The bus service in Croatia is first class: from frequent express buses that cover longer distances that are reasonably comfortable right down to bus connections between the smallest villages in the country
The train network in Croatia is somewhat on the limited side (as there’s no train service that travels along the coast), so travelling by bus is far preferable. Bus travel in Croatia is also inexpensive, and the newish motorways that exist in parts of the country have reduced journey times considerably.
In almost every larger town, there is a large (or large-ish) bus terminal (autobusni kolodvor) where tickets are sold and timetables are clearly displayed.
Bus Travel in Croatia – Companies
Please see the following websites for timetable and price details. (Unfortunately, some of these websites are in Croatian only!)
Antonio Tours Routes from Pag (Novalja & Pag Town) to Zadar, Sibenik, Trogir, Split and Zagreb
AP Varazdin Lines from Varazdin across the country
Arriva Rijeka based company offering many routes all over Croatia, and international ones – now offering online booking!
Autoherc Variety of routes, mainly along the coast, plus international ones too
Autopoduzece Imotski Routes between main cities
Autotransport Sibenik Variety of routes to and from Sibenik that also include stops in other major towns
Brioni Pula based company
Clissa Operate services between Zagreb and Split by motorway, so it’s a ‘fast’ five-hour journey
Crnja Tours Routes connecting Zagreb and Istria (Porec, Rovinj, Pula, Novigrad, Umag)
Croatia Bus Zagreb based company
Dalmacija Bus Operate a route between Zagreb and Split, which stops in Sibenik and Trogir
Polet Routes from Vinkovci, which includes Zagreb – Rijeka – Porec – Rovinj – Pula and Zadar – Sibenik – Trogir – Split – Makarska
Promet Makarska Routes from Makarska down the coast and to Zagreb
Promet Split Routes in and around Split
Puntamika Have routes between Zagreb & Zadar, and Split and Zadar
Samoborcek Routes between Zagreb and Split
Velebit Tours Operate a route between Zagreb & Zadar
Bus Travel in Croatia – Bus Terminals
Timetables can also be found at the following websites:
Autobusni Kolodvor is also a useful website on which you can look up bus timetables for the whole of Croatia.
Tips for buses in Croatia – buying tickets (or not) in advance
These days, tickets can be purchased online for a variety of bus routes in Croatia. One of the largest bus companies in Croatia, Arriva, offers online booking on its website. You can also buy tickets and search for bus times on websites such as GetByBus and Vollo. (Do note that not all bus companies sell their tickets online via these sites.)
However, you may not be entirely sure of the exact dates of your journeys within Croatia, you may not want to book online, or you may wish to simply buy tickets in person at bus stations. This is absolutely fine to do – don’t think that you absolutely have to always buy your tickets online otherwise you’ll be stranded!
If at all possible, we would still recommend that you try and buy your bus tickets in person at least a bit in advance e.g. on the day before you want to travel. This will save you time and hassle on the day, and you’ll know for sure that you’ve got a space on the bus you want to be on. We’d especially recommend this if you’re travelling in peak season.
