Dalmatian Coast Self-Launched Island Hop: Zadar to Split by Ferry, Bus & Boat

Arrive in Zadar by bus (from Zagreb ~£18, 3.5h; from Split ~£12, 2h) or fly into Zadar Airport (ZAD) and take the airport shuttle bus (line 66/201, ~£4) into the old town. Once the cruise group would be boarding the MS Dalmatino at Marina Zadar, you instead drop your bag at a hostel in the peninsula old town. Spend the afternoon on the self-guided Zadar old town circuit: Roman Forum, Sveti Donat (pre-Romanesque church, €3 to climb the tower), Sveta Stošćija cathedral and the Greeting to the Sun solar panel installation. Time the evening perfectly for the Sea Organ, then grab a cheap grilled-fish or burek dinner in a konoba backstreet (avoid the seafront prices) and a beer on the harbour.

🚌Bus to Zadar (~£12-18 depending on origin) or airport shuttle (~£4); everything in the old town on foot

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in a Zadar soba/guesthouse (~£20/night)

• →Self-guided Zadar old town walk (Roman Forum, Sveti Donat, Sveta Stošćija)
• →Sea Organ and Greeting to the Sun at sunset
• →Optional guided old town walk via GetYourGuide, ~£15

Take an early bus from Zadar to Skradin (~£7, 1h15), the gateway to Krka National Park's Skradinski Buk falls. Buy the park ticket on arrival (approx €20 in summer, cheaper off-season) and spend 3-4 hours on the boardwalks, swimming at the base of the falls where permitted, and the Skradinski Buk boat ride to Visovac if you want it. Then take the local bus or 20-minute drive to Šibenik (~£3). Overnight in Šibenik old town and do a self-guided walk: UNESCO-listed St. Jacob's Cathedral (free to enter, €3 for the baptistery), the stone alleys and the four fortresses — St. Michael's gives a great sunset view (~£7).

🚌Local bus Zadar–Skradin (~£7); bus Skradin–Šibenik (~£3)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Šibenik old town (~£24/night)

• →Krka National Park entrance and boardwalks (~£17)
• →Swim at Skradinski Buk
• →Self-guided Šibenik old town and St. Jacob's Cathedral
• →Sunset at St. Michael's Fortress (~£7)

Morning bus from Šibenik to Primošten (~£4, 40 min). Wander the postcard peninsula old town, swim off the Mala Raduča beach and have a cheap konoba lunch — this is where the cruise would anchor for a swimming break. Continue by bus to Split in the afternoon (~£8, 1h15). Check into a hostel near the old town (Grgur Ninski, Silver Gate area). Evening: free walking tour of Diocletian's Palace with a local guide (tip-based, budget £5-8), then cheap dinner at a pekara (bakery) or a fish-market konoba and drinks on the Riva.

🚌Intercity bus Šibenik–Primošten (~£4); bus Primošten–Split (~£8)

🛏Hostel dorm in Split old town (~£26/night)

• →Primošten old town and Mala Raduča beach swim
• →Free tip-based walking tour of Diocletian's Palace
• →Evening on the Riva promenade

Early morning is the time to see Diocletian's Palace without cruise crowds: climb the bell tower of St. Domnius cathedral (~£5) and visit the substructure (cellars, ~£6). Then take local bus 37 or 2 from Split to Trogir (~£2.50, 30-40 min). Trogir's UNESCO island old town is compact — the Cathedral of St. Lawrence, the Kamerlengo fortress (~£4) and a swim at Okrug Gornji beach 15 minutes by local bus. Base yourself in Trogir for the night in a guesthouse so you're ready for tomorrow's island ferries.

🚌Local bus Split–Trogir (~£2.50); local bus to beach and back (~£4)

🛏Guesthouse/soba room in Trogir (~£30/night)

• →St. Domnius bell tower and palace cellars (~£11 total)
• →Trogir Cathedral and Kamerlengo Fortress (~£4)
• →Swim at Okrug Gornji beach

Take the local passenger ferry from Trogir to Drvenik Mali/Veli (~£7, 40-60 min), where the cruise stops for a swim. Drvenik Veli has quiet coves, clear water and a couple of simple konobas. In the afternoon hop the ferry back and onward to Zlarin, Croatia's coral-diving island (~£5-7, timetables run via Šibenik or split crossings — check Jadrolinija and the local Trogir boat line the day before). Zlarin is car-free and peaceful; watch sunset from the small harbour, eat at a family-run restaurant and sleep in an island apartment — a much quieter night than the cruise's mooring.

🚌Local ferry Trogir–Drvenik Veli (~£7); ferry to Zlarin (~£8)

🛏Island apartment/guesthouse in Zlarin (~£30/night)

• →Swim and snorkel at Drvenik Veli coves
• →Car-free Zlarin harbour walk and sunset
• →Optional coral workshop/museum in Zlarin (~£3)

Take the early ferry from Zlarin to Šibenik (~£5, 40 min) and join a full-day catamaran/boat excursion into Kornati National Park and Telašćica Nature Park — available from Šibenik, Murter, Zadar or Sali via GetYourGuide, Klook or the local boat operators on the riva (typically £45-55 including park entry, lunch and swim stops, compared with the cruise's included entrance fees). Sail the 89-karat archipelago, swim in a hidden bay, walk to Lake Mir in Telašćica and see the 160m-high cliffs. Return late afternoon; bus back to Zlarin or overnight in Šibenik if timings are tight — the cruise itinerary allows for this flexibility.

🚌Ferry Zlarin–Šibenik (~£5); day-boat excursion (incl. in activity cost); local bus/ferry back

🛏Guesthouse in Šibenik or Zlarin (~£28/night)

• →Kornati National Park boat day trip (~£50 incl. park entry & lunch)
• →Swim stop in a Kornati bay
• →Telašćica Nature Park and Lake Mir walk

Ferry from Zadar (or from Šibenik via Zadar) to Ugljan island — the Preko–Zadar ferry runs hourly and takes only 25 minutes (~£3 each way). Hire a bike (~£10/day) or take the local bus along the island, swim at Preko, Kali or the quiet southern coves, and lunch cheaply at a village konoba. Cross back to Zadar in the late afternoon, and spend the evening revisiting the old town's sunset — a final free Sea Organ performance — plus a sit-down farewell dinner in a local konoba (under £20 if you skip the seafront).

🚌Ferry Zadar–Preko (~£3 each way); bike hire (~£10)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Zadar (~£22/night)

• →Ugljan island bike/scooter hire (~£10)
• →Swimming at Preko and Kali coves
• →Second visit to Zadar Sea Organ and old town

Breakfast in a bakery, a last wander through the morning market on the peninsula, then onward travel: bus to Split (~£12, 2h) or Zagreb (~£18, 3.5h), or the shuttle to Zadar Airport (~£4). If you have time, the Museum of Ancient Glass (~£5) or the Archaeological Museum make a relaxed last stop before departure.

🚌Airport shuttle (~£4) or intercity bus (~£12-18)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Zadar morning market and bakery breakfast
• →Optional Museum of Ancient Glass (~£5)