Adriatic Discovery: Northern Italy, Slovenia & Croatia — Self-Launched
10 days · Italy, Slovenia & Croatia
Blue-Roads Touring charges £3,150
No-markup version: ~£1,080 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 10-day Adriatic run from Venice to Split, covering the same highlights as the Blue-Roads coach tour — Bassano del Grappa, Lake Bled, Ljubljana, Postojna Cave, Rovinj, Plitvice Lakes, Zadar and Split — using regional trains, buses and ferries plus hostel/guesthouse stays and self-bookable activities. Budget roughly £95–£115/day including food, beds and transport but excluding flights; you'll do it for around a third of the guided tour price and at your own pace.
Day-by-day
Arrive Venice — canals, cicchetti and lagoon wander
Venice, Italy
Fly into Venice Marco Polo (or Treviso), take the ATVO/ACTV bus to Piazzale Roma (~€10/£9) or the Alilaguna boat if you're staying on the islands. Check into a hostel in Cannaregio or Mestre (Mestre is 20–25 min by train, €1.50, and much cheaper). Spend the afternoon getting lost: Rialto, the Frari church, the Arsenale edge. Evening: cicchetti crawl around Campo Santa Margherita or Cantina Do Mori — small plates €1.50–3 each, spritz €3–4. Pre-book the Doge's Palace or St Mark's Basilica skip-the-line on GetYourGuide if you want them (€25–35) — the coach tour's included dinner becomes your own Venetian bacaro night for ~£15.
🚌ACTV bus from airport to Piazzale Roma ~£9; vaporetto day pass €9.50 optional
🛏Hostel dorm in Cannaregio or guesthouse in Mestre (~£30)
- →Self-guided Cannaregio & Rialto wander
- →Cicchetti and spritz evening
- →Optional: Doge's Palace skip-the-line via GetYourGuide
Venice → Bassano del Grappa via Villa di Maser wine tasting
Bassano del Grappa, Italy
Morning train from Venezia Santa Lucia to Castelfranco Veneto (~40 min, €5–7), then a local bus or short taxi to Villa di Maser for a self-booked wine tasting and garden visit (€15–20, book direct or via GetYourGuide). Continue by regional train Castelfranco → Bassano del Grappa (~30 min, €3). Check into a guesthouse or the hostel-style B&B near Piazza Libertà. Late afternoon: walk the Ponte Vecchio wooden bridge, pop into the Poli Grappa Museum (free entry, tasting €5–8), and wander Piazza Libertà. Dinner of baccalà and bigoli ~£14.
🚌Regional trains Venezia–Castelfranco–Bassano ~£10 total
🛏Guesthouse/B&B in Bassano old town (~£32)
- →Villa di Maser wine tasting & Palladian villa visit (self-booked)
- →Ponte Vecchio and Piazza Libertà walk
- →Poli Grappa Museum & tasting
Bassano → Rovereto: castle, war memorial and a slow lunch
Rovereto, Italy
Train Bassano del Grappa → Trento → Rovereto (~2h, €10–13). Rovereto is a handsome Habsburg-era town. Drop bags at a cheap B&B or the Ostello di Rovereto. Self-guided walking route: Piazza del Podestà, the Casa d'Arte Futurista Depero, then up to Castel Dante for the Campana dei Caduti (Bell of the Fallen) — free, and the hourly tolling is worth timing. Rovereto Castle (Italian War History Museum) entry ~€10. Lunch on local Trentino ingredients — polenta, carne salada, apple strudel — ~£12. Evening stroll along the Leno river.
🚌Regional train via Trento ~£11
🛏Ostello/B&B in Rovereto (~£28)
- →Rovereto self-guided old town walk
- →Rovereto Castle / War History Museum
- →Campana dei Caduti (Bell of the Fallen) at Castel Dante
Long transfer day: Rovereto → Belluno → Lake Bled
Lake Bled, Slovenia
This is the coach tour's big driving day — do it by train and bus. Rovereto → Trento → Venezia Mestre → Conegliano → Belluno (approx 4.5–5h, €20–25 with regional tickets). Stop 2 hours in Belluno: Torre Civica, Piazza del Duomo, a quick panino, and the view from the Porta Rugo terrace. Then Flixbus or BlaBlaCar from Belluno to Ljubljana/Kranj, or train Belluno → Nova Gorica → Ljubljana (~3h) and a local bus to Bled (~1h20, €6). Arrive Bled in the evening; hostel beds in Bled village or Bledec Hostel ~£22. Grab a burek and walk the lakeshore at dusk.
🚌Regional trains Rovereto–Belluno ~£22; Flixbus/train to Ljubljana + bus to Bled ~£15
🛏Hostel in Bled village (~£22)
- →Belluno old town stop
- →Torre Civica & Piazza del Duomo
- →Evening lakeshore walk at Bled
Lake Bled: castle, island church and the cream cake
Lake Bled, Slovenia
Full Bled day without the tour bus. Walk up to Bled Castle (entry €15) for the classic lake view — go before 10am to beat crowds. Then take a pletna boat from the rowing centre jetty to the island and Church of the Assumption (€18 return, includes 30 min ashore; ring the bell for a small donation and make a wish). Lunch: kremšnita (Bled cream cake, ~€6) at a lakeside café rather than the castle restaurant, then rent a rowboat or bike the 6km lake loop (~€10). Optional afternoon: hike the Ojstrica viewpoint (20 min uphill, free, best light around 5pm).
🚌Walk/bike locally; pletna boat €18
🛏Hostel in Bled village (~£22)
- →Bled Castle
- →Pletna boat to Church of the Assumption island
- →Ojstrica viewpoint hike
- →Bike or rowboat around the lake
Bled → Ljubljana → Postojna Cave → Rovinj
Rovinj, Croatia
Early bus Bled → Ljubljana (1h20, €6.50). Store bags at the bus station and take the funicular up to Ljubljana Castle (€6 return or €13 with castle entry) — or walk up free. Wander the old town, Triple Bridge, Central Market and Metelkova. Mid-afternoon train Ljubljana → Postojna (1h, €5) and join a self-booked Postojna Cave tour in English (€27–30 direct or via GetYourGuide, includes the underground train). Then bus Postojna → Rovinj via Trieste/Koper or direct Flixbus (3–4h, €15–20). Late arrival in Rovinj — check into a guesthouse in the old town (~£30).
🚌Bus Bled–Ljubljana ~£6, train Ljubljana–Postojna ~£5, bus Postojna–Rovinj ~£17
🛏Guesthouse/sobe in Rovinj old town (~£30)
- →Ljubljana old town & castle funicular
- →Postojna Cave guided tour with underground train
Rovinj: truffle pasta class and Istrian coast
Rovinj, Croatia
Morning in Rovinj: climb the bell tower of St Euphemia for harbour views (€5), wander the Grisia art street, swim off the rocks at Punta Corrente (Zlatni Rt forest park, free). Early afternoon join a small-group Istrian cooking class in or near town — pasta with truffle sauce, olive oil tasting and dessert, bookable on GetYourGuide/Airbnb Experiences for €45–60. Alternatively do a DIY version: buy Istrian truffles, fuži pasta and malvazija wine at the morning market (~£20) and cook at the guesthouse. Evening sunset at the harbour with a glass of Malvazija (€4).
🚌All on foot; local bus to Zlatni Rt free/€2
🛏Guesthouse/sobe in Rovinj old town (~£30)
- →St Euphemia bell tower
- →Punta Corrente / Zlatni Rt swim
- →Istrian pasta & truffle cooking class (self-booked)
Rovinj → Opatija → Rastoke → Plitvice Lakes
Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Long but scenic day. Morning bus Rovinj → Opatija (1.5h, €8) for a 1-hour stroll on the Lungomare coastal promenade and a coffee. Continue Opatija → Karlovac/Rastoke by bus (2.5–3h, €12). Rastoke's mill village is free to wander — the watermills on the Slunjčica are the coach tour's photo stop, and you get longer. Final leg: local bus Rastoke/Slunj → Plitvice (30–40 min, €4). Stay in a village guesthouse (sobe) near Entrance 1 or 2 (~£25) so you can be at the gate at opening tomorrow.
🚌Three buses: Rovinj–Opatija ~£8, Opatija–Rastoke ~£12, Rastoke–Plitvice ~£4
🛏Sobe/guesthouse near Plitvice Entrance 1 (~£25)
- →Lungomare promenade in Opatija
- →Rastoke mill village walk
Plitvice Lakes → Smiljan (Tesla) → Zadar
Zadar, Croatia
Buy your Plitvice ticket online in advance (€23 off-season, €40 Jun–Sep, includes boat and shuttle) and enter at 7–8am — the Lower Lakes boardwalk before the crowds is the highlight of the trip. Allow 4–5 hours for Route C/B. Early afternoon bus Plitvice → Gospić (30 min, €4), then a local bus or taxi (~£12) to Smiljan and the Nikola Tesla Memorial Centre (€10, closed Mondays). Continue Gospić → Zadar by bus (1h45, €10). Evening: Zadar's Greeting to the Sun and Sea Organ at sunset — free and unbeatable — with a farewell dinner of Gregada or pašticada (~£15).
🚌Buses Plitvice–Gospić ~£4, taxi Gospić–Smiljan ~£12, Gospić–Zadar ~£10
🛏Hostel or sobe in Zadar old town (~£28)
- →Plitvice Lakes National Park full boardwalk route
- →Nikola Tesla Memorial Centre, Smiljan
- →Sea Organ & Greeting to the Sun at sunset
Zadar old town walk → Split
Split, Croatia
Morning self-guided loop of Zadar: Roman Forum, St Donatus' Church, St Anastasia's Cathedral bell tower (€5 for the view), and the market for a final rakija and cheese breakfast. Then a direct Flixbus or Arriva bus Zadar → Split (2h, €13–15) — sit on the sea side. Arrive Split by early afternoon: finish with a wander through Diocletian's Palace cellars (free) and the Riva promenade, or catch a ferry onward to Hvar/Brač if you're extending. Airport bus from Split bus station to the terminal is €8 (~30 min).
🚌Bus Zadar–Split ~£14; optional airport bus £7
🛏Not required (onward travel) — option: dorm in Split ~£25 if extending
- →Zadar old town & St Anastasia's bell tower
- →Diocletian's Palace and Riva, Split
Self-launched vs. Blue-Roads Touring
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Blue-Roads Touring | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,080 | £3,150 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £2,070 per person (66%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Blue-Roads Touring-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,080
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Adriatic Discovery: Northern Italy, Slovenia & Croatia — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,080 per person for 10 days in Italy, Slovenia & Croatia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Blue-Roads Touring?+
Yes — Blue-Roads Touring charges around £3,150 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,080 — a saving of roughly £2,070 (66%) per person.
How long is the Italy, Slovenia & Croatia trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 day-by-day stops through Italy, Slovenia & Croatia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, hiking trip through Italy, Slovenia & Croatia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
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