Need Hvar Car Rental Help
 

We'll be on Hvar in mid-October & are hoping to rent a car with automatic transmission. We can relearn to drive a manual one, I'm sure, but would rather not have to, since it's been 40+ years since we last drove one. Is that a vain hope? Pelegrini Tours only has manual transmission cars, & I don't have referrals for any other car rental sources. (AAA is no help -- they can't even find Hvar in their system . . . ). Since we'd like to arrange the rental in advance, I'd really appreciate input from all you Croatia mavens . . .

Why do you want to rent a car on hvar? As for the island, there's not a lot of places to drive to. The main attraction is to sail to various destinations.

Hvar is not a big place, but I assume you should be able to rent a car, although motor scooters are very popular. If you do find a car rental agency, they can generally provide an automatic, but often for a hefty extra charge.


If you are going to visit the mainland as well, the nearest big city which you can get to by boat is Split where there should be no problem renting a car, even an automatic.

ssteve makes a good point about perhaps not renting a car on Hvar.

There are basically only about three places to go, and there seemed to be a local bus service. The roads are _very_ steep and narrow and often run along cliffs, so the driver won't get much of a chance to look out the window.

Hmmm ... these posts are making me reconsider our decision to rent a car for the island portion of our trip.

After a 3 day stay in Dubrovnik we plan on renting a car and heading to Korcula and Hvar. The Korcula leg does not look like a problem - it's a short car ferry ride from Orebic. And having a car from Dubrovnik through the Peljesic Penninsula (to get to Orebic) looks like fun.

The Hvar leg with a car looks more problematic though. Do you suggest just leaving the car somewhere on the mainland during the Hvar leg of our trip?

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

I agree with the above posts - do not rent a car to drive on Hvar. If you absolutely must have a car, you can rent one there, but a scooter would be a better option. Or, the frequent and cheap busses.

For all of southern Croatia I would advise against renting a car. If you are not a really good driver, the roads will scare you. If you are a really good driver you'll be able to handle the roads, but will miss the *jaw-droppingly* beautiful scenery. Take the bus or rent a driver for the day. You'll be happy you did.

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Feel free to email me with specific questions at [email protected].

Uh oh. Well, we've rented an apartment fairly distant from the town center (the address is Zastup bb -- not entirely sure what that means, but maybe you guys know). Actually did that on purpose, since we are staying in the old town in Dubrovnik & wanted a little variety. Also wanted quiet.

But I've got bad knees, wanted to be sure we didn't have stairs in the apartment -- figured I'd have more than enough of them in Hvar town center -- and I'm thinking that our landlord had that in mind when he suggested we rent a car to get around.

I know that parking is the pits-- but maybe not so bad in mid-October? And I've read a fair number of trip reports from people who have driven around the island. They're split about 50/50 on whether driving is OK or hair-raising. Plus, we like being independent and not stuck with bus schedules.

So that explains why the car . . . I notice that a fair number of people have rented scooters, but I'd be terrified of riding one on those roads and also that between us, my husband and I would take out half the population. At 69 & 71, we're venturesome, but not suicidal. Or homicidal either.

So that's the story. You guys have been very kind to share your views, and I'd welcome any more input.