Croatia Itinerary: Split to Dubrovnik

On the eastern coast of the Adriatic sea, a renaissance in tourism to Croatia is underway. Though a very popular destination for Europeans for over 40 years, Croatia is only now coming into its own for Americans, when—finally—gleaming new cities have been rebuilt out of the wreckage of the civil war of the mid-1990s.

When cruise ships first returned to Split and Dubrovnik in the late 1990s, cruise passengers might have seen bombed-out buildings on their way to the beach. But the pace of infrastructure repair caught up with skyrocketing tourism, and since 2001, Croatia has come onto travelers' radar in a big way. Now it is a major summer destination for hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Most people planning a trip will go to Split, Dubrovnik, or one of the beautiful islands in between. There are many ways to travel, of course, and our forums are full of suggestions: Is 8 days too short?, Itinerary & Lodging help, and Favorite Islands? are just a few recent examples. For our take on the essential places to see in Croatia, consider this itinerary (link to pdf) from Fodor's Croatia & Slovenia.

Orientation

Both Split and Dubrovnik have international airports, so this itinerary could be reversed if you want to fly into Dubrovnik. Both cities are popular in summer, so be warned: you won't be sightseeing by yourself in August. In some respects, this itinerary can be best enjoyed without a car, as traffic and parking in high season are frazzling aspects of the southern Dalmatian coast. A little advance research about ferry schedules at the time of your travel (ferry and hydrofoil service is significantly reduced in the off-season) can make this a pleasant, mostly seafaring itinerary. Try to start your weeklong trip on a weekday (Monday to Monday, for example) instead of the weekend, so that your weekends are spent on a quiet island instead of in bustling Split or Dubrovnik.