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Stay longer in Hvar or Split?

My wife and I will be traveling to Croatia at the end of May and are so excited!

This is our current plan:
1) Fly into Dubrovnik
2) Spend 3 days in Dubrovnik
3) Either drive or take the ferry to Hvar early morning
4) Spend the rest of the day and night in Hvar
5) Take the ferry to Split early morning
6) Stay in Split the rest of the day and the next day evening

So that comes out to:
- 3 days and 3 nights in Dubrovnik
- 0.5 days and 1 night in Hvar
- 1.75 days and 2 nights in Split

We have been told that Dubrovnik is definitely the best of the 3 cities to visit, so we will be spending the most time there, but we have also been told that Hvar is much more interesting than Split, so we're unsure if we should stay one more night in Hvar instead of Split.

So the new plan would come out to:
- 3 days and 3 nights in Dubrovnik
- 1.5 days and 2 nights in Hvar
- 0.75 days and 1 night in Split

My wife and I are really into experiencing the culture and seeing the sights. We would love to experience a nightclub or some other social scene while out there, but it's not our primary focus. Which of the two proposed plans do you think would be best?

Also, would you recommend we rent a car to drive to Hvar to see some inland areas or should we take the ferry?

Posted by
2185 posts

I would spend longer on Hvar, less in Split. You could probably rent a car for a day on Hvar if you'd like. Or bikes or scooters.

Posted by
7054 posts

I'm in the minority, I suppose...I found Split to be very interesting (look of TripAdvisor for things to do for each). In terms of size and attractions, Split dwarfs Dubrovnik (which is tiny by the way - it doesn't need 3 full days unless you plan on doing a side trip somewhere like Montenegro). You can't drive to Hvar - it's an island, so your only option is a ferry (at the time I went, the ferry schedule was much better using Split as the base)

Posted by
1925 posts

May is not yet peak season on Hvar, which in my opinion makes it more worth spending time. I'd add a night on Hvar and do one less night in Split. And renting scooters is a great way to explore Hvar, so I am pretty much agreeing with Charlene on everything.

Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
6113 posts

You cannot take a car ferry from Dubrovnik to Hvar - such a thing doesn't exist. The Krilo catamaran (no cars) leaves daily after 23 May (only 4 times a week prior to this) at 16.30, arriving in Hvar at 19.35. The Jadrolinija catamaran service only starts 9 June.

You plan to leave early the next day for Split, so this is a lot of travelling and you will see nothing of Hvar.

Your other option is to take a bus (c 5 hours door to door) as far as Split, then wait for the next ferry/catamaran to Hvar, so a trip of probably 8 hours total.

Most places on the islands have a 3 night minimum booking.

Conclusion - just cover Hvar as a day trip from Split IMO. You will see more of the island and it is the most efficient use of your time as you aren't spending valuable time checking in/out and packing up.

I would take a day off Dubrovnik and add to Split - nearby Trogir is worth visiting from Split.

Posted by
681 posts

I loved it all. We went to Korcula and that ended up being my favorite spot in Croatia.