Croatia itinerary - rent a car or not?
 

Hi all,

Well, I finally have my dates set for Croatia. We arrive in Split at 7AM, Sunday Sept 13 on the ferry from Ancona. I've already reserved a cabin so I'm hoping we'll arrive rested.

We depart from Dubrovnik the afternoon of September 22. That leaves me 9 nights.

I assumed we'd rent a car for most of the trip, but it seems like the ferry transportation is quite a bit easier if you have access to all of them - the passenger only and the car & passenger lines.

My 'no car' itinerary looks like this:
September 13 - Arrive Split, check in at lodging (or at least drop bags) and explore Diocleatian's Palace and the old town area of Split.
Sept 14 - Day trip to Trogir, sleep Split
Sept 15 - Ferry to Hvar (or Korcula or Vis or Brac - can't decide which island) for 4 nights. Definitely plan to rent a boat for a day. Also would rent a car for at least a day or so to explore the island.
Sept 19 - Travel from island to Dubrovnik for last 3 nights - but how? I guess it depends on which island we choose.

My 'with car' itinerary is a bit sketchier.

Sept 13 pick up car, explore Diocletian's Palace, then drive to Trogir
Sept 14 - ?? Stay in Trogir and relax
Sept 15 - drive to Drvenik and ferry to Hvar???? for 4 nights
Sept 19 - Ferry back to mainland and return car in Dubrovnik?

I am purposefully trying to limit our destinations on this trip. Last year, our Europe trip included quite a bit of driving, so I'm trying to avoid that this year.

So, any suggestions or input? I welcome any and all comments.

Thanks!
H

Your schedule(s) look good to me. I think you are wise to limit the scope of this trip. "Easy does it", would be my recommendation for Croatia. Slow down and smell the roses.

When we went a few years ago, we did not rent a car, and relied on public transport exclusively. It was easy, convenient, inexpensive, and fun. We stayed with a Croatian family, in Vela Luka on Korcula Island,as part of a "Sister Cities" visit, for the first five days, then took the ferry from Vela Luka to Hvar for the night, then on to Split the next day. There is a very convenient bus from Split to Trogir, #37, which we used. After a couple of days we took a modern, air conditioned, bus from Split to the South, stopping at a few towns on the way. First at Omis, where we left our bags at a river boat rental place, while a guide gave us a four hour ride in a motor boat up the lovely river for lunch. From there, we hopped a bus to Makarska, where we got a Sobe room, and next morning took another bus to Dubrovnik. After a few days there, we took another bus to Mline, where we met the rest of the Sister Cities group at a hotel. From Mline we took a one day bus tour of Montenegro. We also used the fleet of small taxi-launches, that connect the coastal towns south of Dubrovnik, to go back and forth from Mline to Dubrovnik, and other towns such as Cavtat.

For the fast ferries, we did get tickets the day before, but for the buses we would simply drag our luggage out to the road, and wait for the next bus. All very casual, and stress free.

One of the nicest things about not having a car in Croatia was that the people were able to be friendly. Most Croatians under 50 speak at least some English, and are eager to practice. What else to do on a bus journey but talk to the nice Americans? You don't get that cooped up in a private car -- the only one to talk to is your wife.

:-)

Funny, nukesafe ... or your husband!

Bus seriously, you didn't seem to have any problems with local transport? That is great news. I would prefer it that way.

Mr. Fan and I occasionally (read usually) like to have a cocktail with dinner. I've read about the 'no tolerance' rule regarding drinking and driving. I'd much prefer to be based somewhere and only use a car for daytime outings, and not have to drive after dinner.

So....what did you think of Korcula. From what I've been seeing, it almost fits us better than Hvar, but I'm still not sure on that.

Anyway, thanks for the input!
H

I would definitely rent a car - it affords you so much freedom and flexibility! You can also get away from touristy crowds, which I love. And you can really get off the beaten path. You can stop when and wherever you want. But then I really dislike traveling with others, unlike the above poster - maybe I'm a tad too private. ;)

Trogir is a nicer place to spend the night than Split - it is so pretty and charming and small.

I would definitely choose Vis over Brac as it is less touristy and commercialized and resorty.

Be careful - you may really fall so in love with Croatia that it will be hard to leave! We did and bought a house in Istria.

I should clarify that we love to rent a car in the north (Istria, Zagorjie, Slavonia, etc.) so maybe with your southern trip (not lots of miles) public transport would be good. It is great from strictly going from Point A to Point B. But if you want escape people and see more out-of-the-way spots definitely get a car. :)

we drove from zagreb airport and stayed the night at plitvice
next night was in trogir after an afternoon in zadar

trogir is small and really nice
easy to see in an afternoon and half a morning as we did
we walked at night
beautiful photos from the bridge across to the town
water was so clean - everything is clean in croatia
we couldnt visit the church tower -closed that morning for some reason
i think split was a bit more dynamic to spend a day in - people watching in the evening on the harbour is great fun- split is under-rated- definitely worth spending a day there
trogir is actually nearer the airport than split

then we drove to dubrovnik stopping at places on the markaska riviera ( got a parkingfine there and had wheels clamped but the fines are cheap- still do check the signs and look for the ticket machines)
we also stopped at the cutest village called ston and climbed the wall - great vista there

we parked our car up near the supermarket on the main road above the old town
went into dubrovnik old town..foundthe tourist info and got accommodation in town cheaply
i really recommend staying in the old towns even tho there is no parking - we found free parking on a vacant block of land right near the supermarket above the town - it was a hassle to take the bags down but the owner of the apartment got a trolley and helped us

we spend that night in dubrovnik and then drove to montenegro the next day and visited the kotor fjord and then budva and perest- lots of little villages

the next day we walked the wall in dubrovnik- what views to behold!
and just hung round - we wanted to drive to mostar but it was 3hrs to get there - a little too much after being on the road the previous day

the following morning we packed up and started back to split along the same coast road (no stopping) to split where we picked up the yacht in the afternoon- shopped and stocked up and headed out
a storm was threatening so we had to pull into a cove and then we spent the first night in milne
next morning we visited brac
this was ok
i think i felt let down because on the pics brac's zlatni rad looked out of this world but no- it' is quite small
we looked out around for a couple of hours and then headed to hvar and stayed there two nights - moored along the bustle of it all - this was fabulous!
rented a motorscooter the next morning and zipped around the island - couldnt see all of it - it is quite a large island
really windy on the motor scooter and it drizzled for a bit

next morning we set off to vis but we missed the tour boat at 11am which takes youto the blue grotto- only at certain times cos of the light factor and tides
so we rented a car and had a great time exploring
vis is pretty un- touristy compared to hvar
we found titos caves- that was quite a nice outing
the army base is out on vis so you cant take pics round there

next we headed to split but stopped at supertar for lunch..we stopped overnight in split and having arrived in the late afternoon had plenty of time to walk round the palace ruins and have dinner and walked back to the marina watching the sun set and the jadrolinja ferries heading off somewhere

it was whirlwind but we got a taste of everything we set out for - shame about mostar - i wouldve really liked to haveseen a bit of the moslem side
being on the yacht and skippering it ourselves, we were forced to go slowly
no wind so we were motoring for most of it

we flew out of split to zagreb and spent about fours running around checking the town out before our flight to vienna and home the next day

croatia was cheap for us
the yacht wasnt - but overall the food and the accommodation was really reasonable...
really recommend it!

it is hard to think of dubrovnik as the place of murder of that beautiful girl last year
it mustve really shaken up the town and somehow it is hard to see the images on tv and marry them with the brutality that occurred round that breathtakingly gorgeous coast
dubrovnik is a safe town nonetheless the people are kind and hospitable and proud of their country- it shows in the care that is taken to keep the towns and villages so clean

Travel2live2 - I have been reading quite a few of your posts and you can count me among the jealous. I would die to own a house in Europe.

I fully plan to do a second trip to Croatia including Istria, Plitvice and Zagreb. But for this trip, I'm limiting us. It is actually our 25th Anniversary trip so I'd like it to be a bit more on the relaxing side than normal.

I had always intended to stay in Trogir instead of Split, but with our arrival at the Split harbor in the morning, it seems a bit of a stretch to jump on a bus to Trogir, just for sleeping purposes.

Also, given 4 nights, which island would you pick? Sounds like Brac is off the list.

lanejohann, thanks for all of your info. I have a few questions, though. Did you rent the yacht for under a week? May I ask who you rented through? We've always wanted to do something like that, but we're not sailors - we're that other breed - motor boaters.

Also, one of the boat rental websites I looked at (for daily use) said something like 'license required'. Did you encounter anything like that?

Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to respond!
H

You don't need a car for the trip you have planned. We had a somewhat similar itinerary in May '06 (Split/Hvar/Dubrovnik/Trogir, flying in and out of Split) and found public transportation to be excellent and convenient.

We generally always rent a car when we travel abroad, since we love the flexibility it offers. But for Croatia we decided not to, and were very happy with our decision. Being a passenger (without car) on the ferries allowed us to buy our tickets the day of or the day before each ferry trip.

We loved Croatia, and your itinerary makes good sense. Hvar was stunning, and there are easy boat trips from there to the smaller islands. We thought about renting a car for a day but found lots of other things to do without one. In Dubrovnik you definitely don't want a car. You can get there easily from Hvar by ferry (about 7 hours, but a beautiful trip, with a momentary stop at Korcula so you can at least see the harbor).

I wrote a trip report that you can find by clicking on my name (it'll be pretty far down the list of postings though). And, if you're interested, here is a link to some of my pictures. Scroll down to find separate files for Hvar, Split/Trogir, and Dubrovnik.

http://aprillilacsphotos.shutterfly.com/
Have a great trip!

aprillilacs: you mentioned that you flew in and out of Split, which airline did you use and from where? We are planning a 3 week trip to Europe in September and Croatia is the only "must stop" we have on our itinerary. The rest of the trip is dependent on where we can find a flight to (Coratia is not an option because we are using airmiles) and hopefully another destination when we leave Croatia.
Would love to know where you arrived from and the cost.
Thanks!

We flew from Newark to London overnight on Continental ($406 each, roundtrip). Spent the day in London and then flew on to Split on British Airways ($203 each, roundtrip), arriving at 8:30 p.m.

bookmarking

aprillilacs,

Thanks for the encouragement - and the lovely photographs. I viewed them first and then read your trip report (might have been smarter the other way around!)

It doesn't sound like you were as crazy about Dubrovnik as perhaps the other locations. Now I might be re-thinking my time allotment.

Thanks again to everyone for your replies!
H

Hmm, interesting that you picked that up -- I had forgotten that Dubrovnik was not our favorite destination in Croatia, but we definitely were still glad to have spent some time there. Too many throngs of cruise ship passengers walking the streets, I guess (and there were only 2 in port while we were there). Again, my opinion only!

We did fall in love with Hvar--it was so gorgeous, and so quiet, but then again we were there in May, before the high season got started. I understand it's a lot more crowded in July and August. Not sure how September will be--probably more on the quieter side?

I don't think 3 days is too much for Dubrovnik, especially since you have 9 nights.

I'm sure you'll have a great trip, no matter how you decide to divide up your time. We hope to go back one of these years, though this year we are concentrating on Italy.

I would not rent a car for the whole trip, I would rent one while on the island you ultimately choose. The bus connections between Trogir and Split are frequent and convenient, so if you want to stay in Trogir, head there straight away, then when you return to Split for your ferry, drop your bags at the "garderoba" near the bus station while you explore the palace. The towns are all so walkable, why bother with parking and putting a car on a ferry when you don't have to. And you have the option to rent a car for day trips at any point. Plus, the catamarans are so much faster than the ferries. And ferry schedules will matter.
You could take a ferry to Vis, but then you would have to back track to Split (at which point you could rent a car and drive to Dbv, exploring along the way, that would be better than the ferry). The good thing about Hvar or Korcula, is the ferry will go onward to Dubrovnik. Either is a good choice, September should be great, do rent a car to explore all over the island and find secluded beach spots. Boat rental availabel in Hvar too.
Brac was my least favorite, Vis my very favorite (but you must rent a car or scooter), and Hvar and Korcula are both wonderful.
You are so right to spend more time in fewer places, after you evaluate all of your advice, feel free to ask more.

Thanks Yorkshire,

I hadn't thought about going straight to Trogir and then seeing Split before heading out on the ferry. That makes good sense.

We are definately ones to prefer small towns to large ones.

I certainly expected to rent a car for at least a portion of our island time. I guess I get the impression that Hvar has a bit more to explore outside of Hvar town so I guess I was leaning that way.

Can you tell me what you love about Vis? I've read a few people say that, but in looking at photos and reading, I guess I'm not sure.

Thanks!
h

Hvar, has two ferries, the car one to the north and the passanger one to the south. Bus travels between (or bike hire but watch the mountain)

Vis is one of my favourites, too, along with Mljet. They are less commercialized and package-touristy than many islands. They are more tranquil and yet both astonishingly beautiful. I would highly recommend Vis.

Brac is a place I would not return to, either.

If you do go to Vis make sure you head to the pretty town of Komiza and to the Blue Grotto.

Vis is just really really scenic. The seafood was amazing. There isn't much to see or do other than tool around on a scooter and enjoy the views, then walk to your own cove beach. It's not all idyllic perfection: the ferry noise in the morning bugged, and there was a litter problem. But overall, it is just a fantastic place to relax.
Hvar would be a great choice too--you are right, there is more to see aside from Hvar town, and the nature is pretty impressive there too. You can't go wrong! And, if you take the car from Split to Dubrovnik (provided rental cars are allowed--I don't know, just something to consider), then you can drive across the island and depart from Drvenik.
I have a soft spot for Korcula, but there is less to see outside Korcula town (compared with Hvar, where you can explore Hvar or hop over to mainland), but Korcula has some nice beaches also. If you chose Korcula, I'd recommend exploring the mainland in addition to the island itself.
good luck!

Thanks again everyone for your responses.

Travel2live2 - yes I had read about the blue cave. It sounds wonderful, but I'm leaning toward just one island. In that case, I believe Vis would not be our choice.

Yorkshire, thanks for your helpful reply regarding Vis. I looked at some more photos and read a bit. It is beautiful, but I believe I'm leaning away from it as I have a feeling that while I'd like to see it, I wouldn't want it to be my only island for 4 or 5 days.

My optimal situation would be to stay on Hvar, but somehow get to Korcula for a day trip. From pouring over the ferry schedules, at least those that are available, it does not appear that's a choice. (Although there seems to be an early catamaran that could be used to day trip in the other direction)

Are there any excursions likely available from Hvar to Korcula? I assume it's too far to go in a smaller rental boat (for the day).

Thanks again!
h

Korcula is too far for a day trip from Hvar unless you pay for an excursion company to take you. Not worth it imo, when there are so many other options.
What you could do is ferry from Hvar to Korcula (note the car ferries depart from Stari Grad on Hvar), check out the town, then, if without a car, probably stay one night, then take the bus to Dubrovnik in the morning. It would be worth it just for the pastries, but the town is particularly lovely at sunset (all that golden stone).
If you rent a car while in Dubrovnik, you can drive to Korcula (about 3 hours).
You will love Hvar, and since it is so conveniently located, you can easily explore other places if you get bored with relaxing on the island. Just play around with those ferry schedules until you get a good plan--though jadrolinija isn't the only ferry, their website is helpful, as it has the map of the ferry ports.
Some ferries/catamarans arrive at Vela Luka on Korcula--a bus then departs from there to Korcula town (about 45 minutes away).

Wow, Yorkshire,

I never thought of taking the bus from Korcula to Dubrovnik. That would solve all of the problems. I believe I made note that I can get from Hvar to Korcula daily, but the return was a problem.

If we took the bus onward, that alleviates alot of the schedule issues.

Thank you VERY much!
h

We were in Croatia in September and October. We took a ferry from Venice, rented a car in Rovinj, Istria, mostly to get around the Istrian peninsula and to get to Plitvice Lakes, drove to Split and turned the car in. From Split, because the ferry schedule is less frequent in late September, we took the bus to Dubrovnik, 4-5 hours, a beautiful trip down the coast. We returned to Split by bus, took the ferry to Hvar for a few days, then back to Split. We really did very well without the car for most of the trip. When in Dubrovnik, we walked from our apartment into the old town, and we took a one-day bus tour to Montenegro. We had planned to do that trip on our own on the bus, but it turned out that we would have taken the bus to Kotor, spent an hour there, then taken the bus back to Dub. That was the only bus available. The bus trip cost $88, and it included lunch in Budva, a most beautiful town. The driver and tour guide were wonderful!

Your itinerary sounds great. You'll have a wonderful time either way. We only traveled between Dubrovnik and Korcula, bu I really loved having a car when we were on Korcula. I felt like we sound so many coves and villages we would have never otherwise seen. We posted a trip report on www.hitherandthither.net. Hope you find some of it helpful!