I need help with travel logistics in Croatia. My plan is to fly into Pula airport and take a bus to Rovinj . But it looks like I would need to take a bus from the airport into the town of Pula then take another bus to Rovinj. Any thoughts on a better way to do this? I would then spend the 1st several nights in Rovinj then pick up a rental car to drive to Plitvice Lakes Park and spend probably 2 nights. I would then drive to Dubrovnik and turn in the rental car. Does this sound reasonable? Or at least doable? Any thoughts about renting a car in Rovinj? I've used Europcar many times the past but it looks like maybe they don't operate there.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5399 posts
What are you going to do for “several” days in Rovinj? Just rent your car when you land in Oula. If there is one place on your itinerary where you need a car, it’s Istria.
Posted by
4430 posts
I agree, I'd just get the car at airport, but there is a seasonal direct bus from the airport to Rovinj, check dates here:
https://airport-pula.hr/en/passenger-info/shuttle-bus/
Posted by
OP
Berkeley, California, US
612 posts
Many thanks, again, valadelphia. I've checked the website and emailed them a question about the length of the summer season bus to Rovinj in 2024. We expect to go in September 2024. And thanks, Emily. What I'm planning to do for several days and Rovinj is recover from jetlag and rest. Sleep, walk around and eat. It seems like a very pleasant, picturesque place to do that. This will be following flights with 3-4 tight connections which I imagine will involve a certain amount of stress (or more stress if we miss a connection!). We found a pleasant looking VRBO rental in the old city which looks ideal. If we were to pick up a car at Pula airport we would have no place to park it in Rovinj as far as I can tell. After a few days (maybe 3 days, 4 nights) in Rovinj, we would, ideally, like to pick up a car and drive to Plitvice Lakes Park where we would spend 2 nights (one day). We would then drive to Dubrovnik and turn in the car. I would be very interested to hear of any places to park a car for about 4 days near old town Rovinj. Maybe that would work out after all!
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5399 posts
We always have a car in Rovinj and have no problems finding a spot in the HUGE parking lot here - https://maps.app.goo.gl/PDtS9uyHxq1hBZEs7?g_st=ic
Trust me, you’ll want to get out of town and there’s so many great things to see nearby.
Posted by
Washington DC
27156 posts
While caress in Rovinj you can take public byses to Pula (as you already know), Porec and the little coastal-hilltop village of Vrsar. There used to be a once-a-week (Wednesday as of 2015) Inland Istria bus tour that went to Motovun, Groznjan, a small museum and a winery. You could hit some of those places after picking up your own car, if course.
I like Plitvice a great deal (have been there three times), but as long as you give yourself time late on your arrival day and also get an early start the next morning, I don't think you need two nights there -- assuming you aren't uncommonly unlucky with the weather. The park is horribly, miserably packed during daytripping hours, so you wouldn't want to be there after 10 AM or so anyway. I'm sure you can find a good use for that unneeded second night elsewhere in Croatia.