HI - Looking for advice on getting from Split to Zagreb while taking in IStria and some Slovenia. Is this realistic?
We pick up the car on July 1 in Split and fly out of Zagreb afternoon of July 5. (We will have already travelled and seen the sights from Zagreb to Split and down the Dalmatian coast.)
Thanks
SP
If Plitvice Lakes National Park usn't already covered, that would be my top recommendation. It really needs a night at a local lodging before your visit so you don't have to contend with thousands of day-trippers sharing the walkways. Time in the park can be under 6 hours.
I like Istria, Ljubljana and Bled, which are quite different from each other (and Ljubljana's different from Zagreb), so it sort of depends on what you think you'll be be interested in seeing by that point in your trip. Use ViaMichelin to look at possible driving routes and estimated trip times, but note that folks here feel that VM's time estimates are optimistic.
Some of the key spots in Istria are: Pula (probably only for the Roman ruins), Porec, Rovinj, Motovun (inland), Groznjan (inland) and Piran (Slovenian Istria). I don't know how tight the hotel situation is in the other places, but from personal experience I suggest pre-booking Rovinj if you want to spend the night there. And I assume a last-minute search around Plitvice would also be risky.
You basically have four days. If you have not visited Plitvice NP, then do visit it. However, you will only have two to three days left, which will limit your options significantly.
If you will have already visited Plitvice, then I think it's best either opting entirely for Istria/Slovenia or see a few things in Istria with a cave and something like the Lipica Stud Farm in Slovenia or visiting Istria, leaving a day early and spending a night in Ljubljana before returning to Zagreb.
Personally, if I wouldn't be returning to the region, then I would probably prioritize Slovenia and spend only a night in Rovinj or Piran. If I was returning in the future, I would save Slovenia for when I would have more time.
thanks for the advice.
