12-day itinerary in May

[Gracielou]

Hi,

My sister and I are thinking of travelling around Croatia (possibly renting a car for all or part of the trip) in 2 weeks time and don't have anything planned yet! We'd like a mix of nature/culture/relaxation.

We are there for 12 days and I was thinking of the following:

Dubrovnik 2 days

(ferry to) Mljet 1-2 days
(ferry/catamaran to) Hvar 1-2 days
(not sure how yet) Split 1-2 days
(not sure how yet) Zadar 1-2 days
(not sure how yet)  Plitvice Lakes (1 day)

(not sure how yet) Pula (1 day)
(not sure how yet) Istarske Plitvice
(not sure how yet) Zagreb 2 days

We were wondering if it's best to rent a car and drive round when we get back to the mainland? Also, since it seems like there's a lot there, if there are some similar places in the itinerary that we can possibly skip.

Would appreciate any help

Thanks,
Grace

[upthevilla]

if you are travelling to Pula in istria, then its a long way just for the 1 day and the 1 city. you should also look at Rovinj and Motovun and instead spend 2 to 3 days in istria.
forget public transport, hire a car,driving is easy

[ivetron]

upthevilla is spot on, rent a car. Also, that's a lot in 12 days and so if you are going in the warmer months which begin pretty soon, I might consider skipping Zagreb and focusing on the coast, Istria and the islands. For me, checking out Split in a day is fine and enough and then head off to Hvar or Brac. I also wouldn't rule out skipping part of Croatia and taking a trip to Mostar or Sarajevo. Just a thought.

[Gracielou]

Thanks for your thoughts.

Yes we are flying into Dubrovnik and out of Zagreb. We'll cut down the number of destinations to make a more worthwhile trip.

Thanks again guys!

[mickanddeb09]

Good advice from everyone. DEFINATELY hire a car. And there is waaaaaaaaaaaay too much to take in in just 12 days.
Suggestion:
Why not plant yourself somewhere like Makarska or Baska Voda for the first 5 -6 days and do day trips to Split, Zadar, Hvar, Brac etc. Then drive up to Istra and do Pula, Rovinj, Rijeka etc.
Enjoy!