Overwhelmed and Need Help to Get Started

You may want to consider flying into Ljubljana. It's near Istria, and all 3 major US airlines have partners that fly into it, so it should be fairly reasonably priced.
How much time do you have in Croatia?

I don’t really have a time limit per se. Retired so not on a strict schedule but thinking maybe 14 days?

Actually, I think Zagreb is probably the most reasonably priced destination in general,
but it all depends. Given your tentative itinerary, flying into Zagreb or Ljubljana, and
flying home from Dubrovnik (or vice versa), seems like the most efficient option, but
who knows how economical it is.

When you say you are using Chase points, what do you envision using them for? Just
hotels, or flights? If you have enough to potentially use for flights (which means a lot
most likely), then you would want to consider moving points into a airline plan, which
might give you more bang for the buck, but also requires a lot more research.

For what it's worth, I don't think either Split or Dubrovnik requires more than a couple
of full days each.

I think you will need to make some priority calls between expense and efficiency.

Given your questions, I suggest a travel planner. I just happen to know one in the region that specializes in Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia. At least 2 RS people have used her with good results. PM if you are interested.

I would fly into Dubrovnik, ferry to either Hvar or Korčula, ferry to Split, pick up car, drive to Istria (stay in Rovinj, Poreč, or Pula), drive to Pltivice, drive to Zagreb, fly home. You could add in Ljubljana, drive from Plitvice, then to Zagreb. Ljubljana is a lovely small city and really shouldn’t be missed. You’re practically there anyway. The fee to drive into Slovenia is less than $100.

If you could add another week it would make more sense and not too rushed. We like to stay at least 3 nights at each stop so we don’t feel like we are packing and unpacking too much.

If you do add more days, make a stop in Šibenik. It is an overlooked city and very quaint. Hvar is a little different from Korčula, more beachy vibe. Maybe stay where you can get a good price.

This is all super helpful. It seems really hard to fly from LAX to Pula so I’ll check on flying into Zagreb. If we did that and knowing we want to see Istria, Plitvice, Split and Dubrovnik, would you suggest the order to be? And is Lake Bled worth a detour?

Gary

Also check flying ont podgorica.

Hi Gary, our trips are similar, I have a word document that I can share with you and you use some of the information. We are 5 adults, 3 flying from Boston and myself & my husband coming from Charleston, SC. we are flying into Zagreb and flying home from Dubrovnik. There is no way for me to add it here, I am new to this site as I've always used Tripadvisor in the past. If you can figure out how I can share this word document I'd be happy to share my research and itinerary :)

Ester

If possible, fly into Zagreb and out of Dubrovnik.
Is Lake Bled worth the detour? Not if you are just going to see Bled. It is a very calm lake and the big attraction is a small island in the middle with a lovely church. That’s it. Since you are going to Plitvice Lakes, which are no comparison, you can skip Bled. Save it for a trip when you are visiting Slovenia.

So helpful! Everything is coming in focus. Curious if any of you had opinions on Hvar. We for sure are going to spend a couple of nights in Korčula (is that enough?) so is Hvar different enough to warrant a visit. We are not party people and I’m probably not going to be spending tons of time at the beach as we live near the beach and ironically I’m not that big of a water person. So diving off boats or cliffs isn’t really my thing.

Ester, I sent you a private message with my email if you can send me your Croatia notes! Gary

Croatia is a tough nut to crack. As suggested, absolutely do this as an open jaw flight with Dubrovnik on one end and probably Zagreb on the other. Ideally, I’d fly into Dubrovnik. It’s a busy, crowded and touristy place, which is best met imo on a full tank of gas.

Whether you split time between Hvar and Korcula is debatable. RS basically recommends picking one. I thought Korcula was awesome and 3 nights went down smoothly here. Korcula has the added access to Lumbarda wineries, which is a nice day out. I met plenty of people who were visiting Hvar on top of Korcula too. I don’t think you’d have regrets either way.

Istria is a real outlier here, and adding this to a pretty straightforward “up/down the coast” trip between Dubrovnik and Split brings a whole new set of transportation challenges. You’d probably need a car, bus service is long and limited. When you break down what you’d like to see here it may not meet the balance of the time and effort needed. FWIW, Rovinj seems similar to the island towns (old Venetian era port.) For me it just didn’t add up and I axed it from my itinerary.

Opinions are divided on Split, but I think it gets a bad rap. 2-3 nights are good, don’t just pass through.

Plitvice is absolutely worth whatever you need to do to visit. The tried and true method of an afternoon visit/ overnight / morning visit is the way to go. RS guidebook breaks down this sight very well.

Plitvice takes you towards the interior, and towards Zagreb. I think Zagreb is a hidden gem and worth a couple nights. You could wrap up the trip here, but Ljubljana is a couple hours away. Ljubljana is terrific, and I would make a couple days for it if at all possible. I would do this over Istria. Lake Bled is beautiful, but after experiencing the Croatian coast it’s not critical imo. Ljubljana is easily reached via bus or train, so you can drop your car in Zagreb if you had one.

awrzesinki makes some very valid points. When we take friends to Croatia we usually skip Istria or visit as a day trip from Rijeka (we have an apt. there). We usually go to Pula cause of the Roman arena.

Flying into Dubrovnik, your furthest point, and working your way up the coast is the most efficient.
Then as suggested,
Ferry to Korčula (have never been to Hvar so I can’t comment)
Ferry to Split and pick up car
Before driving to Pltvice Lakes you could stop in Zadar or Šibenik (2 nights max at one or the other or 1 and 1)
Drive to Plitvice Lakes.
If you have the days, drive to Ljubljana for 3 nights and do a day trip to Bled.
Drive to Zagreb then for a night or two. Fly home.

The cost to take the car into slovenia is minimal, maybe $100. Just book hotels with parking. Look on booking.com and then you can book directly.
If this will be your only trip to this area then I would choose ljubljana over Istria.

You’ve gotten some good advice and perspectives. I agree with starting in Dubrovnik (3 nights), then ferry to island/s (3-4 nights), then Split (2 nights) picking up a car when you leave, then Plitvice (1 night).

Given that you have the time and interest, you can easily drive on to Istria (3-4 nights), which I enjoyed, after Plitvice, and from there to Zagreb (2 nights). Then add nights if you want to see some of Slovenia. Or sub Ljubljana for Zagreb if flights work better.

You really need to choose between and island trip or a land trip. Otherwise you are spreading yourself too thin.

I did land, starting in Zagreb, hitting Istria, Zadar, Plitvice, Split, Mostar, and flying home from Dubrovnic. This was two weeks of pure joy (with the two Z cities being my least favorites of the bunch).

You can't do wrong with an island-hopping experience either. The logical starting points for this would be from Dubrovnic or Split.