The Dalmatian coast in a week
Split to Dubrovnik the slow way, with two islands and a waterfall park instead of a coach itinerary.
Most people do this coast in three days and see the two walled cities. A week lets you put an island between them, which is where Dalmatia actually happens: the ferries are frequent, the distances are short, and the difference between a morning and an afternoon in any of these places is the difference between having it to yourself and queueing. The route runs one way, south, so you can fly into Split and out of Dubrovnik without doubling back. Nothing here needs a car except the Krka detour, and even that has a bus.
The route, day by day
- Day 1 Diocletian's Palace, Split
Start inside the palace walls - the old town is the palace, still lived in, so the first evening is just walking it.
- Day 1 Marjan Hill
Climb it at sunset for the shape of the coast you are about to travel down.
- Day 2 Krka National Park
A day trip inland while you still have energy for crowds. Go at opening or after four.
- Day 3 Trogir
Half a day on the way out of Split - a compact Venetian town most people skip because it is near the airport.
- Day 4 Hvar
First island. Two nights, because one is spent recovering from the ferry timetable.
- Day 5 KorÄŤula
Second island, quieter than Hvar, with the ferry chain conveniently pointing south.
- Day 6-7 Dubrovnik Old Town
Arrive by ferry, which is the right way to first see the walls. Walk them at eight in the morning.
Ticks are kept in this browser only. See your map
Getting around
Catamarans and car ferries run Split - Hvar - Korcula - Dubrovnik daily in season and thin out sharply from November. Buses cover the mainland legs. A car is a liability on the islands and in both old towns, where you will pay to park outside the walls anyway.
When to go
May, June, September and the first half of October. July and August put cruise-ship crowds into Dubrovnik and Hvar at the same hours, and the heat makes the wall walk genuinely unpleasant. Ferries thin out from November and some island routes stop.
Honest expectations
This is one of the most visited coastlines in Europe and it shows in the prices, which are no longer cheap by any standard. Dubrovnik in particular can host several thousand cruise passengers in a morning. The ferries are weather-dependent and cancel in the bora wind. If you want empty Dalmatia, this is not the route - go to the Kornati or Vis instead.
This is a suggested order, not a booking. Every stop links to its own page with access, season, entry and what is genuinely annoying about it. Check opening days and ferry timetables yourself before you commit - they change, and this page does not.