Croatia Travel Blog

I receive SO many inquiries about Croatia’s ferry system. Three different companies are serving the region between Split and Dubrovnik and each one of them has seasonal schedules. Plus, the Jadrolinija schedules are displayed in their own unique and highly confusing format. When I first started going to Croatia I actually MISSED ferries because I misread the schedules.

No more. I’ve decoded their ferry schedules and now I’d like to  lift the ferry fog for others. I’ve compiled the schedules of ALL the companies serving the region between Split and Dubrovnik in a handy Pocket Ferry Guide and added notes at the bottom that clearly explain how to understand each schedule.

Another problem is booking.  Some ferries can (and should) be booked online, some should be booked in advance and some can’t be booked in advance at all! What a mess.

To clear up the to-book-or-not-to-book problem, I’ve noted on each schedule whether and where the ferry can be booked. Plus, I provide contact information for all booking agencies in southern Dalmatia.

I’ve created my “pocket ferry guide” in easy-to-use pdf format so that it can be easily downloaded, printed and read on a PDA or other mobile device. And, this indispensable ferry guide is FREE to all my customers. Find out more.

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The critics have spoken and the verdict is: Opatija’s Plavi Podrum restaurant is in the top hundred of the  world’s best restaurants. Restaurant magazine plus other professionals in the dining trade, put out an annual list of the 50 best restaurantsin the world. Plavi Podrum didn’t quite make that cut but it was a runner up and was rated number 94 out of 100. It’s the first Croatian restaurant to make the list.

What’s so special about Plavi Podrum? They didn’t say. One can imagine that the super-fresh seafood might have helped not to mention Croatia’s best known sommelier, Daniela Kramaric Tariba, who handles the wine cellar and suggests one of 250 wines to go with your dish. The menu is strictly seasonal, drawing on some of Istria’s most famous products such as asparagus, nettle and truffles. It’s also Opatija’s oldest restaurant with a magical view over the port. That would be the port of Volosko, for the restaurant is a little past Opatija in the delightful fishing village of Volosko.

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It’s taken a while but Jadrolinija has finally published the summer schedule for Croatia’s local ferries. There are not too many surprises but I was pleased to see a Split to Vis Island car ferry that allows a day trip, however long, out to Vis Island. That’s good news. Unfortunately, thePula-Mali Losinj-Zadar car ferry will not be resuscitated this year, or maybe not any year. That’s a shame because it provided a way to travel from Istria to Dalmatia entirely by boat.

Once again, I must emphasize that these local ferries cannot be booked online. You must go to a Jadrolinija office or authorized travel agency to buy your ticket when you arrive in Croatia. Any Jadrolinija office can sell tickets to any ferry (with the exception of car ferry shuttles) and, if you’re travelling by car, you should buy the ticket as soon as possible for the summer ferries. See the list of “sales points” onwww.jadrolinija.hr.
See more about booking ferries in Croatia.

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Although this blog is dedicated to Croatia travel, I feel compelled to comment on the current furor surrounding guidebooks in general and Lonely Planet guidebooks in particular.

Thomas Kohnstamm’s new book has created a maelstrom of angst (in the guidebook industry) and publicity (for Thomas of course). Two key facts seem to have astonished the world: 1)guidebook writers don’t make much money and, 2) some people are sleazy. Continue Reading »

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Good news for North American travellers looking for a direct flight to Croatia. Skyservice has announced that it will resume its popular Toronto-Zagreb flights starting May 28. Inaugurated last summer, this Canada-Croatia connection provides the only direct flights from North America to Croatia. Continue Reading »

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