europe2011

My husband and I will be travelling in Italy for a week, then taking the ferry from Ancona to Split. We will be taking a bus from Split to Dubrovnik and wonder if it really is around 5 hours? Does anyone know? After we spend a few days in Dubrovnik is the best way to travel to Ljubljana via bus to Split then train? Has anyone done that? Is there a night train?

Any ideas about places to see in Dubrovnik would be welcome. We have researched quite a bit, but I welcome all suggestions.

Thanks!

maitaitom

We drove from Dubrovnik to Split in slightly less than four hours, so five hours on a bus seems about right.

europe2011

How much did you pay for the rental car? Also, was it a problem to find parking in Dubrovnik? Was it espensive to park?

JoyC

We arrived in Dubrovnik by car and kept it for a couple of days since we were driving to Montenegro. Parking near and around Old Town is a nightmare. We were also there in July, when parking rates doubles just about everywhere. We did find a parking space near the Pile Gate for 35 kuna/hour (~$6) and eventually parked the car in the public parking garage for 180 kuna/overnight. Rates are cheaper when it is not peak season, but regardless of rates, finding a parking spot is really difficult.

julia_t

Driving from Split to Dubrovnik is easy, and does take around 3-4 hours, depending on the time of year and amount of traffic.

When are you planning this visit?

Parking in Dubrovnik is not easy though may well be better now there is this new multi-storey underground car park up the hill. It used to be that you could reckon on paying around 1 euro an hour, and 20 euros for a full day. Believe me that they park CLOSE and TIGHT!

Alternatively you search for an apartment which offers a parking space. There are plenty of them, though they tend to be up the hill which means steps, and lots of them.

I've rented a car twice in Croatia and use www.economycarrentals.com I've always rented from Split Airport. One time I was put with HMrentacar and the other with lastminuterentacar. ECR are pretty much the cheapest brokers and are good to deal with - you pay a small deposit and only pay the balance when you pick up the car. Full CDW is included but do read all the small print as well. Last time I was driving to Sarajevo through the Bosnian mountains and the cross-border card was included in the deal, previously I'd been charged for it. You don't need it to just drive through that tiny bit of BiH on the Split-Dubrovnik highway, but if you plan on venturing further into Bosnia (in fact it's Herzegovina in those parts) then you would definitely need the card, and also if you plan on going into Montenegro you'll need it.

To get to Llubliana from Split I think you take the train to Zagreb and then another train (or bus) on to Ljubljana. Otherwise you could maybe get a cheap flight Split-Zagreb and then the train or bus on to Ljubljana.

europe2011

We are going in May

julia_t

Parking shouldn't be too bad in May as it's still what they call shoulder season - while it will still be busy it won't be nearly as bad as in July/August.

I would still consider finding accommodation with a parking space.

Most of the big hotels have parking, so if you are going to stay in one of them then it wouldn't be an issue.

If your're on more of a budget which you may well be considering your first and third posts, then renting a room/apartment is probably your best option. You should be able to find somewhere for around 50 euros a night, and the higher up the hill you go the more likely you are to get a parking space included.

Good luck and let us know what happens!

LittleVicky

Flights from Dubrovnik to Zagreb are often very cheap but you will not see much on the way.

isabel

There are also ferries you could take from Split to/from Dubrovnik. There are both slow and fast ones, the slow ones take most of the day but it's a very pleasant way to spend a day. But then I love ferries - as long as they have outside deck area. The faster ones are like being in a floating bus. The bus is about 5 hours. Have you considered breaking up the Dubrovnik-Split portion by staying on Korcula for a night? And to go all the way from Dubrovnik up to Zagreb I'd look into flying.

Andrew

Yeah, if you have driven to Dubrovnik and need to get to Ljubljana, flying to Zagreb then a train from there might be the most convenient way to get up to Ljubljana. On the other hand, if you want to see more, you could drive back to Split a different way or even on to Zagreb and return the car there. (Maybe stop in Mostar or Plitvice Lakes or something.) Really depends how much time you have or want to spend.

There are several direct trains a day between Zagreb and Ljubljana. Check the German train schedule if you want to find a night train:

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/index.shtml

I enjoyed driving in Croatia but not in Dubrovnik! I drove from Zagreb to Dubrovnik and dropped my car there - was glad to get rid of it once I got into town! But I had no day trips by car planned...

europe2011

Flying sounds like an option. Anyone know the best places to look into flight options?

Also, do we need to make a reservation for the bus to Dubrovnik ahead of time?

Andrew

Just check kayak.com for flight options. Probably Croatia Airlines will be your best bet from Dubrovnik to Zagreb and their flights show up there. (I'd buy those flights directly from Croatia Airlines' own website though.)

Pretty sure you don't need reservations for the bus, but I'd get there early enough to make sure you get a seat. The bus station in Split isn't far from the Riva - you could go buy them the day before and show up a half hour before departure to get a seat. Be prepared to pay a few Kuna (forget how much) per bag to stow larger bags in the bus luggage compartment; you can keep smaller bags with you.

LittleVicky

I have flown Dub - Zag several times and the prices are always very low in the off season.

LittleVicky

I will add, best rates are available directly from Croatia Airlines,

europe2011

Thanks everyone. We have decided to take the bus from Split to Dub. then fly from Dub. to Zagreb.

Thanks again everyone! Great ideas!