scubalo

OK, I’m generally pretty good at planning and scheduling, but this one has me stumped and I’m hoping for suggestions/advice. We are traveling with friends to Croatia next May/June. We are planning on traveling from Split to Hvar on May 30. We will have a car, but will drop it off in Split--the Jadrolinija car ferry to Hvar does not run that day. So, no car. We will take the afternoon Krilo Jet passenger catamaran.

We then want to go to Dubrovnik on June 1. It appears that our options are:
• Return to Split by catamaran, and then take a long (about 5 hour) bus ride.
• Take a taxi to Sucuraj on the eastern end of Hvar, ferry to Drvenrik, and then hire a driver to Dubrovnik. That’s pretty pricey.
• Take the car ferry (as passengers), which does run that day. The ferry leaves Hvar Stari Grad at 9:00 a.m., and arrives into Dubrovnik at 4:15 p.m.

So have I got it all, or are there other options? And has anybody done any of the above? I’d very much appreciate any insights. Thanks to all.

JulieVikmanis

I'm impressed with all the options you've found out about. We took the ferry from Stari Grad to Dubrovnik and enjoyed it. It gets a little long and the scenery though beautiful is similar for most of the ride but if it's nice weather, it will be relaxing and enjoyable. Bring a book. Catch up on your trip log. Enjoy people watching. Have lunch in the onboard sit down restaurant.

treplow

I agree with Julie on taking the ferry. Your really don't need a car in Dubrovnik. Their bus service is excellent and the old town is off limits to traffic anyhow.

Andrew

This is probably not your best option, but just to throw another one out: take the Krilo from Hvar on to Korcula, spend the night there, then take a bus from there to Dubrovnik early the next morning. The Krilo arrives in Korcula in the early evening and the bus leaves for Dubrovnik early in the morning, so you wouldn't have much time in Korcula; optionally, you'd at least get to see Korcula albeit briefly!

You could also look at taxi or shuttle service from Korcula to Dubrovnik same day as the Krilo arrives there; a travel agency called Korkyra runs shuttle service or will arrange a (probably pricey) taxi service to Dubrovnik, but it would avoid an overnight in Korcula.

I guess I too would opt for Jadrolinija's slow car ferry (as passengers) as the easiest option, if it happens to run the day you would be traveling.

scubalo

Thank you all. We had originally planned on the night in Korcula, but eliminated it because we don't want to take that early bus. Will rethink, and may spend the night there and take the shuttle or taxi service the next day. They don't make this easy, do they?

Plamen

The cost of the transfer from Korcula (Orebic town on the Peljesac peninsula)is about 200 Euros.

I would also opt for a day on a ferry. Adriatic is stunning and this may be a highlight of your trip!

jim21

As the others have pointed out, you have two really good options in either the bus from Split or the ferry from Stari Grad, Hvar. Do not rule out the bus. We have done both and enjoyed the bus more. As Julie mentioned, the scenery on the ferry is beautiful but redundant...on the bus, it is ever changing and you get to see more detail. I am guessing you will be staying in Hvar Town so in about the time it takes you to get to Stari Grad you could be in Split via the Krilo Jet. The ferry and the buses drop you off at the same place in Dubrovnik but you would get there about four hours earlier by bus. Either way it is a fun experience so really cannot go wrong.

yorkshire

I would also say don't rule out the bus. I have always found Croatian buses comfortable and the scenery stunning--plus you can at least nap. It would also be faster than the ferry.
The ferry goes through beautiful scenery, no doubt, but it's so loooooong. If it is cold on the deck, as it can be in May and even June, then it is unpleasant to sit outside. Then your alternative is the (in some places) smoky inside, which is not so pleasant.
The morning bus from Korcula is not so bad, and I am not a morning person in the slightest. I slept like a baby the whole way.

GeoffHamer

If you really need to take a car to Hvar island, Jadrolinija has daily sailings from Split to Stari Grad. The schedule currently goes to 31 December and shows four sailings daily (or three at weekends):
www.jadrolinija.hr/pdfs/635.e.0910.pdf
The schedule next May will be similar.
Buses connect from the port of Stari Grad to Hvar town.

scubalo

OK, thanks, but now I'm REALLY confused. Are there separate car ferry lines between Split and Stari Grad? When I search the Jadrolinija Web site for 2010, all that shows up is one ferry on June 1. Is that just the coastal ferry and the schedule you posted is different? If in fact we can take our car to Hvar, we could drive across the island to Sucuraj and get the car ferry to Drvenik. I'd love to get this figured out!

GeoffHamer

Jadrolinija runs a coastal car ferry twice weekly between Rijeka, Split, Stari Grad, Korcula and Dubrovnik. These ships have cabins and a restaurant. The local car ferry runs three or four times a day between Split and Stari Grad (with extra services in the peak season). The ships have snack bars. The local ferry schedules for next year may not be available yet, but they will change very little from this year's. If you're travelling between Split and Hvar, you should use the local ferry.

scubalo

Geoff--thank you so much. Maybe it's me, but I couldn't find any indication of the local ferry info on the Jadrolinija web site. So do you think it makes sense to keep our car, take it to Hvar, then take the ferry a couple of days later to Drvenik and then on to Dubrovnik? Have you done this?

yorkshire

Search Drvenik and you'll find some descriptions of the drive. Some say it is hairy, some say no biggie.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...curaj-hvar.cfm

If I was in your situation (and not averse to driving), that is what I would do to avoid losing a day on a ferry or bus. I am assuming you can drop off your rental upon arrival in Dubrovnik.
Actually, some rental companies may not allow their cars on the ferry--so you might want to look into that (they pack them on tight).
I would leave early from Hvar in order to drive around the island a bit--see the lavender fields, etc.
Good Luck!