leejoy10

Hi everyone,

I will be in Croatia from May 17-27. I'll be traveling to each city by bus. I have a few questions:

(1) Is it best to buy bus tickets online ahead of time or will I be ok buying the ticket at the bus station the day of? Is it cheaper to buy tickets ahead of time?

(2) What is the most efficient way to get to Budapest from Zagreb? I checked on the site Rome2Rio and found that it looks like bus would make the most sense? Can anyone share from their experience?

(3) Also, can someone recommend a good app or website for checking Croatia's times and prices? I found a lot of the sites are in Croatian, which made it a bit difficult to figure out.

Any other tips and experiences about traveling via bus/train in Croatia would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

yorkshire

May is not high season. I would buy them before leaving. Not sure if there is any advance discount. If you are a student there is a discount.
I check schedules at the autotrans website, which has english availability. The serve many but not all routes. See also http://www.buscroatia.com
Make sure you get seat assignment (sjedalo) for longer, scenic rides.
On long rides, the driver will stop for a break, and this is a good time to stretch your legs, grab a snack, use the bathroom, etc.
On some routes (e.g., Dubrovnik to Korcula), the bus gets on a ferry.
You put your large luggage under the bus, and sometimes there is a small charge for this.
The bus is a convenient and comfortable way to get around, enjoy!

jan47ete

Just FYI: the main bus station in Split was down by the harbor with multi bus companies. When I returned to Split I thought I would end up in the same main bus station and did not. Just make sure you know where that particular bus ends up.

Marsh

Bus service in Croatia was great when we were there in 2014. For an early a.m. trip from Sibenik to Plitvice Lakes, I bought the tickets the afternoon before the trip.

kja

I traveled by bus in Croatia in late May, 2009, and did not have trouble buying bus tickets. Of course, things could have changed.... If your planned timing has particular significance (e.g., if you really MUST be somewhere by X), then you might consider buying your departure ticket when you arrive somewhere, rather than waiting until you are ready to leave.

And yes, be sure you know WHICH stops / stations you need. I found the Rough Guide to be an excellent source of that information, and lots of other info, too.

Enjoy!

leejoy10

Thank you everyone for your help!

dreamon

There are different bus companies in Croatia, covering different areas of the country. They have timetables online but you can't use a single website.

bahn.de will give you timetables for trains between zagreb and budapest and there is also undoubtedly a website for Croatian trains but I haven't used it. There is also a bus company which operates out of Zagreb.