Would I Go Back To Croatia?
The answer has to be Yes!
If I went back for a few days, I think, I’d fly to one city before spending a few days there. I would then travel to another city, spend a few days there before flying home.
As airlines fly to Dubrovnik, Pula, Split, Zagreb and a few other places, there are a lot of choices of route.
My preferred route, might be.
- Fly to Duibrovnik and spend 2-3 days.
- Take the ferry to Split and spend 2-3 days.
- Take the train to Zagreb and spend a day before flying home.
There are certainly lots of possibilities.
My other recommendations would be.
- Plan your trips in Dubrovnik the day before.
- Stay in a hotel with a lift in Dubrovnik.
- Stay in a hotel in Diocletian’s Palace in Split.
- Take the train between Split and Zagreb in First Class in good weather.
- If you’re coeliac like me, take plenty of snacks or eat fruit.
Plan the journey well and you’ll enjoy it.
From Split To Zagreb
These pictures document the route between Split and Zagreb.
Note.
- It would certainly be a better line to travel on in better weather.
- Extensive work is progressing to improve the track.
- There were piles of discarded wooden sleepers everywhere, which were only good for firewood.
- In some ways the operation of the line was old-fashioned, as the station-master would greet each train as it passed through, even without stopping.
- The line was a mass of curves, as the train bent one way and then the other.
- The line is single-track most of the way.
- It was actually quite crowded, but I was the only passenger in First for all of the journey.
- There was no buffet open.
- The last picture shows the impressive Zagreb station.
Incidentally, I’ve just found out that there was a bad crash on this line at Rodine in 2009.
I would certainly travel on the line in the future. But next time, I’ll take some water and a snack.
Leaving Split
My train left Split at 08:27 and arrived in Zagreb at 14:30.
I was a bit worried, that it might be six hours in a scrapyard special, little better than a Pacer, when this train turned up.
The train incidentally is a Bombardier RegioSwinger tilting train.
We left Split virtually on time, with myself the only passenger in First Class.
Around And In The Cathedral of Saint Domnius
The Cathedral of Saint Domnius is Split’s catholic cathedral, the earliest part of which is Emperor Diocletian’s mausoleum, which was built in the third century.
This is obviously a genuine Roman Catholic cathedral.
The Temple Of Jupiter
The Temple of Jupiter was just round the corner from the hotel.
It was well worth a visit and the entrance fee of just over a pound.
Along The Promenade At Split
Walking alongside the Adriatic reminded me very much of some Southern French towns like Nice or Cannes.
In some ways, I felt a touch sad, as I know that Split would have been a place C would have liked.
Split Station
Split station is conveniently placed alongside the port and about three hundred metres from Diocletian’s Palace.
This Google Map shows the area.
Split, Port And Station
Note the station to the East of the port, with the railway running North-South and then going into a tunnel under the city.
The station is not very special and except for the Split Suburban Railway and the occasional long-distance train, it is not very busy.
But I was able to buy my ticket with ease, using a person-to-person interface, so that I could leave on time in the morning.
Incidentally, there is a Future Projects section in the Wikipedia entry for the Split Suburban Railway. It says this.
In the near future the underground station Split-Sud is to be opened, connecting to the Hrvatske Bratske Zajednice Square. In 2008 the now closed station Kaštel-Lukšić will be reopened again.The line is expected to get a second track and be fully electrified starting in 2008. New, low-floor trains are expected as well. This line will also be lengthened, to encompass the Split Airport and continue on to the city of Trogir and Seget Donji. Split will have a mini-metro to be operational by 2015.
Nothing seems to have happened yet!
First Impressions Of Split
My hotel was in the middle of Diocletian’s Palace, the Roman palace that forms about half the old town of Split.
I took these pictures on my first morning in the town.
It really is an unusual place, which is a cross between modern city centre and Roman palace.
If you stay in the town, try to stay in the old part
On My Way To Split
Dubrovnik does not have a railway station, so it was a ferry to Split.
It certainly wasn’t the typical Mediterranean rust-bucket, that I’ve encountered in Greece and Italy, but a modern high-speed catamaran, that had been built in Australia.
The only problem was that the boat wasn’t big enough, for the large number of passengers going to Split from the islands. But this is to be expected, as it was the only boat on the day I travelled.
The Anonymous Widower 