How to Spend 10 Days in Croatia

This ten-day route connects Croatia’s capital, its two most famous national parks, and the southern Dalmatian coast. It is built for travelers who want the big names (Plitvice, Split, Dubrovnik) with enough breathing room to enjoy them, plus an island stop in between. The pace is moderate, with three one-night stops in the first half and longer stays at the end. You will rely on intercity buses, a short local bus and two catamaran crossings.

Days 1-2: Zagreb

Fly into Zagreb and give it two nights. The Upper Town is small enough to cover on foot in an afternoon, and the Museum of Broken Relationships is the one place you should not skip: a collection of objects donated by people after breakups, each with a short story attached. Some are funny, some hurt to read, and it is unlike any museum you have visited. Spend your second morning at Dolac market under the red umbrellas.

Days 3-4: Plitvice Lakes and Šibenik

The bus from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes takes 2 to 3 hours and costs around €12 to 18. … read more 👉

This ten-day route connects Croatia’s capital, its two most famous national parks, and the southern Dalmatian coast. It is built for travelers who want the big names (Plitvice, Split, Dubrovnik) with enough breathing room to enjoy them, plus an island stop in between. The pace is moderate, with three one-night stops in the first half and longer stays at the end. You will rely on intercity buses, a short local bus and two catamaran crossings.

Days 1-2: Zagreb

Fly into Zagreb and give it two nights. The Upper Town is small enough to cover on foot in an afternoon, and the Museum of Broken Relationships is the one place you should not skip: a collection of objects donated by people after breakups, each with a short story attached. Some are funny, some hurt to read, and it is unlike any museum you have visited. Spend your second morning at Dolac market under the red umbrellas.

Days 3-4: Plitvice Lakes and Šibenik

The bus from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes takes 2 to 3 hours and costs around €12 to 18. Stay overnight near the park entrance so you can walk the boardwalks of the upper lakes at opening. The Plitvice Waterfalls, especially the 78-meter Veliki slap, are best seen before the day groups arrive around 9 a.m. Book your ticket and time slot online in summer, when entry costs around €40.

On Day 4, ride south to Šibenik, usually with a change in Zadar (4 to 5 hours in total). Stop for the Cathedral of St James in Šibenik, built entirely of stone without brick or wood supports and ringed by a frieze of 71 carved human heads, each a different face. Then take the local bus to Skradin (about 30 minutes), a small riverside village where you will sleep.

Days 5-6: Krka and Split

Skradin puts you at the front door of Krka. Take the first park boat upriver to Skradinski buk, walk the loop through the cascades and old watermills, and leave before noon. The afternoon bus takes you to Split in about 1.5 to 2 hours. One night is enough here on this route: spend Day 6 morning in the Diocletian’s Palace Substructures and the old town above, then catch an afternoon catamaran to Hvar.

Days 6-8: Hvar

Hvar town gets two nights. Walk the lavender-lined path up to the Fortica fortress, take a taxi boat to the Pakleni islands for swimming, and eat dinner in the back lanes rather than on the harbor front, where prices jump. If you prefer quieter nights, stay in Stari Grad instead and bus across the island.

Days 8-10: Dubrovnik

In summer, the catamaran from Hvar to Dubrovnik takes about 3.5 hours, often stopping at Korčula. Walk the Dubrovnik City Walls and Fortresses when they open on your first full morning to avoid the heat and cruise crowds; the circuit takes about 2 hours. Afterward, visit the Rector’s Palace and Cultural History Museum, the Gothic-Renaissance seat of the old republic, where the elected rector lived under near house arrest during his one-month term. Day 10 is your departure day from Dubrovnik airport, about 30 minutes away by shuttle bus.

At Krka, pay the extra for the boat to Visovac, a tiny islet holding a Franciscan monastery in the middle of the river, reached only on this separate boat trip.