Because of it’s odd shape Croatia is not as easy to get around as its small size would indicate. There is no train service south of Split, so you’ll have to take ferry, bus or fly to Dubrovnik (a good choice for a place to visit, although you may find some of the islands, National Parks, etc. that are closer to Split to be a good option, too) Ferry from Ancona, Italy is one option. Train to Trieste and ferry from might work better from Venice. This is the biggest ferry company in Croatia and probably your best choice for getting around the coastal area. http://www.jadrolini… This is one of many Croatia travel sites that sell tickets for a number of different ferry company. Just google Croatia +ferry for numerous others. http://www.find-croa…

Based on your itinerary, I would research cheap flights to and from Croatia as that might be a much better option than train and ferry. I do not think a global pass is a good choice for your itinerary.

Should I get the 5 country pass instead then?
Would it be cheaper if we plan on taking buses or trains to travel within certain countries? [We’ll be in Munich, but we wanted to see a little more of Germany…]

thank you so much btw !

Everything depends on which countries. France, Germany, and Austria have great train service so you’ll want to use train as opposed to bus for most trips in those countries. In general, trains are expensive in those countries, so as a rule using a railpass pays. However, all three national rail companies sell tickets on lines and promote special fares. For example, the German national rail company has lots of special fares, group ticket options, weekend fares, etc. that mean you can sometimes find a ticket that costs considerably less than using a day of the railpass if you’re willing to do a fair amount of research and have a set itinerary so you can buy the tickets on-line in advance. http://reiseauskunft…

Train service is also great in Italy, but train tickets are relatively cheap, so sometimes a railpass doesn’t pay in Italy — particularly if you can buy special fares on line from trenitalia. Note that some folks have had a problem using North American based credit cards to buy tickets on-line in Italy. Links to all of the national rail company websites are in a sticky at the top of this forum and under “transportation” on the “travel tips” tab.

I guess my biggest issue right now is figuring out the best way to travel to not only save money, but save time as well.
Traveling by train from Croatia to Austria seems crazy. It’s almost an entire day of travel!
I don’t mind taking buses if they don’t take much longer and can save us some money… I’m just not sure where to find this information from.

Use www.whichbudget.com to see which low fare airlines fly which routes and check our “cheap flights” forum for more tips, links and help.

Bus may be a reasonable option for some trips within Croatia. Flying is probably the best option to get to/from Croatia. Train will be a better choice for most of this as it’s faster, more comfortable and usually more convenient (dozens of trains each day compared to 2 or 3 buses on many routes). Bus may be cheaper, but not, IMO enough cheaper. Check buses at www.eurolines.com

thank you so much! im gonna check these out.