Self-Launched Croatia: Zagreb to Dubrovnik (Plitvice, Split, Hvar & Ston)

Land at Zagreb Airport and take the Pleso Prijevoz shuttle bus (£7) or city bus line 290 to the main bus station, then a tram (€0.53 single ticket) to your hostel near Ban Jelačić Square. Check in, then walk the free-spirited Upper Town loop yourself: Ban Jelačić Square, Dolac Market, Tkalčićeva street, St Mark's Church with its tiled roof, the Stone Gate and Lotrščak Tower. Grab a cheap dinner of štrukli or ćevapi at a konoba in the Lower Town. Book your Plitvice bus and Split bus tickets tonight at the Autobusni Kolodvor or on the Arriva/FlixBus apps.

🚌Airport shuttle bus ~£7 + tram ~£0.50

🛏Hostel in central Zagreb (dorm £16–22, private double £45–60)

• →Upper Town self-guided walk (free)
• →Dolac Market
• →St Mark's Church & Stone Gate
• →Tkalčićeva street evening stroll

Take the 07:00–08:00 direct bus from Zagreb to Plitvice (Entrance 1) — about 2h15, ~£11–14. Pre-book your Plitvice timed-entry ticket online (£30–35 in summer, cheaper off-peak) and walk the Lower Lakes loop (Programme B or C, 4–6 hours) along the boardwalks past Veliki Slap, the travertine barriers and the boat crossing on Kozjak lake. Lock your bag in the luggage storage at the entrance. Then continue south: afternoon buses run from Plitvice to Split (3h30–4h, ~£18–22, book on Arriva/FlixBus). Arrive Split, check into a guesthouse in the old town and eat grilled fish or pašticada by the Riva.

🚌Zagreb–Plitvice bus ~£12 + Plitvice–Split bus ~£20

🛏Guesthouse/sobe in Split old town (private room £35–50, dorm £18–25)

• →Plitvice Lakes National Park boardwalk loop (pre-booked ticket)
• →Boat crossing on Lake Kozjak
• →Veliki Slap viewpoint
• →Riva promenade evening

Join a GetYourGuide or Viator small-group walking tour of Diocletian's Palace and the old town (£15–22, 1.5–2h) — this replaces the tour's included guided walk and gives you the legally licensed history you'd otherwise get from the G Adventures guide. Afterwards climb the Cathedral of St Domnius bell tower (~£6) and the substructures, then eat lunch in the green market (pazar). In the afternoon, take local bus 37 or the Croatia Airlines shuttle to Trogir, a UNESCO-listed island town 30 minutes away (£2 each way), or catch the ferry to Brač. Evening: free sunset walk on Marjan Hill.

🚌Local bus to Trogir ~£2 each way; everything else on foot

🛏Guesthouse/sobe in Split old town

• →Diocletian's Palace guided walking tour (GetYourGuide, ~£18)
• →Cathedral of St Domnius bell tower ~£6
• →Trogir day trip (bus £4 return)
• →Marjan Hill sunset walk (free)

Take the morning Jadrolinija or Krilo catamaran from Split to Hvar town (1h, ~£15–20; book a day or two ahead in summer). Drop bags at your sobe, then do the Hvar town walk yourself: St Stephen's Square and Cathedral, the Franciscan Monastery, the Arsenal and the Riva. Climb the switchback path up to Fortica Fortress (£6 entry) for the view over the Pakleni islands. Free afternoon: swim at Pokonji Dol or take a water taxi to the Pakleni islands (£5–8). Dinner of gregada or black risotto in a konoba away from the harbour front.

🚌Split–Hvar catamaran ~£18; water taxi to Pakleni ~£7

🛏Sobe/guesthouse in Hvar town (£30–45 private; Hvar is pricey in July–Aug)

• →Fortica Fortress walk & entry ~£6
• →Hvar old town self-guided walk (free)
• →Pakleni Islands water taxi & swim
• →St Stephen's Square & Franciscan Monastery

Recreate the tour's Stari Grad and Brusje highlight moment independently. Take the local bus from Hvar town to Stari Grad (25 min, ~£3), Europe's oldest town and part of the UNESCO Stari Grad Plain — walk the harbour, the Dominican Monastery and the Tvrdalj fortress. Rent a scooter or e-bike for the day (£25–35) or take a taxi, and ride the old shepherd's track up through Brusje and down to Malo Grablje, the abandoned village where only Konoba Stori Komin still cooks for guests. Book lunch at Konoba Stori Komin in advance (£20–30 for a lamb-and-wine lunch) — the closest independent match to Berti's Konoba. Return to Hvar by bus or scooter in the late afternoon.

🚌Local bus Hvar–Stari Grad ~£3 each way, or scooter hire £25–35/day

🛏Sobe/guesthouse in Hvar town

• →Stari Grad old town & Tvrdalj (free)
• →Stari Grad Plain UNESCO landscape
• →Brusje & Malo Grablje ghost village walk (free)
• →Lunch at Konoba Stori Komin, Malo Grablje (~£25)

Take the early catamaran or ferry from Hvar to Drvenik/Sućuraj or straight to Dubrovnik (2h30–3h, ~£20–28) — check Krilo and Jadrolinija timetables, as routes vary by season. If you route via the mainland, stop at Ston by local bus (30 min from Ploče/Dubrovnik direction). Alternatively take the direct catamaran to Dubrovnik and do Ston as a morning bus trip on Day 7. In Ston, walk a section of the 5.5km defensive Walls of Ston (~£6) and book a tasting at a family oyster farm (Bota Šare or a small Mali Ston farm, £20–30 incl. oysters, mussels and wine). Then continue to Dubrovnik and settle into a guesthouse inside or just outside the old town walls.

🚌Hvar–Dubrovnik catamaran ~£24 + local bus to Ston ~£4 each way

🛏Guesthouse/sobe near Dubrovnik old town (£35–55 private)

• →Walls of Ston walk ~£6
• →Oyster & wine tasting in Mali Ston (~£25, book direct)
• →Dubrovnik old town evening stroll on the Stradun (free)

Take local bus line 10 or 11 toward Cavtat (30–40 min, ~£2) and spend the morning at an agrotourism farm in Konavle Valley — Konavoski Dvori, Kameni Mlin or a smaller family estate — doing their garden tour, prosciutto, cheese and wine tasting lunch (£30–40, book direct by email/phone a week ahead). Back in Dubrovnik, visit the Red History Museum independently (£8) on the way in, then walk the city walls early evening (£30, cheaper than midday and less crowded) or swim off Banje beach. Finish with a sunset walk to Fort Lovrijenac and a farewell dinner of seafood in the old town.

🚌Local bus to Konavle/Cavtat ~£2 each way

🛏Guesthouse/sobe near Dubrovnik old town

• →Konavle Valley agrotourism garden tour & lunch (~£35)
• →Red History Museum self-guided visit ~£8
• →Dubrovnik city walls ~£30
• →Banje beach swim

Check out and take the Atlas or Libertas airport shuttle bus from the old town/Ploče Gate to Dubrovnik Airport (~£8, 30 min). If you have a late flight, spend the morning on a cheap swim at Sveti Jakov or a coffee on the Stradun before heading out.

🚌Dubrovnik airport shuttle bus ~£8

🛏—

• →Morning swim or coffee in the old town (free)