Travel to Croatia: Cheap flights, ferries and buses to Zagreb,
Dubrovnik, Split and Istria
Croatia's Dalmatian coast has become one of Europe's most
exciting destinations but getting there can be tricky. If you're
coming from outside Europe, be aware that there are no direct
flights from North America to Croatia. You'll need to make a
stop in another European city for a flight to Croatia.
Fortunately there are more and more routes opening up. If you're
coming from Italy however, the best bet is usually to take a
ferry to Croatia. That's what most Italians do which is why
there are more ferries than flights from Italy to Croatia.
In travelling to Croatia, there are four main entry points:
Dubrovnik, Istria, Split and Zagreb. Let's take them in order.
Travel to Dubrovnik It's Croatia's
most beautiful spot and well connected by flight, ferry and
train. Taking a flight to Dubrovnik is easier between March and
October when the season begins to gear up but you'll find
connections from London to Dubrovnik three times a week all
year. To get to Dubrovnik from Italy, your only choice is
Jadrolinija's Bari to Dubrovnik ferry which runs all year but
more often in summer. There are buses to Dubrovnik from most
other Croatian cities that run frequently and efficiently.
Travel
to Istria The main entry points in Istria are Umag,
Rovinj, Porec, Pula and Rabac which are all connected by ferries
to Italy but only in the summer season. In addition, there are
buses to Pula from Venice and to Rovinj and Porec from Trieste.
Recently Wizzair announced regular flights to Pula from Edinburg
and Glasgow.
Travel to Split Split is situated in
the middle of the Dalmatian coast and makes an excellent entry
point. There are non-stop flights to Split from London, Cologne,
Frankfurt, Munich, Prague and Rome. If you're coming from Italy,
you'll find frequent ferries all year from Ancona and less
frequent ferries from Pescara. Split is connected by bus with
most other Croatian cities as well as Ljubljana, Mostar and
Sarajevo.
Travel to Zagreb Zagreb is Croatia's capital and
connected to most other European capitals by Croatia Airlines.
The cheapest way to Zagreb from the UK is by Wizzair which just
opened a new service from London to Zagreb. Other low-cost
carriers include SNBrussels which has flights from Brussels and
Germanwings which has cheap flights from Berlin, Cologne,
Hamburg and Stuttgart. There are buses to Zagreb from other
Balkan cities but the train is most convenient if you're coming
from Ljubljana, Venice, Budapest or Vienna.