Design a Croatia trip

[Mossiebonbon]

Hi everyone that has been to Croatia! We have 2-3 weeks in school summer holidays late July and Aug and would like to design a multi centre trip within Croatia (and possibly Montenegro).
Anyone that has done similar I would really appreciate your ideas about a realistic itinerary. We love beautiful scenery, hidden beaches (stony is fine) and brief trips to larger cities . I know it’s super busy in august but are there some places that are less busy? We would hire a car but we’re thinking of flying into one airport and out of another to cover more ground. We have two teenagers that enjoy water parks too 😉 Where should we go and what order?!

We flew to Dubrovnik, a few days there, including a GoT tour and a couple of trips out to a nearby uninhabited island.
Then up to Korcula, Tir, and Split. Few days in each.
Followed by sleeper train to Zagreb.
While in Zagreb we also did a day trip to Llublijana by train.
Then flew home from Zagreb. Loved it, and would love to go back.
Out of the places we visited Split
was probably my least favourite.

I would honestly try and include Montenegro when you're that end of Croatia. It's drop dead gorgeous! Lots of tiny stone beaches around Kotor bay. Go for a hike up to the fortress from Old Town Kotor for the most fantastic view.

However ...... do bear in mind the border crossing from Croatia to Montenegro and back again can be very busy so best to do this at the extremes of the day I.e. very early or very late. (There is a longer route for the crossing but often it's quicker to do it this way).

For Dubrovnik I would stay in Cavtat - a nice town with a stony beach and get the regular passenger boat to Dubrovnik to explore the city. Far cheaper to do it this way, and fun to arrive by boat straight into the city.

Thank you both, will get researching!

Plitvice lakes were fab. We went in the late afternoon as it is quieter and all the tour buses have gone

I haven't done this but have done several trips to Croatia. You haven't mentioned Istria which is lovely, I think Opatija will suit well, there's a lovely long walk along the seafront. You can also do day trips to Slovenia from there, we went to Lake Bled which was lovely. From Rovinj we went on a day trip to Venice (although that's a very long day, and if you're already doing a lot of traveling around you might not be bothered).

In Dubrovnik I'd either stay for a longer period and stay in Cavtat or else just go for a couple of days and stay in one of the really nice hotels that are right at the gates - my info is out of date, but I'd look at the Argentina, Excelsior and the "new" (ten year old!) small boutique hotel whose name escapes me. The old town is absolutely rammed in the day with cruise tours, so I'd go in in the morning, chill in the hotel for the afternoon and then go back into town for the evening.

We stayed in Opatija and found it a bit dull but Pula, Rovinj and Porec are all stunning. Also loved Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj and Ljubljana in Slovenia.

Went to Dubrovnik pre-Easyjet and Game of Thrones. Not sure I'd fancy it now but worth going to get to Kotor which is breathtaking. Budvar in Montenegro was also lovely, as were the mountains. Podgorica (the capital) is a shithole.

We also did a day trip from Dubvronik to Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina which was fascinating

Thanks all-
Is mid August a terrible time to go in terms of everything being overwhelmingly busy ? I know Dubrovnik gets rammed but how about the islands and other towns , is it a holiday spoiler?

We flew to Split (which I loved). Did some islands. Then Dubrovnik (which I hated, the cruise ships have turned it into a zombie-filled Disney land) then Kotor. We did a walking trip to Cetijnene then we took the train north and ended up in Zagreb, which is great.

Padamae - yes please how do I find you on a Instagram?? Please let me know when blog ready!! Did you go in peak season??

I flew to Dubrovnik, got a ferry to Hvar, then the ferry to Split, hired a car and drove to Zadar, then drove to Zagreb via Plitvice National Park and flew home from there.

It was amazing.

We did Split, Brac, Hvar, Korcula, Dubrovnik. In order of favourites: Korcula (town and Lumbarda, Brac (Supertar), Split , Hvar (town) and Dubrovnik. Both Hvar and Dubrovnik beautiful but too busy and too full of the Hooray Henry yacht set!

If you go to Zagreb, do visit the gallery of naive art, and the museum of broken relationships.

So helpful everyone really appreciate your comments!

We did Kolocep - a beautiful small island with no cars.

Sipan - bigger but beautiful.

Korcula- Stayed in Racisce, a beautiful village about 20 minutes away from Korcula town.

We enjoyed each island and each had their own plus points.

For me, as a family Korcula and our accommodation in Racisce was just fantastic - we shared mountain bikes, found quiet beaches, jumped off piers and snorkeled. It was perfect...and cheaper than the islands closer to Dubrovnik.

thanks for recommendations @weekendninja

We have been once, staying in a lovely hotel in Porec harbour. Lovely part of the country. Inland it is very peaceful, as loads of people got out during wars and communist years. Pula is a fantastic small city with an incredible Roman amphitheatre a castle and in one of the squares a 2,000 year old temple. It felt like the UK before H &S and profits became so important. We loved it. From Porec you get get a ferry for a day trip to Venice which was good.