Trains in Croatia?
 

My husband and I are planning our trip for next year. We thought we decided where we wanted to go but seeing all the great information on Croatia on here lately has me re-thinking our plans! However, I don't know a lot about the country yet and my Europe guidebooks don't have anything on Croatia. I am planning on getting a guidebook shortly, but I just wanted to know if Croatia has a decent train system that could get me to Dubrovnik from perhaps Austria or Hungary? If not, is there a good low-cost airline I could use?

Thanks!
Tracy

I've taken the train from Budapest to Venice via Zagreb. It's an OK train. To travel to Dubrovnik you probably want to train to Rijeka and overnight there. Then take a ferry to Dubrovnik.

Trains are not the primary mode of transport through Croatia. You will be please with the bus and ferry service though. Another option is to rent a car and drive the coast line, drop off the car in Split and ferry or bus down to Dubrovnik. The ferry takes much longer but it is comfortable, relaxing and you will see many islnad along the way. The bus is 4 1/2 hours, comfortable and a beautiful drive.

You could look into flying into Venice, Vienna or Budapest and easily train in to the Istrian peninsula and then make your way down. We found the combination of driving, bussing and ferrying perfect for our very flexible schedule.

Cheers!

Almost every time someone wants to know whether to take a train, bus, or rental car, I vote for the rental car. When I read that someone has said "take a bus" rather than driving, I wonder what that person's objectives might be, compared to yours. Buses are good, and trains are good, even in Croatia, if you don't really intend to be in control of your itinerary between departure and arrival points. Personally, I never want to be left in a position of passing by some interesting sights along the way. Even in Croatia, where the roads are good but a bit more sparse than in some other countries, I always rent a car. The scenery is beautiful, and I have the flexibility to stop when and where I want.

And as for ferries: If you like riding on a ferry, it's an OK way to go. But again, you have no option in terms of where to stop along the way. And that nice scenery along the coast looks even better when you are in the middle of it rather than viewing it from a ferry.

This kind of response isn't a criticism of any of the other responders; it's just an attempt to give you my personal opinion just as they did. Good luck.

Wayne, this is not a criticism of what you posted - you are certainly correct about the independence and ability to see the scenery from "inside" it, but here's the other side, just by way of explanation -- and I've been to Croatia before it was Croatia.

I don't like to mess with rental cars in unfamiliar countries, even if they drive on the same side of the road that I'm used to, first because I spend more time and attention figuring out where I am and how to get to the next place than I do just seeing where we are. Getting lost is a big time consumer, and dealing with "foreign" (to me) gas stations and car repair is also at best a distraction I don't want and at worst hair-raising. In addition, for the same reason I don't want a car in New York or Boston, I often don't want to have to worry about parking, theft, breaking-in, etc.

Buses are great (and cheap) for seeing stuff you can't see from a train, but they are seriously variable in comfort and quality. That said, probably the most unforgettable AND hair-raising experience I've had was taking an overnight bus from Dubrovnik to Split many years ago -- with 1 wheel almost always over the edge of steep precipices, people barfing and chickens squawking in the back, and the driver consuming an imperial pint of beer at each stop!

Huge irony: we'd taken the bus after the plane -- an old Jugoslav Aerotransport DC-3 -- returned to Dubrovnik after being tossed nearly upside down in thunderstorms and losing all radio contact.

I'd love to know what air service is like nowadays.

Where Croatia is concerned, I'd say the rail plus ferry is a great way to go if you have an actual destination (Hvar, Korcula) -- if you're just rambling, then take a train.

Woops, late word should have been, "if you're just rambling, then just take a car."

With all due respect to soccr's reply, I also was in Yugoslavia long before it was split into pieces to make the various parts including Croatia. And I've been there since. I would have to say that "rambling" wouldn't be the exact description of an auto vacation. It would be more like a selective trip which needs to be planned to allow a little time for those unexpected but always interesting stops you will find. But as I said in my first response, if all you want to do is to get from point A to point B, then go by some other method. But be aware that when you begin to make a combination of two or more modes of transportation, you might lose the time you hoped to gain. Good luck.

Some of us travel by train or bus, not to save time, but because we don't like driving a car in a foreign country. Some of us don't even drive the highways in our hometowns. For some of us, renting a car to travel is just plain not an option.

I'm sorry I didn't reply back sooner, but thanks for all the replies! We purchased a guide book this weekend and I think we are just going to rent a car. We are considering flying into Venice (as that looks like the closest international airport) and renting a car for the drive. We don't mind driving (after driving through London, this should be a piece of cake!) but as my husband is usually the driver he sometimes gets nervous at the idea of driving in a foreign country. From the options we've read about, renting a car seems like the easiest way to explore.

Thanks again for the helpful responses! Croatia looks like a fascinating country and we are both looking forward to visiting it.

Tracy