Dubrovnik, Split Croatia
 

We are heading to Rome in late May and would like to visit Croatia. I think we will fly to Dubrovnik from Rome but I am unsure if we should try to add Split to our itinerary. I've tried looking at the Croatian tourist board site and also at the ferry sites/bus sites but I'm having trouble figuring out how long it takes to get between the two. Has anyone traveled between the two? <BR> <BR>If we have a limited number of days, 3-4 at most, should we just focus on one instead of trying to visit both? <BR> <BR>At the end of May should we have hotel reservations in Dubrovnik or is it easy to find rooms once we get there? If we fly from Rome we will be arriving late, around 8:45 pm. If we should book in advance, can anyone recommend a good website to reserve a hotel? The ones I usually use (Expedia, Travelocity) do not cover Croatia. <BR> <BR>Thanks for your help! <BR>

Kris, I think it is a four hour bus ride between the two cities but would be less if you rented a car. I am going in June and would like to see some of the islands so I going by hydrofoil. You might consider seeing some of the islands instead of going up to Split. Korcula would be a good day trip and they say the Hvar is beautiful but is a little further away from Dubrovnik. Do a search on the this board and you will get more info. Search for Hvar or Croatia and you should find what you want. I think you should make reservations in Dubrovnik if you prefer hotels over private residence. <BR> <BR>I would be interested in you posting what you thought of Croatia when you get back so I can hear of your high points before my trip.

Debbie, thanks for the post. <BR> <BR>How are you planning on getting to Dubrovnik? Straight from home or connection somewhere? <BR> <BR>I'm contemplating using europebyair's $99 flightpass to get from Rome to Dubrovnik but I'm getting conflicting schedule info from the website for Croatian airlines. Apparently they don't fly every day which may force us to go into Split and then to Dubrovnik. <BR> <BR>I'd love to hear from someone who's actually been or who has flown on Croatian Airlines. I'm worried about the reliability of their flights since they only fly every other day or so. <BR> <BR>I'll be sure and post once we get back.

check this out <BR>croatiaairlines.hr/index-en.html

kris, I am flying in from Salzburg to Split and then spending two nights on Hvar and then to Dubrovnik through Korcula. I leave Dubrovnik through Zagreb. I had a hard time getting information from the Croatia Air website but from what I have heard their flights are reliable and no different than any other airline. <BR> <BR>I ended up using a travel agent to book this since my trip is fairly convoluted.

Debbie: Like you, we are planning a trip through Dubrovnik, Hvar and Split. Despite many hours on websites, and scouring ferry schedules, we are still having some problems with transportation connections within Croatia and then on to Venice. Can you recommend the travel agent you used? <BR> <BR>We could really use some professional help. <BR> <BR>Thanks.

Hi Kris, Debbie and Rich: <BR> <BR>We too are planning Croatia, Dalmation coast, islands, Dubrovnik and Venice. Would like to hear of Debbie's travel agent as well. Which islands would be your top two preferences? Know if British Air flys from U.S. or London DIRECTLY to Dubrovnik?

I will be going to Dubrovnik in Aug as a stop on my cruise. Has anyone ben thre and cantell me how far from the pier to the old town? How much by taxi? Also weather , and any other hints. Thanks DEE

sorry to Rich, I didn't see his last post in April so this info will be late to him but I used Adriatic Sunshine Travel. Their number is 1800-247-5353. Everyone I talked to there had been to Croatia or was from Croatia. I am no expert but from everything I see Hvar is the best of the islands with Korcula and Brac after that. <BR> <BR>If anyone is going to be there at the end of June or beginning of July I would love to meet up for a drink and to share stories.

Kris: I’ve been to Croatia many times and the drive from Dubrovnik to Split takes approximately 3-3 ½ hours by car. As far as hotel reservations, I’m not too sure how touristy it will be in late May but it’s always better to be safe and have it booked (I’ve had the experience of getting there without reservations and the only place with a room available was a very pricey hotel). I’ve never had a problem with Croatia Airlines. Their planes are all relatively new and reliable <BR> <BR>Kris & Rich: May I suggest contacting the travel agency in New York. Their website is www.panadriatic.com - you can find an 800 number there for them. They can help with arranging a hotel and also Rich, to get you from Dubrovnik to Venice. <BR> <BR>Debbie: British Airways does not fly to Croatia directly. You will have to stop in London and change planes to Croatia Airlines and either to directly to Dubrovnik (hard flight to get) or go to Zagreb and transfer to another plane to get to Dubrovnik. <BR> <BR>Diane: The port is not that far, perhaps a 10-15 minute drive south to the old town. Can’t tell you how much a taxi would cost…. can’t imagine it would be more than $30. By the way, it’s EXTEMELY hot in August – and stays very warm in the evening… perfect weather for swimming in the Adriatic. Be prepared for humidity and mosquitos. <BR> <BR>I hope you all have a wonderful trip! If I can help with any other questions... just ask!

Just to mention that the road travel between Split and Dubrovnik is very pleasant since the coast is gorgeous.

Nina, have you ever crossed into Montenegro from Dubrovnik? We're supposed to be meeting with relatives but I'm getting all kinds of conflicting info on visa requirements. <BR> <BR>Also, I normally get cash using my bank ATM. Will this be a problem in Croatia? <BR> <BR>If you have any tips on restaurants, I'd appreciate them. Hoping to find some good seafood and we have to try pizza wherever we go. <BR> <BR>We're leaving in a couple of days, I'll post a trip report when I get back if anyone is interested. We arranged our flight from Rome to Split and from Dubrovnik back to Rome through www.europebyair.com. I hesitated too long so the seats for the $99 flight pass were gone but I was able to book in and out of different cities for the same price I was finding on expedia and travelocity for round trips. <BR> <BR>We're traveling by bus from Split to Dubrovnik, I understand it takes about 4 1/2 hours and the buses leave all throughout the day. I've heard the trip is beautiful. The ferry takes a lot longer than the bus and we just don't have the extra time. <BR> <BR>I found some email addresses for hotels in Dubrovnik on http://dubrovnik/laus.hr. I emailed the hotels directly and received several responses and opted for the Hotel Bellevue because of the location. <BR> <BR>I still do not have a hotel for Split, I may try Panadriatic today or maybe we'll be sleeping in the park.

Hi Kristi! Greetings from the 'burbs:) <BR> <BR>It's not surprising that you are getting mixed signals on visas for Montenegro -- it is still LEGALLY part of what's left of "Yugoslavia." But it is acting like an independent state and as far as my information takes me, is not requiring a visa for Americans. <BR> <BR>I would say that unless there is evidence that Montenegro would turn you back at the border for HAVING a Yugoslav visa in your passport, I would get one to be safe. The information right now is that "Yugoslavia" [read Serbia/Beograd] is not enforcing the requirements for an invitation/hotel reservation in advance and are easily issuing visas for Yugoslavia. You might check with Perry Visa Services in Chicago for the information they have on this. They are usually on the mark.

Kris: No, I’ve never crossed into Montenegro, but I have driven to the border. I have heard Montenegro is quite beautiful. If you do decide to go, stop in Cavtat, and go down to the small town that is right on the water – have a drink or lunch, it’s such a cute town… <BR> <BR>Getting money out of an ATM should be no problem. I’ve always exchanged money at a bank though – do not exchange money at the tourist offices, they will charge up to 4% commission, where most banks charge nothing-1%. <BR> <BR>If you are into seafood… this is definitely the place to go… may I suggest, in the old town as you are walking down the main street.. if you look to one side – the tiny streets that run into the main are staircases and to the other side it is flat (kinda hard to explain, but you can’t miss it just turn and look down the street to your left and right and compare) … go up one of the tiny staircases… to the next street that runs parallel to the main street… this street (which is pretty tiny) is full of restaurants – that just runs straight down… it’s a pretty famous street with delicious food – especially seafood. You can’t miss it. All the seats are outside and you are surrounded my cobble stone buildings. It’s so cute! <BR> <BR>Can’t wait to hear about your trip when you return! <BR>

One more thing - I don't know if you are into shopping or anything... but gold is fairly cheap in Croatia... something to keep in mind. You will see jewelry stores everywhere, they price it on how many grams it is, so if you buy something they take out a little scale to weight it.

I thank the above folks for replying to this thread of Dubrovnik, Split and Croatia. My husband and I are planning a trip to this area and we were not that familiar with it as most other countries, hence the attraction. Kris, would welcome your trip report and thanks for site listings. Nina, thanks for Brit. Air. info. and S. Flower, it is nice to see your postings here, as I read many of them when planning my France trip two years ago. You helped me then too and it was a wonderful trip!

Awwww shucks... glad to have been of help:) <BR> <BR>About ATMs -- they should be plentiful in Croatia. I dount that they are even available on Montenegro. With Yugoslavia being out of the world banking system and with the economic problems in general it's not likely. FYI the "national" currency in Montenegro is the Deutschemark -- so I'd be sure I had enough of those to pay your costs in Montenegro.

Kris, you may have left already, but if not, yes, please we'd love to hear about your trip. We leave for Croatia on June 18. When will you be back? <BR> <BR>Nina, thanks to your suggestion I got out airline tickets with Panadriatic too. A few questions - would you recommend visiting both Zadar and Split? And you have me worried about finding a place to stay in Dubrovnik. Our plans are kind of loose, so we can't make a reservation ahead of time. Did you ever stay in rooms rented by local people? That's what I figured we might do. Thanks!

Rebecca - yes, I would visit both Split and Zadar. Zadar is very cute and quaint. I actually liked Zadar better than Split, but that was just my personal preference. <BR> <BR>And yes, I've rented a room from the locals. It isn't a problem at all. Don't expect much. Pretty much a basic room and a bathroom that may or may not be in your room, it could be down the hall. UNLESS you specifically say you want you want an "apartment"...if you get one of those you will have a full apartment with kitchen, bathroom,etc... of course it is more expensive. "Rooms" run about $10-$15 night per person and "Apartments" about $50-$60/night (not per person) <BR> <BR>In the Split area, I recommend the area between Split and a town called Omis (Omis is south of Split. There are many places to rent a room/apartment/ just look for the words "sobe" "pansion" "zimmer" "apartmane" <BR> <BR>In Zadar I like the area called "Borik" or "Diklo", they are close to the old town.

Nina, <BR> <BR>I've been wondering - we won't have a car, so if we rent a room from locals, how do we get there? <BR> <BR>Also, will it be possible to get around on the islands without a car? Or maybe we could rent one for a day once we get to an island? Thank you!

We went to Croatia last June and loved it. As for hotels - <BR> <BR>Dubrovnik- <BR> <BR>http://dubrovnik.laus.hr/dubrovnik3/html/hotels.html <BR> <BR>I recommend the Excelsior, Argentia or Grand Park (G.P. is outside the Old Town, we took a 5 min. bus to town). <BR> <BR>Split - hotels - We stayed at the Bellevue - great location but a little run down. Next time we will opt for the Hotel Split. <BR> <BR>http://www.hotelsplit.hr/ <BR> <BR>Took the hydofoil from Split to Hvar, great way to travel, and then went on a day trip to the island of Brac (easy access from Hvar or Split.) Great beach! <BR> <BR>http://www.bol.hr/ <BR> <BR>http://www.bol.hr/bretanide.htm <BR> <BR>I am a fearful flyer and Croatian airlines was great. <BR> <BR>

Nina - <BR> <BR>I checked out www.panadriatic.com. Great airfare but what airlines do they use to get ot Croatia?

Rebecca, I highly recommend getting a car while you are in Croatia. It will make things much easier, especially when trying to find a place to stay. <BR> <BR>Finding the rooms from the locals are easy, because there is usually a sign outside that you can’t miss. You decide then if it looks like a place you would like to stay and the location…. But, without a car it may be hard to get around to look at the various places. <BR> <BR>Sofia: To get to Croatia you will most likely take Croatia Airlines... You would take a major carrier (i.e. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, KLM, etc....) to another European city (London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, etc) - there you transfer on to a Croatia Airlines plane and that will take you into Croatia.

Thanks Nina! I was worried it was a charter or something from the US. I have flown Croatia Air from Dubrovnik to Zagreb and it was a nice new plane and good service.

Hi all, we're back safe and sound! <BR> <BR>Croatia was a wonderful place to visit, wish we had budgeted more time there. <BR> <BR>The flights on Croatia Airlines were fine, pretty much on time. From the Split airport we grabbed a bus, there was an ATM in the airport for both Plus and Cirrus, the bus was 25kn (about $3). The bus dropped us near to the tourism office where we inquired about a room. We went to the Hotel Bellevue (named not for the view but for the bell that rings every hour in the morning!) which was in walking distance. It was adequate and cost 490kn. The location was great and since we were jet lagged we could have slept anywhere. Hotel Split, I believe, is a bit further outside the central area. <BR> <BR>You can see most of the sites in Split in a day so we hopped on a bus to Dubrovnik (within walking distance of the Hotel Bellevue). The buses leave from 3am until about 5 pm with a break in the afternoon from about 10 until 1. It was 102 kn ($12-13), an extra 7kn for luggage. The ride down the coast was beautiful, get a seat on the right side of the bus, it took about 4 1/2-5 hours, about 1/2 the time of the ferry. <BR> <BR>At the bus station in Dubrovnik, there are lots of women trying to get you to stay in their rooms. We already had a reservation at the Hotel Bellevue so we took a cab there (not walkable). We really enjoyed the hotel, we had a beautiful view of the water and the staff was nice. It was about 450 kn per night. The hotel was about a 20 minute walk from old town. <BR> <BR>The old town is very compact. The walk around the walls was great, try to do it early in the day so the sun is blazing down on you. There are boats to Cavtat, Lokrum and the Elphanti (sp?) islands from the old port in old town. We went to Cavtat, nice place to wander around for a day. We ate at a waterside cafe (next to Atlas Pizza, can't remember the name) and had a lovely lunch. Bring your walking shoes. <BR> <BR>We also went out to Lokrum and hiked around, once again bring your walking shoes. <BR> <BR>There are ATMS all over Dubrovnik. We tried a restaurant off the main street in old town which wasn't very good (I had read that before I went but chose to ignore it). We enjoyed the food from the bakery across the street from our hotel. Not a lot of shopping. The ice cream here is as good as Italy's gelato (although I tried the flavor George W. Bush and it wasn't very good :-) <BR> <BR>We ended up hiring a taxi to take us to Montenegro. They won't go over the border so we had to walk between the checkpoints and my husband's relatives picked us up over the border. We did not have visas but we had people waiting for us. There is a public bus that goes to Hercgi Nova(I think only once a day) and they also have day trips from Dubrovnik which would include Kotor, an UNESCO protected city. Montenegro's landscape was beautiful, kind of what I picture the fjords in Scandinavian countries to look like. We did not need to change any money but the official currency is deutschemarks. <BR> <BR>If you fly from the US, I think Croatia Airlines and Alitalia do code share flights. The snacks on Croatia Airlines weren't that good (don't know about the meals) so you might want to bring some snacks just in case. <BR> <BR>Any questions, I'll try to check back later today.

Welcome back Kristi! <BR>I'm glad your trip went so well:) <BR>I'm looking forward to more "stuff" AND [of course] PICTURES!!

Sally, lots and lots of pictures, the clerk at Walgreens groaned when she saw me coming :-). I'll be sure to bring to the next gathering as long as it doesn't coincide with the next trip in late June, early July. <BR> <BR>One more thing-the big tourist agency in Croatia seems to be Atlas www.atlas-croatia.com. We didn't use them for anything so I don't have a personal recommendation but their trip to Montenegro covers everything we saw plus Cetinje which we didn't because of some kind of strike at a refrigeration plant. Might be a good option for those less adventurous travelers.

Hi - <BR> <BR>Do you know anything about the Hotel Split vs Hotel Park - in Split?

Kris, I will be headed that way in a couple of weeks. Did you have any language issues? Did you hear any German or was it mostly croat and English? Any other tips for someone traveling solo? Thanks!

Deb, we had no problems at all with not knowing the language. The Americans haven't totally invaded Croatia yet(no McDonald's!!!!) so German/British tourists are more prevalent. We were able to get bus tickets, check in at hotels, hire taxis, order ice cream (very important!)etc. with no problems. <BR> <BR>As I was traveling with my husband, I didn't get a good sense for safety for solo women travelers. However, I met a young Australian girl on the bus and she seemed to be doing just fine on her own. At no time did I feel unsafe although crossing the Montenegro border was a little weird. If you have an extra day in your schedule, you might consider the day trip over to Montenegro as it is an incredibly beautiful country. <BR> <BR>We were there right before busy season started. Our taxi driver said that tourism would pick up by mid-June. Hopefully you have some hotel reservations, I think going off with the ladies at the bus station on my own would make me a little nervous but if you do make sure you ask them how far away you'll be from the city center.

Kris, Yes, I made hotel reservations quiet a while back because there are so few hotels in each town. Hvar was the most difficult and I ended up with an apartment instead of a hotel room. Thanks for the great info and I am relieved because my German language tapes aren't sinking in.

Kris, <BR> <BR>I'm curious whether women wear mainly skirts and long pants except at the beach. Did you notice that? (I'm really asking whether people wear shorts in the streets, which I wouldn't normally do in Europe anyway.) <BR> <BR>Debbie, we plan to be in Dubrovnik around June 30 - July 1. Will you be there then? I don't know how to arrange meeting, but we could try.

Rebecca, I wore shorts the entire time we were there during the day except for the bus ride and I didn't feel out of place, a lot of the European travelers were also wearing shorts. The Old Town in Dubrovnik is now being visited by lots of cruise ships (3 the first day we were there and 2 the second) so you see all manner of dress, lots of Americans on the cruise ships but not a lot actually staying there. <BR> <BR>One thing I forgot to mention in my original report is that the beaches, at least near Dubrovnik, Cavtat and Lokrum, are actually rocks (not pebbles, but boulders) for the most part although there was a small sand beach near our hotel. It's possible that the hotels on the Lapad peninsula or the Excelsior have nicer beaches but we didn't get that far. Oh, and for the most part the people on the rocks weren't wearing any clothes. The beaches in Montenegro were nicer but still not my idea of fabulous beaches.

Rebecca, I would have loved to have met up but I don't get to Dubrovnik until the 4th. Prior to that I will be in Split and Hvar. It would have been fun.

Don't miss visiting Dubrovnic. <BR> <BR>"Those who seek paradise on earth should come to Dubrovnik." <BR>George Bernard Shaw <BR> <BR>Spend at least two days there. <BR> <BR>But - if you wish to try and add another city, make it Mostar. It is one of the most meaningful historic places on earth. <BR> <BR>If you wish - visit my site that details our experiences at both places as well as others within the former Yugoslavia. <BR> <BR>It is at: <BR>www.chartermi.net/~ff/yugo.htm <BR> <BR>Specifically, Dubrovnic is at: <BR>www.chartermi.net/~ff/yugodubr.htm <BR>and Mostar is at: <BR>

Good information for Cynthia

We were on Croatia Airlines in 2001, great airline. Planning to drive from Zagreb to Dubrovnic and up the Adriatic Coast to Italy in May '02. I hear conflicting reports about the drive from Dubrovnic to Split as to the danger. Any comments?

Kay,<BR><BR>The road between Dubrovnik and Split is just a two-lane road that twists and turns plus Croats tend to drive fast. But the views from the road are spectacular and if you drive carefully you should be fine. The drive takes about 4.5-5 hours.<BR>If you have doubts you can always take a ferry from Dubrovnik to Split or to Rijeka for that matters.<BR>