We are planning a trip to Croatia for May 2023. We've never been, hoping we can get information in rental cars, hotels/air bnbs and must see stops along the way. Did you fly into and out of the same airport or did you fly out of a different? No idea where to even start!

Jacqueline Kitzan
Just got back last week. Echo a lot of what has been said but here’s a bit more:
Flew into Zagreb and rented a car with Alamo (Same as enterprise, booked directly on the Alamo site for best price) and dropped off in Dubrovnik a few weeks later. No issues and no extra fees.
If you have time you can drive the coast instead of the highways and it’s really beautiful but definitely takes longer. I drove through Omis and certainly would be interested in stopping there for a night next time - it looked beautiful.
If you go to Pula I highly recommend this airbnb it was gorgeous and a short walk to the main area (also has a nice private parking spot) https://abnb.me/HxU1VBiYkub
I loved Pula and Zadar a lot! The arena in Pula and the Sea Organ in Zadar were highlights for me.
If you visit Trogir I cannot recommend Hotel Brown Beach House and Spa enough. A little bougie but worth it. I recommend 2 nights. Trogir town is a 10 minute walk but you won’t want to leave the property
https://e.xpda.co/xhEidtQZS3IANrTv6HHBSsFJhTu
If you do get a car then obviously parking at airbnb’s is important - all of mine had private parking except for Zadar but I had no problem finding free parking just outside (In October. You can DM me for the rest of my airbnb’s if you want.
Highly recommend travelling there in shoulder season.
AIRBNB.CA
Enjoy Pula Center (terrace+private parking garage) - Apartments for Rent in Pula, Istarska županija, Croatia

Take a look at several tour companies to see their itineraries: Rick Steve's, Exodus...read Cameron Hewitt's blogs (a writer for Rick Steve's)...he's an expert on Croatia.

And come 2023...Croatia adopts the Euro.

I went to Croatia in 2007 (a lifetime ago!) and spent time in Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, and Plitvice National Park. For Zagreb, I liked the walkability, the cute cafes, and the small museums peppered around the core. I personally did not enjoy Split as it felt more like a place to spend a lot of money shopping, which isn't what we were looking for. Dubrovnik was AMAZING and certainly the gem of the country. Another gen was certainly Plitvice. Gorgeous lakes and wonderful walking paths. We stayed in one of the very dated hotels in the park and would not recommend it. We arrived in Zagreb by train from Hungary and left through Dubrovnik by ferry to Italy.

Kalin your comments are almost identical, except for their accommodations. They stayed in an air bnb. They loved Croatia

Be careful with car rentals. Dubrovnik is separate from the rest of Croatia and you have to drive through a part of Bosnia to get there. Many charge extra for Bosnia (bad roads, worse drivers) but there are a few that don’t if all you’re doing is the Neum corridor to get to/from Dubrovnik. 10 km. 4 passport controls (entry/exit at each end)

Sharon I think you can drive and stay in Croatia, not have to go through Bosnia (it is just a longer route it looks like going out on the peninsula). I'll have to check into this, thank you!

Sharon Yeah I ended taking a bus to Dubrovnik so I didn't have to deal with the Bosnia part... the bus driver handled it and we just had to show passports.

Sharon they just opened a bridge this summer to avoid this. You can go all the way to Dubrovnik without crossing into Bosnia.

Nada that's what I thought based on Google maps!

rented a car in Zagreb with Enterprise in 2019 and drove all the way to Dubrovnik, crossing the Bosnian border with no issues back then. The border crossing was relatively short part of the whole journey. We visited Plitvice and Vis (more laidback and relaxing compared to Hvar) enroute to Dubrovnik.

Ian yes we used enterprise in 2018 for that reason.
But good to hear about the bridge. It will be really good scenery

Rent your car before you go! We ended up paying $400 for 2 days, last minute in Dubrovnik. We met a couple that had a car for a month for that price!

We spent 2 weeks there in May flying into Dubrovnik and out of Zadar, Via Dublin (because I Won airfare to Dublin). You really don’t want a car in Dubrovnik. It is congested and parking is hard to find. You can daytrip from Dubrovnik to the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro, or Mostar, Bosnia. It is easy to take a bus from Dubrovnik to Split, and from Split to Zadar, staying as long as you want in each place. We rented a car once we got to Zadar and drove to Plitvice Lakes, then all over Istria (Pula, Rovinj, and several hilltop villages) and into Slovenia to Lake Bled, Lipica and Ljubljana before returning the car to Zadar. The bus ride along the coast is very scenic. The weather in May was beautiful, the roses were in bloom all over Istria and it wasn’t too crowded. Feel free to message me if you want more information!

Backpacked through Croatia a few years ago! Split was our favourite. Dubrovnik is a must see but is very touristy for that reason. Plitvice and Krka are gorgeous
We also stayed in Hvar which was good. Lots of options in terms of the islands but would definitely recommend renting a little boat for the day and explore the nearby islands!!!

I am literally sitting in Split, Croatia as I write this. We flew to London (Heathrow)first and spent a few days before flying to Split via Luton. We rented a car from Avia and it has been fine. The driving is a bit weird here and the parking is an absolute nightmare. Buses are abundant, use buses. We drove to Mostar, Bosnia and if I am being honest, I would have loved to start there and spend more time there, it is GORGEOUS. The roads aren't bad as a previous person stated. Bosnian border patrol were hilarious. Also, we flew into Split and drove to Dubrovnik before going to Bosnia (no need to go through Bosnia). Bosnia is cheaper than Croatia for pretty much everything. Oh and to add, I've brought $400 CAD in Kuna (roughly $2000 Kuna) and I am on day 8. I still have a bunch of money left.

If you have time, plan a stop in Cavtat. Beautiful small town with restaurants, cafés, beach and a gorgeous promenade!

I’m from Croatia
. Where do you have plan to go and what’s on your list to visit ?

We were in Croatia this summer. We flew into Dubrovnik and home out of Rijeka. Drove from Dubrovnik to Rijeka with stops along the way and spent a week on a bike/boat tour going through the Croatian Islands. Would 100% recommend spending some time on the islands. PM me for more info.