Splitting a 1-Month Croatia Trip into Four 1-Week Stays

I'll give you six. Pick five if you need to:

Zagreb
Plitvice
Rovinj (Istria)
Split
Hvar or Korcula
Dubrovnik (some would stay in Cavtat)

You could day trip to Hvar from Split. If you want more time on an island, then base on one instead.

Zagreb is the capital - don't see how you can skip it and not get a sense of the country. You could day trip there from Plitvice but hard to take in a capital city in one day.

You could day trip to Plitvice also, but then you might be rushed at the park. Instead, I'd base there and take your time at the park and maybe venture over to Bosnia, to the town of Bihać and nearby Una National Park (which is very rough compared to Plitvice, which is lovely but very touristy).

Istria is wonderful. I guess you could do a long day trip there from Plitvice if you don't mind the drive. Depends what you are interested in. There are hill towns, Roman ruins in Pula, lovely Venetian towns like Rovinj. Really depends what your interests are. Istria goes well with Slovenia (part of Istria is in Slovenia) - you could skip it and do another trip.

Split and Dubrovnik just make obvious bases on the northern and southern parts of the Dalmatian coast.

We are in Croatia now. I knew little about Croatia but it’s become one of my favorite countries. We planned a six week trip then extended it to a full three months it’s so nice. Our favorite activity is swimming so we have been island hopping using the large network of inexpensive ferries. Where ferries don’t connect we use Uber which is 1/3-1/2 the price of taxis. We did not want to rent a car so we haven’t explored the interior of Croatia.

The sea here is clean and clear and people swim everywhere. If you are interested in swimming I suggest starting in mid June. In May the sea is still cold. We are moving more than you like to. We stay 3-7 days in each place. Two places I definitely recommend for a one week stay are Korcula and Sibenik.

Korcula was our favorite city and island. It’s just gorgeous. Big enough to have everything yet not overwhelming.

Old town Sibenik is a vacation destination more for Croatian than foreign tourists. From Sibenik it’s less than a half hour Uber drive to Krka National Park. There are also short ferry rides to day trips on the beautiful peaceful islands of Zlarin and Prvic. But as I said our travel style is different; we spent 4 nights in each of Sibenik, Zlarin, and Prvic Luka.

Really there was no town in Croatia that we didn’t like. You can’t go wrong.

We also like to stay at least 3 nights in each place. Many posters will tell you 2 nights in Dubrovnik is 1 too many, but we spent 9 nights in Dubrovnik and were busy everday. We did go to Medjugore for one night, with a lunch stop on the return in Mostar, and just kept our B&B. The hotel in Medjugore was only $25 for the night. And we did a day trip to Cavtat, easy by bus. Dubrovnik has kayaking and the island of Lokrum has some nice hiking and a beach where all the older locals go. We just took the first ferry of the day, Croatians are morning people, and followed them. They also have a nude beach if that is something you would like to try. We hiked up to Napoleons old fort, just a ruin now. From the old town it is a short hike, but there is a path up to Mt. Srd and you could cable car down. Also, the island of Mjlet is a national park, a ferry ride from dubrovnik. Korčula for sure, but we have family there so we have another reason to love it. You can go biking, take ferry taxies to various small islands for the day to swim, bringing a picnic lunch. One such is Vrnik which has become very popular since they opened a hotel (2 rooms €€€€) with a restaurant. Our family has two homes there so we go often. You can walk around the island and swim anywhere. If you stay in Korčula town you can take the bus or rent a bike to go to other villages on the island. Blato is famous for their wineries. Please include slovenia in your planning. Ljubljana and Lake Bled are great cities and Rick outlines a nice drive through the Julian Alps. We had a car in Slovenia, just make sure you have a place with parking. There are many day trips you can take from there. We stopped in Samobar for their award winning Šampita cake. (My favorite). The language and culture are very similiar. It would probably be easier for me to tell you which towns to pass up. Also, we watch many, many youtube videos of places we are interested in, it really gives you a good idea of the place. I’ll give it more thought.

TexasTravelMom is probably a good source on this one as she spent a number of weeks there last year.

Ive been to Croatia twice, including a trip last year. I have to say I have a different view on it, but everyone is different.

Zagreb Enjoyable city. I could spend 4 nights there and be happy I did.

Plitvice As much as I love the outdoors, and as beautiful as some of it is, walking sidewalks with 5000 other tourists had its limit. Got there early in the morning, left late afternoon and dont regret it.

Split Remarkably unenjoyable even for the two nights I spent. Would not want to return.

Dubrovnik Stay inside the walls. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. But, its heavily reconstructed and its essentially a tourist venue with almost no locals living there. Still for the architecture, the setting, etc it is worth 3 nights.

A few nearby places where I could (and have) spent a week and return as often as possible.

Budva: with day trips to Stari Bar, Ostrog Monastery, maybe a night or two at the Tara Canyon, Ulcinj
Sarajevo: I could spend a week here and never leave the city.
Ljubljana: Never actually been, but based on what I have seen in tour videos and read, i bet a week would be wonderful

To avoid if you are going to Dubrovnik
Kotor: Yes, its beautiful, but its a small version of Dubrovnik and not as nice. So use the time someplace else. Get a guide and tour the towns on Kotor bay is an excellent day trip idea. I am in love with Perast.

James, what in Dubrovnik has been reconstructed? Maybe a roof or so because of the war. But there was minimal damage and none to the outside walls. The people of Dubrovnik paid a daily price, in cash, to the Serbs specifically to release water and not bomb inside the old town. My husband’s grandfather lived there throughout the war. Outside the wall there was more shelling. It reads to me that this poster is looking here for advice on cities in Croatia not the more obscure places you like to visit.

Nothing obscure about the cities I listed?

Its not really a criticism. If they had not, we would not have this beautiful place today. I love Dubrovnik. But I am an architect and its where my mind and eyes naturally go.

Stand on the wall and look at the roofs. The nice bright orange ones are all replacements and a wild guess is thats 80%. But that doesn't bother me. Its maintenance ......... and war repairs..... I once had a guide who wanted to show me all the hidden damage and it was pretty extensive. Things like structural changes inside a building because it had been bombed and burned out. But the outside flavor was retained.

No, what i noticed that led me to my statement was that the ground floor storefronts are of uniform in design (wild guess, maybe 75%). Dubrovnik was built over centuries so part of the post war reconstruction. But they are based on a pre-existing motif that was fairly common. I found one original one when I was there. This is the norm today, and it works: https://www.dreamstime.com/editorial-stock-image-dubrovnik-ivo-vojnovic-birthplace-croatia-august-croatian-writer-image70407409 What is more interesting is that the same design was used in the renovation of Kotor.

Dubrovnik got hammered very hard during the war: https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-2655b20007d8e68014ae631163bd490a-lq

Its good to recognize this stuff. Lots of lessons in it and I like to learn when I travel. So, yes, Dubrovnik is a place every one should see and learn from and it is stunning in the evening which is why you should get a room within the walls.

Herceg-Novi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOqLXoeE_o4
Perast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd6ErEHPHmg
Uncinj https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaPcThRQdi4
Stari Bar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBU56OT78fw
Budva https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4UzNvtOT6E
Ostrog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1sOCWmmILk
Sarajevo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEeRwGEJrPE

When I read see the word reconstructed I think of Berlin. Dubrovnik has had some changes but I would not say reconstructed. I have been traveling there since 1977 and see your point about the storefronts (in those days many of these were homes) but I would use a different word. I also wouldn’t discourage anyone from staying there a few days longer, there is much to see and do, especially since they probably will never return.

Mister E is too kind. 🤣 However here is my report from a month last September if it’s helpful. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/croatia-it-s-been-nice

I thought Andrew gave you some good advice. It is easy to spend a month in Croatia and I might not do it again in the same way I did last year. Thoughts:

1. If you do stay a week in Dubrovnik, I think you could consider places to stay outside the walls but not far, if the price and space is nice. With a week, you would not need all that time inside the walls. Barbara is right that there is plenty to do - but quite a bit of it is not right in the center of the city.
2. Istria definitely deserves a week. Pick your place. Rovinj is central. It would be hard to make a mistake.
3. Korćula has my heart - and I don’t have any relatives there! Lol! I do need to go back for a week. I am jealous, Barbara!
4. If you choose Hvar, I would not choose Hvar Town, although it is beautiful. Jennifer recommends Stari Grad. Just watch for ferry connections.
5. I did not make it to Zagreb - my friend wanted those days in Slovenia. I loved Slovenia and will go back, and am glad I know to go back, but it would have been easier to include Zagreb instead and see Croatia more completely. Slovenia needed more than my 5 nights.
6. Unlike Mister E, I DID like Split - but I am thinking I would not like it for a week as a base.
7. I was lucky to get to Plitvice without the hordes. It is a beautiful area - and Andrew’s idea of extending east is interesting. It would also give you a different sort of natural beauty than the coast.
8. 3lovetotravel has it right that the coast and islands are stunning.

My first 3 choices (for me) would be around Dubrovnik, Istria (probably Rovinj), and Korćula. And Zagreb makes sense, even though I haven’t been yet. It’s a short drive to Ljubljana, if you get bored.

TexasTravelMom: you know i love differing perspectives. If we all loved the same things how boring life would be. G-d Bless you and keep you safe (even if you are wrong about Croatia 🤣😂🤣😂 .............. just kidding ........... but you knew that)

Lol, Mister E, I am watching the wind direction very carefully. 🤣

Thank you everyone for your advice. It's incredibly helpful to hear your take on each place. Yes, we each have to choose our own path, but your advice helps prioritize the "must see" from the "it would be nice to see if time permits".

Rules are meant to be broken, and I foresee I'll be breaking my own travel rule. In order to make this trip work, it seems some 1 or 2 night stays will be inevitable.

We're not tour bus people, so we typically rent a car. We've been fine driving all around Europe on both sides of the road. Yet it would be nice to leave the driving to someone else, some of the time, and hire a driver/guide for the day. Are there areas where finding a guide, (using a train or bus) for some period of time would make sense?

Mister E, thanks for the helpful links.

Thanks again for taking the time to add your thoughts.

Meg

Meg, I would write this young lady and just discuss the options. She is a travel planner and service provider for the Balkans. Very smart, very professional and has good ideas. Doesn't cost to ask. She took care of all my getting from point A to point B issues on my last trip there (13 months ago) and had friend use her about 6 months ago for Croatia and Montenegro. They loved her enough that they are meeting up with her in Italy in a few weeks......

Dijana Krkotic
Executive director
Doclea Travel
Address: Bulevar Sv. Petra
Cetinjskog br. 79
81 000 Podgorica
Phone: +382 20 675 197
Mob: +382 69 277 749
E-mail:dijana@docleatravel.com
www.docleatravel.com

I will second Dijana as we just completed a 9 day tour of Montenegro with her last week. Thank you James for the recommendation. She was great to work with and Dijana did much of the guiding/driving herself with us. We had a fabulous afternoon with her mother “learning” to make PITA and she served us a wonderful Lunch/Dinner. Dijana also had two of her partners guide/drive us. It was a wonderful trip and I strongly suggest making Montenegro part of your itinerary. We are about half way through our 32 day trip of Montenegro/Croatia/Slovenia. Initially we were to take a RS best of Adriatic tour then we added Montenegro with Dijana per James’ recommendation. Our RS tour departure was cancelled and we reached out to Dijana who referred us to a wonderful travel planner in Split who put together our Croatia/Slovenia tour as we decided for various reasons to go private. We are about 1/3 through that tour and it has been wonderful. If interested PM me and I can provide contact info as well as detailed itinerary for both providers to give an example of what they can provide. They customized our trip for our budget and interests. My husband is enjoying not having to drive. Yes we are pretty much living out of a suitcase as our stays are 2/3 nights. We have found packing cubes to help immensely. As you mentioned - not our preferred style as we also prefer 4+ nights in a location, but it is tough to see so much in so little time. We hope to return and spend longer time in the areas we enjoyed the most. Wish you the best in planning your trip.

Thank you Kim. I will PM you to get your itinerary and contacts. I would gladly give up driving ourselves and have private guides. Sounds simply wonderful.

I will second Dijana as we just completed a 9 day tour of Montenegro
with her last week. Thank you James for the recommendation.

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