nycreba

My girlfriend and I are planning a trip for this May which will take us from London to Venice and then on to Croatia. We then return to London from Croatia to fly home to the US.

We initially had lofty goals of exploring Croatia's coastline, but realized quickly that it would be very difficult to coordinate logistics (neither of us is comfortable renting a car/driving there, which totally puts a wrench in exploration plans!) and so, shifted gears.

Our plan now is to depart Venice for Pula, either by train or by ferry. I've read conflicting information on the best way to travel this leg - it seems that ferries are somewhat/mostly reliable at that time of year but that train may end up serving us best. Does anyone have thoughts on this?

Once in Pula, we're planning to stay heavily focused on gastronomic adventures in and around the istrian Peninsula. We're in the early stages of figuring out whether we'd do best with a tour outfit or if we can explore on our own without a car. Any recommendations/suggestions as to how it would be most manageable for a period of 3-5 days (tour vs self guided) would be much appreciated.

We'd planned to depart Pula for London and again, the logistics defy us.

If anyone has thoughts on how we can tailor our trip to minimize to/from travel time and focus on getting the best out of Istria, we'd be very grateful. Additionally - thoughts on airlines for the Croatia -> London leg would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

GoYourOwnWayTravel

Croatia is a beautiful country but is still developing its public transport options - as you've already found out. While there may be local buses in the Istrian area, you will be better off either going with a tour (with a group of others) or hiring your own driver/guide (not as expensive as it sounds). Many of the small towns in the Istrian Peninsula will be impossible to get to without some sort of car/transportation (non-public).
It may be best to make your way up to Ljubljana and fly back to London from there. Pula has an airport but its small. Do you already have your roundtrip London flights?
Hope this helps!
Leila

nycreba

Thanks, Leila. It does help.
We're using a small tour outfit called Croatia Culinary Tours to do a sweep of Istria. The woman we've been corresponding with had mentioned there are flights from Pula -> London on Croatia Air or Ryannair...I just know that - at least through forums & etc - that flights can change without notice and if the single flight to London that day is cancelled...there isn't one the next day & we risk missing our overseas leg.

So, no - we haven't booked the London leg yet. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Rebecca

jnjfraz

This is the web site for the flights and we have never had a problem with canceled flights. http://www.whichbudget.com/

The road system in Croatia is very good and it is extremely simple to drive in and around that area. You could just fly in and out of Venice or Triest which we have done a few times and it is very simple..... but the Culinary tour sounds great.

isabel

In many years of flying easyjet, and less often other budget intra-European carriers I've rarely had a canceled flight. But the key word there is 'rarely'. It has happened and I certainly have read of others who have had it happen. Therefore I always make sure I have an extra day or two before my return flight. This summer we are flying from the US to London and put in an extra night just to be sure we don't miss our easyjet flight to Ljubjlana. But see how much flights back to the US from Venice are compared to Lodnon plus the easyjet/ryanair flights. Might be easier just to take the train or ferry back to Venice. Or do the whole thing in reverse - US to London, easyjet to Ljubljana, bus down to Istria, train or ferry to Venice and fly home from there.

I understand the ferries are reliable but the schedule for the coming summer are not out yet (I just checked yesterday). I am counting on a ferry for my trip but I booked everything else and if the ferry doesn't work out there is always bus/train.

LittleVicky

We have travelled London/Pula/London for quite a number of years and have had no flight cancellations to date. Touring Istria from Venice is so easy to do without group travel and much more flexible. I will also mention a quality bus transport service from Pula to all major towns.

Dee_Dee

I had the same dilema some years ago & ended doing something different. I flew in & out of Venice spending several days there on either end of my Croatian travels. I then took a train down to Ancona where I boarded an overnight ferry. I was apprehensive about the ferry but found I got a good night's sleep. Ther ferry arrived in Split and then on to Hvar where I spent 3 nights. Back to Split where I caught a bus down to Dubrovnik. Loved, loved, loved the city and surrounding area. I did not rent a car as I was nervous about driving in a new area. If I went back, I would not hesitate renting a car. I did take a couple of tours, one down to Montenegro and another to Mostar in Bosnia. Montenegro was just beautiful and Mostar was an eyeopener I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. The southern coast of Croatia is just so beautiful. So sorry to throw in a totally new option, but, I just couldn't resist recommending southern Croatia.

nycreba

Wonderful suggestions - thank you! We've had a small wrench/glitch thrown into our plans: all legs of travel have been booked for our London->Venice->Croatia->Venice->London adventure with the exception of the Venice<->Pula ferries.

Come to find out the ferry of interest does not run until June (yikes) and nearly ferry service is limited to Porec and Rominj.

I suppose in a pinch we can take a bus or fly, but does anyone know of ferry lines that run Venice <-> Pula in May? Other than Venezia lines?

Thank you!

kja

Have you considered taking the ferry to Porec or Rovinj and then bus to Pula?

LittleVicky

If you take a ferry to Rovinj, there is then a good bus service to Pula which takes only 40 minutes.
Look at the ferry price, which I think is very expensive. It is easy to take a train to Trieste and a bus to Istria for a lot less money.

travelots

The first year we tried to plan a trip to Croatia, logistics prevented us. We were traveling from Venice, and ferry service to Pula / Rovinj did not start that early in the season.... (2006) I lost a $250 deposit on an apartment in Dubrovnik because we couldn't get there...

In 2007, my boyfriend and I indeed made it to Croatia, and we concentrated our time on Dalmatia. We rented a car in Zagreb, and made our way to Plitvice Park (fabulous, stayed in Slunj), to SPLIT, to Hvar, Korkula, and Dubrovnik. Best 12 days of my life, so fabulous, that we went back in 2011 to the Istrian Peninsula for yet another great trip to Croatia. I love Croatia. Do not be afraid to drive there, but of course, be safe, cautious, and aware....

I loved the Croatians, and would not hesitate going without reservations. A lot of people rent their rooms. A lot available.