10 Days in Croatia Itinerary: Coast, Lakes and Zagreb

Ten days in Croatia adds the inland north to the classic coast: Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik by ferry, then Plitvice and Zagreb by a short flight. Two nights each in Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik, one long park day, two capital nights. This 10 days in Croatia itinerary keeps every transfer short except the one flight that earns its fare.

Key Takeaways

• Days 1 to 2: Split. Days 3 to 4: Hvar. Days 5 to 6: Dubrovnik.
• Day 7: fly north. Day 8: Plitvice plus Rastoke. Days 9 to 10: Zagreb.
• Open jaw both ends: into Split, home from Zagreb. Never backtrack.
• Plitvice needs the 7am opening and a timed ticket booked weeks ahead.
• Mid-range couples spend roughly €2,600 to €3,400 for two excluding international flights, tours included.

How should you split 10 days across five stops?

Days	Where	The point of the stop
1 to 2	Split	Palace, Riva, Trogir or Krka
3 to 4	Hvar	Fortica, Pakleni, Stari Grad
5 to 6	Dubrovnik	Walls, cable car, Lokrum
7	Transfer	Fly Dubrovnik to Zagreb
8	Plitvice	Program H loop, Rastoke mills
9 to 10	Zagreb	Cathedral, markets, museums

The shape runs coast then capital: sea first, lakes and city last. The flight on day 7 splits the trip into two holidays and resets tired legs. The 7-day version covers the same coast without the north; these three extra days buy waterfalls and a capital.

Days 1 to 4: Split plus Hvar at 10-day pace?

Days 1 and 2 follow the coast pace with one luxury the 7-day trip lacks: choice. Spend day 2 in Trogir plus Marjan, or burn it fully on Krka’s waterfalls with an early tour. Ten days allow both impulses across the fortnight: Krka now, Trogir as a half day later, or reverse. The Krka day needs the 7am-start tour or bus to beat the Skradin crowds; the Trogir half day needs only sunscreen and swimsuits for the beach return. The palace evenings stay fixed: Peristil, Riva, Varoš dinner.

Days 3 and 4 move to Hvar with an extra night over the short route. Day 3 ferries across, climbs Fortica and works the riva. Day 4 boats the Pakleni islets in the morning, then chooses: Stari Grad old town by bus, or the Brač crossing to Zlatni Rat for the famous spit. The Brač day needs the morning ferry from Hvar Town with a bus connection to Bol; the Stari Grad day needs only the island bus. For example, beach lovers should ferry to Bol for the day while culture lovers bus to Stari Grad: the island serves both without moving beds.

Days 5 to 7: Dubrovnik then north?

Days 5 and 6 give Dubrovnik the unhurried version. Day 5 transfers south by seasonal catamaran or via Split, then runs the Stradun and the Srđ cable car at sunset. Day 6 walks the walls at the 8am opening (€40 with Lovrijenac, walls guide) and ferries to Lokrum for the afternoon. The extra Dubrovnik time over the short route funds one indulgence: a cliff-bar swim at Buža, a sea-kayak loop under the walls, or the Ston walls plus oyster lunch up the coast.

Day 7 flies north. The Dubrovnik to Zagreb hop takes about an hour and usually costs less than the sightseeing day overlanding would burn. Evening lands on Tkalčićeva street: Zagreb’s bar lane runs convivial and cheap after Dubrovnik prices. Sleep central: days 9 and 10 walk from here.

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What does the fortnight cost?

Item	Budget pp	Mid-range pp
Stay, 9 nights	315	810
Food and drink	270	520
Ferries and buses	110	190
Flight Dubrovnik-Zagreb	60	120
Tours and entries	150	320
Total	905	1,960

Hostels, bakeries and buses hold the budget line. Mid-range buys palace apartments, konoba dinners and guided park days. The Dubrovnik flight is the only transfer that costs real money: book it early and it lands under €100. Walls (€40), Plitvice (€40 peak) and the Krka tour form the sightseeing floor. Shoulder months trim coast hotels while timetables still run full.

What should you eat along the route?

The coast grills fish with chard and potatoes; the capital stews meat with dumplings. Split’s pasticada, Hvar’s gregada stew, Dubrovnik’s buzara mussels and Ston oysters cover the sea days. Zagreb switches register: štrukli cheese dough, Zagreb schnitzel stuffed with ham and cheese, and hearty mushroom stews. Markets track the shift: Split’s fish market mornings, Dolac’s produce arcades, Dubrovnik’s Gundulićeva square.

Harbour towns charge the view everywhere, so step one street back in each. Bakeries cover burek breakfasts for a few euros daily. Konobas in Varoš, Stari Grad and Gruž serve locals first at fair prices. Zagreb drops the bill a third below the coast: splurge the last nights without guilt. Full tables land in the budget guides; dish detail in the food guides.

Days 8 to 10: Plitvice plus Zagreb?

Day 8 is the park day. Buses reach the lakes from Zagreb in 2 hours; tours bundle tickets and Rastoke village. Enter at the 7am opening with a timed ticket (€40 peak, €23.50 shoulder), walk Program H’s 9km loop, ride the Kozjak boat, and stop at Rastoke’s mills on return (park programs).

Day 9 walks Zagreb uphill. The cathedral at sunrise, Dolac market by mid-morning, St Mark’s tiled square, the Grič tunnel, then the funicular down. Štrukli, the baked cheese dough, anchors lunch. Afternoon covers the Museum of Broken Relationships, small and moving, or the Mimara’s wider collections. Coffee on Tkalčićeva stretches into dinner without moving far.

Zagreb cathedral at dawn. Mornings empty the upper town completely.

Day 10 slows down. The Mimara museum or the Museum of Broken Relationships, Zrinjevac park, last shopping on Ilica, and an easy airport exit. Zagreb beds cost the least of the trip: upgrade the last night without guilt.

Ban Jelačić square. The capital’s living room sits between museums and markets.

Spend the flight money without guilt. Travellers balk at the Dubrovnik to Zagreb hop and then burn the same cash on extra Dubrovnik nights at peak prices. The flight swaps an expensive evening for a cheap capital one while adding a national park. Budgets rarely survive sentimentality; routes should not either.

Book the three fixed tickets before hotels: summer catamarans, Plitvice timed entry and the Dubrovnik walls approach. Visovac monastery boats and Krka tours flex around them. Travellers who lock rooms first then find sold-out boats rebuild the fortnight; travellers who lock transport first sleep easy.

Costs run mid-range with a capital discount at the end: Zagreb hotels and dinners undercut the coast by a third. Ferry, flight and tour prices move with the season, so run a last fact check on operator timetables close to travel. The Croatia hub holds the companions, with the Europe collection behind them.

Day-by-day itinerary

• Days 1–2 — Split
• Days 3–4 — Hvar Town
• Days 5–6 — Dubrovnik
• Days 7–9 — Zagreb
• Day 10 — Home

1. 01

   Day 1: Split: arrive and walk the palace

   Land, settle in, and spend the evening on the Peristil and Riva.

   • Golden Gate
   • Peristil
   • Riva promenade

   Overnight: Split

2. 02

   Day 2: Trogir and Krka or Marjan

   UNESCO Trogir plus Marjan, or the full Krka waterfalls day.

   • Trogir old town
   • Marjan hill
   • Skradinski Buk (option)

   Overnight: Split

3. 03

   Day 3: Ferry to Hvar and Fortica

   Morning catamaran, fortress climb, harbour evening.

   • Split port
   • Hvar Town harbour
   • Fortica fortress

   Overnight: Hvar Town

4. 04

   Day 4: Pakleni islets and Brač

   Water taxis to Palmižana, optional Zlatni Rat crossing.

   • Palmižana bay
   • Zlatni Rat (option)
   • Hvar riva

   Overnight: Hvar Town

5. 05

   Day 5: To Dubrovnik and the cable car

   Seasonal catamaran or Split transfer south, Srđ at sunset.

   • Hvar port
   • Dubrovnik Old Port
   • Srđ cable car

   Overnight: Dubrovnik

6. 06

   Day 6: Walls at opening and Lokrum

   Ramparts early, island afternoon, Stradun evening.

   • City Walls
   • Fort Lovrijenac
   • Lokrum island

   Overnight: Dubrovnik

7. 07

   Day 7: Fly north to Zagreb

   Short hop to the capital, evening on Tkalčićeva street.

   • Dubrovnik Airport
   • Ban Jelačić Square
   • Tkalčićeva street

   Overnight: Zagreb

8. 08

   Day 8: Plitvice and Rastoke day

   Early bus to the lakes, Program H loop, mill village return.

   • Entrance 1
   • Great Waterfall
   • Kozjak boat
   • Rastoke

   Overnight: Zagreb

9. 09

   Day 9: Zagreb upper town

   Cathedral, Dolac market, St Mark's square, Grič tunnel.

   • Zagreb Cathedral
   • Dolac market
   • St Mark's square

   Overnight: Zagreb

10. 10

    Day 10: Museums and home

    Mimara or broken relationships, last štrukli, fly home.

    • Mimara museum
    • Zrinjevac park
    • Zagreb Airport

    Overnight: Home

Frequently asked questions

Is 10 days enough for Croatia?

Yes for coast plus inland: Split, Hvar, Dubrovnik, Plitvice and Zagreb in ten days. It skips Istria and Korcula, which each deserve days of their own. Fly open jaw, into Split and home from Zagreb.

How do you get from Dubrovnik to Plitvice?

Fly Dubrovnik to Zagreb in about an hour, then bus 2 hours to the lakes. Overlanding the whole way burns a full day on buses. The flight usually costs less than the hours it saves.

Should you stay overnight at Plitvice?

It buys the 7am opening, which day-trippers never see. But one park night plus two Zagreb nights complicates bags; most 10-day routes day-trip from Zagreb instead. Either works: pick solitude or simplicity.

Is Zagreb worth two days?

Yes as a decompression stop: cathedral, markets, upper town, museums and proper continental food after a week of islands. It also holds the cheapest beds of the trip and the easiest airport exit.

Can you add Korcula or Mljet in ten days?

Only by cutting Zagreb or Plitvice. Korcula pairs with a Dubrovnik stay via ferry; Mljet needs a full day. This route keeps the inland parks instead, which most first-timers rank higher.

Useful links (5)

1. Diocletian's Palace, Wikipedia— en.wikipedia.org
2. Dubrovnik City Walls visitor guide— citywallsofdubrovnik.com
3. Lake tour programs, Plitvice Lakes National Park— np-plitvicka-jezera.hr
4. Plitvice Lakes Tickets and Prices 2026— plitvicelakesticket.com
5. Attractions, Visit Hvar official tourist board— visithvar.hr

Photo credits

Thank you to Neoneo13, Larisa Uhryn and Miroslav Vajdic for sharing these beautiful photographs and helping bring this guide to life.

Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 2.0