Travel advice Archives

I want to know that if I come from Budapest to Zagreb by flight and want to catch a train to Dubrovnik the same day is it possible? My flight reaches at around 12 noon and there is a train at 2pm , how far is the airport from the station? Thanks. A.M.

I’m afraid that you’ve been wrongly informed – there are no trains from Zagreb to Dubrovnik as Dubrovnik has no train station. The closest to Dubrovnik that you could travel to is a town called Ploce, but this is still 2 hours north of Dubrovnik. If you did take a train here from Zagreb, you could change here for a bus to continue your journey; however, a train to here from Zagreb is still a long journey, 13 hours.

You could travel from Zagreb to Dubrovnik by bus. Firstly, take an airport bus (from outside the terminal building) to the main bus station in Zagreb. The journey time is approximately half an hour. Then, from here there are a number of buses per day to Dubrovnik (see timetables at www.akz.hr). Journey is long, however! (About 11-12 hours.)

If you need to reach Dubrovnik quickly, then flying is obviously the best method. There are several flights per day (in summer) with Croatia Airlines. Tickets aren’t always even that expensive, but it depends how far in advance you book.

As we receive numerous travel questions about Croatia via email week in, week out, I thought I’d start a new series on this blog sharing some of these questions – and my replies, of course! Hopefully sharing travel queries and responses will help others who may be searching for similar information on a variety of subjects to do with travelling to Croatia. If anyone would like to add anything to my replies, please do use the comments section on this blog. Don’t forget – if you do have any travel queries about Croatia, I would be more than happy to answer them! Simply email me on webmaster@visit-croatia.co.uk.

Question
I should be grateful for information on caravan sites, road conditions and general cost of living. We are considering a three week trip along the coast or to places of special interest inland which are readily accessible with a touring caravan in tow. We are planning a visit in May 2011.
B.D., UK

Answer:
Thanks for getting in touch. As we’re a privately-run website, we don’t actually produce any printed material – in which case, I would suggest you get in touch with the Croatian National Tourist Office in London (info@croatia-london.co.uk) and I am sure they will be able to send you an information pack, in particular on caravanning/driving.

However, there are some websites that might also help. The Croatian Camping Union (www.camping.hr) has a useful website that lists all campsites in Croatia, ones that would be suitable for caravans as well as just ordinary sites. (Sorry – I know what a caravan actually is, but not 100% sure if they work on the same principle as motorhomes in terms of space needed, pitches and so on – so I hope this Camping Union website is still useful!)

Roads in Croatia are of good quality. There are some motorways in the country (e.g. Zagreb to Rijeka and on to parts of Istria; Zagreb to Sibenik/Zadar/Split) although other roads are also in good condition. As you’ll be travelling in May, you’ll avoid the peak of summer (July/August) when the roads can get quite crowded as tourists from neighbouring countries, as well as domestic tourists, stock up their cars and head to the coast! You may find the Croatian Motorways and Croatian Auto Club websites useful. Via Michelin is also a great website for route planning.

Croatia is cheaper than the UK in terms of eating out, going to cafes, bars and so on, but you will probably make the biggest savings if you stock up at local supermarkets or – better still – get some produce at local markets!