5/5
Venice and the Dalmatian Coast: Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik
12 days from Venice to Dubrovnik: three nights in Venice, the train to Ancona and an overnight ferry to Split, Hvar and Trogir, a night in Ston and three nights in Dubrovnik with a day in Kotor.
12 days · Venice to Dubrovnik · up to 12 guests
The Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal Photo: Gary Houston, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rialto-Bridge-Venice-20050524-010.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 12 days, 11 nights
- Start and end
- Venice to Dubrovnik
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
City and village walking of 3 to 6 km most days on stone paving, bridges and steps. The Dubrovnik city walls are about 2 km with many steep steps, the climb to Hvar's Fortica fortress takes about 20 minutes uphill and the Ston walls climb steeply above the village. Any climb can be skipped.
- Meals included
- 11 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 815 (estimated price)
- Season
- May to June and September to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace with a local guide on a morning entry
- A private boat across the lagoon to Murano, Burano and Torcello, with lunch on Burano
- Lunch under Bologna's porticoes on the way to the coast, then an overnight ferry across the Adriatic
- Walking into Diocletian's Palace in Split at breakfast time, before the day-trippers
- Hvar town and the Fortica fortress by catamaran, and medieval Trogir on its island
- Oysters in Mali Ston, a walk on the Ston walls and a Peljesac wine tasting
- Dubrovnik's city walls at opening, and a day in Kotor and Perast on the Bay of Kotor
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 815 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Venice
Venice Marco Polo Airport to your hotel in Venice
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Venice
- By boat
Fly into Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), on the mainland edge of the lagoon.
Evening
You are met in arrivals and taken across the water to your hotel, which is in the historic centre within a short walk of a vaporetto stop, not in Mestre or on the Lido, so every evening starts on foot. Venice has no cars: from the landing stage a porter or your guide helps with the last few bridges. If you land early, walk down to the Rialto Bridge and along the Grand Canal, or just get lost in the lanes, which is the point. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the twelve days ahead: the timed entries in Venice, the train and ferry on day 4, what to pack for the islands and the border on the Kotor day. Then we walk together to a welcome dinner at a local trattoria.
Included
- Transfer from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) to your hotel by boat or car
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the early evening briefing
Activity: Land by about 3 pm to make the briefing; the exact time comes with your final itinerary.
St Mark's, the Doge's Palace and cicchetti
San Marco, then the Rialto and Cannaregio on foot
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Venice

We are in Piazza San Marco for our booked group entry when St Mark's Basilica opens, at about 9:30 am, before the queue reaches across the square.
Afternoon
The Basilica opens only in the afternoon on Sundays and religious holidays, so we time day 2 to avoid those mornings. A licensed local guide takes us through the gold mosaics of the domes and out to the Doge's Palace next door: the council chambers where the Republic was governed, Tintoretto's vast Paradise in the Great Council Hall, and the walk over the Bridge of Sighs into the old prisons. By late morning the square is full and we leave it, walking north past the Rialto market to a bacaro for a lunch of cicchetti, the small Venetian bar plates, standing at the counter or at a table outside.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are free. Your guide can point you to the Accademia, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the view from the Campanile or a quiet walk in Cannaregio or Castello.
Included
- St Mark's Basilica on a morning group entry (day 2 is timed to avoid Sunday and holiday mornings) with a licensed local guide
- The Doge's Palace, the Bridge of Sighs and the prisons
- Cicchetti lunch at a bacaro near the Rialto
Optional experiences
- Gondola ride
- St Mark's Campanile
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 3 to 4 km on foot with many small bridges.
The lagoon: Murano, Burano and Torcello
Venice by private boat to Murano, Burano and Torcello, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Venice
- By boat
Today the group has its own boat for the northern lagoon, which saves the crowded public water buses and lets us set the order. We start at Murano, where glassmaking moved from the city in the 13th century, and watch a furnace demonstration.
Afternoon
From there it is out across the open lagoon, past salt marsh and fishing posts, to Burano, the island of brightly painted houses and lace, where lunch is fish and risotto at a family trattoria. In the early afternoon, when Burano is busiest, we cross the short channel to Torcello, the lagoon's first settlement, almost empty now: the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta holds a vast Last Judgement mosaic from the 11th and 12th centuries, and the bell tower looks back over the marshes to Venice.
Evening
We are back in the city by late afternoon, and the evening is yours.
Included
- Private boat for the group across the northern lagoon
- Glass furnace demonstration on Murano
- Lunch at a trattoria on Burano
- Torcello and the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
Easier option: Stay on the boat or at a café on Burano while others climb the Torcello bell tower.
More active option: Climb the Torcello bell tower for the view across the lagoon.
Free time: Evening free
Train to Bologna and Ancona, ferry to Split
Venice to Bologna by train, Bologna to Ancona by train, then the overnight ferry to Split
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Overnight ferry to Split
- By train

Departures are set so that this day falls on one of the few days a week the Ancona to Split ferry sails.
Morning
After a relaxed morning a porter takes the bags to the station and we board a fast train from Venezia Santa Lucia to Bologna, about an hour and a half across the Po plain. In Bologna we leave the bags at the station and walk under the porticoes, the covered arcades that run for about 40 km and were listed by UNESCO in 2021, to Piazza Maggiore and the two leaning towers.
Afternoon
Lunch is tagliatelle al ragù or tortellini at a trattoria. In the afternoon a second train runs down the coast to Ancona, about two hours, and a shuttle or taxi takes us the short way from the station to the ferry port.
Evening
Cabins are twin with their own bathroom, and dinner is on board. If the sea cancels the sailing, we fly from Venice to Split instead: Bologna and the dinner on board drop out, and dinner is in Split.
Included
- Fast train Venice to Bologna, then train Bologna to Ancona
- Walk under Bologna's porticoes to Piazza Maggiore and the two towers
- Lunch at a trattoria in Bologna
- Shuttle or taxi from Ancona station to the ferry port
- Overnight ferry Ancona to Split in a twin cabin with its own bathroom
- Dinner on board
More active option: Climb the 498 steps of the Asinelli tower in Bologna (timed tickets, booked on the day if available).
Free time: Free time in Bologna after lunch
Activity: The ferry sails only a few days a week and the crossing takes about 10 to 11 hours; departure and arrival times are confirmed with your dates. Flight fallback if a sailing is cancelled: Venice to Split, no Bologna stop, dinner in Split and a fourth night there.
Split and Diocletian's Palace
Split ferry port to the old town on foot
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Split

Morning
The ferry docks in Split in the morning, a short walk from the old town; scheduled arrival times vary by operator, roughly 7 to 10 am, and we confirm ours with your dates. We leave the bags at the hotel and have breakfast on the Riva, the palm-lined waterfront, then walk into Diocletian's Palace. The palace was built around AD 300 as the retirement home of the Roman emperor Diocletian, and the town grew inside its walls; it was listed by UNESCO in 1979. With a local guide we go down into the vaulted substructures under the imperial apartments, up to the Peristyle, the columned court at the centre, and into the Cathedral of St Domnius, which began as Diocletian's own mausoleum.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a konoba, a Dalmatian tavern, inside the walls. After that you check in and the afternoon is free: a nap after the crossing, a swim at Bacvice beach, or a coffee on the Riva.
Included
- Breakfast in Split after the crossing
- Diocletian's Palace with a local guide: the substructures, the Peristyle and the Cathedral of St Domnius
- Lunch at a konoba inside the palace walls
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: Rooms may not be ready until early afternoon; bags are held at the hotel.
Trogir, and a free afternoon in Split
Split to Trogir and back
- Breakfast
- Stay in Split
- Drive about 1.5 h

A short drive west along the coast, about 40 minutes, brings us to Trogir, a medieval town on a small island joined to the mainland and to Ciovo by bridges, listed by UNESCO in 1997.
Morning
We arrive in the morning, before the boat excursions dock. A local guide walks us through the gate into lanes laid out on a Greek and Roman street plan, to the Cathedral of St Lawrence and its carved Romanesque portal by Master Radovan, dated 1240, with Adam and Eve on either side. The Kamerlengo fortress at the end of the waterfront looks out over the channel.
Afternoon
Lunch is your choice in Trogir, then we drive back to Split by early afternoon. The rest of the day is free. Your guide can suggest Marjan hill, the wooded park above the city, the Mestrovic Gallery, or the fish market and the green market by the palace walls.
Included
- Trogir with a local guide: the town gate, the Cathedral of St Lawrence and the Radovan portal, the Kamerlengo fortress
Optional experiences
- Mestrovic Gallery in Split
Easier option: Stay in Split for the morning instead and meet the group back at the hotel.
More active option: Walk up Marjan hill from the old town to the Telegrin viewpoint, about 2 hours return.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Split
Hvar by catamaran
Split to Hvar town by catamaran, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Split
- By boat

Morning
We take a morning catamaran from Split harbour to Hvar town, about an hour across the channel past the island of Brac. Hvar town wraps around a deep harbour below a hill, and its main square is one of the largest in Dalmatia, closed at one end by the Cathedral of St Stephen. Your guide walks you through the square, the 17th-century public theatre over the old arsenal and the lanes behind, then up through pine woods to the Fortica, the Spanish fortress above the town, for the view over the harbour to the Pakleni islands.
Afternoon
Lunch is a long one at a konoba in town, with fish from the morning catch and island wine. The afternoon is for swimming from the rocks or a water taxi to the Pakleni islands, and we take a return catamaran back to Split; the exact time is set by the season's timetable.
Included
- Return catamaran Split to Hvar town
- Hvar town with your guide: the main square, the Cathedral of St Stephen and the arsenal
- The Fortica fortress above the town
- Lunch at a konoba in Hvar
Optional experiences
- Water taxi to the Pakleni islands for a swim
Easier option: Skip the Fortica climb and wait at a café on the harbour.
More active option: Walk the coastal path west of town to the swimming coves.
Free time: Afternoon free on Hvar
Activity: The climb to the Fortica takes about 20 minutes on paths and steps.
Down the coast to Ston and Peljesac
Split to Ston via the Neretva delta and the Peljesac bridge
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ston
- Drive about 3 h

Morning
We leave Split after breakfast and drive about three hours south, with a coffee stop above the Neretva delta, where the river fans out into orchards and mandarin groves before the sea. The Peljesac bridge, opened in 2022, carries us onto the peninsula without crossing the short Bosnian coastline at Neum.
Afternoon
By lunchtime we are in Mali Ston, on a bay where oysters and mussels have been farmed for centuries, and lunch is oysters and mussels on the waterfront. In the afternoon we walk the walls of Ston, built by the Republic of Dubrovnik from the 14th century to guard its salt pans, which are still worked below the town; the walls climb steeply over the hill to Mali Ston.
Evening
In the late afternoon we taste Plavac Mali, the peninsula's red wine, at a family winery, and stay the night in Ston, a quiet village after the day-trippers leave.
Included
- Drive to Ston via the Neretva delta and the Peljesac bridge
- Oyster and mussel lunch in Mali Ston
- The walls of Ston and the salt pans
- Wine tasting at a Peljesac winery
Easier option: Walk the flat section of the walls and the salt pans only.
More active option: Walk the full wall circuit over the hill between Ston and Mali Ston.
Free time: Evening free in Ston
Activity: The Ston walls and the winery keep seasonal hours; we confirm both with your dates and set the order of the afternoon to fit.
Into Dubrovnik
Ston to Dubrovnik
- Breakfast
- Stay in Dubrovnik
- Drive about 1 h

Morning
A short morning drive, about an hour along the coast, brings us to Dubrovnik. We leave the bags at the hotel and meet a local guide at the Pile Gate, the western entrance to the Old Town, listed by UNESCO in 1979. The Stradun, the long limestone main street polished by centuries of feet, runs from the gate past Onofrio's Fountain and the Franciscan monastery, whose pharmacy has been working since the 14th century, to the Rector's Palace, seat of the Republic of Ragusa, and the old harbour. The guide explains how the city kept its independence by trade and diplomacy for some 450 years, and points out the marks of the shelling of 1991 and 1992 and the rebuilding since.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free. Lunch is your choice, and a swim off the rocks below the walls or a boat to Lokrum island are both close at hand.
Included
- Drive from Ston to Dubrovnik
- Dubrovnik Old Town with a local guide: the Pile Gate, the Stradun, the Franciscan monastery and the Rector's Palace
Optional experiences
- Boat to Lokrum island
- Cable car up Mount Srd
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Dubrovnik's walls at opening
The city walls of Dubrovnik, then a free day
- Breakfast
- Stay in Dubrovnik

Morning
We are at the wall entrance when it opens, about 8 am in season, because by mid-morning the walls fill with cruise passengers and the stone heats up. The full circuit is about 2 km and takes around two hours at an easy pace, with steep flights of steps between the towers. Your guide walks it with you: up to the round Minceta Tower, the highest point, for the view over the roofs; along the seaward side above the rocks and the swimmers; past the Fort of St John and the old harbour; and round to the Bokar bastion with Fort Lovrijenac on its own cliff across the cove. You come down in time for a late breakfast coffee, and the rest of the day is yours.
Evening
Take the cable car up Mount Srd for the view at sunset, swim on Lokrum, visit the Maritime Museum, or rest before tomorrow's early start.
Included
- Dubrovnik city walls ticket and a guided circuit at opening time
Optional experiences
- Cable car up Mount Srd
- Boat to Lokrum island
- Sea kayaking around the walls
Easier option: Walk only the first section from the Pile Gate to the Minceta Tower and come down there.
More active option: Sea kayaking below the walls to Lokrum in the afternoon.
Free time: Free from late morning
Activity: About 2 km on the walls with many steep steps and little shade; bring water and a hat.
A day in Kotor and Perast
Dubrovnik to Perast and Kotor in Montenegro, and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Dubrovnik
- Drive about 4.5 h

We leave Dubrovnik at about 7:30 am to reach the Montenegro border before the queues build, and drive round the Bay of Kotor, a deep fjord-like inlet ringed by mountains. This is the one day over our four-hour driving guideline, about 90 km and two to two and a half hours each way with the border, and we break it with three stops. First is Perast, a small baroque town of captains' palaces, where a boat takes us out to Our Lady of the Rocks, a church on an artificial island. Then Kotor, a walled old town listed by UNESCO in 1979, where a local guide takes us through the Sea Gate to the Square of Arms and the Cathedral of St Tryphon.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a restaurant in the old town.
Evening
We are back in Dubrovnik by early evening for a farewell dinner together.
Included
- Day trip to Montenegro with your guide and our vehicle
- Boat from Perast to Our Lady of the Rocks
- Kotor old town with a local guide: the Sea Gate, the Square of Arms and the Cathedral of St Tryphon
- Lunch in Kotor
- Farewell dinner in Dubrovnik
Easier option: Stay in Dubrovnik for a free day and join the group for the farewell dinner.
More active option: Climb the steps of the Kotor fortress walls to the Church of Our Lady of Remedy, about 45 minutes up, while others have coffee in the old town.
Free time: None today: a full guided day that ends with the farewell dinner.
Activity: Bring your passport: Montenegro is outside the Schengen area and there is a border check each way.
Depart Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik to Dubrovnik Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Afternoon
A last breakfast, and if your flight is in the afternoon, a last walk on the Stradun or a swim before checkout. Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) is at Cilipi, about 20 km south of the city and about half an hour by road along the coast above Cavtat. We take you there at a time matched to your flight, and your guide checks everyone off before saying goodbye. Dubrovnik has direct flights to many European hubs, with more routes from May to October than in winter, so most travellers connect through a European airport on the way home. If you would like to stay on, we can book extra nights in Dubrovnik, a ferry to the islands of Korcula or Mljet, or a few days at a quieter bay on the coast. Book a flight leaving after about 11 am so the morning is unhurried.
Included
- Transfer to Dubrovnik Airport (DBV)
Free time: Morning free until your transfer
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 11 am.
- Venice3 nights
- Overnight ferry to Split1 night
- Split3 nights
- Ston1 night
- Dubrovnik3 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May, June, September and October are warm without the July and August heat; the sea is warm enough to swim from June to early October. Spring brings occasional rain and the odd rough crossing, and October can bring acqua alta (high water) in Venice.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want Venice and the Croatian coast in one trip without a mid-trip flight
- People who like trains, boats and an overnight ferry as part of the journey
- Three-night stays in each main base, with free afternoons
- A first visit to Dubrovnik and Split, with a day in Montenegro
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: Venice bridges, Dubrovnik's walls and Kotor's lanes all mean steps
- Travellers who want a beach resort holiday
- Anyone who wants Florence and Rome; see our Venice, Florence and Rome trip
- Travellers who get badly seasick on an overnight crossing (we can fly you instead on request)
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
11 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Venice3 nights
- Overnight ferry to Split1 night
- Split3 nights
- Ston1 night
- Dubrovnik3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 11 nights: 3 in Venice, 1 on the overnight ferry from Ancona to Split in a twin cabin with its own bathroom, 3 in Split, 1 in Ston, 3 in Dubrovnik
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard or better; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Transfer from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) and to Dubrovnik Airport (DBV)
- Porter or water taxi for luggage in Venice
- Fast train Venice to Bologna and train Bologna to Ancona
- Overnight ferry Ancona to Split (flight Venice to Split if the ferry does not sail on your date)
- Private boat in the Venice lagoon
- Return catamaran Split to Hvar
- Our own vehicle and driver in Croatia and Montenegro, days 6 to 12
- Boat to Our Lady of the Rocks at Perast
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip, from Venice to Dubrovnik
- Licensed local guides in Venice, Split, Trogir, Dubrovnik and Kotor
Activities
- Venice: St Mark's Basilica on a morning entry and the Doge's Palace with the Bridge of Sighs
- Venice lagoon: Murano glass furnace, Burano and Torcello cathedral
- Bologna: walk under the porticoes to Piazza Maggiore
- Split: Diocletian's Palace, its substructures and the Cathedral of St Domnius
- Trogir old town and the Cathedral of St Lawrence
- Hvar town and the Fortica fortress
- Ston: the walls, the salt pans and a Peljesac wine tasting
- Dubrovnik: Old Town walk and the city walls ticket at opening
- Montenegro: Perast, Our Lady of the Rocks and Kotor old town
Meals
- Breakfast daily (11)
- 7 lunches: cicchetti in Venice, Burano, Bologna, Split, Hvar, oysters in Mali Ston, Kotor
- 3 dinners: welcome dinner in Venice, dinner on the ferry, farewell dinner in Dubrovnik
Not included
- International flights to Venice and from Dubrovnik
- Travel insurance
- Any visa or travel authorisation (such as ETIAS once it applies)
- Meals not listed
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Optional activities such as a gondola ride, Lokrum, the Srd cable car and kayaking
- Luggage beyond one case and one small bag on trains and the ferry
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 815 (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+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
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Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Eleven nights (ten in central hotels and one in a ferry cabin), breakfast daily, seven lunches and three dinners, the trains and the overnight ferry, the lagoon boat and the Hvar catamaran, airport transfers, our own vehicle in Croatia, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, local guides, and every entry in the day plan, including the Doge's Palace, Dubrovnik's walls and the Kotor day.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That fits one private boat on the Venice lagoon, one table at lunch, and the narrow lanes of Trogir and Kotor without anyone holding a flag.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with you from the welcome dinner in Venice to the airport in Dubrovnik. Licensed local guides join for St Mark's and the Doge's Palace, Diocletian's Palace, Trogir, Dubrovnik's Old Town and Kotor, where the sites or local rules call for them.
What if the ferry from Ancona to Split is not running?
We fly you from Venice to Split instead. The Ancona to Split overnight ferry sails only a few days a week, so we set departures on sailing days. If bad weather cancels the sailing, we fly Venice to Split, skip the Bologna stop, have dinner in Split and add a fourth night there; the rest of the trip is unchanged.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderate. Expect 3 to 6 km a day on stone paving, bridges and steps. Dubrovnik's walls are about 2 km with steep flights of steps, and the climbs to Hvar's fortress and over the Ston walls are short but steep. Each of those has an easier option, and you can skip any climb.
I am travelling solo. Do I have to pay a single supplement?
Only if you want a room of your own, which is from CAD 815 for the trip and includes a single cabin on the ferry. If you are happy to share, we pair you with another solo traveller of the same gender for the whole trip, with no change of roommate along the way.
When is the best time to go?
May to June and September to October. The weather is warm, the sea is swimmable from June into October, and Dubrovnik and Kotor are quieter than in July and August, when heat, cruise ships and peak prices all arrive together. Spring can bring rain and October the odd high tide in Venice.
Do I need a visa or my passport for Montenegro?
You need your passport for the Kotor day, because Montenegro is outside the Schengen area and there is a border check each way. Canadian, US, UK and Australian passport holders do not need a visa for this trip; the EU's ETIAS travel authorisation may apply once it starts, and we confirm what you need when you book.
Why take the train and ferry instead of flying from Venice to Split?
Because it costs you little daytime. You see Bologna on the way, sleep on the ferry and walk into Diocletian's Palace the next morning. A flight means an airport morning, a transfer and arriving later in the day. It also links Italy and Croatia as one journey rather than two trips joined by an airport.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 8,630 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same trains, ferry, hotels and local guides.
How does booking work?
Pick your start date and send a request to book. We confirm your place, the ferry or flight for day 4 and your hotels within 24 hours. No payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, and the small group starts from CAD 4,795.