I have not rented cars in Europe, so I'm not quite sure the best, most efficient way to do this. I have doubts about the websites I keep encountering. Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom!
Basic Itinerary: I'm leaving Hvar on August 15. We want to do at least part of the coastal drive between Split and Dubrovnik. Then we stay in Dubrovnik until the 17, and ferry up to Rijeka on 17. From Rijeka we plan to drive to Lake Bled, stay a night, then drive back to Rovinj on 19. I would like to return the car in Rovinj as we're then ferrying over to Venice.
Questions:
1.For getting from Hvar to Dubrovnik, what's the best? Should I ferry back to Split, rent a car there and make the drive? I read it's possible to ferry from Hvar to Sucuraj then drive down, but can I rent a car in Hvar that I can still take all the way to Rovinj?
2.Once we get to Dubrovnik, should we keep the car for rest of trip OR turn the car in and re-rent once we get to Rijeka? If we keep the car from Hvar all the way to Rovinj, I realize that we can't park in Dubrovnik old town and am working on the costs/locations of parking if we keep the car. It will also hike up our ferry costs. However, I'm also concerned with spending a lot of time in car rental agencies and figure keeping the same car from Hvar/Split to Rovinj would reduce time on that front. Thoughts?
3.Does anyone have experience with returning cars in Rovinj? Split seems much larger with many more options and many large box car rentals don't appear to be in Rovinj. Even when AutoEurope presents an option that looks feasible by a company I know, I cannot find that same option via the company's website directly. Is it easier/cheaper to go to Pula to return, then bus back to Rovinj?
4.Is there anything else I'm missing?
Thanks for any feedback you have!