Help with itinerary for a 21 day trip to Slovenia and Croatia

Can you clarify whether the 3 days in Venice at the end is part of the 21 days? I have lots of ideas, but that makes a big difference in what I'd suggest.

And are you open to considering including Bosnia in your itinerary?

Lane, Thanks for your reply. The 3 nights in Venice I thought would be at the end of our trip. Check the rental car at the airport and go into town for 3 nights and leave on the American AA flight at noon for Philly. On our last trip to Croatia we visited Mostar, beautiful city and most interesting. That was the only town we visited in Bosnia. I haven't really thought about Bosnia to be honest with you, but I'm all ears, convince me that I need to go. Thanks. Tom

Hi Tom, I'm still not entirely clear how many nights you will have before you arrive back in Venice, but let me take a shot at this assuming you want to arrive back in Venice on September 5th. If I misunderstood, let me know and I'll have another go.

It's a bit of a challenge to come up with a good route because there's no real circle you can make that starts and ends in Venice. Sarajevo is a 5-6 hour drive from anywhere else on your itinerary. But you have plenty of time (in many cases, more time in some destinations than most people recommend).

There are a few other questions that might affect this, but let's assume you're okay to drive 2 1/2 hours after you get off the plane in Venice. In that case, here's what I recommend:

8/17: arrive Venice, drive to Piran (2 nights)
8/19: drive to Rovinj (3 nights)
8/22: drive to Plitvice (1 night)
8/23: drive to Sarajevo (3 nights)
8/26: drive to Zagreb (3 nights)
8/29: drive to Ljubljana (3 nights)
9/1: drive to Bled (2 nights)
9/3: drive to Kobarid (2 nights)
9/5: drive to Venice

This is assuming you'll do a lot of day trips. Rovinj can be seen in half a day, but you can use it as a base to explore the Istrian peninsula. With your time in Slovenia, you'll want to visit a gorge or two, a cave or two, and a castle or two -- you can do that from any of the places I recommend you stay.

One other thing: if you only did a day trip to Mostar, consider adding it as an overnight. It's just lovely in the evening after all the tourists have gone, and the drive from Sarajevo to Mostar is gorgeous!

Anyway, let me know if I'm close to checking all your boxes, and I'll be happy to provide further ideas.

You don't need tp pull up stakes for each destination. Porec (highly recommended) can easily be done as a day trip from Rovinj. I suggest Ljubljana as a day trip from Lake Bled, if hiking and biking are your priorities, or vice versa.. Be sure to visit Vintgar (sp?) Gorge while in Bled. The Postogna Caves are very impressive, but in a different direction from Ljubljana than Bled.

Slovenia is a hidden gem in the rough. Slovenia is very small and a great road system, you can drive from one side of the country to the other in a day or less. In Lake Bled be sure to stay at http://www.pletna.com/en They have the absolute best view. Ljubljana isn't that impressive and parking can be tough. I'd do a day trip to Lake Bohinj. You could even use Bled as a home base and do a tour through the Alps in a long hard day if you wanted. I love Slovenia!

Hi, sounds like a really impressive tour round you're planning.
I notice you've put a (?) after Zadar in your list? Does that mean you don't think there'll be sufficient time to include it?
I'd 100% recommend at least a day and a night there, possibly at the expense of a night in Piran at the start or Venice at the end of your trip.
Plitvice and the other stunning national park, Krka (near Šibenik) are both doable as day trips from Zadar and it has some of the most amazing sunsets anywhere. Couple that with the two unique waterfront attractions, the Sea Organ & the Greeting to the Sun and you'll be delighted you stopped by :) Enjoy your circuit.