Thoughts on Itinerary for Croatia and Slovenia

I’ve visited Lake Bled twice. First time was for a two night stay and a second time for just a few hours. While it is very beautiful unless you’re using it as a base or for rest and relaxation then two nights may be plenty.

Actually, I wouldn’t change it myself. 2 nights in Split is only one full day, which is enough for Split (although I liked it) but not enough for an island day trip. Slovenia is a completely different kind of gorgeous.

Yes, you are going to spend a lot of time in the car, but it is not difficult driving and the scenery is nice. It’s too bad you need to stop by Medugorje; otherwise I would suggest taking the ferry from Dubrovnik to Split and getting the car as you leave Split. But visiting there after Split would have you backtracking and at least if you go via the coast, you will have nice views.

Slovenia was a really nice surprise for me. I had 5 nights there last year and it wasn’t enough, so I will have to go back. Don’t cut a day from there.

I think you have done a good job with the time you have and what you want to see. Get the car as you leave Dubrovnik and don’t forget your vignette for Slovenia. :) Make sure the car rental place knows ahead of time the countries you plan to visit.

I do agree three nights in Split would be optimal. You have the option of swimming at Bacvice city beach. You also could daytrip to Hvar Town on the island in one hour by Catamaran. For your time in the Julian Alps, I would recommend staying in Ukanc or Ribcev Laz near Lake Bohinj. The area is exceedingly beautiful, uncrowded, and only 30 minutes further from Bled. There are turquoise glacial-fed lakes in this mountain region and plenty of local B&B’s ( “Sobes”) to stay at, bringing you closer to the local culture.

Thank you for your comments and thoughts so far. I really don't want to take away a night in Slovenia since we only have 5 planned so far. Another question, we are going out of the way to get to the Rovinj and the Istrian peninsula. Would it be worth it to skip this area and add a night in Split and another night in Slovenia? Not sure my wife would be keen on this idea, but just wondering what you all think. Thanks.

Like most travel, it’s a personal choice. But it makes sense. Rovinj is beautiful, but you have limited time - and given that, it’s the location I would cut myself.

But there’s no wrong answer. You are already not able to include so much of the beauty of Croatia, so Rovinj is no more magic than other locations (like the islands) you are skipping. Take time to enjoy the places you ARE going. Adding a night in Split would give you time for at least a day trip out to some islands.

I would probably cut Rovinj too in this itinerary. My first Slovenia/Croatia trip was roughly similar (at least included the same distances and places but in a different order) except for Rovinj, which I saw a few years later on a second trip. Rovinj is lovely, but it's a tiny town, and it's really worth visiting with time to see more stuff nearby like some Istrian hill towns and maybe Pula, and with only two nights in Rovinj, I'm not sure you have much time to do much in the area - maybe one long day driving through Istrian hill towns. As a compromise, you could add a day trip or even a night in the Slovenian Istrian town of Piran, another lovely old Venetian town similar to Rovinj (not exactly the same but with a similar feel). I loved Piran too.

If you have time, plan a scenic drive between Ljubljana and Bled - not just on the fast highway but via the town of Skofja Loka, which itself a lovely little town. The drive from Skofja Loka to Bled through the hills via Dražgoše and Kropa is really scenic and lovely.

Tim, You must be psychic. I do agree with your insight along with the others that it makes sense to drop Rovinj in favor of adding time to the ones you’ve selected . Fourteen days is not a lot of time particularly when you’ll be jetlagged the first couple days after flying into Dubrovnik. Croatia and Slovenia are like an excellent meal or wine— they both are best when savored slowly.
Have a great Trip!

Again, thank you everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. It looks like we will be adding a night in Split and an additional night in Slovenia. We realize that we are missing out on the Istrian peninsula, and other areas of Croatia, but hope to get back one day. We both really love the idea of spending additional time in northern Slovenia. Next job - figuring out where to stay in each place. I may be back for suggestions there too. Thanks again.

As much as I loved Rovinj I too would probably eliminate it from your itinerary & add one elsewhere. 3 nights in Dubrovnik sounds great. We thought 2 nights in Split was perfect. Yes- One night at Plitvice. We did a day trip to Lake Bled- walked the lake and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. 2-3 nights would be great. Now to my favorite city in Slovenia- Ljubljana! We spent 4 nights! Didn’t want to leave. We would definitely return!! If we do, we would extend a couple nights in Zagreb. We only had a brief layover there on our way home. We had spent a week in Venice prior to touring Slovenia & Croatia. So many great choices!
If you are interested in any restaurant recommendations let me know. Enjoy your planning!

Janis - I always welcome restaurant recommendations. Thank you.

Three favorite restaurants-
Split- Perivoj https://splitcurated.com/listings/perivoj-cafe-restaurant/
Dubrovnik- Kazbek https://www.kazbekdubrovnik.com/dining
Ljubljana- Julija https://julijarestaurant.com/

I'd save Slovenia--there is so much to see between Dubrovnik and Zagreb. The coast should still be lovely in late September, so I would have included an island (even if it will be quiet, I like places in low season). October is prime time for Istria (truffle season!), so I would have focused on that rather than driving north.

We are in Ljubljana now. This is our fourth night and we are leaving tomorrow for Zagreb. A few notes:
You can get the vingnette for driving on the Highway in Slovenia online. The website is si.vignette.Com Minimum is one week. You have to put in the license Plate number so you have to wait till you get the car. It is needed if you are driving on the Highway, not the back roads. We are staying at the City Hotel Ljubljana. It is a very short walk to the old town. Great breakfast, very, very diverse choices. Reserve a parking space ahead of time. The Grand Union Hotel (in Rick’s book) is just around the corner. We did a day trip to Lake Bled. We wandered over to Tito’s old Villa which is a hotel now. We decided if we ever returned to Bled this is where we would stay. PS, they have a parking lot.
I agree with the other posters, drop Rovinj and add a day to Split and Slovenia. Things are closing down in Istria by October. We were there last October in Poreć and it was very quiet. If you are in Ljubljana on a Sunday, the Jesuit College has an English Mass at 10 on Sundays at St. Jožef Church. A short walk from our hotel. We will be attending tomorrow before we leave for Zagreb. Any questions just ask.

We did a similar trip a couple of years ago (we did the RS driving tour from Slovenia down to Dubrovnik). I'd agree that you should NOT add a night in Split. You'll love Lake Bled/Julian Alps. If anything, I'd add a stop in Motovun (in Istria on the Croatian side). IMO, Plitvice was NOT worth a long stay. It's thronged with tourists and you'll see most of the waterfalls in a few hours. Slovenia was absolutely magical.

We visited in October and were very happy with how uncrowded spots were (except for Dubrovnik and Plitvice which were thronged). Everything we wanted to see was open and easy enough to navigate.

Thanks for posting, Tim! I just posted a somewhat similar itinerary and these comments and advice are also very helpful to me. We're also driving, starting in Split and turning the car in at Zagreb. We are leaving mid-September through early October, hoping for good beach weather in Dubrovnik. (Although as a fellow Southern Californian, it's not that important!) Thank you!

Mark L., when we’re you last in Motovun? It’s not the same as it was when all the artists were there. We visited in October 2021 and there were so many houses for sale we were wondering if everyone just upped and moved on. We didn’t even eat there, couldn’t find a restaurant that looked good and there weren’t many choices. We ended up eating in Poreč.

Our trip itinerary has evolved over the last couple of months. A few more nights in Slovenia, a couple nights fewer in northern Croatia. We're very excited for the trip. Just have Tocqueville wait for the departure date to get here.

Thanks, everyone, for all your input. It has been greatly appreciated.

Should be a great time! I love the Balkans.