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Croatia for three generations: Zagreb, Plitvice, Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik

9 days from Zagreb to Dubrovnik for grandparents, parents and children 6 and up: Plitvice Lakes at opening, a beach afternoon in Split, two nights on Hvar with an island boat day, and Lokrum by boat from Dubrovnik.

9 days · Zagreb to Dubrovnik · up to 12 guests

The facts

At a glance

Length
9 days, 8 nights
Start and end
Zagreb to Dubrovnik
Group size
7 to 12 guests
Activity level

Easy

Easy, at a family pace. Expect about 2 to 5 km on foot most days, on stone streets, boardwalks and island paths, with the van or a boat close by. Plitvice is the longest walk, about 5 km in 3 to 4 hours, with a 3 km easy version on the flat. The steepest parts are Dubrovnik's walls, with many steps, and the 20-minute path to the Fortica on Hvar, which anyone can ride up instead. The longest drive is day 7, about 3 hours 45 in three legs of no more than an hour and a half, and every day has a written easy option.

Meals included
8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
Room of your own
+ CAD 680 (estimated price)
Season
May to September

Highlights

Why this trip

  • The funicular to Zagreb's Upper Town, near the tower where a cannon fires every day at noon
  • Lunch among the watermills of Rastoke, then Plitvice's boardwalks and waterfalls on the first entry slot
  • Rubbing the bronze toe of Gregory of Nin in Split, then knee-deep water at Bačvice beach
  • Our own vehicle on the car ferry to Hvar, with the bags on board and time on deck
  • A taxi boat to the Pakleni Islands for a swim in clear coves and a long lunch at Palmižana
  • The salt pans and walls of Ston, and oysters at Mali Ston for those who want them
  • Dubrovnik's walls at opening, then the peacocks and calm salt lake of Lokrum island

What makes this trip different

  • Free time is part of the plan

    Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.

  • Solo without the penalty

    A room of your own is + CAD 680 (estimated price).

Day by day

Itinerary

CROATIABOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINAPELJEŠACAdriatic Sea12345ZagrebDays 1 to 2RastokeDay 2Plitvice LakesDays 2 to 3SplitDays 3 to 5Stari GradDay 5HvarDays 5 to 7Pakleni IslandsDay 6StonDay 7DubrovnikDays 7 to 9LokrumDay 8

Tap any stop on the map to open that day

Arrive in Zagreb

Zagreb Airport to your hotel in the centre of Zagreb

  • Early welcome dinner
  • Stay in Zagreb
  • Drive about 30 min
A modern blue tram passes a cream-coloured 19th-century building on a sunny street in Zagreb's Lower Town
Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zagreb,_Croatia_July_2022_-_Blue_Tram.jpg)

Fly into Zagreb Airport (ZAG), about 17 km south-east of the city, where a driver meets your family in the arrivals hall whatever time you land, with child seats if you ask for them. The hotel is in the Lower Town, the 19th-century grid of squares, parks and blue trams below the old hill towns. We ask every hotel for family rooms or connecting rooms, so grandparents can sleep next door rather than down the corridor. If you arrive early, let the children run in the green horseshoe of parks between the main station and Ban Jelačić Square, or ride a tram a few stops for fun. At about 5:30 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets everyone in the lobby for a short briefing: how the days are paced, where the swims fall and what to pack for the islands.

Evening

Then we walk to a local restaurant for an early welcome dinner at about 6 pm, with smaller plates for children, so the youngest are in bed in good time after the flight.

Included

  • Pick-up at Zagreb Airport (ZAG), with child seats on request
  • Welcome briefing with your guide
  • Early welcome dinner

Easier option: Rest at the hotel until the briefing; the restaurant is a short walk or taxi ride away.

Free time: Free until the early evening briefing

Activity: The welcome briefing is at about 5:30 pm; if you land later, you join the group at dinner or at breakfast the next morning.

  1. Zagreb1 night
  2. Plitvice Lakes1 night
  3. Split2 nights
  4. Hvar2 nights
  5. Dubrovnik2 nights
  • Overnight stop
  • Day trip
  • By boat or train
Print itinerary

Wildlife and weather: June and early September are the sweet spot for families: the sea is warm, the days are long and the crowds are lighter. July and August fit school holidays but are hot, often above 30°C on the coast, and the old towns are at their busiest, which is why the visits start early and the afternoons are for swimming. May is cooler and green at Plitvice, with the sea still fresh. Some taxi boats and seasonal hours thin out after mid-September. Dolphins are sometimes seen from the Hvar ferries, but not reliably.

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Before you book

Right for you?

Good for you if you want

  • Grandparents, parents and children 6 and up who want one trip that works for all of them
  • Families who want swims and beach afternoons between the sights
  • A first family trip to Croatia with the big visits included and kept short
  • Families who want early dinners, short drives and no daily repacking

Not for you if you want

  • Children under 6: Plitvice's boardwalks have low or no rails in places and the walls are steep
  • Step-free access or pushchairs: old towns, walls and fortresses mean stone steps everywhere
  • Travellers looking for nightlife; Hvar's bars are there, but this trip keeps early hours
  • Adults travelling without children who want a fuller day plan (see our Croatia small group trip)
  • A beach-resort holiday: the swims fit around a day of sightseeing

Minimum age: 6

Most guests are Children 6 and up travelling with parents and grandparents

Book flights after we confirm your seat.

8 nights

Where you'll stay

Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.

  • Zagreb1 night
  • Plitvice Lakes1 night
  • Split2 nights
  • Hvar2 nights
  • Dubrovnik2 nights

One price

What's in the price

Included

Accommodation

  • 8 nights: 1 in Zagreb, 1 near Plitvice Lakes, 2 in Split, 2 in Hvar town, 2 in Dubrovnik
  • Central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates, walkable to the old town in Zagreb, Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik
  • Family rooms or connecting rooms requested for every party

Transport

  • Pick-up at Zagreb Airport (ZAG) on day 1 and drop-off at Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) on day 9, whatever your flight times
  • Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, with child seats on request
  • Car ferries with our vehicle: Split to Stari Grad and Sućuraj to Drvenik
  • Electric boat on Lake Kozjak and the panoramic train at Plitvice
  • Return taxi boat from Hvar town to the Pakleni Islands
  • Return boat from Dubrovnik's old harbour to Lokrum
  • The Zagreb funicular

Your guide

  • A See Sight Tours guide with the group for all 9 days
  • Licensed local guides in Zagreb, Split, Stari Grad and Dubrovnik, and a park guide at Plitvice

Activities

  • Zagreb: Upper Town walk with St Mark's Church, the Stone Gate and Dolac market
  • Rastoke: the watermill village in Slunj
  • Plitvice Lakes National Park: entry on the first slot with the boat and panoramic train
  • Split: Diocletian's Palace with the cellars and the Cathedral of St Domnius, and an afternoon at Bačvice beach
  • Stari Grad: Tvrdalj and the Stari Grad Plain
  • Hvar: the Fortica (Španjola) fortress and a swim on the Pakleni Islands
  • Ston: the walls and salt pans, with an oyster tasting at Mali Ston
  • Dubrovnik: the city walls at opening, the Franciscan monastery and pharmacy museum, and Lokrum island with its entry

Meals

  • 8 breakfasts
  • 5 sit-down lunches: Rastoke, near Plitvice, Stari Grad, Palmižana and Mali Ston
  • 3 early dinners: welcome dinner in Zagreb, dinner near Plitvice and farewell dinner in Dubrovnik
  • Smaller plates or children's menus at every included meal

Not included

  • International flights to Zagreb and from Dubrovnik
  • Travel insurance
  • Visas or travel authorisations, such as ETIAS when it applies
  • Lunches and dinners not listed
  • Drinks
  • Tips
  • Optional activities: the Split cathedral bell tower and the Mount Srđ cable car
  • Beach umbrellas and lounger hire
  • Personal expenses

Extras

Room of your own
CAD 680 (estimated price)

When you can go

Dates and prices

Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.

Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.

Before you book

Booking terms

Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.

Business addresses

See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584

Guest reviews

What guests say

Reviews from guests on our day tours.

Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
google

5/5

Parminder did a great job guiding us around, giving us tips & teaching us the history of the falls. A great experience!

Jane
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

Good views of the surrounding area of Halifax in a comfortable minivan

Susan
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

June was brilliant- made good contact beforehand and really attentive and knowledgeable. Made me feel like I was special- something only experience can do. Thank you June.

Tom L
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Our host was very knowledgeable, friendly and even provided some humor.

MandL83
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Peter was a very good guide, giving us insight into the various parts of the Park, including parking lot congestion details, trail and viewing location suggestions.

Darren O
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Excellent morning spent with my guide Nancy. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Thoroughly enjoyed my trip

4.7/5 from 38,601 guest reviews

Good to know

Questions

Will this trip work for a 70-year-old and a 9-year-old?

Yes, that is who it is planned for. Walking is about 2 to 5 km a day with the van or a boat close by, the busy sights are done early, the afternoons are for swimming or resting, and every day has a written easy option. The steepest parts, Dubrovnik's walls and the Fortica path, can be shortened or skipped.

What is the youngest age, and is there a child price?

The minimum age is 6. Child prices depend on the rooms and the ages in your party, because Plitvice, Dubrovnik's walls and the ferries are free or reduced for children, so ask when you request to book and we quote your family's price before anything is confirmed.

Can we have family rooms or rooms next to the grandparents?

We request family rooms or connecting rooms for every party at every hotel. Old-town hotels in Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik have few large rooms, so we tell you what each hotel can give your family before you pay anything, and we ask for lifts and lower floors for anyone who needs them.

What does the price include?

Eight nights in central hotels, 8 breakfasts, 5 sit-down lunches and 3 early dinners, airport transfers with child seats on request, our own vehicle and driver on both car ferries, your See Sight Tours guide, local guides, and every visit in the day plan, from Plitvice and Diocletian's Palace to the Pakleni Islands boat, Dubrovnik's walls and the Lokrum boat.

How big is the group?

The small group runs with 7 to 12 guests including children, usually three or four families in one vehicle. A family of six or more often does better with the private trip, on a date you choose with your own guide and vehicle, and the pace set entirely by your family.

Who leads the trip?

A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from Zagreb to Dubrovnik for all nine days and knows every family by the end of day one. Licensed local guides lead the walks in Zagreb, Split, Stari Grad and Dubrovnik, and a park guide joins us at Plitvice. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.

Is there time to swim, and is there a pool?

Yes. There is a beach afternoon at Bačvice in Split, a free afternoon on Hvar, a swim on the Pakleni Islands and an afternoon on Lokrum, with its calm salt lake for younger swimmers. Swimming is not allowed at Plitvice. We ask for hotels with a pool where the town has them but cannot promise one.

Does a grandparent travelling alone pay a single supplement?

A room of your own is from CAD 680 more, shown before you book. If a grandparent or single parent shares with a child, there is no supplement. Solo travellers join the same group, eat at the same table and get the same room standard, with no local payment on arrival.

When is the best time to go with children?

June and the first half of September are the best balance: warm sea, long days and fewer crowds. July and August fit school holidays but are hot, often above 30°C, and busy, so we start early and keep afternoons for swimming. May is cooler, with the sea still fresh for swimming.

How does booking work?

Choose your start date and send a request to book with the ages of everyone in your party. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request.

Can we travel privately or on our own dates?

Yes. The trip also runs privately for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle, from CAD 7,175 per person sharing. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask and we will quote the same hotels, ferries and local guides without a group; that is a separate quote, not a style of this trip.

Do we need visas for Croatia?

Canadian and US passport holders, children included, do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in the Schengen area, which includes Croatia; every child needs their own passport. The EU Entry/Exit System records fingerprints and a photo at the border, and the ETIAS authorisation is due to start; we confirm what applies to your dates.

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