Although Croatia is really lovely to explore with a set of four wheels – whether your own or a hire car – the country is very, very easy to visit without. The public transport network (buses, trains, ferries/catamarans and even flights) is extensive, so it’s easy to get around using one or a combination of these methods. Find out where to go, what itineraries to consider and how best to get around if you’re visiting Croatia without a car.
Where should I visit in Croatia without a car?
Let’s tackle this oh-so-important question first – where should you go in Croatia if you’re not planning on hiring a car?
Really, any of the major towns and cities would be absolutely fine as a base in Croatia without a set of wheels. For the most part, most towns and cities are very walkable. Take Zagreb, for example; Croatia’s capital is also the country’s largest city. But its main core, around the main square (Trg ban Jelacic) is very easy to explore on foot. Should you wish to explore more of the city, you can easily make use of the extensive tram network. (Or buses, or the many other methods of public transport in Zagreb…funicular, anyone?!)
On the coast, the central core of towns and cities such as Split, Dubrovnik, Pula, Zadar and Sibenik are also easy to get around on foot. Alternatively, there are local buses that operate in all of these places that are frequent, cheap and run on reasonably extensive networks. If you’re staying in accommodation on the edge of one of these places, you may worry about getting into the centre for sightseeing. Fear not! Even relying on the apps for taxis (Uber or Bolt) is straightforward and easy…and reasonably cheap too.
Best places to visit in Croatia without a car
So, for actual places to visit if you don’t have a car, consider staying in and/or basing yourself in one of the following:
But what if I want to visit more than one place?
Long-distance public transport is also of great quality within Croatia. As I’ve already said, it’s relatively easy to get around using buses, trains, ferries and catamarans and even by flying. Which method of transport you use will depend on where in Croatia you are (you can’t travel from Split to Dubrovnik, for example, by train!), how much you want to spend and how fast you want to travel. Or also, perhaps, what you want to experience – a bus up or down the Dalmatian coast offers truly stunning views, better than a catamaran on roughly the same route.
Croatia without a car itinerary
Okay, let’s take a look at some possible itineraries for doing a little bit of travelling around Croatia without a car. How long you spend doing the following is totally up to you; you may well like to tweak the days spent in each place.
You may like to take a look at the Itineraries in Croatia section for travel plans for a weekend, one week, ten days, two weeks, three weeks and other possibilities. That’s a lot of choice, no?
No car itinerary option A – Zagreb to Split
- Zagreb (2/3 nights)
bus to - Plitvice Lakes (2 nights)
bus to - Zadar (2 nights)
bus to - Split (3 nights)
No car itinerary option B – Split to Dubrovnik
- Split (2 nights)
catamaran to - Hvar (2 nights)
catamaran to - Korcula (1 night)
catamaran to - Dubrovnik (3 nights)
No car itinerary option 3 – North to Central Dalmatia
- Zadar (3 nights)
bus to - Sibenik (2 nights)
bus to - Split
catamaran to - Brac island (3 nights)
No car itinerary option 4 – Istria
- Pula (2 nights)
bus to - Rovinj (3 nights)
bus to - Porec (3 nights)
bus back to
Pula
No car itinerary option 5 – the Kvarner Riviera
- Fly to Pula
bus transfer to - Opatija (3 nights)
(local) bus to - Rijeka (for lunch!)
catamaran to - Cres (2/3 nights)
bus to - Losinj (2/3 nights)
catamaran back to
Rijeka
These are simply some rough itineraries that you could adjust with longer stays as per your preference. Do note that there are many day trips you could make – either by public transport or on an organised excursion – that you could undertake to other islands, towns and national parks to experience even more of Croatia!
Best Croatian islands without a car
If your dream is to holiday on a Croatian island but you definitely don’t want to rent a car, don’t worry! Island life is very doable without a set of wheels. For the most part, you will arrive on any of the islands in one of the main towns, which will have a good range of amenities – accommodation, eateries, bars, shops and so on. Should you wish to explore other parts of the island, buses will take you to other towns. These may not be especially frequent, but they’ll run enough times a day that you won’t get stuck anywhere. And you can also rely on taxis, should you wish to make any journey faster and more instant.
Understandably, the larger islands other the best in terms of transport, so you may wish to stick to these to make your life easier. Consider Hvar, Brac, Korcula, Pag or Rab for your holiday. All very, very lovely!
On any of these islands, you can rent bicycles or mopeds to further your exploration. Certainly, a bike is a lovely way of getting around, and island traffic tends to be fairly calm.
Where not to visit in Croatia without a car
Now, there’s no place that’s an absolute no-go if you don’t have access to a car. However, certain areas outside of towns and cities rely on local public buses, which aren’t necessarily all that frequent. By this, I mean the much smaller towns, particularly those slightly inland from the coastline. Want to explore the Istrian interior from your base on the coast? Perhaps visit the inland towns such as Motovun or Bale? It’ll be tricky without a car, let me tell you. Just stick to your base, or visit other places on the coast e.g. Porec, Rovinj, Pula, Umag… (Depends on where your base is!)
Likewise, longer-distance day trips will also be hampered somewhat if you don’t have a car. Take the example of wanting to do a day trip to the Plitvice Lakes from Istria – it’s nearly impossible by public transport! You’d have to rely on an organised tour instead. (Realistically, it would be better to base yourself somewhere closer to the Lakes than Istria.)
Completely car-free destinations in Croatia
What about if you’re actively trying to avoid cars? Perhaps your ideal holiday is one when you don’t hear a motorised vehicle at all?
Technically, you might consider some of the “Old Town” places on the mainland that are fully pedestrianised. An obvious example is Dubrovnik Old Town, the historic core of Split, Zadar Old Town (although road traffic does encircle most of this) and the very centre of Sibenik. These are all fairly small areas, so you certainly wouldn’t be far from cars, but if you step outside of your accommodation, you’ll only find pedestrians! (Note: as all of these areas are pretty small, accommodation options right inside are fairly limited. But still possible.)
For a true car-free experience that’s not just one of the pedestrianised areas in a town or city, there are a number of islands you could choose from.
Silba in north Dalmatia would be an absolutely ideal choice for anyone looking to get away from cars completely. This small island – just 15 square kilometres in size – has a permanent population of just a few hundred people. The island is well known for its beaches and pretty bays, and would be an ideal place to spend lazy days, exploring on foot. The main settlement here, where the boats come in and where most eateries, accommodation and shops are, is also called Silba.
Unije is further north, west of Losinj, but of a similar size. Again, it’s the perfect place to visit to stay in an small apartment (no hotels here!) going for daily walks to explore what’s here.
Zlarin is a heavily wooded island that’s famed for its coral. Close to Sibenik, it’s thought of as an “island escape” from this part of the Croatian coast.
Two islands that you may have heard of that are also famously car-free are Kolocep and Lopud, part of the Elafiti islands group that is near Dubrovnik. Home to lovely beaches, tranquil bays and coves, there’s a reasonable amount of accommodation and amenities on both islands despite their small size.
More info and useful tips
If you’ll be visiting Croatia without a car, you’ll be using public transport! For help, please do see Visit Croatia’s guides to:
- Bus Travel in Croatia A full list of companies operating the main routes
- Ferries and catamarans in Croatia Travelling up or down the coastline, or to the islands? This is what you’ll need!
- Croatia Ferries Map If you want to see what islands you can get to from where, this is the page for you
- Trains in Croatia Not as expansive as the bus network, you may still find yourself hopping on a train to make your way around
- Flights in Croatia A super-quick – and not even all that expensive – way of hopping between the main cities in the country