Help with 5 Days in Croatia

I would vote for #1. Split is a great city but I wouldn't spend more than a day or two there. The old Roman Palace there is well worth seeing - however, that is about it for Split. It is a larger city. It can be busy and congested with zero parking. The pedetrian walk way is nice.....but I would prefer Dubrovnik over Split if I had to choose. By staying in Dubrovnik - you have a lot of options for things to see and do there esp when taking into consideration all the many side trips and the island hopping you can do.

My vote is for #1 also.
We stayed 5 nights in Dubrovnik, enjoyed a leisurely time in the Old Town and took some day trips. The cruise ship crowds were busiest between 10 and 3 pm so we really enjoyed Dubrovnik Old Town after or before "they" were gone. (loved staying within walking distance of the Old Town).

Thanks for the advice. I think we will go with Dubrovnik based on your recommendations!! I appreciate it!

I was in Croatia in July 2009. I like your #3 option. The main attraction in Split is Diocletian's Palace, definitely worth seeing, but takes only a half day. Hvar is a vaction spot. Great place to unwind and just meander. They rent little motor boats at the marina (cheap!) so you can go out and find little coves to drop anchor and swim. Dubrovnik really is the "pearl" of the Adriatic, but there is only about 2 days of things to see. If you are there more than 2 days, definitely plan to get outside the city walls. If you take a ferry from Hvar to Dubrovnik, try to go overnight so you don't waste a day in transit. We took the night ferry from Rijeka to Hvar. We got a little berth, slept all night, had breakfast on board and arrived in Hvar in the morning, ready to go! Whatever you choose, you won't be disappointed, Croatia is beautiful and the people are lovely!

I favor #3 as well. All 3 are worth seeing and are quite small, so you don't need much time. Personally, I like the proportion of time that you gave to each. You can even cut one night off of Hvar and add it to Dubrovnik, if you wish. Many travelers hit Havr just for an overnight...

I spent 6 days in Dubrovnik in 2008 at a meeting and really loved the city. One thing I am sorry to have missed was visiting Bosnia and Montenegro. 2 friends of mine hired a RS recommended taxi driver/guide and went into Bosnia for the day and loved the city.
Split is really only a day visit. I did visit Korcula and Cavtat and missed Hvar.

We spent a week just in Dubrovnik and added a couple extra days. The cruise ships dock away from the old town so altho they did flood the old town occassionally it wasn't too bad. We satyed just outside the Gates. There were day trip opportunities and trips top the islands and Montinegro is so close. We then flew to Zagreb and took a train to Lubliana and Lake Bled. We were not impressed with Zagreb- very Communist feeling buildings all big and blocky.
Another trip we took a ferry from Ancona Italy to Split and drove north along the coast to the Island of Rob and around to Trieste. Split was just OK- some older parts but just not as friendly as Dubrovnik. I would choose Dubrovnik with side trip to islands and Montinegro. Have not been to Hvar