7-Day Croatia Itinerary: Split to Dubrovnik Road Trip (10 and 14-Day Options)
We drove the Dalmatian Coast in September, from Plitvice Lakes down through Split and Makarska to Dubrovnik, and a week is the minimum we would give it. The coast road is stunning and the highways are easy to drive. Here is the route updated for 2026, including what has changed since we went (a new bridge means you no longer cross into Bosnia). Seven days runs Split to Dubrovnik, ten adds Plitvice Lakes, and fourteen adds Zagreb and the island of Hvar.
Split → Krka → Makarska → Ston → DubrovnikZagreb → Plitvice → Split → Makarska → DubrovnikZagreb → Plitvice → Split → Hvar → Makarska → Dubrovnik
day by day
The Croatia itinerary
Zagreb1 night · the capital
DayLand in Zagreb
Pick up your rental car and spend the afternoon in the Upper Town: St. Mark’s Church and its tiled roof, the Dolac market, and the quirky Museum of Broken Relationships.
Plitvice Lakes1 night1 night · 16 lakes and the waterfalls
DayLand in Zagreb, drive to Plitvice Lakes
Plitvice is about two hours south of Zagreb. Sleep near the park entrance so you can walk in at opening the next morning, before the tour buses.
DayDrive to Plitvice Lakes
About two hours south. Sleep near the park entrance so you can walk in at opening the next morning, before the tour buses.
DayPlitvice at opening, then south to Split
Sixteen terraced lakes linked by waterfalls and wooden boardwalks: stunning, and the most visited park in Croatia. Tickets are about €40 from June to September and €23.50 in spring and fall, with timed entry in summer, so book on the official site (np-plitvicka-jezera.hr) and skip the lookalike resellers. Swimming is not allowed. Then drive about three hours to Split. We arrived after dark with nowhere to stay, so book ahead.
Split2 nights3 nights3 nights · Diocletian’s Palace
DayLand in Split and walk Diocletian’s Palace
From spring 2026 to the fall, United flies nonstop from Newark to Split a few times a week; otherwise connect through a European hub. The old town is built inside the 1,700-year-old Roman palace of Emperor Diocletian, and people still live and eat inside its walls. Walk the Riva promenade at sunset, and grab a fresh doughnut from a bakery: ours was enormous and cost about 30 cents.
DayDiocletian’s Palace and the Riva
The old town is built inside the 1,700-year-old Roman palace of Emperor Diocletian, and people still live and eat inside its walls. Walk the Riva promenade at sunset, and grab a fresh doughnut from a bakery: ours was enormous and cost about 30 cents.
DayKrka’s waterfalls
About an hour north of Split. Boardwalks loop around Skradinski buk, the park’s biggest cascade, and boats run up from Skradin from April to October. Swimming under the falls has been banned since 2021 to protect them. Tickets run about €40 in summer, less in spring and fall. Go early, and on the way home, stop at a roadside grill for ćevapi; we looked for them everywhere.
Hvar2 nights · car ferry from Split
DayCar ferry to Hvar
Jadrolinija’s car ferry runs from Split to Stari Grad in about two hours; book ahead in summer. Base in Hvar Town, climb to the Spanish Fortress for sunset, and come back down for dinner on the harbor.
DayThe Pakleni Islands
Water taxis from Hvar Town run out to the Pakleni Islands for swimming coves and beach restaurants. In June and July, the lavender is in bloom inland.
Makarska2 nights2 nights2 nights · beaches under the Biokovo mountains
DayKlis Fortress, then down the coast to Makarska
Twenty minutes above Split, Klis Fortress sits on a windy ridge with sheer limestone cliffs behind it; it played Meereen in Game of Thrones, and has a small exhibition about it. Then drive about an hour and a half down the coast road to Makarska.
DayA Makarska beach day
Long pebble beaches under the Biokovo mountains. We went parasailing, ate the biggest powdered doughnut of our lives, and tried the local rakija (it tastes a bit like tequila). For a view, the Biokovo Skywalk is a glass platform hanging over the cliffs above town.
Dubrovnik2 nights3 nights4 nights · fly home from here
DaySouth to Dubrovnik via the walls of Ston
About two and a half hours. In 2016 our rental did not cover Bosnia, whose short coastal strip at Neum cuts Croatia in two, so we tried to avoid it with a ferry. Since 2022 the Pelješac Bridge skips Neum entirely, with no border crossing. Stop in Ston, whose walls snake over the hills like a piece of the Great Wall of China, and order oysters in Mali Ston.
DayThe city walls, early
Walk the 2 km loop of the Old Town walls first thing in the morning or after about 5 p.m.; midday, when the cruise ships are in, the crowds are intense. The walls are about €40, and the Dubrovnik Pass costs the same but adds Fort Lovrijenac, museums and buses. From the top, look for the brighter orange roof tiles: they replaced roofs damaged in the 1990s war. Later, find Cave Bar More, a bar built into a cave in Lapad.
DayLokrum, the cable car and a swim
Take the 15-minute boat to Lokrum island, ride the cable car up Mount Srđ at sunset, and swim off the rocks. Dubrovnik’s beaches are rocky, so do as the locals do and bring water shoes or an inflatable. We scrambled down a thorny cliff path off the highway to swim, which was more adventure than we expected.
DayCavtat by boat
A short boat ride south to Cavtat, a calm harbor town with a seaside promenade, for a slow last day.
DayFly home from Dubrovnik
The airport is about 30 minutes south of the Old Town. In summer, United flies nonstop to Newark; otherwise connect through Europe. Drop the car at the airport (a one-way rental fee applies).
- Plitvice Lakes. It is about three hours north of Split; add it on a 10-day trip.
- The islands.
- Zagreb arrival and a night at Plitvice Lakes.
- An extra day in Dubrovnik for Lokrum and the cable car.
- A night in Zagreb.
- Two nights on Hvar.
- Two extra days in Dubrovnik: Lokrum, the cable car and Cavtat.
before you go
Watch the whole trip
Itinerary sorted? The whole drive in one film: Plitvice, Split, the Game of Thrones fortress, Makarska, the walls of Ston and Dubrovnik.
the route
Route and road-trip tips
The whole coast in one Google Maps link. Fly in at the top and home from Dubrovnik so you never backtrack. Split to Makarska is about 1.5 hours, Makarska to Dubrovnik about 2.5.
more croatia
Worth adding with more time
Not on this route, but worth the detour.
book this trip
Where to stay
pack for croatia
What we packed
Swimsuits, water shoes for the rocky beaches, sun protection and comfortable shoes for the walls and boardwalks, in one carry-on each. Our gear is from Tripped, our own travel brand.
watch the road trip
Every stop on video
good to know
Croatia trip questions
How many days do you need in Croatia?
At least a week. Seven days covers Split to Dubrovnik with Krka, Klis and Makarska. Ten days adds Plitvice Lakes, and two weeks adds Zagreb and the island of Hvar.
Which airports should you use from the US?
Fly into Split (United flies nonstop from Newark in season) or Zagreb, and home from Dubrovnik (also nonstop to Newark in summer), so you drive the coast one way without backtracking.
Do you need a car in Croatia?
For this route, yes: the coast road and national parks are much easier by car, and the highways are modern. You will pay a one-way drop-off fee. For island hopping, ferries and catamarans connect Split, Hvar and Korčula.
Do you still have to drive through Bosnia to reach Dubrovnik?
No. Since 2022 the Pelješac Bridge lets you skip Bosnia’s short coastal strip at Neum, with no border crossing.
How much are Plitvice Lakes tickets?
About €40 from June to September, €23.50 in spring and fall, and €10 in winter, with timed entry in summer. Book on the official site and go at opening.
Can you swim at Krka National Park?
Not at Skradinski buk, the main waterfall: swimming there has been banned since 2021 to protect the falls.
Are the Dubrovnik city walls worth it?
Yes, at opening or in the evening when the cruise crowds are gone. Tickets are about €40; the Dubrovnik Pass costs the same and adds Fort Lovrijenac, museums and buses.
When is the best time to visit Croatia?
May, June and September: warm sea and long days without the July and August crowds. We went in September.
keep planning
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