I suggest you reconsider driving, at least in Croatia. While Croatia does have a good bus system, it

For my travels in March/April 2013, I m working on leaving Canada and landing in Ljubljana, Slovenia then traveling by train to Zagreb, Croatia and taking european car rental the bus within Croatia to possibly Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik staying 4 nights in each city then flying back home from Dubrovnik.
Is this a reasonable itinerary? What changes should I make? Is the train, plane or ferry better at any point? I m still considering stops suggested by others but I also don t want to run around too much and jump from one city to the next. My interests european car rental include history, culture, architecture, museums....and a little R R.
1. How much in advance must I/can I buy bus or tickets? european car rental Is it safe to book my flights and hotels without an advance bus or train reservation? Is it best to buy in person or online? european car rental Are there days when the train or bus does not run?
Here is my trip report with photos from our 2008 trip. Chapters Eleven through Twenty Three cover Croatia and Slovenia. european car rental We liked very much where we stayed in Ljubljana, Rovinj and Dubrovnik. Yes, I highly recommend you go to Plitvice. Breathtaking! We traveled european car rental by car. Have a great trip.
I suggest you reconsider driving, at least in Croatia. While Croatia does have a good bus system, it does add flexibility to be able to drive. In 2009, I rented a car in Zagreb and dropped it in Dubrovnik. (Click on my name to find my trip reports: 2009 for Croatia, 2011 for Slovenia.)
Driving was very easy in Croatia. (Believe me, I was nervous about it until I got there, too.) The only thing that might throw you is not being able to drive a standard european car rental transmission. Most rental cars in Croatia (and most of Europe) are manual. european car rental Automatic transmissions are a premium item and cost more.
If you drive you can leave your bags in the car at Plitvice if you do just a day there and not need to spend a night. You can see a good part of the park in 4-5 hours. However, note that Plitvice (which is amazing) gets crowded with tour groups after about 10am in season. Not sure about March-April, maybe not as crowded. I spent a night and saw the park both days. It was much nicer the second morning without the crowds! Consider: if you train in to Zagreb from Ljubljana, by the time you get down to Plitvice (2 hours even if you drive), you probably won't get there til mid-afternoon. It might make more sense not to spend a night in Zagreb but spend it in Plitvice instead, see the park first thing the following morning, then move on.
Hotels: in Ljublana, I can recommend the the B B Slamic. european car rental Hotels are not cheap in Ljubljana, but the Slamic is a great value, walkable from the bus/train station and to the center (which is very compact and easy to walk to almost anything). Ljubljana is a lovely town.
I m working on ... landing in Ljubljana, Slovenia then traveling by train to Zagreb, Croatia and taking the bus within Croatia to possibly Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik staying 4 nights in each city then flying back home from Dubrovnik. ... Is this a reasonable itinerary? ... I also don t want to run around too much and jump from one city to the next. My interests include history, culture, architecture, museums....and a little R R.
- 4 days in Zagreb will give you time to visit some of its interesting european car rental museums and neighborhoods. Given your interests, you might want to check into a tour of the National Archives. And note that many museums in Zagreb will be closed european car rental on Sunday afternoon and Monday all day.
- 4 days in Split will give you time to visit Split and its museums, markets, and interesting nooks and cranies, european car rental as well as Trogir and maybe (depending on ferry schedules) a bit of one or more of the islands.
If possible, I would encourage you to spend a night there. It will give you much more freedom to see and enjoy the magnificent Plitvice Lakes at a leisurely pace, and will give you some latitude if the weather is not overly cooperative.
I can understand that position. For my trip in 2009, I used a rental car when it substantially enhanced my ability to see what I wanted to see, and otherwise used public transport. I found public transportation european car rental in Croatia to be quite good, and I also found driving there quite easy. That mix worked well for me.