merriweather_max

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy bus tickets from Dubrovnik to Split during the busy season (July). Wanted to purchase tickets ahead of time and found Bus Croatia's website. However, I've seen a few postings from people saying they are just a broker. I would love to know if you'd recommend Bus Croatia or some other way to purchase tickets in advance.

Thanks!

merriweather_max

Also, any thoughts on bus carriers to avoid?

geenance

Sorry I can't help, but just wanted to thank you for asking this question about Bus Croatia. I was on their website today, and wondered who they were. Looking forward to someone providing some insight on this.

kja

I found all the buses I rode while in Croatia comfortable. Unfortunately, I don't remember what companies ran which lines....

Andrew

I took a bus from Dubrovnik up to Korcula, so I can't really answer the questions either (only one bus to Korcula a day so not many bus companies to choose from). From what I've read, I wouldn't worry at all about avoiding any company. I'd go with the scheduled departure that suits your needs.

FYI, the Dubrovnik bus terminal isn't directly in the center of town. You have to take a city bus to get there. If you can't buy tickets online ahead of time, at worst you could go out to the bus station a day or two ahead of time and buy them for a specific bus. I would expect you'd be able to buy them somewhere in the center of town, though.

merriweather_max

thanks everyone!

nukesafe

We did it the other way a few years ago, and had no problems just walking up to the bus station in Split and saying "Dubrovnik" to the ticket lady. She told us which bay our bus would be in and we got on. The busses were modern and clean. I recall the luggage got stored in the bins beneath the bus, and we paid the driver a nominal amount per bag.

Things seemed very casual, and everyone spoke English. We were not particular about express busses, and got on one that had multiple stops, which turned out marvelously. We were so enchanted with some of the stops we simple got off, got our bags, and caught another bus later. The cost of the tickets was so nominal we did not mind paying again.

jan47ete

I had an opposite experience from nuke in Oct. I went to the bus station very close to the port and bought a ticket to Trogir. No one spoke English, the signs were confusing but I had written where I wanted to go, so just showed my piece of paper. Had to go to about 3 windows before I found the correct one. Trip to Trogir was fine. I checked the return times on the board at the Trogir bus station.

At the bus station in Togrir, I did not realize there were 2 bus companies, and I bought a ticket not with the bus company I had come to Trogir on. It was a local, took 2x as long and the bus "station" in Split was similar to a very tiny parking lot and no where near the bus station in Split I had originated on. No one spoke English, the bus driver was an a...hole, and no one even knew the words "ship or boat" or "port" which truthfully I found strange. Living in a port town with thousands of ships and boats, and no one knows port or ship! Eventually found my way to the port. Just my experience.

nukesafe

Well, Jan, "different ships, different long splices", as the saying goes. We must have just lucked out, but the "speak no English" sort of surprises me. I was told that English has been a required subject in all Croatian schools for many years. We found that everyone under about the age of 50 spoke at least enough English to give basic directions. That was not the case when I was there on a yacht in the 1970s. Dealing with Customs was a nightmare!

I gave up on Croatian. It tried. I really did. At least I can learn the basic polite greetings and phrases that would get me to my destination and fed in restaurants, as I had managed in a lot of other countries, I thought. Wrong! Somehow I could just not get the proper words to stick in my head, much less the pronunciation.

Loved the country and the people, though.

kja

I sure am glad I didn't have the difficulties that jan47ete had -- frustrating! The people I encountered (I was there in 2009) did not all speak English, but I was very impressed with the helpfulness of people throughout the country.

FWIW, a good guidebook would probably have provided quick solutions: My Rough Guide, for example, clearly describes and maps the locations of multiple bus stations in both Trogir and Split, so one can tell which stations one needs. It also includes the words for bus, port, etc. Whenever I had difficulty communicating anywhere in Croatia, that guidebook proved invaluable.

Andrew

I caught a city bus to the Split airport from Split's bus station by the port. I don't recall having any trouble there or at the bus station in Dubrovnik getting the tickets I needed. I never expect anyone in these countries to speak English (though they almost always speak a little) and am used to handing them the slip of paper with destination, date, etc.

ashish478

Its really tough to get a bus ticket during these seasons.There are lot of rush and its often to get stucked.The better will to travel your plan through some travel guides.I also went their last year.You can also plan your travel at www.the backpackerco.com

Kevina

Yes www.buscroatia.com is a broker. It is best place to check timetables as most bus companies only show their own schedule and poor information on others.