5 night trip in croatia itinerary - please help!

We are planning a short trip to Croatia - flying from Vienna - here%26#39;s what we are thinking:

Fly into Split

1 night in Split

2 nights in Hvar

2 nights in Dubrovnik

Fly out of Dubrovnik, back to Vienna

Any suggestions on the itinerary? We plan to do day trips from Dubrovnik to Mljet Islands? Should we do Korcula too - or will we be packing in too much?

Can you please recommend what is the best way to travel internally?

Should we rent a car, or is it too much of a hassle - we can use bus/ferries too.

Thanks so much for your help!

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I think you are tight for time as it is and if you do one day trip from Dubrovnik don%26#39;t do another one. Mljet is quite a distance as is Korcula. I would enjoy the city and the places local to it - the Elaphiti islands are much closer.

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Remember that the transfer time between Hvar and Dubrovnik is a minimum 6 hours, so that either takes time out of Hvar or Dubrovnik.

The fastest travel from Split to Hvar is the catamaran service.

The ferries from Stari Grad on Hvar to Dubrovnik only run twice weekly - you need to know if they go on the day you plan to travel. Check out www.jadrolinija.hr for timetables.

If they do not go on the planned day of travel, then catamaran to Split and bus from Split to Dubrovnik is your next best option.

Personally, I would go straight to Hvar and do 2 days there, allow 1 day for travel from Hvar to Dubrovnik and do 2 days in Dubrovnik.

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Great advice from Mutiny. Skip Split and get to Hvar as quickly as possible and then spend two nights there before moving on to Dubrovnik. Also-- no day trips should be considered in that little time in Dubrovnik. Enjoy Dubrovnik and then get to other places on your next trip!

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Thats great advice! I think we%26#39;ll plan to get Hvar asap and enjoy Hvar instead of spending time in Split.

Also, does it help to rent a car - I read that getting to Dubrovnik from Hvar is quicker by car? Or should we stick to the bus/ferry option?

Thanks so much for your inputs!

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A rental car is a personal choice.

Parking in Hvar and Dubrovnik is challenging but not impossible - you need to check if your accommodation has parking space.

Once you get to Dubrovnik, a car is pretty much useless as it is a walking city.

On Hvar, a car can be helpful to see other parts of the island but useless in Hvar town.

Car ferries are much more expensive than passenger ferries. You also need to arrive early, up to one hour in advance of the sailing, to ensure you get on the ferry that you have planned for.

But you have the flexibility to do what you want and stop along the way.

I have booked a car for our trip to Croatia in September, but then I have a 2 year old (therefore extra luggage) and am driving from Budapest. It makes sense for me but you need to work out what makes sense for you.

Lapad Bay

Does anyone recommend staying in a rental overlooking Lapad Bay? I will have a car, and stay for a week. View looks lovely. We%26#39;ll hike, sightsee %26amp; visit Dubrovnick. Is Lapad Bay a pretty place? Is it too far to get to Dubrovnick? Recommend any other places, right outside of Dubrovnick?

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Its not that far to the Old Town of Dubrovnik. Just jump on the bus and get there. If you do get a car make sure that there is parking available where you are staying because parking is very difficult in Dubrovnik. What place have you been looking at?

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I%26#39;ve read other blogs that say Lapad Bay has too many big hotels, and they do not recommend staying there, actually, that there are nicer areas a bit outside of Dubrovnik. BarryM do you have any other thoughts, suggestions on other places to stay?

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I have stayed in the Lapad area and its ok. To me the best place to stay in Dubrovnik would be in the Ploce area, with a great view of the Old Town. But parking could be difficult there.

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There is beautiful place to stay in Lapad Bay,it is called Villa Miomir.Easy to reach with a car and a bus station to old town is a few minuts.

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I agree with Barry as I have also stayed in Lapad. Essentially, the bay is quite nice but not brilliant and surrounded by chain hotels. There are some OK to good restaurants in the area. But by comparison to being close to the Old Town, Lapad is a poor cousin.

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Thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies. I believe we%26#39;ll stay in Cavtat for the week!!!!

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Hi I will be spending four days in a hostel in Old Town, but then would like to spend three days relaxing in a nice hotel somewhere with a nice sandy beach and also a pool. But also somewhere with some nice restaurants and bars! Can you please recommend somewere/ anyone been to any of the hotels?

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It is not too far to walk from Lapad bay to the Old City but be aware of the heat. You can catch a bus but they are packed.

I would not call Lapad Bay pretty but it is ok. The beaches are shingle and if you are reasonable swimmers you may find swimming off the rocks better.

If you are keen on hiking than Mount Srd is a must. It is behind Dubrovnik and gives good views over the city, the Islands and Lapad.

The problem with a car is that you may use it too much and it may be better to use the various boat trips.

For sightseeing I would say Korcula is a must. Park the car in Orebic %26amp; get the shuttle taxi over. The drive from Ston up the peninsular to Orebic is stunning, especially the descent into Orebic, but will take some time as the driver will need to park up to admire the view. The drive from Lapad will take ~2.25 hrs so this is a full day. Again consider a boat trip. We stayed in Orebic for a few days and had a day in Korcula.

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we wont have a car, and really just wanted to stay somewhere pretty. How about one of the islands? I was thinking kolocep to spend the last three days...

Dental treatment in Croatia

I%26#39;m just back from some dental treatment in Rovinj. If you want some impartial advice please contact me

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Hi Dentaltourist

I%26#39;ve just contacted a dentist called H-Dent in Rovinj. Do you know them? Any advice greatly received.

I look forward to hearing from you

Ann

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We had a topic here about dental tourism already on this forum but some %26quot;clever%26quot; person reported it as inapropriate.

Yes, it is a fact that many tourists from Italy, Austria and Switzerland come to Croatia to get high quality dental work at much lower prices than in their countries.

It is easy to find the dentists just by googling.

Heard recently that in Slavonia it is even cheaper.

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The old posts are still here. Just enter the word dental in the above searc box and you will get lots of info.

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i guess dental treatment in goa, india is much cheaper and of course international standard. i%26#39;ve got my work done in candolim, goa. it%26#39;s great holiday as it%26#39;s very cheap there. take care

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Dental treatment here in Croatia is one of the best and from what I used to pay when I lived in the UK it is half the price !

Great dentists - well worth travelling here for treatment and have a holiday at same time

Happy smile !

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I actually went to Rijeka, Croatia with my husband. We heard about Dr. Zivkovic, he owns the DentVitalis Clinic there, and after speaking to him and his assistant over the phone and giving the web-site a carefull read, we decided to go and never regreted it. My husband got implants combined with dentures, and I%26#39;m booked for implant surgery next week. I recommend Dr. Zivkovic dearly, I think his e-mail is info@dentvitalis.com, and the last part of the e-mail is his web-site.

Jo

Apartment Karmen, Old City Centre Zadar

Hi I would like to recommend an apartment we stayed in, in the old city centre of Zadar next to the Hotel Bastion. It cost 150kn to get to the apartment from the airport. We were met by the owner Karmen and her son and they helped us with our bags and were very welcoming indeed. We are a family of four, two adults a 13yr old and a 4yr old. The apartment consisted of very large double room with a double bed and a single bed. The living area had a fold out sofa bed with our 13yr slept on. It had all kitchen facilities, eating area and a very clean bathroom. It was very adequate to our needs and very reasonably priced I think it worked out about €40/day it was in May but still extremely good value for money. Karmen lives just next door and was very helpful to us. The location is fabulous a stone throw away from everything. Photos can be seen on www.jczadar.googlepages.com. Jean Claude is actually a hiking guide and that is how I came across this apartment via his website, even though we did not book a hiking trip with him, he was more than helpful to us and emailed us regarding our stay and helped us with taxis etc. I have no affiliation to either Karmen or Jean Claudes business but definitley would like to thank them for making our trip to Zadar, Croatia very memorable indeed!

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Hi, Do you have contact details for this apartment? It sounds like what I%26#39;m looking for next week, have%26#39;nt anything booked yet. Thanks.

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Hi there

I have a mobile number and an email address for Jean Claude jczadar@gmail.com, just checked over my records and it cost €55/day with a 30% deposit. I will have to change my previous post. It is still very reasonable as it is in the city centre and you will not need to take taxi%26#39;s in and out of town. I have a taxi number and further details if you want to email me.

Hvar to Dubrovnik on Sept 21...

Hello - what are our options for going from Hvar to Dubrovnik on Sept 21? We will not have a car.....thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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No direct ferry on 21st Sept but there is one that runs between Drvenik on the main land to Sucaraj on Hvar Island. No idea of transport links once at Drvenik and Sucaraj is quite inaccessible on Hvar. You can get the ferry/cat back to Split then get one of the fast buses (bus station right next door to ferry port) down to Dubrovnik (4 hours). I would probably do that.

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Agree with Jude C - you are looking at a catamaran from Hvar town to Split and then a bus from Split to Dubrovnik. Allow 6 hours in total as a minimum.

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Thanks - is that (cat and bus) something that we should book in advance or just the day before?

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Although you could just show up and buy the tickets before departure, just to be on the safe side, as the no of seats in catamaran and bus is limited, you could buy the tickets for bus ST-DU before heading to Hvar island, and for catamaran the day before(if possible, if they will not be willing to sell the day before, just come early enough before the dept.).

If you could leave Hvar on Tuesday 22.Sept, there is the ferry SG-DU.

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Hmmm...maybe we should alter our travel plans slightly...how long does the direct cat take?

Thanks!

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There is no direct catamaran between Hvar and Dubrovnik. As Jelsa said, there is a large car/passenger ferry on Sep 22 that departs Stari Grad on Hvar (15 mins by bus from Hvar town) at 9:00am and arrives in Dubrovnik at 4:15pm. It is a very scenic journey and the views from the deck are lovely. You have the freedom to sit, walk around, chat with others or sleep as you go. Simply stock up with some food, drink and some reading material.

Cheers

Mutiny

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Thanks!! Hmm....that does sound considerably nicer then taking the bus....would you say it is worth it to alter travel plans to be able to take the boat all the way there? Also - is the same schedule available on the 20th as well as the 22nd? Cheers.

Fast ferry - Split to Hvar

Need a fast ferry from Split to Hvar on Sat., Aug. 29 , between 2pm and 4pm. Any recommendations?

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There is a catamaran leaving Split to Hvar at 15.00 - here is the Jadrolinija site for timetable

www.jadrolinija.hr/default.aspx?dpid=1304

Have a good trip !

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Haha me too!

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How long does it take to get from the airport to Split Harbour and how is the best way to get there? Thanks

Accommodation in Dubrovnik

When I stayed in Split we could just turn up and stay in rooms/apartment blocks that people had converted (as opposed to hotels/hostels)- it was really cheap. Does anyone know if this is the same in Dubrovnik?

Thanks,

Emma, London, UK

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You will find that Dubrovnik is the most expensive town on the Dalmatian coast. I personally would not trust anyone who is standing around at the port or bus station with a sign for %26quot;soba%26quot; which means rooms. It is my personal opinion many, not all, but many are not registered with the government to rent rooms. And yes you may save some money, but at what cost? You may want prebook something for Dubrovnik, especially if you%26#39;re arriving during the season.

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Thanks so much for your help!

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When do you plan on going?

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End of October?

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I would like to think that you could find accommodation when you get to Dubrovnik in late October.

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Thank you!