Travel plans that combine the Amalfi area with Croatia

My idea would be to do them as completely separate trips. Or add another week. Otherwise, treat them as two very rushed trips. You can probably fly from between Dubrovnik and Rome to combine the two trips. There is a ferry between Bari and Dubrovnik - overnight I think - but flying between Rome and Dubrovnik would be quicker.

Two weeks just for Dubrovnik, Montenegro, Plitvice, plus a few other worthy stops in Croatia (Split/Trogir, Krka National Park, Sibenik, islands like Korcula and Hvar) or even to nearby Bosnia (e.g. Mostar) would make for a nice trip by itself.

Is this a return trip to Amalfi Coast, or did the 2017 visit not happen?

Given the travel logistics, I would want more time or a less spread out itinerary.

You can probably find a way to to hit all your wished for destinations in your time frame, but how enjoyable the experience would be is the question you have to answer for yourself.

Fly from Houston to Naples.
At Naples take the bus or Campania Express train or the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento.
Stay in Sorrento and visit to the North and Amalfi Coast to the south from there using buses or trains or ferries.
Leave Sorrento for Naples. Rent a car and drive Naples to Bari.
Take the Ferry from Bari to Dubrovinik.
Stay in Dubrovnik rent car drive to Montenegro and then to Plitvice Lakes National Park
Stay near Plitvice Lakes National Park
Then drive to Zagreb fly out of Zagreb

Yes this kind of all over the place

I think your trip is doable if you eliminate Plitvice and focus only on Amalfi Coast and Dubrovnik areas. Whether you go to Rome and fly or go to Bari and take an overnight ferry, you'll spend the better part of one day getting from A to B. Note that flights and ferries might not depart daily that time of year, so research those schedules carefully. I did the ferry option once in mid-September, leaving Sorrento a little after noon and arriving in Dubrovnik at 7:00 the following morning. Montenegro can be done as a day trip from Dubrovnik, or you could spend a couple of days there and then return to Dubrovnik for the balance of your trip. If you want to include Plitvice (500 km north of Dubrovnik), then I agree it's better to just focus on Croatia.

It would be too rushed to me, but it is possible if you can fly into Naples, then fly to Dubrovnik, visit Montenegro (assume you mean just Kotor bay area) then fly home from Zagreb (or vice versa). Any other flight options and I would not do it.

We actually did a somewhat similar trip a few years ago but we had much more time. After a week on the Amalfi coast, we flew from Naples to Trieste (on a postale italiane plane!). There we rented a car, toured Slovenia and then Croatia.

I think you might be able to do this trip if you drop Plitvice as it is too far from Dubrovnik to make work. Fly Naples to Dubrovnik. Then home from Dubrovnik.

DD

You are mistaken in associating these two places because they are roughly the same latitude. Even slow, archaic ferries on the Adriatic are very far from Pompeii or Sorrento. You also have to allow for immigration delays (partly trucks and locals in line in front of you) once you leave Italy. There can also be border disputes resulting in rule-book slowdowns at these borders.

Fly into Naples .. grab the direct bus to Sorrento is my first choice ..we're going back in June .... staying in Sorrento .. grab the bus at the train station for Amalfi (town) get inline early so you can get a seat on the right side for the view .. get off at towns on the way to Amalfi .. not on the way back or you will be standing up ... there's an elevator going down to the beach in Sorrento ... take the train to Pompei or Herculenium (east side of the tracks) ... Look places up on YouTube to see if they interest you ... go to ----------->Vacationstogo.com <------- put in Greek islands for destination (Venice port)... weve done a 7 nighter a few times ... it visits kotor,Corfu,Dubrovnik,Athens etc. ... last time we found a cruise with no sea days ... nice to wake up and not have to travel to another city ... just wake up and you've arrived ...enjoy

Thanks for all your suggestions. I think I have most of the plan worked out. Does anyone know if there is a place to leave your luggage in Salerno for a few hours while we visit Paestum?

There was a tourist office in the Salerno train station at the time of my visit and we left luggage there.
What did you end up putting on your itinerary?