I’d check to see how the ferry schedules meshed with the train schedules. 

Not sure if it’s “best” but I took the ferry from Split to Ancona and then train to Rome.  We ended up taking a cab to the main train station in Ancona, but I think there’s a bus.  There’s a little train station right by the ferry terminal, but only local trains stop there, so it’s better to go to the main station.  I bought the train ticket in advance from trenitalia.com and then printed out the ticket at the kiosk (very user friendly in English) at the station. 

    

Bus: http://www.croatiabu…
Another bus: operator http://www.globtour…., leaves Zagreb at 15:45, arrives Sarajevo 22:30, one-way ticket 160 croatian Kunas (HRK)

Train: There seems to be one direct train only (Zagreb-Ploce line), leaving Zagreb at 8:57 and arriving to Sarajevo at 18:18.


There are numerous buses from Dubrovnik to Split, 13 a day in each direction, starting at 5 AM and ending at 10 PM and going almost every hour. The journey takes about 4 hours and costs about 10-12 euros.

The ferry, operated by Jadrolinija ( http://www.jadrolini… ) leaves Dubrovnik at 10:00 on Thursdays and Sundays and arrives to Split at 18:30 the same day. See http://www.jadrolini…

Split to Ancona or Pescara – Jadrolinija ferry company.

Pescara leg:
Split dep. Sun, Mon, Wed 21:00, Pescara arr. Mon, Tue, Thu 07:00
Pescara Centrale dep. daily 09:36, Roma Tiburtina arr. 13:26.

Ancona leg:
daily except Monday and Friday: Split dep. 22:00 (on Wednesdays: 21:00), arriving the next morning to Ancona at 07:00.
Ancona (not Ancona Maritima, which is a local small train station next to the harbor, but the main station) dep. daily 07:55, Roma Termini arr. 11:48.

In addition to Jadroliinja, Blue Line ferries and SEM ferries also runs the Split-Ancona route and SNAV ferries runs both Split-Ancona and Split-Pescara routes.  The links from this site should help you find the best ferry for your trip. http://www.findcroat…

wow, lots of good info here, thanks a lot !
 
What do you guys think of my itinerary in itself ? Am i spending too much/too little time in those cities, or am i missing places ?

3 nights in Zagreb given your time frame might be a bit much

4 nights in Sarajevo sounds awesome to me, as to me it’s one of my favourite cities. Don’t expect to have enough to “do” all those days – if you are a museum/sights person. It’s a city to be savoured though, and if you like nightlife, dining, etc – you will fill that time easy.

Perfect for Mostar

You could pull one day off Zagreb and have 3 nights b/ween Kotor/Herceg-Novi. Don’t bother moving b/ween them, just base yourself in one and travel back and forth. My pick would be Herceg-Novi, as it’s more authentic.

Rest of it sounds fine, but I’d nix Split, as it’s not worth that amount of time. In fact I’d do 2 islands, or more time on one instead of Split at all – just pass through!

I agree completely with cuzzin_elias1

i want to keep it 3 nights in zagreb because i’ll be arriving by plane in the middle of the day, tired from the overnight flight and transit, so i don’t want to rush at the beginning of my trip.
 
But a lot of people seem to have the same opinion about Split. My goal was to base myself there to visit around, because i like to have the same bed for a few nights in a row, plus i dont have to carry around my big pack. But i’ll definitely consider removing a day over there to spend it in montenegro. Same thing there, i’m planning to base in Herceg Novi a visit what’s around.
 
thanks for the advices !

Yeah the points made about Sarajevo are spot on, its a fantastic place with so much history and just a great feel about the place. I have been to see a good few places but very few make me excited  in waiting for the day i can go back and sarajevo is one of them.

sarajevo is wonderful, make sure you see some of the natural beauty as well (jahorina). while in montenegro, Budva is its most popular coastal destination and a only about 25km from kotor. beautiful night life, wild beaches and beautiful sveti stefan close by.

few more questions

1. overnight Ferry to italy. Do i have to book it ahead (online few weeks before, on-site a few days before) or can i just show up the same day ? Also, does anyone knows what kind of “cabin” i should get if i dont want to sleep on deck ? (kind of a newbie in ferries…)

2. it seems a popular opinion that Split is not that great. Why travelers don’t seem to like it ? Would it be better to stay on an island and maybe do a daytrip to split instead of the opposite ? Anyone has a suggestion about which island ?

thanks again

A few days before will probably be okay. I would not be worried about all of the possible options being completely sold out. However, certain types of cabins may sell out. There are hundreds of little kiosks and offices in the ferry terminal where you can buy tickets. I booked on-line in advance directly with the ferry company — I think I found the link at find-croatia.com There’s pretty good information and pictures or floor plans of the various types of cabins at the websites. I booked a double for two of us.

IMO, it’s not that Split isn’t that great, it’s that other places are better. I can’t imagine that you’d actually dislike Split and it would work well as a base for day and overnight trips to Dubrovnik and the islands since there are so many ferry options to choose from.