Hvar to Dubrovnik Logistics

[Scubalo]

OK, I?m generally pretty good at planning and scheduling, but this one has me stumped and I?m hoping for suggestions/advice.  We are traveling with friends to Croatia next May/June.  We are planning on traveling from Split to Hvar on May 30.  We will have a car, but will drop it off in Split--the Jadrolinija car ferry to Hvar does not run that day.  So, no car.  We will take the afternoon Krilo Jet passenger catamaran. 

We then want to go to Dubrovnik on June 1.  It appears that our options are:
? Return to Split by catamaran, and then take a long (about 5 hour) bus ride.
? Take a taxi to Sucuraj on the eastern end of Hvar (I can't find any buses), ferry to Drvenrik, and then hire a driver to Dubrovnik.  That?s pretty pricey.
? Take the car ferry (as passengers), which does run that day.  The ferry leaves Hvar Stari Grad at 9:00 a.m., and arrives into Dubrovnik at 4:15 p.m. 

So have I got it all, or are there other options?  And has anybody done any of the above?  I?d very much appreciate any insights.  Thanks to all.

[TravelGirl]

hi scubalo,
there are no other options to go from hvar to dubrovnik.
hvar is well connected with split, but not with dubrovnik 
some people choose to stay in korcula for day or two on their way to dubrovnik.
if you choose so, use krilo jet to korcula and then bus to dubrovnik.
also, have a look at this topic :

http://www.find-croatia.com/forum/index.php?topic=241.0

everybody is struggling with the same question 

[Scubalo]

Thanks Travelgirl, we had originally planned to stop in Korcula, but unless I'm mistaken, the bus leaves at 6:00 a.m.   Do you know of another one?  Or do you know what it's like to take the ferry all day from Hvar? 

[TravelGirl]

yes, 6am bus is the only option, arriving in dubrovnik at 9.15am

yes, i travelled by ferry lot of times from rijeka to split, to  dubrovnik via havar, korcula, mljet

it is very pleasant journey, ferries are large with plenty of space to walk around and watch the coastline.
there are restaurant and cafe bar on ferry so you can have drink or meal.
lot of people read books in chairs on the deck on sunshine ( if its nice weather)

i like that journey, it can be very nice if you are lucky with weather and prepare yourself with favorite food, drink, books, ipod, camera etc...

[Scubalo]

Thanks, it sounds like you really know the country.  This is our first time, and while it's fun to plan, it's also pretty frustrating.  Witness all the similar posts on this topic.

[TravelGirl]

Thanks, it sounds like you really know the country.  This is our first time, and while it's fun to plan, it's also pretty frustrating.  Witness all the similar posts on this topic.

yes, it can be frustrating 
the trouble is that all ferries are largely sponsored by funds from croatian ministry for sea and transport, and all timetables are approved by them. as their reason to sponsor is convenience of people who live on the islands (taxpayers) , all timetables are adjusted for them, so if you live there you can go say from Hvar to Split in the morning and come back in the evening, which is very good for islanders. people from Hvar don't need to go to Dubrovnik as Split is their regional centre.
Same applies to people who live in Dubrovnik or Mljet regarding travel to Hvar..etc..etc..
Perhaps, in the future, when more travellers decide to visit these islands, ferries will not be sponsored any more, so they will be able to cover their costs by income from selling their fares..
we hope...

[Scubalo]

OK, now I'm confused again.   Are there separate car ferry lines between Split and Stari Grad? When I search the Jadrolinija Web site for 2010, all that shows up is one ferry on June 1. Is that just the coastal ferry and is there a different local ferry that runs several times per day?   If in fact we can take our car to Hvar, we could drive across the island to Sucuraj and get the car ferry to Drvenik. I'd love to get this figured out!

[SunFun]

Car ferry from drvenik to sucuraj timetable is on this link:

http://www.find-croatia.com/ferries-croatia/drvenik-sucuraj-ferry.php

Split to Stari Grad ferry is on this link:
http://www.find-croatia.com/ferries-croatia/ferry-split-stari-grad-hvar.php
This ferry is different one then coastal ferry.
This is daily ferry.

goo luck SUNFUN

[Paparojsan]

Coastal ferry is different than car ferry.