7 Days in Croatia: Dubrovnik, Split & the Dalmatian Coast Itinerary (2026)

7 days, day by day. Open any day for the morning-to-evening plan, where to eat, and where you sleep that night.

1. Day 1 Fri 31 Jul Arrive Dubrovnik Base day

   Arrival and the Stradun

   Morning. Land at Dubrovnik and take the airport shuttle to Pile Gate, about forty minutes along a cliff road with the sea below the whole way.

   Afternoon. Through Pile Gate onto the Stradun, the polished limestone main street, and let the old town be small — it takes fifteen minutes to cross and a day to actually see.

   Evening. Dinner in a side alley off the Stradun, then out to the Buža bar, cut into the sea wall on the south side, for a drink on the rocks above the Adriatic.

   Eat. Black risotto, coloured with cuttlefish ink, and a glass of Pošip.

   Where to stay. Inside the walls if you want the old town at night and can handle steps and luggage; Ploče or Lapad if you want a pool, parking and a lower bill.

   Optional / swaps. The Rector's Palace and the Franciscan monastery's 14th-century pharmacy, one of the oldest still operating in Europe.

   Practical. Dubrovnik old town is entirely stepped and vehicle-free — a wheeled case is a genuine problem here, and porters charge accordingly. Cruise-ship days transform the crowding; check the port schedule and plan the walls around it.

   🛏 Dubrovnik · 2 nights · 2 guests

2. Day 2 Sat 1 Aug Dubrovnik Base day

   The walls and the mountain

   Morning. The city walls at the eight o'clock opening. The full circuit is about two kilometres of stairs and ramparts with the terracotta roofs on one side and open sea on the other, and it is unshaded — this is a morning job, not a midday one.

   Afternoon. The cable car up Srđ for the whole coast and the islands laid out below, or the boat to Lokrum, the wooded island fifteen minutes offshore with peacocks and a saltwater lake.

   Evening. A quieter dinner in Lapad or up in Ploče, away from the old-town mark-up.

   Eat. Grilled fish sold by the kilo, and Dalmatian peka if you order it hours ahead.

   Where to stay. Dubrovnik (as Day 1).

   Optional / swaps. Game of Thrones filming locations are signposted throughout the old town; the Jesuit Stairs are the ones people recognise.

   Practical. The city walls cost around €40 per adult and €15 for children aged 7–18, free below that — it is the single most expensive ticket on this itinerary and it is worth budgeting for deliberately. Take water; there is almost no shade and only a couple of kiosks on the circuit.

3. Day 3 Sun 2 Aug Dubrovnik → Hvar ~171 km Ferry

   Dubrovnik → Hvar

   Morning. The catamaran north from Gruž port, calling at Korčula and Brač depending on the service — about three and a quarter hours with the coast sliding past on the right.

   Afternoon. Arrive into Hvar's harbour under the Venetian loggia; settle, then swim off the town beaches.

   Evening. Climb to the Fortica, the Spanish fortress on the hill, for sunset over the Pakleni islands.

   Eat. Gregada — Hvar's fish and potato stew — with local white wine.

   Where to stay. Hvar Town for the harbour and the restaurants, or Stari Grad on the north coast if you would rather have quiet and a UNESCO plain.

   Optional / swaps. The Franciscan monastery at the far end of the harbour has a cypress-shaded cloister and is usually empty.

   Practical. Book catamaran tickets in advance in season; foot-passenger fast boats sell out and the schedule thins sharply from October. Hvar Town's nightlife is loud until very late in July and August — a room a street back from the harbour is worth asking for.

   🛏 Hvar · 2 nights · 2 guests

4. Day 4 Mon 3 Aug Hvar Base day

   The Pakleni islands

   Morning. Taxi boat from the harbour out to the Pakleni archipelago — ten minutes to Jerolim or Palmižana, where the water is clear enough to see the bottom at ten metres.

   Afternoon. Swim, eat at a bay restaurant, and come back mid-afternoon; or hire a small boat and find an empty cove.

   Evening. Back in Hvar Town for dinner on the square, the largest in Dalmatia.

   Eat. Fresh fish and a plate of Hvar olives at a Palmižana bay konoba.

   Where to stay. Hvar (as Day 3).

   Optional / swaps. Inland Hvar is the surprise — the lavender fields around Velo Grablje and the abandoned village of Malo Grablje, both a short drive from the town and almost unvisited.

   Practical. Taxi boats run frequently in season and stop almost entirely outside it. The Pakleni beaches are rock and pebble, not sand — swim shoes make a real difference, and sea urchins are present.

5. Day 5 Tue 4 Aug Hvar → Split ~57 km Ferry

   Hvar → Split

   Morning. A last swim, then the catamaran to Split — about an hour, arriving at a terminal ten minutes' walk from the palace walls.

   Afternoon. Into Diocletian's Palace, which is not a museum but a living quarter — the Peristyle courtyard, the cathedral built into the emperor's mausoleum, and the vaulted cellars underneath.

   Evening. The Riva waterfront for the evening promenade, which the whole city does, then dinner in a palace alley.

   Eat. Pašticada — beef slow-braised in wine and prunes — served with gnocchi.

   Where to stay. Inside or just outside Diocletian's Palace, or in Varoš on the slope towards Marjan — both walkable to the Riva.

   Optional / swaps. The bell tower of St Domnius for a vertiginous climb and a view straight down into the Peristyle.

   Practical. Split's cathedral is a converted Roman mausoleum and the irony is worth explaining to children — Diocletian persecuted Christians and is now buried under a church. Marjan hill, fifteen minutes west, is pine forest with swimming coves and the best escape from the crowds.

   🛏 Split · 2 nights · 2 guests

6. Day 6 Wed 5 Aug Split Base day

   Krka waterfalls

   Morning. Bus north to Skradin, then the national park boat up the river to Skradinski Buk, where the Krka drops over a series of travertine terraces into a wide pool.

   Afternoon. Walk the boardwalk circuit through the falls and the old watermills, then back on the boat.

   Evening. Return to Split for dinner on the Riva.

   Eat. A picnic before the park, or grilled trout in Skradin afterwards.

   Where to stay. Split (as Day 5).

   Optional / swaps. Trogir, a walled Venetian town on an island twenty minutes from Split, is a shorter and cheaper alternative if the group has had enough of long days.

   Practical. Swimming at Skradinski Buk has been prohibited since 2021 — the old photographs of people bathing under the falls are out of date, so set expectations before you go. Krka is quieter and closer to Split than Plitvice, which is a three-hour drive each way and not a sensible day trip from here. Buy park tickets online in advance in summer, when daily entry is capped.

7. Day 7 Thu 6 Aug Split Base day

   Last morning and home

   Morning. Coffee on the Riva and a last walk through the palace cellars, or up Marjan for the view back over the peninsula.

   Afternoon. The airport bus leaves from near the ferry terminal and takes about forty minutes to Resnik.

   Evening. Home.

   Eat. Burek from a bakery for the journey.

   Where to stay. —

   Optional / swaps. Left luggage at the ferry terminal covers the morning.

   Practical. Split airport is small and gets badly congested in July and August; allow more time than the bus journey implies.

Every overnight base on the route. Check-in and check-out follow your travel dates above — open a stay for a live map of places to book.

1. 1 Dubrovnik Croatia · book a stay ↑ Dubrovnik is well above Croatia’s national average 31 Jul → 2 Aug 2 nights · 2 guests ⌄
2. 2 Hvar Croatia · book a stay 2 Aug → 4 Aug 2 nights · 2 guests ⌄
3. 3 Split Croatia · book a stay ↑ Split’s old town runs above the national average 4 Aug → 6 Aug 2 nights · 2 guests ⌄

How far and how long between each base, leg by leg, with the mode of travel — so you can see where the big driving days fall. Modes: 🚗 Drive · ✈ Fly · ⛴ Boat/Ferry · 🚆 Train · 🚌 Bus.