how long to keep the car and ferry questions
 

Our trip to Croatia is coming up in May. We will be picking up car in Zagreb, going to Rovinj, Opatija and then: Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik. Should we get rid of the car at Split or keep it longer? Does the ferry from Split to Hvar go every day?--We will be leaving Split for Hvar on Sunday May 27. I know that the ferry leaves Starigrad on Tuesday May 29---I see a lot of posts, but I can't figure out how far or how to get from Hvar to Starigrad and also if we should try to either drive, take bus instead of the ferry.

Split-Stari Grad route is daily.
For those less than 2 full days that you are in Hvar, will you be exploring the town exclusively and maybe take a boat to the Pakleni beaches, or do you want to explore more of the island with the car? That should be your deciding factor.
It is only 20 km from Stari Grad to Hvar, just follow the signs and the other drivers. If you return the car in Split, there are buses that meet the ferry in Stari Grad to get you to Hvar.

The car ferry from Split to Stari Grad usually runs three times a day. On some days, there is also a car ferry to Hvar town (though cars cannot be landed there). There is also a fast catamaran to Hvar town as well as one to Jelsa on Hvar island. Buses and taxis meet all arrivals at Stari Grad to provide connections to Hvar town.
www.jadrolinija.hr
www.krilo.hr

If you take the car to Hvar you can shorten you trip Dubrovnik by driving from Hvar town to Sucuraj at the other end of the island and taking the ferry from there to Drvenik on the mainland.

I think I like the idea of taking car from Sucaraj to Drevnik. Is it possible to make reservations for the ferry? I have been looking at the Jadrolinija website and it is a bit confusing--what type of ferry do I look for coastal, local??

The coastal ships are the bigger ships that link Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik, calling at Stari Grad and Korcula. The same ships also run to Ancona, Pescara and Bari. All the others are listed as local services.

Hi all,

I'm having a hard time reading and understanding the Jadrolnija ferry schedules as well.

We will have a car, spending the night in Split June 5, after first 2 nights in Zagreb and Plitivice.

Is the Ship or Ferry Line 635 a car ferry? If so, it appears that it does travel Split to Hvar (Stari Grad) daily at 8:30 and at 2:30. But when I pull up "car ferries" I get a much more limited schedule, that pretty much limits us to a very early morning departure from Split to Stari Grad on Saturday the 9th, and Stari Grad to Korcula on the 12th of June.

We have reservations in Split on June 5, and Dubrovnik on the 14th. In between those two dates would like to spend our time in Trogir, Hvar and Korcula, with a couple day trips perhaps to Brac and or Vis, and Miljet (maybe even a night at best of those 3).

Again, we're in our late 40's, no problem driving scary roads, like biking, some time on beach, exploring little towns, etc.

Thanks for any help.

Jackie

The ferry from Split to Stari Grad is a car ferry. It normally runs three times a day all year, with a second ship doing extra sailings in the peak season.

Hi Jackie,
Are you using the "search by date" function on jadrolinija's website? I have always found it easier to use.
You can use ferry and car ferry interchangeably on this route. If it is NOT a car ferry, it will clearly say catamaran and "Passengers only, no vehicles, etc."

When I searched June 6, I got three ferry depratures Split-SG (8:30, 14:30, 20:30).
However, you may want to wait until the 7th if you want to see Trogir, as it makes more sense to visit there from Split. It also makes more sense to visit Brac from Split. You can mostly only visit Vis from Split (long story short) and you need to overnight there (or do a paid excursion).

Again using "search by date" from Stari Grad to Korcula, I saw departures on the 9th and 12th. It is easy to get from Korcula to Dbv. because you need not take the coastal ferry--you can take a short ferry hop to the mainland and drive there (a gorgeous drive).

It is best to visit Mljet from Korcula or Dbv.
Hope that helps!

Thanks Yorkshire!

Yes, that helps so much! The biggest problem with using the departure dates was knowing the actual ports. via.michelin helped alot there.

I had not considered Vis until today. It looks quiet, restful, stunning. Do you recall that it might be a good island to bike around or "fishing boat" excursion from. I might like the idea of an overnighter or 2 there instead of the trip to Brac.

Thanks for all your help.

You hit the nail on the head--I see people confused about jadrolinija all the time because they don't know the routes (the search by map function helps) or don't want to believe that every island isn't directly connected every day.
I would definitely choose Vis over Brac. (You can still do an easy day trip to Brac from Split with a car if you'd like--ferry in and out of Supetar, drive to Milna and Bol).
There are catamarans and ferries to Vis, so take note of that. Without the car, renting a scooter is a must. If you are very athletic, biking is a possibility (the tourist office rents all). I ride my bike a lot, but didn't want to tackle those hills. The town is pleasant, good seafood, stunning scenery (mountains, vineyards). The beaches are some of the best--they must be reached on wheels. You park and then walk to the coves. In off season, there is sometimes rubbish washed ashore (they have beach sweeps in summer). Even with that it was my best beach experience.
Boat excursions go to islands and the "Blue Grotto" (I did neither).
Check out Vis tourist office page.
Good Luck!