Bus
Buses is by far the most popular kind of public transportation in Croatia, which is no wonder, as busy prices are relatively cheap and coverage is high. The buses are not only used for people but often also for sending packages across the country.
All major cities in Croatia, like Pula, Rijeka, Zagreb, Zadar and Split has international routes to several European destinations like, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the neighbouring countries.
After the main part of the Croatian Motorway has been finish, bus has also become a relative fast way of traveling, a bus trip from Split to Zagreb can now be done in 5 hours, which is about 1 hour more then you would need by car.
Here are a few prices examples for national bus routes, PLEASE NOTE that prices can very a bit depending on which bus company you go with.
| Approximate bus prices (One way tickets) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Price | Distance km* | Price / Km |
| Zagreb | Split | 100 kn | App 400 | 0.25 kn |
| Zagreb | Rijeka | 50 kn | 172 | 0.30 kn |
| Zagreb | Rovinj | 140 kn | App 280 | 0.50 kn |
| Zagreb | Zadar | 100 kn | 250 | 0.40 kn |
| Split | Dubrovnik | 110 kn | 220 | 0.50 kn |
| Split | Trogir | 20 kn | 30 | 0.67 kn |
The distance in the table is the shortest driving distance between the cities mentioned, the bus might go by route which would make the actual travel distance longer.
As you can see from table the price per km is around 25-70 lipa, so for easy calculation of your fair price, you just have to multiply distance of your trip with 70 Lipa, then you roughly know what you have to pay for your trip.
Some companies offer a discount if you buy return trip.
Tickets
Reservation of ticket for domestic routes is still not common, at most bus stations you can call a premium rate number an reserve tickets, usually one day before departure. Some of the larger bus companies has local offices in tourist towns where you can by tickets, if you wish to make sure to catch a certain departure, you should show up at the bus station about an hour before the departure. Meanwhile Online booking is quite common you can both by tickets for international routes and national long distance routes online , below you can see a list of websites selling bus tickets.
IMPORTANT: If you buy a ticket from Bus Company X on e.g. the route Zagreb to Split, ticket is only valid travelling with that specific company, so you will need to look closely on the schedule and pick exactly the bus you plan to travel with.
List of Bus companies in Croatia with online booking
The only site where you find all bus companies in one place is on this link.
Alternative you can visit the ticket shops of the following bus companies.
- AP Imotski / Autoherc – domestic routes from Dubrovnik – Split, Split – Plitvice – Zagreb, as well as lines to and from Germany, ticket shop you can visit here
- Clissa bus – smaller carrier operating domestic lines between Zagreb and Split – ticket shop you can visit here.
- AP Varazdin – domestic routes between, Zagreb – Plitvice – Split, Zagreb – Zadar and others – ticket shop you can visit here:
- Autotransport Šibenik: – domestic routes between Šibenik – Zadar, Šibenik – Split and others – ticket shop you can visit here:
- Prijevoz Knezević: Domestic routes from Zadar, Zagreb, Split to National park Plitvice and Krka – ticket shop you can visit here:
- Antonio Tours Pag: Domestic bus routes to Novalja, from Split and Zadar – ticket shop you can visit here
- Čazmatrans Dalmacija: Domestic routes from Zadar – Split, Zadar – Zagreb and other – ticket shop you can visit here:
- Slavonija Bus: Domestic routes to island Murter and Vir – ticket shop you can visit here:
- Promet Makarska – Domestic routes Split – Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik – Zagreb and internal line to Germany – ticket shop you can visit here
Major bus stations in Croatia
Here you find further information about buses and timetables from the major cities
Hi there!
I was wondering how if it was possible to bus from Split to Plitvice National Park and then bus to Pula that night? After I have visited the Plitvice National Park, would I have to bus to Karlovac (on the way to Zagrab) then switch buses to Pula, or is there a direct bus from Plitvice to Pula?
Thank you,
Angela
Hi Angela
if the don’t change anything for this year your will have to travel Split – Plitvice – Karlovac – Pula. (No direct buses)
Brgds,
Morten
Hi Morten, we are flying from the UK to Dubrovnik in a couple of weeks and meeting up with our daughter and son-in-law for a week’s sailing. We are to meet them in Primosten and from the bus Croatia’s website I cannot work out if I can get a bus direct to Primosten. Would it be better to get to Split or Trogir and then a cab to primosten? This is our first time in Croatia and we have yet to learn anything about its culture and mores, it looks to be very very beautiful though. I would really appreciate your help.
Many thanks Eileen
Hello Eileen,
there are for sure direct buses from Dubrovnik to Primosten (actually Primosten is usually just one of the stops on the way to Zagreb). You can check here
Hope you will have a nice trip and enjoy Croatia!
Best,
Morten
How do I go from Zagreb or Zadar to Novaljia?
Hi Phil,
here you can see how to get from Zagreb/Zadar to Novalja. This also applies for off season period
Best,
Morten
I would like to know the way to go to Novvalja from either Zagreb or Zadar off season, I mean around November.
Thank you Morten.
I tried the bus schedule for 8 consecutive days in November and all replies were negative.
In November, there is one bus from Zagreb to Novalja leaving every day at 11.30 and from Zadar to Novalja there are several departures every day.
Thank you. You make me feel better, knowing I would not have to go by taxi.
Hi, I bought a return ticket Zagreb-Zadar-Zagreb, my return ticket from Zadar- Zagreb does not have time or seat number on it. Do I have to make a reservation or something seperately or do I just get onto the bus?
Hi K.S
where did you buy the ticket? you to to contact the website where you bougth the ticket and ask them
Brgds, Morten
Hi K.S
you should contact the site where you bought the ticket, if it was on getbybus.com just use the contact form at the top menu
Brgds, Morten
Hi Morten,
We a group of 4 will go to Plitvice lakes from Zagreb on 27 May 2015 in the afternoon, http://www.buscroatia.com can do online ticketing and this bus is perfect for our schedule: ID-125 15:00 – 17:23.
However, I have problem on return trip. We scheduled a return trip to Zagreb on 29 May 2015 in the morning. There’s a bus, operated by Ines Tours that suits our plan: ID-60 10:45 – 12:55 (bus from Drnis to Zagreb, pass by Plitvice lakes). Unfornately, I cannot find a website that allows me to buy tickets.
What can I do?
Yours,
Danny
Hi Danny,
If it is not available for purchase online at buscroatia.com, you will have to buy ticket on the bus
Brgds, Morten
Hello we have just booked bus tickets from Zadar to Skradin. When we arrive at Skradin, how do we reach Krka Waterfalls? Do we have to to travel by boat and long does that take?
Secondly, do you happen to know if we can get a later bus from Skradin to zadar if we needed too? Or if we’ve already bought tickets with (getbybus) do we have to stick to those times?
Thank you
Hello Maria,
when you arrive in Skradin, the bus will offload you maybe 200 metres from where the boats sail to Skradinski Buk (when you walk from bus stop to boat you pass a glass building that is the national parks ticket office), altertive you can also walk to Skradinski buk but that is about 4 km so i would not recommend that in the heat.
Buses are usually full at this time of the year, if not you probably can get on another bus, but if full, the driver might scan you ticket and then ask you to wait for the right departure. Anyway if you end of having to wait in Skradin, there is a nice old fortress with a great view you can visit.
Brgds, Morten
Wie komme ich am besten vom Flughafen PULA nach MON PERIN?
Leider finde ich keine Bus- oder Bahn-Linien…
Hallo Andres,
es gibt mit sicherheit keine Busse vom Pula Flughafen nach Mon Perin, vielleicht gibts es eine Regionale buslinien von Pula aus, bin mir aber nicht sicher, ich denke ein Transfer vom Flughafen ist das einfachste.
Greetings Morten,
In mid Sept I plan to take the bus from Zagreb to Split and catch the Jadrolinija catamaran to Korčula at 15:30. The bus schedule on getbybus shows a 10:00 bus that arrives in Split at 14:50. Is that too close? I don’t know how reliable the buses are or if traffic will still be summer busy. Should I take an earlier bus to be safe?
Thanks so much for your advice.
Best wishes, Carolyn
Hi Carolyn,
I would go for an earlier bus, in most cases buses run more or less on time during September, but a 40 minutes buffer is to little considering the trip is almost 400 km, I would personally pick the 8 am departure which is scheduled to be in Spit at 12:50.
Best regards,
Morten