With the two countries being so close, getting information on traveling from Italy to Croatia will interest not only Italian tourists, but also those visiting Italy first and then traveling to Croatia (or maybe even combining both countries for an extraordinary holiday).
Either way, I am here to share with you a complete guide on how to get from Italy to Croatia by plane, train, bus or using a ferry.
At the moment of writing this article, Croatia does not have direct flights from USA, Canada or Australia, so most travelers from these countries will first fly to Italy and from there get to Croatia as there are a ton of options available.
The most popular places in Italy to start your trip towards Croatia are Rome, Venice or Milan.
I am traveling at least a dozen times a year between these two countries and who better than me can give you useful tips how to reach Croatia from Italy or vice-versa?
It all depends on where you are in Italy and which part of Croatia you intend to reach – since both countries are pretty large.
Considering this factor, it would be easier to decide which means of transportation is going to be more convenient to choose, cost-wise and time-wise.
Getting from Italy to Croatia
From Italy you can reach Croatia, either by plane, by ferry, by bus, train or driving. Examining one by one and taking in consideration the period of the year and the length of time you plan to spend in Croatia, here is the list of the best options, in my opinion:
Getting from Italy to Croatia by plane
By far the fastest way is flying. In recent years, many low cost flights between Italy and Croatia have been introduced, so you have a lot of options available.
Croatia Airlines keeps a regular flight (all year round) from Rome to Split and back, but prices are rather high as it is a direct flight.
Easyjet is flying to Split and Dubrovnik from Rome and Milan. It offers very low airfares althoguh these are usually going during the summer season only. Prices are as low as 40 Euros per person on a regular basis, but you can find discounted prices as well.
Spanish low cost company Vueling is also flying to Croatia from Palermo and Catania to Split, from Rome to Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Pula. All flights are seasonal from end of May to the end of August. Prices are usually around 45 euros per person, but there are often discounts available.
These are just a few examples – in reality, there are a lot of companies that fly from various cities in Italy to Croatia, although the main hubs are, as mentioned before, Rome or Milan.
Italy to Croatia by ferry
If you’re in Central or Southern Italy, and traveling by car, I would recommend to consider taking a car ferry either from Ancona to Split and Zadar or from Bari to Dubrovnik.
Are you coming from Italy to Split? Taking a ferry from Italy to Split Croatia is your best option if you are traveling from the Italian Adriatic coast. There are several ferry companies on the line from Ancona to Split, or Ancona to Zadar.
Croatian national company Jadrolinija is the oldest and most reliable company, in my opinion, connecting Ancona to Split by ferries run year-round, Ancona to Zadar and Bari to Dubrovnik.
You can check out the company’s website here for up to date schedules (available in English)
Alternately, head over to DirectFerries and browse their huge list of offers with ferries from Italy to Croatia, departing from and arriving to various cities.
From Venice to Istria (Croatia)
Many travelers visiting Venice as a top Italian destination have a chance to to hop over to the Istria peninsula (see the map) to visit for a day or two.
Venezia Lines is a high speed passenger ferry operator linking the North Adriatic coast of Italy with Croatia (Istria region).
This company keeps regular connections to the Croatian coast (only passengers) between April to October. Their ferries leave Venezia and have the following destinations: some of Istria’s several highlight spots like Porec, Rovinj, Pula and Umag.
From Italy to Croatia by bus and train
Taking a train from Italy to Croatia, is the worst option, in my opinion and you should only take it if you’re a big fan of riding trains. Otherwise, it’s very slow and unreliable.
Croatia hasn’t invested as much in their train lines over the years – focusing instead on building highways and high quality roads – so a better option here would be taking a bus.
Traveling by bus is much more convenient solution. Buses are regular, comfortable and the cheapest way of traveling and also faster.
The main Italian bus hub for connections to Croatia is the Trieste bus station. From there you can take a bus to any destination in Croatia. That’s how we usually travel – and Trieste itself is a really charming city, that looks more Balkan or Eastern European than your traditional Italian city.
Many companies keep regular bus connections from Trieste with many Croatian destinations: Umag , Porec, Opatija, Rijeka, Zagreb, Zadar, Sibenik, Split and Dubrovnik…
There are many other bus carriers from Italy to Croatia all starting from Trieste. From there you can find bus connections to Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.
The most important Italian bus carriers from Trieste are SAF Udine and APT Gorizia. You can also consult all international bus departures from the Trieste bus terminal website.
From Milan to Croatia by overnight bus
A new night bus from Milan to the Adriatic coast will depart each evening at 23.15 PM from the bus terminal Lampugnano (Milano), is operated by Croatia bus.
The bus arrives at its first destination in Croatia, Rijeka, at 05:30 and continues from there to Crikvenica, Novi Vinodolski, Zadar, Sibenik and Split.
On its way back, the bus will leave from Split to Milan each morning at 09:30 AM from the Split main bus station.
Ticket prices: one way ticket costs around 50 Euros for a one way trip to Rijeka. You can find out all the details for your dates on the company’s official website.
And this would be all that I have for you today about getting to Croatia from Italy. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask them and I will do my best to answer if I can.