Planning a trip to Croatia, but don't know where to start

Renting a car was not expensive in 2019 when we went. And driving in Croatia is very easy. We hired a driver to drive us around the Bay of Kotor and stop at a few villages. Otherwise, we didn't do any tours. Did everything on our own. Very easy!

We visited in mid to late September and people were swimming in Dubrovnik and on the island of Hvar. We didn't bring bathing suits but we definitely saw a lot of people swimming in the Adriatic. It was very summer like, temps in the 80's.

I saw the small cruise ships that go from island to island in Croatia and they look intriguing. Water was warm in the first part of September.

You can fly nonstop between New York City and Dubrovnik and between Atlanta/Philadelphia and Venice. Check which airlines fly these routes on Google Flights: https://www.google.com/travel/flights and/or Skyscanner then go to the airline’s website to book your ticket.
In Croatia you want to visit Plitvice Lakes National Park, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, the Istria peninsula (direct ferry between Rovinj and Venice [3h 45m]) and the islands Hvar and Korčula (jumping off point is Split and Dubrovnik) with an excursion to Mostar I would also go up to Sarajevo. If you rent a car, you’ll have a very nice vacation.

Hi Mary. How much time will you have in Croatia? What is of most interest to you in Croatia - seaside stuff? I suggest that the first pace to start is to pick up a copy of the Rick Steves Croatia/Slovenia book and start browsing it. There are some suggested itineraries in there. You can also view the recent posts here in the "Croatia forum" to see what other itineraries people are considering or have done.

A typical itinerary might start in Zagreb and end in Dubrovnik or Split. Renting a car and traveling in the country have historically been pretty cheap in Croatia, though this January, Croatia is finally switching to the Euro, so some expect prices will go up. Still, I would guess traveling in Croatia will still not be expensive compared to other parts of Europe. (I'd expect Bosnia will still be cheap.)

Off the top of my head, here's a simple itinerary:

Zagreb
Pick up car
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Split
Island: Hvar, Korcula, or other
Mostar
drop car in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik

You could do that in about two weeks. If you want to do three weeks, you could add Slovenia (maybe fly into Venice, shuttle from there to Ljubljana to start) or more stops along the Dalmatian coast (another island, side trip down to Montenero) or detour into Istria.

My first trip to Croatia was similar to the itinerary above, except that I went from Plitvice to Mostar, dropped the car in Dubrovnik, and then took buses and catamarans north again to Korcula and to end in Split (worked out better on that trip to fly home from Split). That did require some backtracking. You'll still need some back-tracking with this itinerary above: you can go from Split by ferry to Korcula then short ferry back to the mainland (Orebic) and drive to Mostar...or you could ferry to Hvar and backtrack to Split and then drive to Mostar. Fortunately, driving in Croatia is pretty easy. Part of it (Zagreb past Split except for the detour to Plitvice) is on a modern interstate-type highway.

You actually could swim in September, though it of course won't be too warm. I've gone swimming in Croatia in October (just did last month while visiting the island of Vis, though I was one of the few. It wasn't cold but not super warm). Maybe plan not to spend much time swimming but give yourself the option go to if you feel like it.

Following is a post from our Sept/Oct 2019 journey, we are of similar age.
'Not all restaurants accept credit cards and we used more kuna then anticipated. No problem in obtaining kuna and we found the exchange rates and food pricing to be of great value. As a rule we found the further north and inland we went the better the value. Head south and to island villages and the prices escalated with Dubrovnik leading the way.
If you have a kitchen then stop at the Green Market to load up on local produce, fruits, meats and cheeses. The market is adjacent to the east side of the old city and easy to find. Typically best before 10 a.m. to shop with the locals.
Use the main city gates by the port as your navigation point to all things Split (consider it the center of a hand watch). At the Information booth pick up a small foldable map to help navigate the area. The majority of destinations are maximum 20 minute walk. We stayed due west of the old town (use Google Maps to locate Bana Jelacica street) in a quaint remodeled VBRO amidst locales and other rentals. A quiet area enabling finding good places to dine at less expense rates then found within the old town (try the homemade tomato soups, it's always delicious. Clean the bowl with the excellent crusty bread.). Locate Ujeviceva poliana (at the 10 position on the hand watch outside the old city walls) and you will find locals shopping, eating, relaxing and a less hectic pace. There are several grocery stores, wonderful restaurants, a great barber, pharmacy and my sign of success for being out of the tourist zone; a pawn shop! Pawn shops are wonderful places to engage the owner to learn more about the area, find hidden gems at low cost (always haggle!) and to peel back a couple of layers of tourism. Another gem is finding second hand clothing shops which are equally fantastic. On the other side of town and walking past the hustle of the port, you will find at the 5 position on the watch hand access to the local beach. This is a nice cove of beach sans much sand, but where you can enjoy a dip in the sea and relax on your own towel. Within the cove is an area offering food, drink, changing area and toilets (btw, always keep small change for use of toilets). Folks tend to perform the "beach towel dance" to discreetly change in/out of attire and you will find all ages enjoying the area. FYI: as you walk past the port area there are several small grocery stores offering goods to create your own picnic. Which reminds me......We used the bus to transit to and from the Split airport. Upon arrival at the airport walk out to the main parking area and the bus awaits on your left. Double check to make sure you are at the right bus, toss your luggage in the storage area and climb aboard to grab a seat. The driver will come by to collect 30 kuna (current price one way cash only) and when the bus is full off you go. You will be deposited adjacent to the main port and once you have gathered your bearings, should be within walking distance of your accommodations (as long as you are not a pack mule for luggage). OH! Bring less clothes as several clothes washing centers are available in Split. Where we stayed the good old clothes hanging lines were available for flapping your under garments for all to view while drying! I am leaving the traditional tourist destination descriptions to others to describe. If you like true football the stadium is at the 11 position and a 30 minute walk. Check the schedule for availability as the Split team is excellent, but don't say that to anyone in Zagreb! Keep in mind Split has an excellent port offering a variety of ferries capable of being short trips to sea accessible villages. Do a little research at this web link: https://www.croatiaferries.com/ferry-timetables.htm. We sojourned on a small ship cruise and enjoyed the experience of traveling the method utilized for centuries within this region. We loved the Croatian folks and met kindness at every turn."

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/a-small-ship-cruise-in-croatia-october-2019
link is to our small ship cruise report.
NOTE: there are a variety of cruise operators offering a range of services in terms of luxury and cruise themes.
The majority of Croatia is based upon water access and fully support taking the mode of the empire (boat) to access these locations.

Note that Croatia currency will be moved to euro 1/1/2023.

My Croatian neighbor’s recommendation for an itinerary to Croatia was very simple: it should begin in Split or Dubrovnik, and take the Krilo Catamaran or ferries to offshore islands like Hvar and Korcula. It is only a one or two-hour catamaran ride between these four destinations. I finally visited Croatia with his advice in mind late last September and early October and it was fantastic!
The water temperature was 75-77 degrees, the beaches were beautiful and the Croatians are great hosts. We were told by several locals that the best time to visit is September because the sea is at its warmest and the summer crowds of July and August are gone.
You can take a 2.5-hour bus from Split to Medugorje. A 45-minute bus links Medugorje to Mostar. A 3-hour bus ride completes the return to Split or you can continue on to Dubrovnik from Mostar on a 3.5-hour bus. If you were to rent a car, you would need a vehicle large enough to hold all four passengers along with all your luggage plus the souvenirs or gifts you might buy along the way. Car rentals for smaller cars can be very reasonable if you book months in advance on a website such as www.RentalCars.com
There also are some Croatian car rental companies such as Oryx ( www.Oryx-rent.hr) and Nova (www.NovaRentaCar.hr) which has very reasonable rates, particularly for picking the car up at an airport location such as at Split’s airport or Dubrovnik’s airport. Car rental companies that allow you to take a car across the border to Bosnia or Montenegro will generally have an additional charge in the contract, and picking a car up in one location and dropping it off in a different location will incur an additional charge.
You can check airfares at www.Skyscanner.com

I have not read all the extensive comments above, but just wanted to quickly share that last year, September 2021 ending Oct. 1, my hubs and I did a sail croatia small boat cruise and it was the most relaxing week! Yes, we swam every single day, the water wasn't as warm as Cinque Terra over Labor Day, but certainly warm enough for midday swimming. We are in our mid-50s. The island hoping was wonderful with just the right amount of organized activity if you wanted to participate, or relax and do our own thing, Actually, planning for another island hop week in 2023 :) I did an extensive trip report for our trip to Croatia and Slovenia 2021, 31 days if you wanted to have a peek.

In early-mid September, I would practically guarantee warm seas. By late September, it could possibly cool off, but I would take the risk. You can google for actual sea temps stats.
The sea is not reliably warm until June, so September is actually a much safer bet for swimming than May for example.

We need to know how much time you have. Cruising is something you either like or don't like. If you want to do it, there are different types of all styles and budgets, but a cruise is not necessary to adequately tour the islands. The main ferry/catamaran operators are Jadrolinija and Krilo, and you can get the schedules on their websites.

You can take a bus to your Bosnian destinations, or rent a car. I would not bank on the prices now to be the same as booking within a few months.

I echo Kenkos sentiments.

Imo, the move to visiting Croatia is to fly into split and rent a car there. Also in terms of swimming, we just spent 3+ weeks in Croatia in mid-late October snd we were swimming every day.

From there, tour the islands with your car, the ferry’s are very easy to use. We loved Hvar but you 100% need a car on any island imo. There are soooo many amazing unbelievable beaches to explore that would be VERY hard to get to without a vehicle (the last thing you want to be doing is worrying how you’re going to get back to your accommodations)

You could then hit up another island in Korcula etc.

From either island, you can then take the ferry which arrives back on the mainland but down the coast in Drevnik. From Drevnik to Mostar it’s about a 2.5 hour drive. Mostar is OK, I wouldn’t spend more than a night there imo. It’s also adding 5-6 hours driving to get there and back to somewhere in Croatia.

From there, it’s a very easy drive to Dubrovnik.

If money isn’t an issue you could drop the car off at the Dubrovnik airport but the additional cost of dropping off the car in a different location almost doubles the total cost of the rental. We rented a car from the Dubrovnik airport for 23 days, the cost of the rental was like $550 but to drop it off in Rijeka it added another $400.

That’s why any trip I plan for someone in the future imo you should do a loop down through the islands, to Dubrovnik, and then back up to Split.

Imo Plitvice is not worth the drive from split or lower. If you really want to see some waterfalls maybe consider Krka but imo I’d rather spend the time on the islands.

We drove 1400kms over 3.5 weeks this past October and flew into Dubrovnik, rented a car at the airport, then drove to Kotor, Budva, Mostar, Hvar, Plitvice, Opatija, Labin, and Pula. Basically from top to bottom, so if you have any questions let me know.

The roads in Croatia are some of the best I’ve ever driven, I’d say they are far nicer than the vast majority of North American roads so if you’re apprehensive about driving, imo I wouldn’t worry about it

Here is a link to my Croatia trip report from this past May, in case you might find it helpful. My husband and I are also in our 60s.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/croatia-and-ireland-may-2022-castles-and-forts-and-water-oh-my

We are booked for Croatia early April going for four weeks. Into Dubrovnik. Out of Ljubljana. That’s it so far. Hotels at each end only. Winging it the rest of the time. We are 68 and 72. Not too worried about itinerary. There is plenty to do.
We did Germany, Sicily, Puglia, Scotland in a similar fashion.
So, that could be where you start. Book yourself flights and fill it it between.
Croatia is all new to us. So that is the essence of travel. I try not to sweat the itinerary. I don’t have a spreadsheet. Where ever you go, there you are.

Treemoss, you can definitely wing it day to day in Croatia in April - I did in early May one year, driving for a few weeks in Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia. I booked the next night's hotels the day before or even drove up to them and asked to see a room. The only place I had trouble was Zadar, where there was some sort of marathon race or something in town that weekend and I was lucky to get a room at all.

But I still did a lot of pre-planning ahead of time instead of just going with the wind every day. I had a loose itinerary in mind with a lot of options. I think every town I visited was on my loose itinerary. Some towns that were I skipped. There's nothing wrong with making a rough itinerary, picking out a few hotels in various towns where you think you would probably stay in that town and at east noting them down, so when you are finally going to visit you don't have to spend as much time researching on your trip.