For Australians, Croatia is rarely a quick hop. Once you have crossed half the world, it makes sense to see more than one version of the country.
A sailing week gives you warm Adriatic water, island towns and long afternoons on deck. It does not naturally take you to the freshwater landscapes inland. Krka and Plitvice are not interchangeable with the coast, and trying to squeeze them into separate return day trips can leave you spending too much of a short holiday on the same road.
The most satisfying two-week Croatia land-and-sailing route combines both: a few grounded days around Split and the national parks, followed by a seven-night sailing itinerary. The order can be reversed, but the principle stays the same. Put the fixed pieces on the calendar first, avoid same-day gambles and leave one flexible day for the things long-haul travel occasionally throws at you.
This guide gives you the shape of the trip rather than pretending every sailing company follows the same timetable.
The simple version
- Days 1-2: Arrive in Split and settle in
- Days 3-4: Krka and Plitvice overnight journey
- Day 5: Split buffer day
- Days 6-12: Seven-night Croatia sailing trip
- Day 13: Explore your finishing city
- Day 14: Fly or continue through Europe
Some cruises begin and finish in Split. Others travel between Split and Dubrovnik. Some leave on weekends, while others use midweek departures. Check the exact local start time and port before buying flights or placing a land tour immediately beside the sailing date.
Days 1-2: Arrive in Split without rushing yourself
After a journey from Australia, the first job is not sightseeing. It is getting your luggage, adjusting to the time difference and giving yourself enough space that one delayed connection does not dismantle the whole Croatia itinerary.
Spend at least your first night in Split. If your arrival is early and you still have energy, walk through Diocletian’s Palace, follow the Riva waterfront and have an uncomplicated dinner near the old town. Save Marjan Hill for the following morning, when the view across Split and the harbour will help the route make sense.
Use the second day for practical preparation:
- Confirm the meeting point for the parks tour and the later sailing trip
- Buy anything you do not want to hunt for on an island
- Separate your easy-access overnight items from the rest of your luggage
- Check the weather for both the coast and inland Croatia
- Avoid turning the day into a race through every Split attraction
For a closer comparison of Croatia’s two best-known southern cities, read our Split or Dubrovnik guide.
Days 3-4: See Krka and Plitvice as one continuous route
Krka and Plitvice are often sold as unrelated day trips. Geographically, it makes more sense to link them.
On the first morning, leave Split for Skradin. During the operating season, the official park boat travels along the Krka River between Skradin and Skradinski buk. The ride is not simply transport. It changes the rhythm of the arrival, moving from the town and river towards the waterfalls rather than stepping straight out of a vehicle at the busiest viewpoint.
Swimming is no longer permitted at Skradinski buk or at the park’s tufa barriers. On the NP Tours route, there may be an opportunity to swim farther downstream outside the national park, when weather, water and safety conditions allow. That distinction matters: it is not a promise to swim inside Krka National Park.
After Krka, continue towards the Plitvice region and stay overnight near the lakes. This is the part many rushed itineraries leave out. You wake close to the park instead of beginning Day 2 with a drive of several hours from Split.
Plitvice’s official routes combine boardwalks, walking trails and, depending on the selected programme and current operations, electric boats or panoramic vehicles. In summer, the park can open from early morning, but opening times and ticket windows change by season. The current official schedule should always win over an old blog post.
NP Tours’ 2-day Krka and Plitvice journey from Split is designed around this continuous route. Departures remain inquiry-only, so the team checks the date before confirming the booking.
Official planning sources:
Day 5: Keep a Split buffer before the boat
It is tempting to finish Plitvice in the afternoon and board a boat immediately. Do not build the important parts of a long-haul holiday around the best-case traffic estimate.
A buffer night protects the sailing check-in and gives you a useful reset between two very different trips. Wash the walking clothes, repack for a smaller cabin, charge everything and have a proper evening in Split.
This also makes the itinerary easier if your sailing company asks you to check in during the morning. Current cruise instructions can include narrow boarding windows, and ships do not wait because a separate tour or transfer ran late.
Days 6-12: Let the sailing company own the coast
Once you board, stop trying to repeat the land itinerary. A typical southern sailing week may include some combination of Hvar, Korcula, Mljet, Makarska and Dubrovnik, but the exact sequence varies by route, vessel and weather.
That is why the land section works best before or after the boat: it adds something genuinely different instead of selling you another version of the islands already included in your sailing week.
Use the time at sea for what it does best:
- Swim stops and slow mornings on the water
- Island evenings after day visitors have left
- Hvar, Korcula or Mljet without constant repacking
- A social group experience that feels different from a road journey
- Coastal views you cannot reproduce from a bus or hotel
Our Croatia island-hopping guide explains the character of the main ports without tying you to one operator’s schedule.
NP Tours Croatia is independent and is not affiliated with Sail Croatia, Contiki, Topdeck or any other sailing company. Their routes and times can change, so use your confirmed operator documents for check-in details.
Day 13: Use the city where you actually finish
If your sailing trip returns to Split, keep Day 13 for anything you skipped at the beginning: Marjan, a market morning, Trogir or simply a beach and a long lunch.
If the route finishes in Dubrovnik, do not rush straight to the airport. Walk the Old Town early or later in the afternoon, when the streets are easier to appreciate. The city walls deserve time, water and comfortable shoes. A cable-car viewpoint or a quiet swim can make a better final afternoon than adding another long excursion.
For one-way routes, compare the international flight options from Dubrovnik with returning overland to Split. The cheapest airfare is not always the cheapest journey after another hotel night and transfer are added.
Day 14: Leave room for the journey home
Long-haul departures deserve margin. European entry and exit systems, summer road congestion and airport queues can all affect timing. The Australian Government’s Smartraveller guidance should be checked close to departure, not only when the holiday is first booked.
Australian passport holders can generally visit the Schengen Area visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Entry procedures and systems can change, and Croatia does not have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia. Comprehensive travel insurance is therefore a practical part of the trip, not an optional detail.
Read the current official advice at Smartraveller Croatia.
Should you sail first or visit the parks first?
Parks first works well when:
- Your sailing trip begins in Split
- You want an active start and a relaxed week afterwards
- Your tour and boat dates leave a full buffer night
- You prefer to finish the holiday near the coast
Sailing first works well when:
- Your confirmed route ends in Split
- You want a quieter finish after a social sailing week
- Your international flight leaves several days later
- You can match an inquiry-only parks departure without forcing the connection
Neither order is automatically better. The right answer is the one that respects your fixed check-in times and avoids a same-day connection you cannot control.
What to pack for both halves of the trip
Boat life and national-park walking need different things, but not two separate suitcases.
Bring:
- Comfortable walking shoes with grip
- A light waterproof layer
- A warmer top for inland evenings and air-conditioned transfers
- Swimmers and a quick-dry towel
- Reef-safe sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat
- A refillable water bottle
- A small day bag and waterproof phone pouch
- A power bank and European plug adaptor
- Any medication in your hand luggage
Cabins can be compact, so resist packing for every possible version of yourself. Our detailed Krka and Plitvice packing guide covers the land section.
Planning the cost in Australian dollars
Croatia uses the euro. Treat any AUD figure on a travel website as a planning estimate unless the company explicitly charges in Australian dollars.
NP Tours’ current euro prices for the 2-day tour convert to approximately AUD 475 in May and October, AUD 525 in June and September, and AUD 550 in July and August using the European Central Bank reference rate published for 21 August 2026. Your bank or card provider may use a different rate and add fees.
For a realistic two-week budget, separate these lines:
- International flights
- The sailing trip and any cabin upgrade
- The parks extension
- Split or Dubrovnik buffer accommodation
- Park and cruise items not included by your chosen operators
- Meals, drinks, tips and optional activities
- Travel insurance
- Card and currency-conversion costs
Do not compare two tours only by headline price. Check accommodation, meals, park entries, luggage rules, transfer points and the time you would otherwise spend arranging the same route yourself.
The booking order that prevents expensive mistakes
- Choose the sailing route and note its exact local check-in and finish times.
- Check an NP Tours departure before or after it.
- Add at least one buffer night around any fixed boat or long-haul connection.
- Confirm your start and finish airports.
- Book flexible accommodation for the buffer nights.
- Buy flights only when the route works as a whole.
- Recheck official entry and travel advice closer to departure.
Already have your sailing dates?
Send NP Tours the sailing company, start date, end date, start city, end city and group size. We will check whether the 2-day Krka and Plitvice route fits comfortably before or after it.
See how the Croatia sailing extension fits around your boat dates, then use the inquiry calendar when you are ready to check a specific departure.
Check 2027 dates and make an inquiry
The goal is not to squeeze one more attraction into Croatia. It is to come this far and experience both of the landscapes that make the country extraordinary: saltwater islands on one side, freshwater lakes and waterfalls on the other.
