Crestview1

Hi, we are booked to go to Croatia late May. Active couple late 50s. Tentative itinerary:

Day 1 Arrive Dubrovnik mid afternoon (from Prague)/explore Dubrovnik
Day 2 Montenegro (day excursion with group)
Day 3 Eliphate Islands
Day 4 Driver to Split via Mostar (only one ferry is available that day)
Day 5 Split
Day 6 Hvar
Day 7 Krka/Trogir
Day 8 Blue Cave/Pakleni Island
Day 9 Fly home from Split

We will be staying in Dubrovnik and Split. Had thought about staying in Hvar a night or two and doing the boat activities, but seems like more flexibility to stay in Split and do a day trip. Does this itinerary seem feasible? We will not have a car and plan to do some of the day group excursions. Do we need to book in advance or can we book when we see the weather to have more flexibility?

kja

Rather than hiring a driver to take you to Split, you can take a bus to Mostar. I found the bus comfortable and convenient, and the scenery through the part along the Dalmatian coast (sit to the west) is absolutely stunning. Consider spending the night in Mostar, which is, IME, much more enjoyable after day trippers leave.

Late May is a delightful time to see this area - enjoy!

Moderator1

Moved to the Europe Forum

alexwaltner90

Having Split as a base is great. And you can easily do a day trip to Hvar as well as Krka and Trogir from there.

euro_swallow

Agreed, a bus is a much more feasible option, and the scenery is quite something.

Apart from that, your itinerary seems quite packed, but great nonetheless! Enjoy Croatia!

LancasterLad

I agree with kja [#3] about Mostar. The Old Town and Bridge are magnets for Tour Groups, and the place will be saturated with them during the core hours. That area is far more pleasant after the day trippers have gone home, so far better done with an overnight stay. We stayed at the Mozart Motel, which was pleasant enough @ €35 a night for a double ensuite including breakfast, and very close to the bus station on the way to the Old Town.

Unlike kja our bus experience between Split and Mostar in both directions wasn't that great. We used Globtours, the buses had seen better days, and on the outward trip from Split several seats were broken in permanent recline, which not only made them unusable, but also the seats that they backed onto. The journey between Split and Mostar takes between 3.5 and 4 hours, and is very scenic.

kja

I don't remember the name of the bus I took, but it was a regular intercity (international, in this case) bus, not a tour bus.

LancasterLad

Globtour are a regular scheduled international intercity operator...

https://globtour.getbybus.com/en/

I couldn't find another option for the trip from Split to Mostar, and return. But I think there are more options on the Dubrovnik to Mostar route.

kja

Sorry!
I traveled from Mostar to Dubrovnik, and a quick check of rome2rio.com indicates that Globtour is just one of 3 bus companies plying that route, the others being Croatia Bus and Centrotrans Eurolines.