I am not sure how much time you have on your hands, and what type of fun and entertainment you like. Anyway you could for instance take a ferry from Zadar to island ugljan, it takes you to a little village called Preko. There is ruins of an old fort on a mountain near preko if you are into hiking it gives a great view. Otherwise Preko is a nice little town but with no real sites to see. You can drive over Ugljan to island Pasman, and to the end of Pasman with a local bus. Lots of little towns, villages and secluded beaches along the road. From there you can take a ferry that will take you to the town on Biograd and you can move on to Split. It's rather cheap way of getting across both islands, and since islands are very long but not wide you could make stops where u want and take another bus later. Generally speaking Ugljan and Pasman are one of least "touristy" islands in dalmatia, meaning night life is almost non existant, and it they also lack in other types of activities, but if you are looking for a place of great seclusive beaches and crystal clear water, or you are into biking of hiking its a cool place to visit.
Zadar I love, it's really a lively and beautiful town with solid nightlife, and lots of young ppl, check out garden lounge bar, and gotham discotheque. While in Zadar I would also recommend taking a boat tour to national park "kornati archipelago". U can take organized tours from the city's port. Generally speaking NP Kornati is one of Croatia's must see, it is really one of natures wonders, BUT there are cons to taking organized tours. They can be pricey, I think they range somewhere from 30-50 euros per person, they can be crowded, food is cooked on the boat, and can wary in quality and quantity, and personally I have an aversion to taking organized tours in general. On the other hand, unless you can rent a yacht or a sail boat (which can be hard to rent for less then a week not to mention expensive) there is no other way to sea this jewel, and trust me it's well worth it.
On your way to Split is also island Pag, a very strange looking Island when looked upon from the continent side it looks like barren earth, nothing but stone grows there, so its like moon surface, while on the other side it's green, and lush and generally a beautiful place. It's rather big so you can find loads of different types of tourism on Pag, but in recent years it's widely known for it's Zrce beach which resembles Ibiza style of fun for almost exclusively young ppl looking for all day drinking and partying. If you are into clubbing and wild partying you will feel at home there, mind you its pricey 😉
If you are into cultural sightseeing I would make a short stop at Sibenik along the way and take a look at the old town, and especially Trogir both are along the way from Zadar to Split and are on land.
I personally don't like Split that much but then again maybe I am being subjective since I am from Zagreb, and there is slight animosity in Croatia between north and the south :p Basically we think of them as lazy sobs and they think of us as arrogant and cocky. Anyway Split is a rather big town, with great historical monuments and no question it can offer a lot in respect to it's visitors.
I would suggest that if you want to do island hopping and visit a lot of places that you rent a car in Zadar and return it in Split, if you can afford it ofc. The next best thing is using ferrys to get to Ugljan and Pasman, and buses along the coastline. Pag is connected via a bridge so you can get on it with a car or a bus.
Also I would like to mention that if you can change you arrangements somehow that you visit islands of Brac, Hvar Korcula and especially Vis(they are more to the south betwean Split and Dubrovnik). The first 3 are rather exclusive and can really be pricey by any standards nevertheless stunning islands, and if you are smart you can still avoid high costs, but my personal favorite is Vis cause its still unspoiled and so nice.
I hope this helps, have a good time 😉 Cheers
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