Travel to Croatia/Korcula

In October 2012 we're going to Le Marche too, and continuing south through Puglia to the Salento Peninsula and then over to Sicily. There's so much to see (Matera, Alberobello, Lecce, Galipoli) that I think you could easily fill your 3 weeks. However, if you want a taste of Croatia, you could take an overnight ferry to Dubrovnik and then bus or ferry to Korcula then make your way back to Dubrovnik and take another overnight ferry back to Italy. I think you'd have to ferry to and from Bari I don't believe Ancona ferries go to Dubrovnik. And I'm not sure if the ferries run every day. You'd probably want to allow at least 5 days. I have found it difficult to find reliable bus/local ferry schedules for Croatia very much ahead of time. Perhaps someone else knows of a good source? We ended up waiting until we were in Dubrovnik to map out our trip, but with your short visit, that would be difficult. While you're researching ferries, see if you can find a ferry from Ancona that goes to/from the island of Vis. If so, that would be logistically a lot easier. It's a tiny island on the way to Split so is closer to Italy. We had a great time there; very inexpensive compared to Korcula or Hvar (air conditioned room for two = 35 euros). Let me know if you need more info on Vis.

Thanks for the suggestions. Where are you planing to visit/stay in Le Marche? We lived in Naples for 4 years in the late 70's and took a camping trip down the boot and into Sicily. that was a great trip. So I know you'll have a great time

We're going to pick up a car in Ravenna and head south. No set plans yet, but we're considering spending 3 days at an agriturismo near Urbino called La Tavola Marche. We'll take a cooking class there, and visit Urbino and Fano. It looks like a great place. From there, we'll have no reservations -- just some ideas of places we'd like to see. Really looking forward to this!

Thanks for that agroturismo. We have been thinking of also spending some time in Urbino in the north and some time in Ascoli Picino in the southern part of Le Marche.

Here is a the ferry schedule, easy to navigate by schedule or date on the left side. http://www.jadrolinija.hr/default.aspx?lang=2 We LOVED Croatia, and did not go to the islands of Hvar and Korcula, although the ferries start to reduce their schedules after Sept 15. We went to Brac, Vis and Bisevo and Mljet. Less crowded, cheaper and easier for us to get to. I hope you enjoy whichever you choose... the water is the clearest I have seen, but be prepared for mostly rocks bottoms and I would suggest water shoes for the urchins. Brac has some amazing sandy beaches though! Peaceful travels!

I guess I will put out there that "3-5" days is too tight for those three locales. The main issue is transport time and ferry schedules. You could certainly plan five days and get to Dubrovnik, spending a couple nights. Travel to Korcula by bus takes half your day up, you could stay two nights there, then back to Dubrovnik to catch the ferry back to Italy. Hvar would be a bit too far and require at least another 2 -3 days.

I was thinking of a ferry from Ancona to Split. How would travel from Split to these other locations, Hvar and Korcula be?

I think you are better off just staying in Italy and spending a few days on the beach. Amalfi or one of the islands, like Palermo or Sardinia or something. I think you'd have a much better time if you returned to Croatia and Slovenia for another 3 week trip. There is so much to see in all 3 countries that I think you'll be better off waiting for another trip. I think you'd spend a lot of time on ferries and buses and not worth it for 3-5 days. One of my worst travel days in Europe was in Croatia...10 hour bus ride followed by a 4 hour boat ride. Plus in Sept I know the boats run very infrequently. I was in Dubrovnik in June and the boats did not run to Korcula, or at least not at a convenient time for me. Luckily I was able to return to Croatia the following year.

If you are starting in Split, then Hvar is only an hour away by frequent ferry. Korcula is also available by ferry, there is one that goes daily from Split, stops in Hvar, then goes to Korcula. It runs late in the day, so if you were to arrive in Split in the morning, you could wander around, then take the ferry to Hvar mid-day, at the least, spend a night (or two) then take the late ferry to Korcula. You would two nights in Korcula due to late arrival, then try to get back to Split, ferry would be the easiest. Depending on routes, it would be faster to head to Dubrovnik by land due to the route you would need to take by land to get to Split.

After much research we decided to book flights from Rome to Split in June. Croatian airlines had reasonable prices, but we ended up finding the most efficient flights surprisingly through orbitz. Flying into Split and out of Dubrovnik. Good luck!

Thank you everyone for your comments. We've decided to scrap the side trip to Croatia. We will stay in Italy for the whole time.

Well, staying in Italy the whole time is never a bad thing. Croatia is gorgeous too though. I will actually be there again myself in Sept 2012. I'm almost positive there is regular ferry service from Ancona to Split, Croatia and September is still considered shoulder season, so everything should still be running. The interesting Moreska folk dances take place in Korcula on Thursday evenings. Split is a beautiful city, with the center of town incorporating the ruins of a Roman emperor's retirement palace. Very unique. It is also the main transportation hub on the Dalmatian coast. You should be able to get boats from there to the major islands, or take a bus (about 4 hours) to Dubrovnik, "the Pearl of the Adriatic" You might also consider doing this at the tail end of your trip and flying 'open jaw' out of either Split or Dubrovnik back home. (This saves time and money backtracking) Sorry for all the additional information! (but I love Croatia AND Italy!) Ross in Denver