Kaštel Stari has an advantage that hardly any other place in Dalmatia can offer: Split airport is practically around the corner. Five to ten minutes by car from our houses. If you have ever had two more hours of coast road ahead of you after a long journey, you know what that is worth.
Even so, flying is not automatically the right choice. Here are the three options, with honest figures.
Option 1: Flying to Split
Split airport (SPU) is near Kaštela, so right in our neighbourhood. In summer many German-speaking cities have direct flights; in winter the schedule thins out considerably, and the route usually goes via a hub.
From the airport to the villa
The simplest solution is Uber. Download the app before you travel, set up an account and enter the villa's name as your destination – it is usually recognised straight away. The ride usually costs only about five to ten euros.
We can also organise a transfer, but to be frank we rarely recommend it: Uber is cheaper, more flexible and needs no advance arrangement.
When flying makes sense
- For two or three people
- For stays of under ten days
- If you don't need a car on site anyway – which works well here, more on that below
Option 2: By car
The journey usually leads through Austria and Slovenia into Croatia and then south on the A1. Rough driving times without longer breaks and without traffic jams:
- From Vienna: around 7 to 8 hours
- From Munich: around 9 hours
- From Zurich: around 10 to 11 hours
- From Frankfurt: around 12 to 13 hours
What to expect along the way
- Austrian vignette: needed for transit; the 10-day version is enough
- Slovenian vignette: from around 16 euros for seven days. The coastal roads H5 and H6 between the Italian border and Izola have been temporarily vignette-free since January 2026.
- Croatian toll: depends on the route, no vignette. For the A1 from Zagreb to Split, about 25 to 35 euros per car and direction. You pay at toll stations in cash in euros, by credit card or with a transponder.
Important for travel from autumn 2026
From September 2026, Croatia is gradually switching to a digital toll system – with number plate registration or a toll box instead of barriers. If you are travelling later in the year, check the current situation shortly before departure. Until the changeover is complete, there will probably be a transition phase with both systems.
When the car makes sense
- From four people – then it is almost always cheaper than flying
- For longer stays
- If you are travelling with a dog
- If you have a lot of luggage, for example with toddlers
Parking is not an issue: at each of our houses there are at least four private parking spaces right outside the door.
Option 3: The ferry via Ancona
Night ferries run from Ancona to Split. The crossing takes about ten to eleven hours; you set off in the evening and arrive in the morning.
On paper it rarely pays off – with a cabin and a vehicle you usually end up above the toll costs of the overland route, and you still have to drive to Ancona. As an experience, though, it's a lovely thing, especially with children. If you are travelling from southern Germany or Switzerland and want to break up the journey, it is more relaxing than doing it all in one go.
Do you need a car on site?
No, but it can be convenient. From our houses you can walk to:
- The beach and promenade in about 10 to 15 minutes
- Restaurants, cafés and bakeries
- Supermarkets
- The bus stop and Kaštel Stari railway station
From the station you reach Split in about 10 to 15 minutes for one to two euros. For trips to Trogir, Krka National Park or the interior, however, a vehicle is more practical – and Uber is reliable here and usually much cheaper than a conventional taxi.
Arriving
Check-in is possible from 4:00 pm, check-out by 10:00 am. Our cleaning teams genuinely need this window – the houses are large and we want to hand them over properly.
If you arrive earlier: in many cases you can drop off your luggage beforehand. We keep you updated during cleaning and get in touch as soon as the villa is ready. For the wait, after booking you receive a curated map of restaurants and cafés nearby.
Access itself usually works via a digital keypad with a PIN of your choice – no key that has to be passed around the group. If you wish, someone from the team will show you around the house in person.
In short
- Two of you, short trip: fly, then Uber
- Family or group, longer stay: car
- With a dog: car
- With children and plenty of time: car plus ferry from Ancona as the more relaxed option
If you are unsure what suits your situation best: drop us a line . We live here and have driven most of these routes ourselves.
