We are flying to Budapest, staying for a week, and then we need to get to Dubrovnik to pick up a group. From what I can see there doesn't seem a direct way and train takes FOREVER. Suggestions?
We travel around Croatia sometimes and it is often crap shoot. I suggest you get a bus or train to Zagreb and fly from there. The fares are under $100 one way and the flights are less then one hour.
It is possible that in season you can even find direct flight to Dubrovnik from Budapest. Otherwise it's a long ride mostly by buses.
You can check, but we were in Budapest last summer and needed to get to Zagreb. We ended up going by bus because we could not get a direct flight. Had a friend pick us up at the boarder.
Trains do not go to Dubrovnik. The closest train station is in Split, which is a 3+ hour drive by car. Look into flying into Split and renting a car. The countries of Former Yugoslavia do not have a good train system in place.
Thanks, everybody. You have confirmed what I thought, although I couldn't believe that I wasn't missing something. It looks like the best option is taking a train to Zagreb and then flying to Dubrovnik. A flight from Budapest to Dubrovnik means an overnight somewhere -- Rome, Stockholm etc. -- at about $250 (cheapest) plus a hotel, vs. $140 and a hotel in Zagreb.