On May 30th we boarded the bus from Mostar, Bosnia & Hercegovina to Split, Croatia.
Bus tickets were purchased on our arrival in Mostar so we wouldn’t have to return to the station until departure time. The cost was 44 KM for the both of us and they only accept cash.
We had to pay the usual 1 euro to check our one bag and the bus left on time up the mountains for a nice scenic view of Mostar! It appeared that we were going in a new direction (vs. the direction we came from Dubrovnik); however, 1.5 hours later we were in the same bus station as when we were coming from Dubrovnik, which was about 30 km from Mostar (I think this town was near Medugorje). So it appears that we went in a loop to pick up some additional passengers who weren’t on the main path to Split. We stopped for a few minutes and finally we were on our way towards Spit. We crossed the same border back into Croatia and followed the signs that said Dubrovnik for another few minutes before we finally started to head north on the narrow 2 lane but scenic road to Split. Finally, around 3 PM we arrived in Split, about 1 hour late. The trip from Mostar to Split took about 5 hours.
The bus station in Split is located in the heart of the old city, conveniently right next to the train station and the ferry lines. Also most of the old city’s accommodations are in the area and within walking distance. The train station has coin operated luggage lockers if you are just visiting for the day. If you are staying and haven’t booked your accommodation, there were plenty of people trying to sell us rooms for the night (just like in Mostar). Finally, food here is much more affordable than Dubrovnik! A very welcome change :).
We had booked a hostel room in advance, so up the hill we trudged in search of the hostel. We were only in split as a jumping-off point to go to Hvar Island, so if we had planned it better we probably could have taken an earlier bus and caught a ferry from Split to Hvar Island that same day. Unfortunately, the ferry schedule is difficult to find online, as it changes according to the tourist season, and we weren’t sure exactly when the ferries would be running until we checked with the ticket counters in Split. After checking into our hostel room, which looked like it had previously been a college dorm room, we headed back down the hill to the water front. We spent a pleasant evening strolling through Split, which reminded me a bit of Santa Monica, California.