Trogir Without a Car: Beaches, Day Trips & Getting Around

Written by Ante Milic · Last updated July 2026

Is it doable?: Yes — Trogir is compact, the old town is car-free anyway, and buses and seasonal boats cover a lot. It works best if you stay in or near the old town.
Who it suits: Couples and families based centrally, anyone flying in and out of Split Airport, and visitors happy to mix walking with the odd bus, taxi or boat.
When a car still helps: For the far Čiovo coves, early starts, multi-stop nature days and travelling with lots of luggage — sometimes a single rental day beats a car for the whole week.
Golden rule: Timetables here are seasonal. Always check the current departure — especially the last one back — with the operator before you set off.

The biggest decision

Where to stay without a car

Your address decides most of a car-free trip. Get this right and everything else is easy.

Old town & the mainland side

The sweet spot. From the old town or the streets just across the north bridge you can walk to the Riva, the green market and the bus station in minutes — and the bus station is your gateway to the airport, Split and the beaches. Compare areas in our where to stay guide.

Čiovo — read the map carefully

The near side of Čiovo, just over the bridge, is genuinely walkable. But addresses further along the island can mean a steep 30–40 minute walk in summer heat, and "sea view" often means "up a hill". Fine with a car; tiring without one, especially with luggage.

Seget & Medena direction

Quiet and pleasant, with a flat seafront walk of roughly 15–25 minutes into town — or a short bus or taxi hop. Workable without a car if you don't mind the stroll; less ideal if you plan several town evenings a week.

Honest note: no single accommodation is "the" right answer here — judge any listing by its real walking distance and gradient, not the line on the map.

Arriving

Split Airport to Trogir without a car

This is the easy part — the airport practically neighbours Trogir.

Public bus

Bus line 37 (Split – airport – Trogir) is the budget option and stops near the airport; timetables are on the operator's site — Promet Split.

Taxi, Uber & Bolt

Taxis wait outside arrivals, and both Uber and Bolt pick up at Split Airport — compare the apps' upfront fares with the rank before choosing. The ride to Trogir is a matter of minutes.

Pre-booked transfer

A private transfer means a named driver and no queue — most useful late at night, with children or with lots of luggage. All options are compared in our airport transfer guide.

Passengers with suitcases walking out from under the curved canopy in front of Split Airport, with the sea visible beyond — **Out of arrivals at Split Airport.** Taxis wait at the kerb, the bus stop is a short walk up to the main road, and Trogir is minutes away — this is the part of a car-free trip that needs the least planning. · Split Airport

Daily life

Getting around Trogir itself

The old town is a walking job

The historic island is car-free and tiny — you cross it in minutes. The Riva, the market, the bus station and both bridges are all within an easy stroll of each other.

Over the bridge to Čiovo

The near Čiovo shore is a pleasant walk across the old bridge. The further you go along the island, the more a local bus or taxi earns its place — distances stretch quickly.

Buses, taxis and Uber

Local buses link Trogir with Split, the airport and nearby villages; taxis and Uber fill the gaps in the evening. Uber lists Trogir as a city of its own and says pickups here can take longer than in bigger places, so book ahead for an early flight or a late dinner. In July and August allow extra time — the coast road clogs, with or without your own car.

Bikes — only sometimes

The flat seafront towards Seget is a nice easy ride. Beyond that, summer heat, traffic and hills make cycling a mixed pleasure here — treat it as a morning activity, not your transport plan.

A row of hire bikes in a docking station on the promenade below the stone walls of Kamerlengo fortress in Trogir — **Hire bikes below Kamerlengo.** They sit right at the western tip of the old town, a minute from the fortress — handy for the flat run along the water, less so for anything uphill on Čiovo. · Trogir

Swimming

Beaches without a car

You won't run out of swimming spots — but be honest with yourself about distances in the heat. The full profiles live in our Trogir beaches guide.

Walkable or nearly so

The near Čiovo shore and the flat seafront stroll towards Seget Donji cover an easy everyday swim. Pantan, east of town, is reachable on foot or by a short bus hop — flat, shallow and the closest thing to sand here.

A short bus or taxi away

Okrug Gornji ("Copacabana") and Medena are the classic fuller-facility beaches — both an easy taxi ride, a local bus, or in season a boat taxi across the channel to Okrug. Doable without a car, busy in August.

The honest exceptions

The quiet coves at the far end of Čiovo — Kava and around Slatine — are the ones where a car (or the seasonal Bura Line boat, which also calls at Slatine) makes the difference. Check the evening return before you commit; the last connection back is earlier than you'd like.

Further afield

Day trips without a car

Several of the region's best days out are genuinely car-free-friendly — a few just need an early alarm and a timetable check.

Split — the easy one

Half a day or more, no car needed at all: bus line 37 or, in season, the Bura Line boat from the Riva (roughly an hour on the water; tickets on board). Main thing to check: the day's return departures. Full plan in our Split day trip guide.

Brač — doable, plan the ferry

A full day: you connect through Split's ferry port, then the ferry to Supetar. Very doable car-free if you start early; on the island itself, buses and taxis exist but thin out — the main difficulty is fitting Zlatni Rat and the return comfortably into one day. Details in our Brač guide.

Hvar — doable via Split's catamarans

Also a full day through Split: passenger catamarans land you in Hvar Town. The catch is seasonality — sailings and the crucial last boat back change through the year, so check the operators' current timetables first. Our Hvar guide covers the realistic routes.

Krka — bus or organised tour

Without a car this is a regional-bus-plus-connections day or, more simply, an organised tour with pickup — the tour trades flexibility for zero logistics, and neither is automatically "better". Entry and transport details change seasonally; check current information with the national park and your chosen operator. Background in our Krka guide.

The other side

When a rental car is still useful

Where it genuinely wins

The far Čiovo coves, dawn starts before the buses wake up, stringing several inland or coastal stops into one day, and arrivals with serious luggage or small children. For those trips, wheels are simply better — see our car rental guide for how that works from the airport.

What it costs you in Trogir

Parking is the town's weak spot — the old town is car-free and the nearby lots fill early in summer. Add high-season traffic on the coast road and the honest picture is: a car parked for days costs money while you walk everywhere anyway. A single rental day for the one trip that needs it is often the smarter shape.

Putting it together

An example no-car stay

Three or four unhurried days, all without your own wheels — adjust freely, or let our Trogir day planner shape a day around the weather and your energy.

Day 1: Old town on foot — cathedral, Kamerlengo, the lanes between, and an evening on the Riva once the day-trippers thin out.
Day 2: Beach day within reach: the near Čiovo shore or a bus or taxi hop to Okrug or Medena; late swim, easy dinner.
Day 3: Split by bus 37 or the seasonal boat — palace, Marjan viewpoint, back for sunset. Check the return times in the morning.
Day 4 (optional): One bigger day out — Brač, Hvar or Krka, chosen the evening before once you've checked the current timetables. See what's on this week in case an event decides it for you.

Learn from others

Common no-car mistakes

Booking by straight-line distance. 800 m on the map can be a steep 25-minute climb on Čiovo — check the actual walking route before you book.
Not checking the last bus or boat back. Seasonal timetables end earlier than you expect; confirm the return before you leave, not at the stop.
Underestimating high-season traffic. The same bus ride takes noticeably longer in August — pad your airport and ferry connections.
Dragging luggage up a hill "because it's close". Arrive by taxi once, then walk for the rest of the week — the reverse order ruins day one.
Treating every Čiovo address as "walkable to the old town". Some are. Plenty aren't. The bridge end is a stroll; the far end is a hike.

Ante, who writes and photographs Trogir Insider, on a rented scooter on Brač island

About the author

Hi, I'm Ante. My family has been connected to Trogir for many years and we've spent countless summers here. This guide shares the places we genuinely recommend, along with honest advice on what is—and isn't—worth your time.

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