Please help with Ferry questions.
 

I am in the planning stages of a trip to Croatia from Sept. 14-28. My husband and I will be flying into Split from Prague and flying back to NY from Zagreb.

So far, we want to spend 3 nights in Hvar, 3 nights in Korcula, 3 in Dubrovnik and 1 night in Zagreb.

Is it true that the ferries to Hvar and Korcula only run on certain days of the week? Should we rent a car and take it on the ferries? And can we get from Hvar to Korcula by ferry. I don't know enough about Croatia to really get far in my research.

Also what other destination would you suggest we add to our itinerary

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

Diana

Hi, Diana -

I'm also planning a trip to Croatia, and believe that the following web site has useful information about ferries to and from Korcula.

http://www.korculainfo.com/ferries-korcula.htm

Hope that helps!

dcreighton:

May I ask why you want to spend 3 nights in Korcula? It is a very small island and all of the sites can be seen in one day very easily.
Jadrolinija is the parent company of the ferry services here in Croatia. For some reason I can't get the exact web address listed so just google it. It's easy to find and it is available in English also.
You should also check the Dubrovnik tourist bureau website for ideas of sites to visit here.

Dobrodosli u Dubrovnik

An American in Dubrovnik

DubrovnikTravelady...thanks for your comments on Korcula. I thought it was an Island you could spend a few days at. Could you suggest other areas to add to our itinerary. We love beaches and small, quait village or towns.

Diana

Jadrolinija's ferry from Split to Stari Grad on Hvar island runs at least three times a day even in winter. The current schedules are on www.jadrolinija.hr but the summer schedules (June to September) will have more sailings. Buses and taxis meet the ferry at Stari Grad. Other ferries go to Hvar town.
The local ferries to Korcula leave from Orebic and run frequently. This website summarises all connections to Korcula:
www.korcula.net

the ferry website is www.jadrolinija.hr. They have an english page, but the schedule for the time you will be there is not yet posted. (you can look at last year's and extrapolate) There are a couple other ferry operators, but Jad is the main one. My advice is to pick up a book and do internet research, as you have many months to pick the best plan for you. The one you have listed would work though, depending on the ferry schedule of course. I would spend one night in Split, even though people trash it, it has many cultural sights. Plan on flying from Dub to Zagreb, and you'll have time to book it far in advance and get a cheap flight. No need for a car unless you want to. I could happily spend 3 or more days on Korcula, especially since you like beaches. good luck, you are in for a treat.

I need all this info also. Thanks.

dcreighton:

Korcula is an island located just across from Orebic. A lovely small village, that is when my mother was born there. It is, of course, very dear to my heart. However it is a great place to stay, take the small local triack to Korcula. By staying in Orebic you can visit the Dingac wine country which is located on the Peljesac peninsula. Start by looking at a good map, find Korcula and then locate Orebic as it is on the Peljesac peninsula home of the Mali Plavac grape.
You do know that Hvar is where Carpe Diem is located. It is a party town for the very young and the very, very rich. Spend a night in Trogir, 3 nights in Orebic and then come to my home, Dubrovnik. It really is the "Pearl of the Adriatic."

Dobrodosli u Dubrovnik

Thanks for all your comments.

I checked the ferry schedules and read a lot of the posts on Fodors. Please let me know what you think of this itinerary and if it would work:

-Arriving in Split and will spend the evening there or in Trogir.
-Ferry to Hvar-maybe 4 nights so that we can do a day trip to Brac.
-Ferry from Hvar to Korcula (is that possible) spend 3 nights.
-Dubrovnik-4 nights with day trips to Mljet and Montenegro.
-Fly to Zagreb for last night.

More of your comments will greatly be appreciated. Thanks.

diana

Arriving in Split and will spend the evening there or in Trogir.
-Ferry to Hvar-maybe 4 nights so that we can do a day trip to Brac.
-Ferry from Hvar to Korcula (is that possible) spend 3 nights.
-Dubrovnik-4 nights with day trips to Mljet and Montenegro.
-Fly to Zagreb for last night.

Sounds good to me!
Once the fall ferry schedules are posted, you can determine if you will be able to make it to Hvar on your arrival day. Even though I suggested giving Split or Trogir a night, from Hvar or Stari Grad you can make easy day trips to Split.
(Unless you just want to stop after traveling so much, it is not so bad to sit on a ferry for a bit more traveling time)
There will most likely be a ferry from Stari Grad to Korcula that fits into your schedule.
It is wonderful that you are staying long enough in each place to relax and not rushing about too much.
If you rent a car for the whole time, you will have to use car ferries only. If you do not wish to deal with that, you may want to rent a car while on Hvar and/or Korcula. That way, you can leisurely explore the islands. For Korcula, you can even hop over to the mainland and explore the Peljesac peninsula or even drive into Bosnia (make sure your rental contract allows for that if so).
It is too soon now, but I'd say in late spring start searching the internet for apartment rentals (there are 1000s of websites where you can scout out the location and see photos of the apartments).
good luck!

From Hvar to Korcula, Jadrolinija's coastal ship runs twice a week from Stari Grad to Korcula town.
Without a car, there are more options. The KRILO catamaran runs every day (www.krilo.hr) and Jadrolinija has ships from Hvar town to Vela Luka on Korcula.

I don't agree with DubrovnikTravelady in case of staying in Korcula.
I think it is very interesting place that needs a few days to enjoy. It has a beautiful old town and the surrounding places as well as the archipelago that you can visit.
Orebich is also beautiful but I think a worse choice for HQ considering you need only one morning to walk it completely.
If you need any help considering apartment rental, let me know.

bookmarking

Thanks for all your comments. I will do some more research and will probably be back with more questions when we start to look for hotels.

Diana

Since my previous post, our itinerary is now working in the opposite direction....now we are arriving in Dubrovnik and leaving from Zagreb.

We will be driving from Dubrovnik to Orebic and taking the car ferry to Korcula. When we leave Korcula we would like to go to Hvar and I’m not sure how we do that with a car. I cannot understand the ferry schedules but from what I’ve read online, there may only be a car ferry that goes to Hvar from Korcula 2 days a week. Can anyone tell me how we can get to Hvar from Korcula with our car. We can drive to another ferry port if necessary. Do we have to go to Split? That seems like we would be back-tracking.
I’d would greatly appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

You might want to consider taking your day trip to Mljet from Korcula instead of from Dubrovnik. Mljet is much closer to Korcula (especially if you're staying in Korcula town or on that end of the island).

Good luck.