The route below is what I actually did over eleven days in Croatia in November. Off-season meant smaller crowds, slower buses, and a quieter coast. The itinerary stitches together two national parks, three coastal cities, and one overnight bus ride.

Sharing the bones of it here. I'll add longer notes per stop when I have time to write them up properly.

The route, day by day

Day 8 (Nov): Zagreb. Reach + roam the city. Night in Zagreb.

Day 9: Plitvice National Park during the day; Plitvice → Zagreb → Dubrovnik overnight bus.

Day 10: Arrive Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik Pass for the city walls and museums. Three nights here.

Days 11–12: Dubrovnik. Cable car, walls, Old Town, Lokrum if the ferry is running.

Day 13: Dubrovnik → Split. 8am bus. Coastal road; takes most of the day.

Day 14: Split city day (Diocletian's Palace area).

Days 15–16: Trek and day-trip to Trogir from Split.

Day 17: Split → Krka National Park → Zagreb. Long travel day. Ticket combo: Split→Skradin (boat or bus to Krka), then Skradin→Zagreb.

Day 18: Zagreb → Baden-Baden. Afternoon flight home.

Notes that held up

  • The overnight bus from Zagreb to Dubrovnik saves a night of accommodation, but you trade that for actual sleep. Worth it once.
  • The Dubrovnik Pass is the cheapest way to get on the city walls plus several museums in one go.
  • Plitvice and Krka in November are noticeably emptier than the summer photos suggest. Some upper trails close for the season; the main loops stay open.
  • Trogir as a day trip from Split is small, walled, walkable in a half-day. Good break from Split's denser old town.
  • Bus connections matter more than flight bookings in this part of Croatia. The coastal-road buses are reliable; the inland connections (Plitvice, Krka) take research.

What I'd write up next

The interesting stories from this trip don't fit a "best of" list, so I'm saving them for a longer post. A few I'm thinking through:

  • What an overnight bus along the Adriatic actually feels like.
  • Dubrovnik before and after the cruise ships dock.
  • Why Krka deserves more attention than it gets.

If you're planning a similar route and want detail on any specific stop, send me a note.