Kanga

We are going to Croatia with a car in early July and have planned pretty much day by day but I am stuck and would like some help or suggestions.

We will leave Hvar on 6th July and have to be in Como on 8th July. I was wondering if it would be better to take a ferry from Split to Ancona and drive from there or to drive to Krk (I see there is a bridge crossing from the mainland) and go to Como from there by road. Another option is to drive to Rijeka and then to Como - but that seems a lot of kms. and we dont really want to drive too many hours in one day.

Does anyone have any suggestions how we can fill in the two days en route to Como? Pease help!!

GeoffHamer

Krk is linked to the mainland by a bridge, but going there wouldn't shorten the drive to Como. The roads in Italy are much better than those along the Croatian coast, so crossing by ferry to Ancona would reduce the driving time. There are some direct services from Stari Grad on Hvar island to Ancona in summer. Three companies run ships, usually overnight, from Split to Ancona (www.bli-ferry.com, www.jadrolinija.hr and www.adriatica.it) and the first two also serve Stari Grad. Fast car ferries are run by SNAV (www.snav.it).

Kanga

Thank you Geoff, you have confirmed what I orginally thought. It is difficult when you hear different stories about the state of the roads over there. I found a ferry which runs from Split to Ancona at 1700 and arrives 2130. I wonder if this calls into Starigrad. Then I saw another ferry from Starigrad to Pescara but that is much further away from Como!

I will check the SNAV website.

eri

Kanga,
We have just returned from 2 beautiful weeks in Croatia. We drove all through Hvar (80km = 50 miles). Be prepared to one of the scariest roads I have ever drove on! Locals in the Hvar town told us that the usually try to avoid this road because of it's condition. This is the only road that crosses the island. They usually go from Split to Stari Grad via ferry and from there drive to Hvar town. The road between these 2 points (12 miles) is good. If you decide nevertheless to drive through the whole island, you have to take into account that it will take you at least 2 hours. You will probably want to stay overnight in Hvar. Therefore, I don't think that you will have enough time to drive to Como, and arrive there on time.
The roads in Croatia are not bad. But they, by far, are not like in the U.S. or in most European countries. The driving is slower than you are probably used to. Istria takes a long time. So does Krk. We stayed one night near Pula (Istria) and one in Krk as well as one night in Hvar. I can't imagine doing it quicker. You do want to see something of this beautiful country, don't you?

joegri

eri: Did you/will you do a trip report? Thanks.

eri

Joegri,

I am really too lazy to sit and write about the whole trip. Is it OK if I just describe the main places we visited, and I'll gladly answer any questions you have?
Well, we started in Zagreb airport, drove directly to Ljubljana, Bled and vicinity, Triglav Mountains, the caves, Piran - all in Slovenia, crossed the border to Croatia to Istria Pninsula (Porec, Rovejemi (sp), Pula, Opatja), Rijeka, Krk island (krk town, Verbnik), Plitvice National Park, Zadar, Sibenik, Trogir, Split, Krka National Park, Hvar island and town, then the road crosses a strech in Bosnia Hezgovina (Neum), back in Croatia to Peljesac Peninsula (Ston), Korcula island and town, Dubrovnik, Cilipi and Cavtat.
It took us 2 weeks with a rented car.
In May we could choose any bed and beakfast (called SOBE) we wished. Most of them were empty and inexpensive. The locals told us that in July and August they are usually full and much more expensive. Most of them are actually now "bed without breakfast". But we found it very easy to just get our breakfast in the supermarkets which are everywhere around the country. The few times we stayed in hotels were waste of money and I would advice to enter a hotel only if there is no other choice in private accommodations. Hotels are 3-5 times more expensive than the "sobe"s and are not worth the extra money.
Driving was easy (except Hvar, as mentioned in my previous message). The only place we reserved a room in advance was in Dubrovnik and were very glad we did it. We had a great SOBE in a great location. But this room was not cheap! Most "sobe"s are ensuite - with private toilet and shower. Another thing worth mentioning is that many places offer apartments with 2-3 bedrooms, which is great for families with children.
Hope this helps.
Any more questions?

sssteve

For Joegri and Kanga -
Here's a trip report from our trip to Croatia (including Hvar)last August.
Hope it helps....
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/57...ia/croatia.htm