Croatia & Slovenia Itinerary in 10 days
Croatia and Slovenia can easily be visited on one itinerary, because the distances aren’t too big and you don’t need any special paperwork if you’re driving a rental car.
Small and often overlooked, Slovenia is one of Europe’s most charming and delightful off-the-radar destinations.
This 10-day itinerary takes you on a journey from Dubrovnik to Ljubljana. You can modify this itinerary to extend your trip and do a full week in Slovenia and 10 days in Croatia (which I highly recommend, but not everyone has time for it).
This popular road trip in Croatia and Slovenia includes cities, must-see medieval villages, and UNESCO-listed landmarks, and doesn’t require changing your base every night.
For country counters, there are options to add two additional countries to this itinerary: Montenegro & Bosnia. Or, you can skip those day trips and either spend more time in places you’re visiting or include Istria – I created another itinerary here for that.
On this Croatia-Slovenia road trip, you’ll have only three bases: Dubrovnik (3 nights), Split (3 nights), and Ljubljana (4 nights).
Croatia & Slovenia Itinerary
- Day 1-2: Explore Dubrovnik
- Day 3: Day Trip to Kotor Montenegro
- Day 4: Drive To Split & explore Split
- Day 5: Split: Island Hopping Tour
- Day 6: Day Trip To Mostar
- Day 7: Visit Plitvice Lakes National Park driving to Ljubljana
- Day 8: Explore Ljubljana
- Day 9: Day Trip to Lake Bled & Vintgar Gorge
- Day 10: Day Trip to Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle
When to Go?
Slovenia isn’t very touristy, but visiting Croatia in the peak tourist season makes things complicated.
The peak tourist season runs from May through September, with the most traffic in late July and I absolutely don’t recommend going in July and August.
Fall is a great time to visit with little crowds. If you’re up for cooler temperatures, wintertime can be excellent to see the snowy peaks of Slovenia and even possibly do some skiing if you wish.
Renting a Car in Croatia and Slovenia
Renting a car and driving it to Slovenia from Croatia isn’t an issue and is a recommended way to travel. However, if you don’t want to rent a car, public transportation also works in Croatia and parts of Slovenia.
Driving around is easy with wide highways and many signs. You can pay your tolls in cash or card and get a vignette for Slovenia at a gas station. A vignette is required to be purchased before entering the Slovenian motorway network.
Unless you’re planning on doing organized tours to Bosnia and Montenegro (which I highly recommend) you need to make sure that your car rental agent knows that you’re leaving the country for a day or two and give you special paperwork.
Day 1-2: Dubrovnik
Fly into Dubrovnik, because it’s the easiest and most affordable way to get to Croatia, as lots of budget airlines fly to Dubrovnik.
The city of Dubrovnik attracts tourists all year round. This is where the Game of Thrones (along with other movies and series) was filmed. Though crowded, it’s truly breathtaking and a must-visit in Croatia.
You can start your morning with a walk along the city’s famous walls for some sublime views or get on a cable car to the top of Mount Srdj.
In the afternoon you can take a short ferry ride to the nearby Lokrum where GoT fans can pose with the Iron Throne. Alternatively, you can kayak around and swim in beautiful waters.
Where to stay in Dubrovnik
Prijeko Palace: Set just 50 m from its well-known Stradun Promenade in the heart of Old Town, this brightly-lit palace hotel features 16th-century architecture and gorgeous rooms. Buza beach is 300 m away.