I'm trying to plan a short (11 nights) trip to Croatia and Rome in October and am looking for some advice. We've got reservations to fly into Dubrovnik and plan to spend 4 nights, originally my thought was that we'd take the ferry to Hvar for two nights but it looks like there is very limited ferry service and they don't sail on our required days. Service from Hvar to Split looks limited as well - only sailing two days a week. We then plan to take the overnight ferry from Split to Ancona.

My questions are -- is it worth going to Croatia but not go to Hvar? I've read so much about it and was so looking forward to going there. Are there more ferry options than just Jadrolinija? Does just two sailings a week from Hvar to Split sound correct (in October)? Any opinions or experience about the Split - Ancona ferry? Are the waters typically really rough? We plan on getting a stateroom. Are some ferry lines better than others?

I think alternately the plan would be - 4 nights in Dubrovnik, take the bus to Trogir, spend 2 nights then ferry over to Italy. How does that sound?

Any help is very much appreciated!

Sorry!!! I posted this twice by mistake!

Maybe email Jadrolinija for confirmation of ferry schedules? End of October does sound like low season but the "lastovo-vela-luka-havr-split" for this spring runs every day. Don't know if the spring sched is like the fall sched. The olive harvest in Hvar is in November so I'm guessing not all the restaurants would be closed. Trogir is suppose to be a jewel (haven't been yet). Dubrovnik is wonderful - I spent a week there and could have stayed longer. If you're going out of Split your alternate plan sounds grreat. Hvar is wonderful (have been twice). Trogir sounds like a good contrast to Dubrovnik. Hope I've helped.

Thanks so much for your help. I just looked at the Jadrolinija site and it does look like the ferries go from Hvar to Split more than twice a week. I think I was just clicking on the wrong thing. Its nice to know that there are options.

Jadrolinija will be running the low-season schedule in October, so services will probably be similar to current April schedules. There are several sailings a day from Split to Stari Grad on Hvar island. Buses and taxis wait on the quayside to take people to Hvar town and other parts of the island.
From Split to Ancona, there are three ferry operators, Blue Line (www.bli-ferry.com), Jadrolinija (www.jadrolinija.hr) and Adriatica (www.adriatica.it). The biggest ship is Blue Line's ANCONA. The Adriatic is rarely really rough and the ships are big enough to cope - they'll run even when smaller ferries to the islands are cancelled.

The Blue Liine operation looks the best (and I think I read that somewhere too). Do you happen to know what their other ship, the Split 1700, is like? They show pictures for the Ancona but not the Split 1700 which of course makes me think its not as nice.

Just to throw a wrench in things I will say that the ferry from Dubrovnik to Hvar was a horrible experience. Had I to do it over again, I would have taken the bus or driven myself.

Having said that, don't miss Hvar. We really enjoyed our time there. Trogir is great too, but if I had to choose, I'd go to Hvar.

Also you may want to check flights on Croatia air from Split to Rome. Much faster (an hour) and about the same price (or it was last September)

Croatia is awesome. You'll have a great time.

offwego -
I just wonder if all that traveling is worth just 2 days (1 night?) in Hvar. I agree Hvar is wonderful - just don't know how it is at the end of October. What do you think?

Blue Line's other ship, the SPLIT 1700, is a bit smaller than the ANCONA. I sailed in her once and enjoyed dinner in the restaurant. The cabin was more modern than on the Ancona and lacked character, but that doesn't really matter on an overnight ferry.
I once visited Hvar on Christmas Day. Nearly everywhere was shut, but at least one bar and one restaurant were open. It was still beautiful, and I'm sure more places will be open in October.
"Offwego" doesn't explain what was "horrible" about the Dubrovnik-Hvar voyage. I think the Croatian coastal service is a beautiful trip.

offwego:
I'm curious too -- what was so horrible about the ferry from Dubrovnik to Hvar? I was thinking it would be a lot more comfortable than the bus. I tried to look up airfares to Rome on the Croatia Airlines web site but the schedule only goes up to September. It wouldn't let me plug in one way fares at all though so could you let me know how or where you found the cheap fare? I've been looking at europebyair.com and that's also an option instead of the ferry but I read a report here and it sounded like it was kind of a hassle to use. Anybody here have any more opinions/experiences with europeby air?

I have to buy the tickets tomorrow (FF miles) and they were really hard to reserve and I'm trying to make sure that going back through Rome is a good idea. Although now that we've been planning it and looking forward to spending time in Rome I think it would be hard to switch the plan.

I really hate giving up Hvar but I think it might just be too much travel -- bus to Split then ferry to Hvar and then I think there's another bus ride. Eeek! It just doesn't seem worth it...but I'm looking for opinions!

Hvar is beautiful, don't miss it

He he. I think it would be entertaining to watch offwego take the bus or drive to Hvar. It is an island, after all.

I took the ferry from Hvar to Dubrovnik and it was a great experience. The ferry is comfortable and you pass by many islands. We bought fruit, cheese, bread and wine and had a nice picnic. It is long but we enjoyed it. On our way back to Split we took the bus. It is shorter but the scenery is beautiful!

Personally, I would spend 4 days in Dubrovnik, take the bus to Trogir and then take the overnight ferry to Ancona from Split. We got a sleeping cabin and it was comfortable and I slept quite well. It wasn't rough but the sea is unpredictable so there are no guarantees.

Personally, I liked Trogir a bit more than I liked Hvar, not to say I didn't enjoy Hvar.

Here is a link to some photos I took last year in May:

http://community.webshots.com/user/tkoedoot

Dubrovnik is a wonderful slice of heaven!

Enjoy your trip!

CollK,

Sounds like you're talking about six nights total.

My choice would be: three nights in Dubrovnik, two nights Hvar, overnight in Trogir. You can make the overnight Split-Ancona ferry easily from either Hvar or Trogir, so that should aid your planning.

If you're going all the way from Split or Trogir (or Hvar via Split) to Dubrovnik or vice-versa, take the coastal bus. The ferry is better for shorter or overnight trips.

The Jadrolinija overnight ferries are OK. The Adriatic is smooth as glass. Don't bother with a stateroom -- just make sure you get a shower.

The bus sounds OK but I'm concerned that it would be too difficult (or maybe impossible) to bus from Dubronvnik to Split and then catch the ferry to Hvar all in the same day -- especially in low season. Can anyone tell me if they think we could do that? I wanted to avoid wasting a night in Split and then taking the ferry to Hvar the next day.

Thanks everyone for all this great information!

I don't think you'd have any problem, depending of course on how late you like to sleep! There's a fast cat from Split to Hvar every day at 2pm, so you can leave Dubrovnik in the morning around 8am (to be safe) and arrive in Split in time to catch it.

The bus is directly across from the ferry terminal. You just have to walk across the street when you get off the bus and you can board the ferry.

There is a luggage storage area at the bus terminal so if you have some extra time you could check it and then take a quick peek into the walls of Diocletian's Palace before you head to Hvar.

Trogir is just about 45 minutes by bus from Split. Did you view the photos on the link I posted? There are several photos of Trogir. We loved it there!

eurotraveller, your pictures are great! Makes me all the more excited to go. Rab Town looks really nice too, wish we could get up there but will have to save that for another trip.

If I end up taking the bus instead of the ferry I'm thinking of something like this: Dubrovnik 3 (or maybe 4) nights, then take the bus from Dubrovnik to Trogir for 2 nights (or maybe just 1 depending how long we stayed in Dubrovnik) then ferry to Hvar for two nights and back to Split to grab the Ancona ferry that evening. How does that sound?

Glad you enjoyed the photos! I left a little piece of my heart in Croatia! It is a wonderful country!

We stayed for 4 nights in Dubrovnik and wanted to stay longer. there is so much to see and do! Make sure you visit the War Photos Museum. It is very sad but an important part of our history.

Like I said, personally, I liked Trogir a bit more than I liked Hvar. I would spend 2 days on Trogir and one on Hvar. I know others may have a different opinion, though.

Just a few comments from last year's trip to Croatia. Be careful in planning...Venice to Ancona was a bit of a nightmare on the train because the Trenitalia schedule was wrong...there wasn't a connecting train to Ancona at the time indicated! We had to wait an hour and a half for the next train, which barely got us into Ancona in time to take the ferry....Ancona/Split ferry was, to be charitable, minimal. Old, smelled musty, moldy. Big and with relatively loud postmiddle aged tour groups (I'm post middle aged, too). The personnel were probably communist bureaucracy holdovers and seriously disinterested to unpleasant. We reserved rooms, were told they switched ferries and they didn't have our cabin. Cabins were miniscule and noisy. ETc., etc., OK, to be fair, as my darling daughter (late 20s) and companion said "MOM, it's a public ferry, think bus not cruise line". I was annoyed but she was correct. The ride was smooth. I took Ambien and awoke to loud, tedious Croatian rock music (think worst of the 80s), announcing our 6:30 a.m. arrival in Split. I'd rather fly from Split to Italy any time.... Split was spectacular. Hotel Park incredibly gracious, wonderful people, Trogir is delightful. Bus to Dubrovnik absolutely spectacular. Much more so than a ferry would be, I think. Dubrovnik is to die for. We spent several days on a sailboat, mainly motoring and relaxing, seeing wonderful islands, medieval barely villages, hiking interiors. ShippanLuka was wonderful, Ston and the restaurant in Upper Ston likewise. The Adriatic is clear, warm and clean. AirDubrovnik is terrific. New planes, very efficient, lovely flight attendants. To get a good price on Air Croatia tickets look for a small travel agency in San Pedro, Cal. I can't remember the name, unfortunately. Their tickets are half of the cost from Air Croatia. Go to Croatia, even if you don't go to Hvar.

I'm moving to Italy, and was planning on visiting Croatia during my year there. are flights only out of Rome..or would they also leave from Florence? Any price estimates or student travel tips? (budget wise