Need 7-day itinerary Help!

well, obviously you can't really 'hit' 7 places in 7 days. i guess technically you can but you will spend most of your time around bus and trains stations, not enjoying the sights. Is dubrovnik nice? yes. is split worth seeing? yes it is. Given that you can't see everything, you have to make choices. Dropping Dubrovnik seems to free up some time in your schedule so why not?

Given that you only have 7 days and are planning on arrival in Split, I thinking aiming to go both as far south as Dubrovnik and as far north as Zagreb is too much. If you are committed to flying out of Zagreb, then I think Dubrovnik is the obvious place to drop as it's the furthest out of the way. With 7 days you're only going to get a brief taste of Croatia anyway, there's no point worrying about all the places you're going to miss.

Bear in mind that there are also ferries from Italy to Dubrovnik, that would allow you to see Dubrovnik and follow a linear south-to-north route. But even so you'd probably have to skip one or two places on your list due to time constraints.

Thanks for the feedback! My friend really wants to see Dubrovnik. If we start in Dubrovnik, it seems like we will have to stay quite awhile because there are no ferries out to Korcula or Hvar on the 29th. Thinking about the following itinerary:

July 27-30: Dubrovnik
July 30: Ferry to Korcula & stay 1 night
July 31: Ferry to Hvar & stay 2 nights
August 2: Ferry to Split and drive to Plitvice, stay the night in Zagreb
August 3: Fly home

Is Korcula nice and worth the overnighter? Should I only spend one night in Hvar so I can spend a night in Trogir as well? Will I get bored with 3 whole days in Dubrovnik?

If we start in Dubrovnik, it seems like we will have to stay quite awhile because there are no ferries out to Korcula or Hvar on the 29th

Not necessarily, you could get a bus from Dubrovnik to Korcula, or a bus to Split and a ferry to Hvar. Or drive to Orebic and get a ferry to Korcula if you will have a car - you mentioned driving to Plitvice but it's not clear at what point you intend to hire a car

This new schedule sounds more manageable. You could get bored in Dubrovnik after 3 days, it just depends on what you want to do and hw much time you want to spend at the beach. If you do get bored there are lots of day and 1/2 day trips that you can do from Dubrovnik (especially if you have public transportation). I would just consider more time at Plitvice. It sounds like you will have a few hours, and it is worth at least a full day.

Split - Hvar and Dubrovnik is best solution

Thanks again! Okay, I think we've finalized the plan.

Sunday - Tuesday: Italy (Bologna, Pescara)
Tuesday-Thursday: Ferry to Hvar, stay 2 nights
Thursday: Split, stay 1 night
Friday: Plitvice,stay 1 night
Saturday: Zagreb, stay 1 night
Sunday: Fly out of Zagreb

Does that seem doable? Where on Hvar would you recommend staying? I like the idea of staying in the same place both nights and using scooters to get around to other areas. Is that possible?

Thanks, getting excited to go!

Edited by: sfsigh

you don't have to stay overnight at Plitvice - not much to do there in the evening - rather spend it in Split or Zagreb

You might want to look into flights from Italy to Dubrovnik - I found a fairly inexpensive Air Pass flight to Zagreb and I know there are some to Dubrovnik. If you are able to start in Dubrovnik it makes your route much easier. You can also use Split as a hub and fit in day trips to Trogir, Brac and Hvar and not have to spend time looking for a place every night.

Sunday - Italy - Dubrovnik
Monday - Dubrovnik
Tuesday- Bus to Korcula Town
Wed - Ferry to Split - visit Palace and Trogir
Thurs - Split \ Day trip to Brac or Hvar
Friday: Plitvice,stay night in Zagreb
Saturday: Zagreb, stay 1 night
Sunday: Fly out of Zagreb

For my money the charm of Croatia is in the islands, the small towns and the national parks. You could even give Krka NP a quick visit and spend less time in Zagreb. You're trying to fit in a lot but it's all good.