Split Airport to Hvar
A two-part trip: ride ~25 km to Split's ferry port, then take a Jadrolinija or Krilo catamaran (~50-70 min) across to Hvar Town. There is no road route.
Hvar, SplitBernard Gagnon / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0Hvar Town is the glamorous heart of Hvar island — a marble-paved harbour ringed by a hilltop fortress, Renaissance palazzos, cocktail bars and yacht berths, famous for its long sunny summers.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: for Hvar, a private transfer is the easiest door-to-door option (from €35). Travelling light on a budget? The bus is cheapest (from €18) but slower, with a change in the city.
What it costs for your group
The bus is charged per person, while a taxi or private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Bus (per person) | Private transfer | Best value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | €18 | €35 | Bus |
| Couple · 2 travellers | €36 | €35 | Private transfer |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | €72 | €35 | Private transfer |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Bus | From €10, though slower with a change in the city. |
| Speed & comfort | Private transfer | Door-to-door, fixed price, a driver waiting for you. |
| A group of 3–4 | Transfer or taxi | One flat fare splits cheaper than several bus tickets. |
| A late-night arrival | Transfer or taxi | Both run 24/7 when buses and the tram have stopped. |
By transport mode
Ferry
This is the sea leg only — passenger catamarans, no cars. Jadrolinija runs cheaper (~€10-15), Krilo slightly pricier (~€27) but fast. Add the cost of reaching the port. Summer sailings sell out, so book early.
Where to catch it: Board at Split's ferry port after getting there from the airport (shuttle bus ~€8-9 or taxi). Buy boat tickets ahead at jadrolinija.hr or krilo.hr in peak months.
Best for scenic harbour crossingsBus / shuttle
The budget combination: ~€8-9 shuttle to the port, then the catamaran ticket. Leave a comfortable gap between arrival and sailing, as the shuttle time depends on traffic.
Where to catch it: Shuttle bay outside the terminal to Split's main bus station.
Best for solo & budget travellersTaxi
Covers only the airport-to-harbour leg; you still buy a separate catamaran ticket. Faster and more certain than the bus if your sailing is soon.
Where to catch it: Ride-hail pickup point in the airport car park.
Best for small groups in a hurryPrivate transfer
The transfer covers the mainland leg to the berth; some agents also sell a combined car-plus-catamaran package so you don't queue twice. You board the boat on foot.
Where to catch it: Driver meets you in arrivals and drives to the port.
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsCar rental
Only worth it if you want the car on the island — that means a Jadrolinija car ferry to Stari Grad (not the fast Hvar-Town catamaran) plus a ~20 km drive. Most visitors leave the car and go on foot.
Where to catch it: Terminal rental desks.
Best for travellers who want to exploreHvar & Split in photos
Buying tickets in Split
Croatia uses the euro. City bus line 37 (Trogir-Split) stops on the main road near the airport and reaches central Split in about 55-60 minutes for roughly €3, paid in cash to the driver, with limited luggage space. Faster is the official Platanus airport shuttle to the city bus/ferry terminal, bookable at the counter or online (Pleso Transport stopped serving Split in early 2026). Have euros ready for the local bus, as the driver sells tickets onboard for cash only.
Taxi scams & safety in Split
Use the official taxi rank; metered fares to the centre usually run about €25-35, but confirm the meter is running or agree the price before departing to avoid an inflated flat quote. Decline drivers soliciting inside the terminal. Croatia allows ride-hailing, so Uber and Bolt operate at Split Airport, with pickup in the parking area in front of the terminal and typical fares around €25-40, often giving a clearer upfront price than a rank taxi. Watch for added luggage fees.
Getting from SPU to Hvar
There is no bridge and no road to Hvar, so the trip splits cleanly in two: a short hop of about 25 km from the terminal to Split's ferry port, then a catamaran across the channel to the island. The airport leg is the easy part. The part that decides your day is the boat — which company you sail with, and, crucially, which harbour it drops you at. Get that wrong and you land a 20 km drive from where you meant to be, watch-in-hand as the cocktail hour on the Riva slips away without you.
Two boats cross to Hvar, and only one docks in Hvar Town
This is the single fact worth memorising before you book anything. The fast passenger catamarans — Jadrolinija and Krilo (Kapetan Luka) — sail foot passengers straight into Hvar Town's marble harbour, right below the fortress and the palazzos, in roughly 50 to 70 minutes. The car ferry is a different animal: it carries vehicles but lands at Stari Grad, a quieter port on the far side of the island, leaving you a ~20 km road transfer to reach the town. So if Hvar Town is the plan, you want a catamaran and nothing else. Fares run from about €10 up to €27: Jadrolinija sits at the cheaper end, roughly €10 to €15, while Krilo costs more, around €27, and moves fast. Both are walk-on only — no cars, no exceptions.
Covering the 25 km from arrivals to the harbour
The catamaran won't wait, so the airport-to-port leg has to be reliable rather than merely cheap. Three ways get you there. The Platanus shuttle runs from the bay outside the terminal to Split's main bus and ferry station for about €8 to €9 — the budget pick, and part of the combined bus-plus-boat tickets that land somewhere near €18 to €36 all in. Ride-hailing through Uber or Bolt collects you at the airport car park and covers the harbour leg in around 30 minutes for roughly €20 to €35, which is the surer bet when your sailing is close. The shuttle's timing swings with traffic on the coastal road into the city, so if the boat leaves soon after you land, the app is the safer call. Whichever you choose, remember it only gets you to the port; the catamaran ticket is always bought separately.
Book the boat early — the timetable is generous in July and thin the rest of the year
Summer is forgiving. At peak, up to around 17 catamaran sailings a day run to Hvar Town, so a missed connection rarely wrecks the trip. That abundance is also the trap: the popular mid-morning and early-evening boats sell out, and turning up at the quay expecting a walk-on ticket in August is how people end up stranded for hours. Reserve ahead at jadrolinija.hr or krilo.hr in the busy months. Off-season the maths inverts — sailings drop sharply, sometimes to just a couple a day, so the flight you pick effectively picks your boat for you. Check the day's departures before you commit to a shuttle time, and leave a comfortable cushion between landing and casting off rather than cutting it fine.
A pre-booked driver — or a car, if the island is the point
If your sailing is tight or you're arriving with luggage and no appetite for working out the shuttle, a pre-booked transfer earns its keep by delivering you straight to the correct gangway with time to spare. Welcome Pickups and the ferry-transfer agents meet you in arrivals and drive to the port for about €35 to €50; some sell a combined car-plus-catamaran package so you clear both queues in one booking and simply board on foot at the other end. Renting a car is the one option that changes the whole route. A vehicle only makes sense if you want it on Hvar itself, and that forces you onto the Jadrolinija car ferry to Stari Grad rather than the fast Hvar-Town catamaran, followed by that ~20 km drive across the island — desks at the terminal open for arriving flights, and rentals run roughly €30 to €55 a day. Most visitors skip it, leave the driving to Jadrolinija, and step off the catamaran directly onto the Riva. Sort the boat ticket first, back it with a port transfer you trust, and Hvar Town's harbour is a walk up the gangway from there.
