We are arriving in Split late on a Thursday evening and will depart Split sometime on the following Saturday so we will have two nights in Split, one full day and part of the day we depart for Hvar.
Should we spend the one full day in Split or should we take a day trip to the Plitvice Lakes?
An afternoon/evening is plenty if time for Split. Don't miss spectacular Plitvice Lakes/Falls! Its an easy 3 hour drive so you might want to stay overnight. We drove directly to the park entrance and did the upper falls circuit. After our hike we drove to the next village and found a very inexpensive rental for the night (lots to chose from). The next morning we did the lower falls circuit before continuing to our next destination. Driving in Croatia was very easy, great roads and signage.
With so little time before leaving for Hvar, my first inclination is to say spend your time in Split. That would be especially true if you plan to take the 11:00 catamaran to Hvar. However, if you're taking an afternoon catamaran (possible in summer, or at least it was in 2008), then you could take a day trip to Plitvice on Friday and still see a few sights in Split (i.e. Diocletion's Palace) on Saturday before leaving for Hvar. I really love Plitvice, but wouldn't do the day trip if it meant totally missing the sights in Split.
No contest...go to Plitvice. Split is nice enough but really has very little to set it apart from other sites. Plitvice, on the other hand, is STUNNING. My wife and I spent 2 full days exploring the park during our honeymoon in 1990 and it remains one of the highlights of all our travels since.
I agree with most.Split is a great place for a afternoon and evening, but Plivice is the most fantastic place to go. You will not regret going there, so try to squeeze it in. We stopped there from Zagreb on the way to Split. Spent about 5 hours there before catching the bus. If I ever get back in that neck of the woods again wll save more time for exploring. Have fun.
