Headache-free travel between Croatia and Germany?

May 15, 2008 1:28 PM

Planning a trip to Europe in September: the plan is to visit my girlfriend's family in Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina) for about a week, and then head up to Berlin for another week. What's the best way configure our travel plans?

I was thinking we should fly Toronto > Berlin, and then immediately fly out to Dubrovnik (we'll have family to get us around while in Croatia and Bosnia). After a week, we'd fly back to Berlin, hang out there for seven days or so, and then fly back to Toronto. Easy, right? Not really.

It seems like there aren't that many airlines that fly from Berlin to Dubrovnik or anywhere close to there, and the ones that do (Germanwings was the only one I could nail down online) are pretty expensive. Taking the train would also be expensive, not to mention long. We were also considering flying to Italy and taking the ferry from Bari > Dubrovnik, but that seems complicated when combined with the rest of the travel. Now I'm starting to think about multi-city air tickets, although those get very expensive also (especially when flying with Air Canada).

Sorry that was so long-winded. Suggestions for part or all of the trip? Bonus points for anyone who can figure out how we can do it all efficiently while flying Air Canada to Europe and back (so I can buy one of the tickets on Aeroplan points). Oh, and suggestions about what to see/do while in Croatia and Bosnia would be cool, too. Thanks!

posted by freudenschade to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

TUIfly also flies between Germany and Croatia. I don't know if they'll be any cheaper than Germanwings, but it's worth checking out.

If you can get to Prauge, Sky Europe flies to Crotia from there. I doubt this would be any cheaper, but if you were interested in seeing Prague anyway...
posted by nitsuj at 1:54 PM on May 15, 2008

Another option is bus. German rail travel is quite expensive (and efficient!), but if you find a good flight out of another German town (or Internation town nearby), consider using Eurolines to get there instead of the train. They're quick, safe, clean, and much cheaper than train.

But honestly, the quickest, least-painful option is ponying up the extra cash to fly direct from Berlin to Croatia. Otherwise you're going to be traveling overland which is takes time, but is quite beautiful.

I just checked the rates with Germanwings -- wow, it is expensive.

But -- bingo! -- here's what you do:

Fly from Berlin to Zagreb on Germanwings. A LOT cheaper (EUR25 each way!) then take a cheap train from Zagreb to Split, and a bus on to Dubrovnik. Not exactly headache-free, but lots cheaper and quite the adventure!
posted by nitsuj at 2:02 PM on May 15, 2008

Thanks, nitsuj! That gives me some other options to consider. Keep 'em coming, people!
posted by freudenschade at 2:22 PM on May 15, 2008

If you do fly to Zagreb, take the ferry from Split to Dubrovnik -- even more beautiful and a relaxing ca. 5 hour cruise....

Chck flights from Berlin to Ljublanja, which is, in my books, a much more pleasant city than Zagreb, and then work your way to the coast and down the coast from there. Certainly there are lots of flights Frankfurt to Ljubljana and I think Easyjet used to fly in from Berlin.
posted by Rumple at 9:48 PM on May 15, 2008

When we went to Croatia we also found almost all the flights were in/out of Zagreb. We flew out of Croatia by taking a Croatian airlines flight from Dubrovnik to Zagreb then out from there.

Another big hub is Split. If you plan to visit any of the islands, you'll almost certainly go through Split. We actually flew into Zagreb, took a bus to Split then rented a car and drove along the coast from Split to Dubrovnik. So you could make getting to Dubrovnik itself part of your trip within the country.
posted by vacapinta at 3:35 AM on May 16, 2008

It would be relatively easy to get a train or bus from Berlin to Vienna or Bratislava. If you can make it to Vienna or Bratislava, SkyEurope usually has cheap flights to Croatian destinations, including direct flights to Split and Dubrovnik.

From Vienna, you may have to take the SkyEurope shuttle bus to Bratislava. It's a nice bus, the ride usually takes less than an hour, and it is included in the price of your flight.

From Bratislava, my first choice would be to fly directly to Dubrovnik.

My second choice would be to fly to Split, then take the ferry to Dubrovnik.

My third choice would be to take the bus from Split to Dubrovnik. The Split-Dubrovnik buses are a bit of a crap shoot. The Post Bus takes >5 hours, stops at every chicken shack, is not air conditioned, and is generally old, poorly maintained, crowded and uncomfortable. Add to that the fact that the drive is along a mountainous coastline (often with a multi-hundred foot drop to the Adriatic just outside your window), and it becomes clear why flying or taking the ferry to Dubrovnik are my first two choices for getting there. Also, in my experience, Croatian and Bosnian bus drivers tend to be one notch shy of totally insane, and I've ridden in cars and buses in Cairo, Rio and Rome!

Another option would be to fly to Zadar and take a ferry from there to Dubrovnik (via Split). I mention it in case SkyEurope has cheaper flights to Zadar.

You can purchase bus or ferry tickets on the day of travel in Split, and both can be bought at the harbor. The buses and ferries both leave from there, as well. There are two ferry companies - you may want to check with each of them (Jadrolinija is the largest one).

If you decide to take a bus, make sure you're on one of the modern ones. They're much more comfortable, make fewer stops and get there faster. The counter that sells bus tickets to Dubrovnik at the Split harbor sells them for Post Buses and regular buses, so you have to ask when you buy your ticket.

SkyEurope has a sale on tickets for flights through September 2008. Flights from Vienna to Zadar are €19, one-way. Two round-trip flights from Bratislava to Dubrovnik (for September) will run you ~176€, including all fees and taxes. That sales ends on Sunday, though, so you'd have to hurry and book. The SkyEurope site shows prices in SKK (Slovakian currency), but they have a currency converter app.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I've visited the Balkans multiple times over the past 8 years.
posted by syzygy at 5:17 AM on May 16, 2008

Sounds weird but you might get a cheap fare by going Croatia-UK-Berlin and using one of the low-cost carriers that offer practically free flights on days when the majority of traffic is going the other way (i.e. to London on the day before a long weekend) and they would have to fly back almost empty. But its hard to check them all efficiently and they tend to use the more obscure airports like Split and Zadar. From there a ferry will be much faster and more pleasant that the long and winding road down the coast by bus.

And sorry to sound like an ad for the Croatian travel bureau but if I had a choice between a week on the Croatian coast in September (when the weather is perfect and the tourists are gone) and a week in Berlin, I'd stay in Croatia. Go up to Maly Ston for oysters, kayak through the islands, party in Hvar, eat in Istria, hike in the inland parks. There was just an article in the NYT travel about staying in lighthouses on the Croatian coast.
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 6:58 AM on May 16, 2008