Travel in Croatia
 

I'm hoping someone can help me. My husband and I are leaving for Dubrovnik on April 26th. We are staying there until May 1st and wanted to go to Hvar next and stay there and use Hvar as a home base to then travel to the different islands like Korcula and Vis. Then we are heading to Split on May 6th and flying out of Split. Is this feasible? I am having a hard time figuring out when ferries are running and if there are even daily ferries between the islands? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Why are you staying so long in Dubrovnik? You can see the town in a day, and it is frequently buried in cruise ship passengers. When I went back in 2011 (only because I needed to catch a bus to Bosnia) I had to QUEUE UP to get into the old town.

For ferry schedules see: http://www.jadrolinija.hr/default.aspx?lang=2

For cruise ship arrivals in Dubrovnik see: http://www.portdubrovnik.hr/girica1.php - there are 9,887 passengers scheduled for April 27th, although the 29th is light.

Take a look at maps and travel times with the jadrolinija ferry link thursdaysd posted. I would suggest going from Dubrovnik to Korcula (4 hr bus) to Hvar (ferry) to Split. I think you will have to choose either Hvar or Korcula because you don't have time for both.
Your length of stay in each will be dictated by the ferry schedule, but note you can go to the other end of Korcula and take a ferry from Vela Luka to Split (that is where the map part of the ferry website comes in really handy--you have to know the names of the ferry ports).
Unfortunately, I agree about Dubrovnik. You can do day trips during the day to escape the hordes and enjoy the old town in the morning and evening. Unless you have many day trips planned, 2-3 days max is okay for Dubrovnik. I would stay less in order to visit the islands.

Great advice. Thank you! We are actually only in Dubrovnik for two full days. We plan on doing a day trip to Montenegro while we are there as well. Is a day trip to Korcula a feasible option? Are there other islands really close to Dubrovnik that we could visit for day trips?

Not to me but maybe to some--it is nearly 4 hours to Korcula by road, and catamarans not running in low season. An organized tour would be expensive, but possibly worth it if includes a trip to Peljesac peninsula vineyards or Ston.

Look up Mljet, Elafiti islands.

If the ferry schedule ends up not working out, you could take bus direct to Split from Dubrovnik and then more easily get to its nearby islands.

Yorkshire. Thank you for the info! Is it worthwhile spending any time in Split?

I think the palace is amazing and enjoy walking around the city, but your one day prior to your flight should be plenty. I'd live there in a heartbeat, but I think on holiday most people want the fantasy of an old town on an island setting--which Korcula, Hvar, even Trogir provide.

Yorkshire, you are clearly both intelligent and wise since you agree with me about Split.

Ok that sounds perfect. I was thinking the same thing. Yorkshire, would you mind commenting on this itinerary then:
April 27: arrive at around 2 pm in Dubrovnik and get settled in
April 28: Dubrovnik
April 29: Dubrovnik
April 30: Montenegro
May 1: Hvar
May 2: Hvar
May 3: Hvar
May 4: Hvar
May 5: Hvar
May 6: Split
May 7: Return home
Depending on the ferry schedule I was thinking we could leave Hvar one of the days to explore one of the other islands. Thoughts?

What are you going to do in Hvar?

How are you doing the Montenegro day trip (tour? rental car?)?
I think this will be lovely, and if you get bored on Hvar you can do day trips to the mainland. Because Split is so easily reached from Hvar, you might stay in Trogir your last night instead. It is tiny and closer to the airport.
If you are interested in renting a car, you could go all over Hvar island. You can drive to Jelsa and take a day boat over to Bol on Brac one day.
Also you can go to Split to take a day trip to Brac or Solta.
Some might feel it is too long on Hvar, but it is a vacation after all! I don't see any other way to squeeze another island in without sacrificing too much time elsewhere, so I think this looks good.
enjoy croatia!

Thank you Yorkshire! That info is very very helpful. My husband and I just want to relax and take it easy and enjoy the islands, hence our length of stay there. Thank you again for your help!

Ok I think this is my last question since I've now had a chance to take a look at the ferry schedules. Do you think it makes more sense to make Split our home base and then travel to the islands for day trips?

> Do you think it makes more sense to make Split our home base and then travel to the islands for day trips?

From your original plan, my guess was that you want a chunk of time to chill out in a resort-like destination (Hvar Town).

Split is not, IME, a place for chilling out. Quite in contrast to Hvar Town, Split is a dynamic, lively, energetic city that has some wonderful options for tourists, but is not defined by tourism.

Ferries in April and May are limited, so you are wise to be checking the schedules now.

A good guide book or two might help you decide what you most want to do and experience.

It's a beautiful part of the world - enjoy!

Hi Moddrich.....small world...my DH and I will be flying into Dubrovnik on April 27th too. We are staying in an apartment in Old Town and will be there until May 1st when we pick up a car and drive to Korcula for a couple of nights. Who knows? We might run into each other at the Buza bar! I don't know about you but I'm started to get excited...less than 60 days now before we leave....

How funny! We are staying in Old Town too! I thought about renting a car as well. Are you just doing Dubrovnik and Korcula?

We are flying in from Prague (going to be there five days)....and then once we leave Korcula we are going to Mostar...then Trogir...then Plitvice...then Roving....before flying out of Venice...so yeah, we decided the best way to see the country was to rent car...

What about you? Are you flying directly into Dubrovnik from home?

Yorkshire gave the best solution in his first post:
"I would suggest going from Dubrovnik to Korcula (4 hr bus) to Hvar (ferry) to Split"
Take a bus to Korcula town, stay there as long as you want, go then by (daily) early morning catamaran to Hvar, stay there as long as you want and continue by catamaran (from Hvar town) or by ferry (from Starigrad) to Split.
Spend your last night in the scenic town of Trogis (closer to the airport than split).
http://www.buscroatia.com/
http://www.krilo.hr/
http://www.jadrolinija.hr/