Oh my gosh, I don’t know if it’s my learning disability or that deciding where to stay in Croatia is like seeing 20 of your favourite food items on a menu in a fine dining restaurant, but I have got information overload on where to stay in Croatia for a week. I’ve checked blogs, tik tok, Reddit, YouTube and honestly I’m just finding out MORE information to the point it’s difficult to plan.
Theres no changing my mind now, as I really want to book Croatia. For ease, we are a couple in our late 20s and from past travels we’ve realised that we do prefer towns / cities when staying anywhere over 5 days, e.g. places that have things to do, explore, and plenty of independent local restaurants to eat out at night and places to explore their local shops with cute gifts, nice beaches and places to walk… as opposed to tranquil, nature places with no little or no restaurants around. Of course I would love this for a day or two, but don’t think I’m wired for it for a week! Of course, we still want the location to be beautiful, but just not isolated into nature (however, if there’s a beautiful island that’s a must please please do recommend as I love beautiful places)!!!
On saying all this I’ve done research and just have no idea where to stay. I’m thinking 10 days in Croatia. I’ve seen people say Split is a good base if you want to go to Krka, Dubrovinik, Hvar, Plitvice, Zadar. However (from my research) it’s about 50:50 where people haven’t been fans of Split, so does it make sense to stay in a place as a base we may not even enjoy? I fear I may get bored of Split!
I’m open to the idea of having a base in 3 x locations max, but ideally and preferably 1 or 2.
Here are places I’ve picked up on my list of research:
• Split / Trogir • Have • Krka • Dubrovnik • Plitvice • Zadar • Rovinj • Losinj • Postira • Brac (Apologies for my typos).
If anyone could give me an itinerary on locations / route to stay that would be amazing.
Croatia looks beautiful, so hence why I’m so keen on going!
Thanks so much all
How many days in Croatia is enough ? (Guide on how to spend 5, 7 or 10 days in 2025)
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From Split, Dubrovnik or Zadar you can see plenty around, from islands to other old charming towns on the Croatian coastline. I would stay 3 days in each base and last day spend where you are flying out from for convenience.
Here are some more 10 day itineraries to think about:
10 Day Itinerary (Croatia & Slovenia Road Trip Itinerary)
Beware these are very active itineraries if you want to sightsee much as possible, I would rather suggest if you want to relax to not change more than 3 bases. If you will have a rent a car you can easily get around and sightsee more on days you feel bored.
Also check out this large database of travelers coming to Croatia: Croatia Travel Tips FAQ
Few notes for you to consider:
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brac is one of my favorite islands, I tend to stay in Bol but that's because it's more of a sleepy fishing town with an amazing artist community. could be a fun day trip for you (especially zlatni rat), it's about 20min drive from postira if memory serves
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the vis/blue cave boat tours from Split and Hvar are amazing, but be warned that you spend ~8 hours on a speed boat travelling to different caves and beaches. you'll be in the sun all day and are on a very structured itinerary, while I think it's very well done, it's not for everyone because of those factors.
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Rovinj and Losinj are pretty out of the way for this itinerary. Istria is my personal favorite area of croatia (I'm from Dubrovnik/dalmatian coast), but it's a trek to get up there that isn't worth it if that's all you're seeing. I'd consider adding in some more towns like basing in Rovinj and driving to Porec, Motovun, etc. (all a 30-45 minute drive) and then flying out through Venice airport since you can then fly direct or with fewer transfers to most places. If your itinerary prohibits you from spending a bit more time in Istria I'd cut Rovinj and Losinj as you can always tack it on with a northern Italy trip given how close it is the the border there.
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depending on the time of year you're going, Dubrovnik can be overwhelming between peak tourism season and all the cruisers coming in. If you'd like to have some respite but be an easy distance, consider staying in cavtat. it's a 30 minute drive to old town, has a local bus connection, and also has a small ferry boat that takes you right there.
A great thing about split is access to boats and ferries to make a trip to an island like Hvar or Vis. We did a day trip to both islands, but uou,could also spend a night or two out there. The palace is awesome to see and learn some history. There are many nice places to eat.
In my mind, Dubrovnik cant be missed. We stayed in an apartment within walking distance of old town.
The Adriatic coast is beyond beautiful. With that said, be sure to see a little of the inland. Go to Plitvice. It’s beautiful. You will drive thru some areas that still bear evidence of the Homeland War….bullet holes in buildings, ruins of buildings, military equipment museum from the war. It’s a good reminder that not long ago, Croatia was fighting a war for independence. As the descendant of immigrants, it was eye opening and humbling.
Zagreb is definitely something I think you will like, but different than the Adriatic, more touristy areas. To me, it was more real as far as Croatian culture goes. Great food, great culture, great history.
We found some great apartments to stay in and a few not as great, but our trip wasn’t about where we were staying, but about what we were seeing and doing while there. Also, learn some basic Croatian before you go. Enjoy.