question from older traveler.

It sounds like you’re fit enough, April is temperate weather, so carpe diem while you can. Dubrovnik is hilly, although that is not true of all of Croatia. My mother, at 85, hit her limit day 1 of an Adriatic tour in Dubrovnik and made the correct call to go back home. It wasn’t the steps that got to her as much as standing in the heat (it was August) listening to the guide. By the way, there is no legal requirement to walk the walls. You can have a great experience in Dubrovnik without doing that. I don’t like heights, there are a lot of stairs on the walls, it was hot and crowded, so I only made it halfway around and that was plenty.

Thank you. Not fit enough lately but have a year to work on it.

I wasn’t in Zadar, but you would be fine in Dubrovnik, Split, and on the island cities Korcula & Hvar. Yes, there’s a lot of stairs in some parts of Dubrovnik, but you can pick & choose where you go within the walls. I didn’t walk the wall because I hate open heights. It’s a lovely area!

I don’t remember any “must see” spots that were significant stairs beyond the usual. As an example, in Hvar you can walk up into some steep spots which I did, and my B&B was located there. But, there’s also a hotel along the harbor and the main town piazza square at water level - no steps. So, you could choose how much stair climbing suits you. I ate dinner at the Adriana Hotel at the harbor’s edge and enjoyed a fantastic dinner along with the fun of seeing the huge yachts coming in for the evening.

The Aminess Korcula Heritage Hotel wouldn’t require you to be climbing stairs, and it’s in a prime location of the little city on Korcula Island. In Split there’s options along the seafront, too, which becomes handy to catch the ferry over to the islands.

We did the wall in Dubrovnik on our tour last May when my husband was 79. He works out daily but his right knee doesn’t always cooperate. On the advice of our guide, we started at the Ploce gate and just did half the wall. That was plenty for us, but he actually climbed up the tower, too

In Croatian we visited Rovinj, Split, Korcula and Plitvice. He did all of Plitvice, starting and Station 3 and going to Entrance 1. There weren’t any issues in Split and even through our hotel was at the top of a hill in Korcula, that was fine,too. We did climb to St Euphemia along the water in Rovinj, which was fine, but went out the rear onto Grisia and that seemed VERY slippery. Wish we had gone up that way and walked back along the water (or maybe skipped it all together!).

Loved Croatia and it was so easy to navigate.

I would suggest that you consider spending some time in Korcula. We took a one day trip to the Peljesac Peninsula and toured several wineries with our guide, and then ferried from Orebic to Korcula. There are also ferries from both Dubrovnik and Split to Korcula. The island was beautiful, and the walking was easy. The hop-on-hop off water taxi made for a fun day exploring some of the smaller islands. We stayed in a gorgeous two bedroom (with three beds) modern apartment that was equipped with everything you could need or want. Our view of the town and harbor from there was spectacular!

Thank you all! Exactly the advice and knowledge I needed.

We are early in planning stages but this gives us an idea of what to expect.

There are stairs (some steep) in the Old Town of Dubrovnik, but you can choose if you want to do them (or not). The stairs going northeast off of Stradum looked too steep to me, so we only went up a few flights of those. To the south where the Jesuit Stairs are, the stairs didn't seem as steep, and it was a fun area to explore. Our RS guide told us the best place to get on the wall, and I didn't find that walk difficult. If you get tired, you can stop and rest. Go early. Because we had to go a tour with a RS guide first, it was around 11 before we started on the wall. That was too late, and it got very crowded about half way around.

“Every day is leg day in Dubrovnik,” said a first-time visitor to
Dubrovnik, and meant it. They are mighty and steep, but just like
every great exercise, the stairs of Dubrovnik come with many rewards.

The verdict is in: Dubrovnik is a town built on hillslopes and there
are many stairs everywhere you go. Almost like the city’s trademark,
they are something that the locals take pride in, along with their
slender physique and toned legs that come as a result.

Steep, meandering, and shiny, the stairs of Dubrovnik can be a
daunting sight, especially when looking from the bottom up. For
visitors who come from flat cities, or car-powered lifestyles, they
can be a daunting experience too. In the old town, there are no less
than 5423 stars, and that is excluding the stairs on private
properties or the 1080 stairs scattered around the city walls. Scary,
huh? But to get the best of Dubrovnik, to find those off-the-beaten
path corners where authentic lifestyles still thrive, one must put in
steep effort.

https://palacenatali.com/posts/the-mighty-stairs-of-dubrovnik/

Then if there is a cruise ship or two in port … well it gets cozy. The hotel I like is inside the walls and up a steep climb. I tried not to return to the hotel until the end of the day because of the climb. I say this while being a big fan of Dubrovnik. Enough so that I have been back three times.

Plitvice isn’t 5000 steps. I’ve only been once and only spent 3 or 4 hours but encountered more than 100 steps, more than a few hundred steps. Maybe there are trails with less, or if you aren’t careful chosing I suspect trails with more.

Split is not too bad. Sure, has its steps but the principal tourist areas are fairly flat. Especially when compared to the other stops.

Welcome to Korkula: https://cdn.almostlanding.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/a-guide-to-korcula-croatia-1.jpg AND https://www.encirclephotos.com/wp-content/uploads/Croatia-Korcula-Stairs-Biskupa-Luke-Tolentica-978x1440.jpg

Think about how many steps there are at each stop and think about the sum of all of the stops each and every day.

Oh, I left off Zadar. Flat but not terribly exciting but well connected to Europe thanks to the discount airlines that land there.

I am not a huge fan of Croatia, although it seems I am back every few years, so I see it less with rose colored glasses. I will make a suggestion. Maybe it is not a good fit for you, but maybe someone else will find some use for it.

We all like to think we are self-made experts. Give me a laptop and I can research and be as knowledgeable as any human on earth. No, it doesn’t really work that way. I've tried (still try). Sometimes there are issues that if addressed correctly, can result in a much more enjoyable experience. You really should do all the research yourself because that teaches you the language you will need to have the discussion when you hire the expert. Yes, G-d forbid a RS tourist hires help. For your trip, I would. Certainly, you can do this yourself and have a very good experience, but maybe, just maybe, for 300€ more you can have an amazing experience.

The difference would be a plan or a guide that knows “the other way to the top” or can provide a little local transfer to provide a break before the big climb. These boat taxis; what is it like getting in and out of them? Typical small boat jump to the dock or a gang plank. Oh the one that arrived 10 min later had the gang plank, but yours didn’t. Or … what else? Well, if I knew, I wouldn’t need the help. I’ve never used one in Western Europe but I still do from time to time in Eastern Europe and the Balkans (which I return to once or twice a year) but not for the athletic requirements (yet), more for finding the places, villages, towns, wine, cheese, prosciutto, olives, transportation, etc. not yet in the books.

As I alluded to in the previous post, it’s not aways about today’s climb, it’s about the total climb of each day of the trip. I am a young 68 and it wears on me.

G-d bless and have a wonderful time in Croatia.