Aseaton2

Hi all! My spouse and I are headed to Croatia at the end of September and we have everything booked and ready to go. However, I'm starting to get nervous that we didn't reserve enough time in Split (only 1 full day). People on this forum talked about Plitvice Lakes so much, that we felt we couldn't miss it! Here's the start of our itinerary:
- Sep 25: Arrive at Split airport at 12pm. We plan to drive to Sibenik to stretch our legs for a few hours and then head to Plitvice Lakes Area in the evening.
- Sep 26: Tour Plitvice Lakes (we're planning to do a 5-6 hour route, which is good enough for us). Head to Split, planning to stop in Zadar for a few hours on the way. Spend the night in Split.
- Sep 27: Full day and night in Split.
- Sep 28: Head to Hvar.
My question is, do you think this is enough time in Split? We really love urban areas and probably prefer that to wildlife on vacation, but I do really enjoy nature and hiking (more than my spouse). Is Plitvice Lakes really necessary to see, or should we cancel our plans there and optimize more time in Split?
Thank you!

thursdaysd

I enjoyed both, but Plitvice is unique.

kja

I love Split, but as thursdaysd says, the Plitvice Lakes are unique and spectacular. I don’t think you would regret going and the 5 to 6 hour route is perfect.

I hope you won’t be crossing multiple time zones before driving — doing so is much more dangerous to yourselves and anyone else on the road than most people realize.

rialtogrl

I’d keep an eye on the weather. If it’s pouring rain, I don’t think it would be worth driving to Plitvice. You could visit Krka instead.

progol

While I completely agree that Plitvice is unique and very worth a stop, I’m a little confused over your plan since you are only mentioning 3 days out of what I assume is a longer trip. Where are you flying in from? How long are you traveling after Split? Will you be in Hvar for 1 day or multiple days? Where do you go after Hvar?

As kja says, after a long flight overseas, it is a long drive to Sibenik and on to Plitvice. If it’s a short distance flight, that should be fine. But, as rialtogirl mentions, the weather might not be conducive to a visit to Plitvice and you’d be better off staying in Split and having the choice to do a day trip to Krka.

The answer is “it all depends”. The answers to the above questions and comments might help answer your question.

Travel_Nerd

That is a LOT of moving for only 4 days of travel! It feels very rushed and you have not given much time being, well, anywhere.

I do hope you are coming from some place close and won't have jetlag to contend with.

dreamon

Can you not decide after you've had your full day in Split? Then you'll be better able to decide whether you want another day in town or take the journey to Plitvice or Krka. Since we visited Plitvice, I think the ticketing arrangements have changed (we didn't book in advance) so you'd need to check this.

Alternatively, if you think you'll want more time in Split, don't stop in Zadar. But if you do go to Zadar, I really enjoyed the glass museum (I have a love of glass).

As ever with travel, it would be easy to spend more time everywhere you go. The more I travel (and perhaps the older I get) the more I'm deciding to visit fewer places for longer, and while I think that's a better approach for me there's always that tug for the places I'm missing.

rialtogrl

You can (and should, in high season) book tickets in advance but for next week there are plenty of tickets. And you can just show up and buy them, but check the number of available tickets first.

https://ticketing.np-plitvicka-jezer...ndex.aspx?l=EN