Trip ideas · Dalmatian coast, lakes and Istria from Split

Dalmatian coast, lakes and Istria from Split: a One-Week Road Trip by Fly-and-Drive

Checked 8 October 2026 against each tourism board's, city's and operator's own page · skynomad

Day by day

Most hours at the wheel in a day No limit3 hours4 hours5 hours6 hours

Kilometres and hours are motorway estimates between the cities named, without stops or traffic. Where you sleep in a smaller place nearby, the real place and its distance are given.

1. Day 1

   Split → Dubrovnik 245 km · about 3 h 25 driving

   Walled UNESCO Old Town; Summer Festival venues in July-August. Reached from Split via the Pelješac bridge, with no Bosnia (Neum) crossing. Source

2. Day 2

   A day out from Dubrovnik No long drive

3. Day 3

   Dubrovnik → Split 245 km · about 3 h 25 driving

   Diocletian's Palace, the Roman palace that forms Split's old town. Source

4. Day 4

   Split → Zadar 179 km · about 2 h 15 driving

   Mid-Adriatic coastal city; on the way, visit Krka National Park (Skradinski buk) between Split and Zadar. Source

5. Day 5

   Zadar → Pula 388 km · about 4 h 05 driving

   Roman amphitheatre (Arena) with summer events; base for southern Istria. Source

   

6. Day 6

   A day out from Pula No long drive

7. Day 7

   Pula → Zadar 388 km · about 4 h 05 driving

   Stay near Plitvice Lakes for an early timed entry before the final drive back to Split airport. Source The place itself: Plitvice Lakes National Park (stay near Entrance 1 or 2), distance from zadar not verified on an official page.

   

8. Day 8

   Zadar → Split 179 km · about 2 h 15 driving, plus the way back from Plitvice Lakes National Park (stay near Entrance 1 or 2)

Why go in July and August

• Dubrovnik Summer Festival (77th edition), open-air theatre and music in the Old Town: 10 July - 25 August 2026; 2027 dates not published yet. Source
• Pula Film Festival in the Roman Arena (73rd edition): opens 9 July 2026 (seven festival days); 2027 dates not published yet. Source
• Weekly summer gladiator shows in Pula Arena: summer months (no exact dates on the page). Source

What to watch for

• Plitvice Lakes: buy online; the ticket fixes the entrance and entry time. Summer adult ticket EUR 40 before 4 p.m. and EUR 25 after (Jun-Aug, 2026 price list) (June–September (2026 price list; Sept cut-off 3 p.m.; 2027 not published)). Source
• Krka National Park 2027 price list: adults EUR 40 in June-September, EUR 30 after 15:00 (June-September 2027). Source
• Pula: evening car ban around the Arena and central streets during the Film Festival (9-16 July 2026, 19:00-02:30 (2027 not published)). Source
• Zadar: paid parking zones near the Old Town, with a separate summer fee regime; wrongly parked cars are towed (summer). Source
• Split to Dubrovnik via the Pelješac bridge: an all-Croatian road, so no Neum (Bosnia and Herzegovina) border crossings (all year (bridge in service; official opening date not stated on the cited pages)). Source
• New free-flow (no-stop) tolling is being built for all HAC, Bina Istra and AZM motorways. Its go-live date is not published officially, so expect barrier toll booths as now. (contract signed September 2024, 24-month build; live date not published). Source

What the week costs to drive

Not included: A8 Istrian Y incl. Učka tunnel (Rijeka – Pula), Bina Istra, category I car (operator); Pelješac bridge (D8 / access roads) (operator); hotels, food and parking; the hire car, and any one-way or cross-border fee. For your own car and exact days, use the trip cost calculator.

The rules on this route

Driving in Croatia

Use this route in my plan to get every vignette, zone, kit rule and deadline for these countries in one checklist, with dates. The speed limits and sign words pages can then show only these countries.