venice-dubrovnik-mjlet-hvar

First, keep in mind that ferries change from high-season to low-season schedules on October 1. That will impact options if your trip spills over into October. Unless you want to fly to Dubrovnik, a good option would be to take the overnight ferry between Ancona and Split. From there you can take a catamaran to Hvar. From Hvar, you could return to Split by catamaran and take a bus to Dubrovnik or take the ferry from Stari Grad (on Hvar) to Dubrovnik. The catamaran/bus takes about half the time of the ferry, but the kids might enjoy the daytime ferry more. You can check ferry schedules at www.jadrolinea.hr. Buses run several times each day. Mjlet can be done as a day trip from Dubrovnik.

Hi Adrienne,

I'd go with Frank's advice, on flight or ferry.

If that's not for you, with kids, and especially with four of you, I would recommend traveling by car (or like Frank said, Ferry).

Train can be very inconvenient from Venice to the Dalm. Coast (loooooong rides, inconvenient times)... but if you think you can survive 15 hours on a train with kids... :)

Bus is a little better, but still looong, times aren't that great, and there's usually only 1-2 a day.

Car rental in Venice is easy, it's right at the edge of the city, no mess to drive through. If you're returning it to Venice, you can probably get a great rate.

Most roads in the area are easy to drive, and a GPS and map will get you anywhere. Most car companies also include the 35EUR sticker for driving on freeways in Slovenia, which is nice. Some do charge and "Eastern Europe" driving fee, so it's something to ask about.

How much time do you have? There are some nice thing to see along the way...

Thanks. These are great ideas. I'm thinking to fly to Dubrovnik and do some day trips for several days, then ferry to Hvar or another island. I just need to tinker with the return trip. We only have ten days this trip, so I plan on leaving northern Croatia for some weekend trips.