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Updated Itinerary- Croatia and Slovenia

After all of the help from this wonderful forum I think our itinerary is pretty much ready to go. As always, having a few more days would be nice, but I have done the best with the time we have. This itinerary is part of a 6 week trip, we arrive in Dubrovnik from Amsterdam and wont have any jet lag issues.

Day 1 - Arrive Dubrovnik 10am. Walking tour booked for 3pm.
Day 2 - Dubrovnik
Day 3 - Dubrovnik for morning, afternoon bus to Split
Day 4 - Split - 11am walking tour booked
Day 5 - Split, morning in Trojir (boat or bus there) - pick up car in late afternoon
Day 6 - Leave early - heading to Plitvice. Looking at visiting Sibenik on the way / maybe Krka National Park? Stay in Plitvice.
Day 7 - As early a start as we're allowed in Plitvice. (is it 7 or 8am they open? I keep reading different things) Mid afternoon, drive to Ljubljana
Day 8 - Ljubljana
Day 9 - Day trip to Lake Bled area
Day 10 - Possibly Julian Alps / explore area around Ljubljana - suggestions welcome!
Day 11 (a Sunday) - to Skojan Caves for 10am tour then to Lipica Stud Farm for 3pm performance. If time I would like to do a carriage ride and tour the stables too. Drive to Rovinj - approx 2 hour drive - debating this drive and might stay somewhere closer to Lipica, like Koper.
Day 12 - Rovinj / Motovun - day on this peninsula just to see a little of it - most likely stay in Koper and then the next morning get a train to Venice from Trieste.

We have booked accommodation in Dubrovnik and Split but nothing else yet. We could possibly add one more day to this itinerary. If you have any feedback, I would be really interested!

Thank you!

Posted by
1926 posts

I think this all seems reasonable. As you say, more time would be great, but you do your best with the time you have.

If you do have an extra day, I would plan a day trip from Dubrovnik to Mostar. Or turn Day 10 into two days and spend the night in Kobarid so you can take some time to explore the Soca Valley.

Where will you return the car? If you are picking it up in Split, you'll want to return it in Croatia to avoid heavy drop charges.

Posted by
111 posts

Thanks, I’ll look at the day 10 option. We are going to book the car through Sixt as they seem reasonable, and drop in Koper . Then we’ll get a bus or taxi to Trieste. If you know a different way please let me know!

Posted by
28069 posts

Skocjan has plenty of English-language tours, I think, but your schedule is tight and you shouldn't plan to arrive right before 10 AM for that tour (asuming you haven't pre-purchased some sort of timed ticket). Groups are limited in size.

I think Plitvice's opening times may vary by time of year. I would hope that there would be accurate information on the park's website.

Posted by
111 posts

We might stay at a hotel closer to the caves the night before so we are in striking distance. Doesn’t look like you can buy tickets in advance.

Posted by
5507 posts

Day 11/12 - do not underestimate the time it will take to cross the border, especially on a weekend. Plan a couple of hours each way. I love Istria and go there every year, but I wouldn’t recommend this plan. Stay in Piran instead (not Koper!) and explore this little gem and relax.

Posted by
111 posts

Emily, Piran looks gorgeous. We might leave all of Istria for another time and just spend the evening and morning in Piran before heading to Italy. I think Andrew suggested this too at some stage!