Hello,
We are planning a 12 day roadtrip through Slovenia & Croatia before beginning an adventure tour in Split. Is the below plan realistic or too busy? We pick up a rental car in Zagreb but don’t plan to spend much time there.
Day 1: Arrive Zagreb
2: To Ljublijana
3. To Bled (2 nights)
4. Bled
5. Overnight Kranjska Gora area (so early start down Vrsic Pass
6. Bovec
7. Rafting, then overnight Kobarid (or should we just spend 2 nights in Kobarid?)
8. To Rovinj via Predjama Castle
9. Rovinj
10. To Plitvice Lakes via Motovun
11. Explore Plitvice Lakes, overnight Zadar
12. To Split via Krka Park/Sibinek.
Posted by
Chicago
1267 posts
I would consider taking one of the Bled nights and using it in Zagreb. One, driving right
after a long trip is perhaps not that great of an idea, even though it is not that long a drive,
two, Zagreb is worth a full day or couple of half days.
Also, Bled to Kranjska Gora is maybe an hour or less, so I don't really see the need to relocate
to Kranjska Gora for the night.
Put the two together, you could even spend 2 nights in Zagreb, 1 night in Bled, and head to
Bovec.
Kobarid is maybe 2 nights, but it depends on when you get there and when you leave. The
museum, ossuary, and waterfall are the main attractions and are probably a bit less than a
full day's worth.
Posted by
Lexington, KY (formerly Southeast US)
4566 posts
I agree with shoeflyer's recommendation to combine Bled and Kranjska Gora nights into a single stay to avoid a lodging change.
Likewise, I would combine Bovec and Kobarid into a single base to avoid a lodging change. I did 3 nights in the Kobarid area as part of a 25-day trip to Slovenia in 2019 -- trip report (with overview of how days were spent) here.
I would suggest Škocjan Caves over Predjama Castle on the way to Rovinj. It's less out of the way, and it is AMAZING. At one point, I wanted to grab a staff and slam it into the ground as I shouted "You shall not pass!" in my best Gandalf voice.
The itinerary is busy, but I think manageable, if it is the way you and your family like to travel.
Posted by
Germany (mostly)
68 posts
I definitely agree with Dave about combining Bovec and Kobarid into a single base, as well as Skocjan over Predjama.
Bled and Kranjska Gora - also combinable, but depending on how early you want to start up the Vršič Pass, a split isn't the worst option. We had a very mellow afternoon and evening in Kranjska Gora, and enjoyed having enough time (en-route) to gawk up at the Planica ski flying hill (admittedly, I'm a fan), and later, to walk to Lake Jasna. [Zelenci was blocked for filming or we'd have gone there too.]
The extra hour's sleep the next morning compared with a Bled start didn't hurt either 😉.
Posted by
Chicago
1267 posts
You do have an option to do both Predjama Castle and Postojna Caves - they have a
combo ticket and are very close to each other (there's a shuttle bus that goes between
the two).
Skocjan Caves is much more dramatic than Postojna if you're a cave fan, though.
When I did the drive over Vrsic Pass, I went from Bled to Kobarid, and stopping at
most of the places in the RS guidebook, but with no crowds and traffic whatsoever,
it took 6-7 hours, and I got to Kobarid in time to spend about an hour at the museum.
You may want to break the scheduling down a bit more to account for drive time, when
you plan to arrive/depart a place, and how much time that actually gives you to see
things there. Getting someplace at 5pm and leaving the next morning is mostly a
stopover to sleep, for example.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all for the information---good to hear from people who have been there as what looks reasonable on paper may be different in reality.