Croatia Road Trip Itinerary: 10 Days from Zagreb to Mljet
Croatia was one of those destinations we heard of, but did not know much about. Once we started researching, we found there were so many places to explore. From ancient cities (think Game of Thrones) to beautiful beaches to a national park with endless waterfalls and we wanted to do as much as we could!
We decided to explore Croatia, on a road trip, but with a caveat: the road trip included a ferry. We spent 10 nights starting in Zagreb and ending in Dubrovink. We did a few other blogs on the places we visited, which you can find here Plitvice Lakes National Park and Mljet Island.
The Breakdown:
We did a rental car pick up in Zagreb and drop off in Split. It can sometimes be a little more expensive to do a one way, but it allowed us to explore the national park Plitvice without a rushed a tour.
We typically rent through our credit card so we get the extra points and for Croatia you do not need an International Drivers license. (At the time of writing this you did not).
We visited in September, which is slightly off season, but still pretty busy, especially in the cities.
Days 1-2: Zagreb
Our first stop was Zagreb. We’d recommend 1-2 nights and we personally stayed slightly outside the city since we had the car. You could also stay in the city and pick up the car before you leave!
Days 2-4:Plitvice Lakes National Park
Our next step was Plitvice Lakes National Park, which is about a 2 hour drive. We stayed 3 days here, but unless you make two visits to the park 2 nights is fine and you can still make a nice day trip to Rastoke.
We stayed at Apartment Kristic and greeted by a friendly owner with Schnapps! We woke up early and did a full day at Plitvice National Parks. An absolutely stunning place with endless waterfalls and blue/green water.
We’d highly recommend visiting this national park, but know the prices can add up quickly and vary by season. If you visit in the offseason (January) tickets start at 10 Euro, but into the busy season (June to the end of September), tickets go up to 40 Euro per person + parking if you have a car! Make sure to buy in advance and look up the times. We saw a couple arrive after they stopped selling tickets and they were sent away.
If you don’t have a car, but still want to visit, there are tours from Split and Zagreb. We are a get your guide partner and you can save 5% using the code Kaylinaandryan5.
We also made a day trip to Rastoke, which is an adorable town with waterfalls running through it, it’s only about a 30 minute drive from the National Park.
Days 5-7: Split
Back on the road we made our way about 3 hours to the coastal town of Split. Make sure to gas up, as there are some parts without a lot. You’ll also be tempted to stop at one of the road side stands for local produce or honey.
Split feels like a living history museum and you could easily spend several days here. We ended up skipping Dubrovnik, so we can’t compare it, but Split checked a lot of boxes for us.
We walked around Diocletian’s Palace, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, and was amazed how lively it was today. You can explore Roman ruins amongst modern shops and locals living.
We stayed slightly outside the city since we had the car, but it’s extremely busy, so it could be good to ditch the car at the airport and stay closer to the ferry port.
The upside of staying outside the city - we did have a beautiful beach within walking distance.
Days 7-10: Island life: Mljet Island
We dropped the car early at the split airport and took a taxi back to the ferry port. We decided to visit Mljet since it was less of a “party” island and covered in mostly national park. There are lots of beautiful Croatian Islands,so take your pick to wrap up your “road” trip.
We put together a detailed blog of our time on Mljet Island -including the national parks and an awesome cliff jumping spot!
We stayed in an Airb&B that looked directly into the national park on the trees and mountains, it was in goveðari, which is the oldest town in the national park. The town is only residential and full of large old stone homes and lots of cats! The last count showed only 1100 people live on the total island of Mljet. The owners were very friendly, accommodating and great hosts! We didn't see the place we stayed here, but here are some VRBO's in the area!
After relaxing and in exploring in Mljet, we headed back to Dubrovnik via ferry. The good news is there is a bus to the airport, but bad news is the traffic was very bad and we could have missed our flight. If you are traveling in Dubrovink, make sure to give yourself extra time
Overall we had an incredible time exploring Croatia and hope to go back one day!
FAQ:
How many days do you need in Croatia? We stayed for 10 days which felt like a good “taste” of what there was to see, but we would loved to visit another island and/or spent time in Dubrovnik and could have easily spent 2-3 weeks.
Do you need a car? No, but it allowed us to visit the national park in Plitvice Lakes on our own time and see more of the countryside.
Is Mljet Island worth it? Yes for us! It was the perfect mix of nature and beautiful beaches.
Should you visit Croatia in September? We went early September and it was still pretty crowded, but the water was nice and the weather slightly cooler.
