Croatia does not offer one obvious way to get around. The coastline is long and thin, the best towns sit strung along a single road, and the islands wait offshore for a ferry. Depending on your trip, the right choice might be a private transfer, a hire car, an intercity bus, a train, a ferry, or a ride-hailing app — often a mix of several in the same week.
This guide compares them honestly: cost logic, comfort, luggage, parking in the old towns, one-way trips, island connections, driving conditions and tolls. We run private transfers across Dalmatia every day, so we have a clear view of where they win. But a hire car is genuinely the better choice for some trips, and the bus wins for others — read on for what actually suits your itinerary, not just ours.
How to think about the decision
Before comparing options, a few things actually decide which one suits you.
Cost logic works differently for each option. A hire car has a low daily rate but adds fuel, tolls, parking and often a one-way fee. A bus ticket is cheap, but priced per person, so a family of four pays four times over. A private transfer is priced per vehicle, not per person — for two or more people travelling together, it often works out closer to a bus fare than people expect.
Comfort depends on the journey length. Half an hour's drive to Trogir is no hardship. Three to three and a half hours to Dubrovnik after an overnight flight is a different proposition.
Luggage matters more than people plan for. Small hire cars fill their boot fast once golf bags, ski gear or several suitcases are involved, and buses offer limited racks with no guaranteed space in peak season.
Parking in the old towns is a genuine problem. Split, Trogir, Dubrovnik and Hvar all have historic centres that are pedestrianised or nearly so — paid parking outside the walls fills up fast and is not cheap.
Private transfer: door to door, fixed price
A private transfer is a pre-booked car and driver reserved just for your group, taking you directly from one door to another with no stops for other passengers. With Secure Drive, that means a licensed, English-speaking driver, a clean air-conditioned vehicle, and a fixed price confirmed before payment — nothing to negotiate and nothing that changes once you are in the car.
It suits three situations especially well: airport arrivals, where flight tracking and meet & greet remove the guesswork of a delayed flight; long one-way routes, such as Split to Dubrovnik (three to three and a half hours) or Split to Zagreb (around four hours), where you do not want to drive for hours and then return a car; and groups or families, since the fare is per vehicle rather than per seat.
As a benchmark, a sedan from Split Airport into the city starts at around €40, and Split to Dubrovnik starts at around €260 — both fixed, both confirmed before you pay. Service runs 24/7, all year round, for groups from 1 to 49 passengers, which suits larger parties who would otherwise need two hire cars or a separate coach.
The trade-off: a private transfer is point-to-point, not a car sitting outside your hotel for spontaneous detours. For that kind of freedom, a hire car is the better tool.
Car hire: real freedom, with real strings attached
A hire car is unbeatable for one thing: stopping wherever you like. If your plan is to work along the coast slowly, pulling off for a swim at a quiet cove or lunch in a village with no bus service, nothing beats having your own car for a few days.
But the strings are real, and worth knowing before you commit:
- Parking in old towns. None of Split, Trogir, Hvar or Dubrovnik's historic centres allow general car access. You will park outside the walls and walk in, often further than expected with luggage.
- One-way fees. Picking up in Split and dropping off in Dubrovnik or Zagreb usually carries a separate one-way charge, and fuel and insurance sit on top of the daily rate too — easy to underestimate against a fixed transfer fare.
- Driving conditions. The coastal road hugs cliff edges and is narrow and winding, slowing to a crawl behind campervans and trucks in July and August; the inland motorway is faster but tolled.
- You still have to drive it. After a long-haul flight, a hire car at the kerb is the last thing many travellers want.
Car hire suits confident drivers doing a slower, self-directed coastal trip — genuinely one of the best ways to see Dalmatia if that is your style of travel.
Intercity buses: Croatia's reliable workhorse
Croatia's bus network is one of the country's underrated strengths. Frequent, comfortable coaches link Split with Zagreb, Zadar, Dubrovnik and most towns in between, and fares are low.
Buses suit solo and budget travellers moving city to city on a loose schedule, who do not mind arriving at a central bus station rather than their exact front door. They are also a sensible way to cover a long stretch, such as Split to Zagreb, without driving it yourself.
The downsides show at the edges: limited luggage space not guaranteed in high season, timetables that thin out off-season, and stations that are not always near your accommodation, so you may still need a taxi at the end. For a family with cases, or a late-night arrival, a fixed timetable and a shared coach are simply less convenient than a car waiting with your name on it.
Trains: limited, but worth knowing
Croatia's rail network is not built around the Dalmatian coast. Split has a station with a service toward Zagreb, but the journey is long and slow compared with the motorway or a direct transfer. Dubrovnik has no train station at all, and none of the coastal towns between Split and Dubrovnik are served by rail.
For coastal Dalmatia, trains are rarely the practical option — they matter more for inland Croatia or a connection through Zagreb.
Ferries and island connections
If Hvar, Brač, Šolta or Vis are on your list, a ferry or catamaran from Split's port is not optional — it is the only way across, whether you are otherwise driving, busing or transferring.
A few things are worth knowing:
- Foot passengers move faster. Car ferries queue for vehicle space in summer, sometimes for hours; walking on with a catamaran ticket avoids that entirely.
- Many islands do not need a car. Hvar Town, Bol on Brač and the smaller island centres are walkable, with taxi boats and local buses for the rest.
- Timing matters. Catamarans run to a fixed schedule, so a private transfer timed against your sailing removes the pressure of getting to the port on time.
The most stress-free combination for an island day is a private transfer to the port as a foot passenger, then the ferry itself.
Ride-hailing apps in Croatia
Uber and Bolt operate in Split and other larger towns, and they are genuinely useful for short, unplanned hops within a city — a late dinner reservation, a quick trip across town.
They matter less for the trips this guide is really about. Availability is patchy late at night, in smaller towns and on the islands, and prices move with demand rather than staying fixed. For a scheduled airport arrival with luggage, or a long coastal route, a pre-booked private transfer with flight tracking and a fixed price is simply more dependable than an app that may or may not have a car nearby.
Which option actually suits you
Being fair about this matters more than making a sales pitch, so here is a straight breakdown by traveller type:
- Solo traveller hopping between two or three cities on a loose budget: the bus is genuinely the better choice.
- Couple or family exploring the coast slowly, chasing quiet beaches and villages at their own pace: car hire wins.
- Anyone flying into Split Airport who wants to skip the queue and go straight to their accommodation: a private transfer.
- A group doing a one-way long route, such as Split to Dubrovnik or on to Zadar or Trogir: a private transfer, especially with a flight or ferry to catch.
- Families or groups of four or more, where the per-vehicle price of a transfer often beats separate bus or rideshare fares.
- Anyone staying inside an old town wall, where a hire car becomes a parking problem rather than a convenience.
- Business travel or a multi-stop itinerary over several days: a chauffeur service removes the need to think about it at all.
The honest summary: for airport runs, long routes, groups and anyone on a schedule, a private transfer is usually least stressful. A hire car earns its keep for slow coastal exploring; the bus does the job for simple city-to-city hops.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to hire a car or book a private transfer in Croatia? It depends on group size and trip length. For one or two people, a hire car is often cheaper once fuel and tolls are counted; for a group travelling point to point, a per-vehicle transfer is often similar or better, without the parking hassle.
Do I need a car to see the Dalmatian coast? Not necessarily. A combination of private transfers for the longer legs and walking or ferries locally covers most itineraries comfortably — a car is most valuable if you plan to explore slowly and independently.
How do tolls work on Croatian motorways? The main motorway linking Zagreb, Split and onward routes is tolled, generally paid at booths by cash or card as you exit. The coastal road has no tolls but is considerably slower.
Is public transport in Croatia reliable? Intercity buses are frequent and reliable on the main coastal routes. Trains are limited and do not reach most of the coast. Local buses within cities run to a timetable that thins out in the evenings.
What is the best way to get from Split Airport into the city? A private transfer, booked in advance with your flight number. Our Split Airport transfer guide covers pricing and how meet & greet works in detail.
Can a private transfer take a large group or a whole family? Yes — the fleet runs from sedans up to a private bus for up to 49 passengers, so families and larger groups can travel together in one vehicle rather than splitting up.
Get around Croatia without the guesswork
There is no single best way to get around Croatia — it depends on your route, your group and your schedule. What we can promise is that when a private transfer is the right call, it is a straightforward one: a fixed price confirmed before payment, a licensed English-speaking driver, and a clean, air-conditioned vehicle for 1 to 49 passengers, running 24/7, all year round. It is why Secure Drive is rated 5.0 out of 5 across 56 Google reviews.
Get an instant price on the transfers page, message the team on WhatsApp at +385 95 399 2423 or by email at info@splittransfers.hr, or get in touch to plan a longer route.