do 2-3 nights per city when we travel to Europe....we just don't have the vacation time to do much longer than that, even though that would be nice!

I'm wondering if we just stay in Split and Dubrovnik for 3 nights each if that would be best?

I hear ya, and you can just consider this a taste of Croatia -- hopefully you'll be back, because the natural treasures of the country make Split and Dubrovnik pale in comparison. Since you are going to the Greek islands, I would give Croatia islands a pass this time and focus on Split and Dubrovnik. That flight getting there seems fine--is the return as easy?
Split is just a stone's throw from the airport

I hear ya, and you can just consider this a taste of Croatia -- hopefully you'll be back, because the natural treasures of the country make Split and Dubrovnik pale in comparison. Since you are going to the Greek islands, I would give Croatia islands a pass this time and focus on Split and Dubrovnik. That flight getting there seems fine--is the return as easy?
Split is just a stone's throw from the airporte

Yes, definitely just a taste! To be honest, I wish we were just doing 2 weeks in Croatia, but I booked the cruise last March when we had been in lockdown for a year and I was desperately dreaming of traveling and then my mom got involved and suddenly the cruise was booked! Hahaha! I am excited for the cruise since we're going to mostly new places in Greece (my husband and I went on our own back in 2009 - our last time in Europe! - right before we had kids and we absolutely loved Greece!) it's just that Croatia is at the top of my list.

Good point about skipping the islands since we will go to some islands in Greece. Maybe we will just leave it open to do a daytrip from Split if we feel like it.

The options on the way back actually seem a bit easier since I think we'll connect through London Gatwick and there's lots of flights to/from Croatia from there. I can find a nonstop flight from Zagreb to Toronto but then we have to make our way to Zagreb so I think I would rather just fly from Dubrovnik. I'm thinking Split first and then head south to Dubrovnik.

Spend the 6 days between Split and Dubrovnik. There is plenty to see and do to keep you occupied. Many people skip Lokrum Island, a very quick ferry ride from the pier in Old Town. They have a lovely cafe or you could bring a picnic. We’ve done a day trip to Korčula and it is very rushed and expensive. You can also travel from Split to Dubrovnik by ferry, inexpensive and a relaxing ride. Check Croatiaferries.com

Spend the 6 days between Split and Dubrovnik. There is plenty to see and do to keep you occupied. Many people skip Lokrum Island, a very quick ferry ride from the pier in Old Town. They have a lovely cafe or you could bring a picnic. We’ve done a day trip to Korčula and it is very rushed and expensive. You can also travel from Split to Dubrovnik by ferry, inexpensive and a relaxing ride. Check Croatiaferries.com

Thanks for your reply! Yes that was the plan to travel between Split and Dubrovnik by ferry. I remember reading about Lokrum, that could be a good option as well!

Based on your time constraints, I would spend 3 nights in Dubrovnik and 3 nights in Split. While staying in Split, you could take a daytrip by ferry or catamaran to Hvar Town. We took the Jadrolinija catamaran and it was an hour to get there. Hvar Town is beautiful!!! I know Hvar Town has a reputation as a party town, but you won't encounter that in September. We were there for a day in September 2019. The crowds weren't too bad, and there wasn't any partying during the day. Maybe night time is different but you would be going during the day. So at least you get a small taste of a Croatian island.

We also had a private guide, Maya Benzon, recommended by Rick, for a private walking tour of the Old Town and Diocletian's Palace. I highly recommend her.

@kmkwoo Thank you for your recommendations!

You can also go swimming in Lokrum. They have a nude beach at the far end of the island, but the small beach on the side opposite the port is fine. If you take the early ferry and follow the older locals, they will lead you there. If you go to Banje Beach it is very close, just outside the Ploce Gate. We were there mid September 2021 and it was still warm enough to swim.

Forgot to add that when we were in Croatia in September 2019 we saw many people swimming in Dubrovnik, Hvar Town, and Lake Bled in Slovenia. Temps and weather were very summer-like.

You didn’t say what date your cruise ends in Ravenna, but on August 28 and September 1, there are bargain 1-hour flights from Venice to Split for $27. They depart late afternoon.
I was just in Croatia doing your route in reverse ( Dubrovnik to Split) over 10 days. My personal take is that you’re probably trying to cover too much in 6 days. What I would suggest is a couple nights in Split, then go HvarTown ( 1 hr ⛴ ferry trip) for three nights. Hvar has a castle overlooking the town which you all can hike to in about 30 minutes. The beaches on Hvar are great. Walking along the embarcadero to discover them makes for a great day. On day three you could do a daytrip to Korcula ( 1:15 ⛴ ferry ride)
or just relax on Hvar. Hvar has the Pakleni Islands just offshore that can be reached in 20-30 minutes by shore boat. Stari Grad— one of the oldest continuously-inhabited towns in the world— can be reached by bus from Hvar Town. Walking through town you can see Roman mosaics from 200 AD discovered under the cobblestone sidewalks.
I was lucky to experience Dubrovnik last September without the mobs of cruise ship passengers that overwhelm the town. There weren’t any! But Dubrovnik is another two hours by ferry beyond Korcula and I think you’ll have a great time just hitting the other two or three islands in the six days that you have.

Thanks for the responses everyone! This helps me get a better idea of things we can do and how it can work out. I'm sure we will get some swimming in!

We need to fly from Italy to Croatia on Sunday, September 4, so unfortunately there are no nonstop flights between Venice and Split (or any other city in Croatia) that day! :(

Your plan, Split-Korcula-Dubrovnik sounds pretty good.

We spent a day in Split and then joined a 6 day, five night bike tour from Split to Dubrovnik that went like this
Day 1 - Split, shakedown bike ride; tour Split
Day 2 - Ferry to Brac, bike ride and ferry back to Split
Day 3 - Ferry to Hvar; bike ride on Hvar and night on Hvar
Day 4 - private Boat to Korcula - ride across Korcula to Korcula town
Day 5 - Bike ride & Beach Korcula
Day 6 - Ferry to Peljesac Peninsula with Van, Bike, Van down to Dubrovnik
The tour was guided, so not cheap. BUT, self-guided touring is available as an option. Itinerary was great. Biked 25-40 km per day. Islands were great and, as one person said on this thread, the islands were phenomenal - including Korcula. Early to mid-September weather was GREAT. Tour operator was based in Split; local guides. There are many bike tour operators to choose from.

You might arrange something yourselves that would simply be Split - Korcula - Peljesac Peninsula/Dubrovnik, though that last bit, down the Peninsula is pretty long and I do not know what public transport is available. OR Split - islands - Split; Then a bus or train to Dubrovnik. Of course, you could just leave out Dubrovnik entirely. If the Game of Thrones fans (or others) in your family require that element, Dubronivik, Peljesac Peninsula - Korcula and back is an option...leaving out Split.

@fred

That tour sounds amazing! That would be so much fun! I've actually had my heart set on going to Dubrovnik since long before Game of Thrones even came out, so that's a must for me! We did watch Game of Thrones but neither of us are really into doing a tour, I want to see Dubrovnik, not King's Landing! ;)

Thanks for the itinerary suggestion, this gives me something to think about for sure! How did you like Brac? How would you compare it to Korcula? Hvar doesn't appeal much to me, we're not into partying at all and the other islands just seem more interesting.

REPLY to Star7781 - and your Qs: How did you like Brac? How would you compare it to Korcula? Hvar doesn't appeal much to me, we're not into partying at all and the other islands just seem more interesting.

We spent the least time on Brac ... just a day trip, bike ride, tour of a sculptor's studio and lunch. Hvar and Korcula were both great, IMHO. We aren't party goers, but there were swimming spots, restaurants and lots of country to cover via bike. All islands had farms, as well as residences and boats. Hvar was likely the 'chic-est,' but don't rule it out for that reason alone. You have many choices available, but you need to make some choices to fit your 5-6 day time-frame. (We actually chose the bike tour, because the boating tours we saw were either 20s and 30s and party-hardy, or 60s and 70s, sedate and sherry - neither of which appealed)

The particular company that we went biking with was MeridienTen, based in Split. You may want to check them out. But there certainly are others.

Thank you!

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