Trip Report- Crotia
 

Hello,

I'm continuing this as part II of an Italy-Croatia trip report. THANKS to all who posted- we had a wonderful trip, and Croatia is one of our favorite countries we've ever visited.

We took the overnight ferry from Bari, Italy to Dubrovnik, which was such a fun way to travel! We woke (very rested) about an hour before the ferry pulled into port, and had a light breakfast and enjoyed the beautiful scenery as the ferry arrived in Dubrovnik. Took lots of pictures of the small islands, the new bridge, and the city.

We took the bus to Old Town- bought bus tickets at the kiosk by the ferry station- and walked around Old Town as the town was waking up. First impression was very peaceful, clean, and incredibly pleasant. Not crowded at all, in fact, very calm (late-November). Had a cappucino, spent some time at the gate looking at the sign that describes the effect of the war on Dubrovnik, and wandering around the gorgeous and historical sites. We walked around the wall when it opened, and were awed by the beauty of the town, the sea, and the cliffs.

Checked into our room at the Apartment Amoret- wonderful accomodations! Branka was incredibly helpful via email to reserve the room, right in the heart of Old Town, and a very charming, clean, and lovely nice-size apartment (Orlando).

Went to the daily market and bought oranges, figs, and a fresh bouquet of daisies. Felt very welcome by the merchants and little pressure.

Had a late lunch at the harbour- Lokando Peskarija- huge servings of steamed mussels and grilled squids- and loved it.

Got to Buza right before sunset and it was everything we heard it would be. There were only 2 other people there, and the sunset on the water with cold Ozujskos, the crashing waves, and the sheer beauty was breathtaking.

We spent the rest of the two days drifting around the town and trying to soak up the culture by visiting cafes and wine bars. Tried several local Croatian wine- Postup zinfandel was our favorite.

Our flight to Munich was out of Split, so we went to the new bus terminal (different from the local bus terminal), and took the bus to Split. The trip was about 4 hours long, and was as nice as a four hour bus trip could be. The views of the islands and the cliffs are impressive. The bus is airconditioned, clean, and wasn't too crowded. Have passports ready for the Bosnia checkpoints.

We were only in Split for the night and the next day before our flight. We had arranged for a room at the Villa Varus, owned by Joanne, originally from New York. We crossed the promenade from the bus station, via the ferry terminals, and found the hotel within 5 minutes from the promenade. We wandered around the Diocletian's Palace, ducked in and out of a few shops, and ate dinner at Sperun- fiance had the catch of the day, I had seafood risotto. Grabbed a gelato and strolled around the promenade.

The next day, we took the Croatian Airlines bus to the airport (we were flying on Germanwings, but any can take the bus), and had a very easy departure from Split. Split is much busier and industrial than Dubrovnik, but we think it would be a good base city for visiting the islands or to take a breather while traveling.

It was a short trip to Croatia, and we absolutely plan to go again for a longer time. The atmosphere, beauty, and charm of Croatia, particularly in the calm off-season, has us hooked!

Happy travels,
Emily

I love Buza!!!!!

Do you remember the bus co name?

I need to do the opposite, Split to Dubrovnik in early March.

My flight to London leaves DBV at 4pm. I'm staying with friends just outside of Split.

The only flight between the citites, AFAIK, is a Croatia Airlines flight that leaves in late afternoon, connects in Zagreb and gets into DBV ~10pm. I would rather stay with my friends until the day of my flight to London.

They will join me in DBV at the beggining of the visit and we are planning on staying in DBV for couple of days before driving up. I don't want them to have to drive me back but unfortunately I need to fly in/out of DBV as it's the only city served by BA.

Any info on the bus co would be helpful. Thanks.

We googled the bus schedule- just typed in croatia split bus schedule, and it was accurate (sorry, don't remember the site). So I don't know the name of the bus company, or if there are multiple bus companies. Some guidebooks have the schedules in them, too- ours was a 2006 guidebook and it was current.

Thanks! I got it all figured out. My friends in Split confirmed that this was my best option. They just moved there about a month ago so it took them awhile to figure it out.

ttt