I'm in the early staging of planning a European vacation next summer for my son and I and I was considering taking an overnight ferry from Italy to Croatia. We'll be visiting Naples, Rome, and Venice, so a connection along that route would be good. No car for us, we are taking public transportation. Any suggestions or experiences would be welcomed.
Posted by
Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
57 posts
Hi Mike, it would seem to me that the most efficient use of your time woud be to take the ferry from Venice to Rovinj. It is only a 3 hour trip, so no overnight. You can take the Vapareto to the main docks where the Venezia Lines boat moor. Check venetialines.com for schedules.
You did not mention where in Croatia you wanted to go (Rovinj, Split, or Dubrovnik) that you wanted to visit, but there are ferry options from venice to those places. Possibly even an overnight for Dubrovnik.
Have fun!.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
Of the 3 places you’re visiting in Italy, Venice is the only ferry departure point for Croatia. However, from Venice you can only get to Istria. If you want to go to Split, you’ll need to go to Ancona (4 hours by train from Venice) and catch the ferry there. For Dubrovnik, it might be better to take the ferry to Split and a bus to Dubrovnik rather than going all the way to Bari (8 hours by train) to catch the overnight ferry to Dubrovnik. Travel time from Venice to Istria is about 4 hours, departing late afternoon. For Split or Dubrovnik by overnight ferry, plan for 18-20 hours of total travel time from Venice. I've done both the Bari-Dubrovnik ferry and the Rovinj-Venice hydrofoil. so let me know if you have any specific questions about those routes. Note that there's also a bus option from Venice to Istria.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA
14 posts
It depends where in Croatia you want to go. As Jon said, if you want to be in Northern Croatia then take the ferry from Venice to Rovinj. However, if you want to go to the Dalmatia region, I recommend flying from Venice to Dubrovnik. I flew from Dubrovnik to Venice last September and it was very quick and easy.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Some online schedule schedule resources:
http://www.adriatic-lines.com/prince-fact-sheet/EN for the Venice summer ferry
www.skyscanner.com for flights
www.aferry.com for other ferry companies
Posted by
OP
Hamilton, NJ, USA
132 posts
I kind of like the idea of taking a boat (even though it might not be the fastest way). Since we've never been to Croatia before, which area would you recommend?
Posted by
california
22 posts
Hi Mike,
Taking the ferry from Venice to Croatia is fun. My brother & his family took it to Porec where there is a huge cave to visit.
Another option by land is GOpti Van. If you google them you see on their website the destinations they drive to from Venice. It's sorta like Super Shuttle in that they pick up several passengers and drop them off at certain points. I paid 50 Euros plus an extra 5 E to be picked up at Venice bus station and dropped off at my hotel in Lake Bled, Slovenia. The driver was on time and very nice. The van was clean. Everything went according to plan.