About Croatia
Croatia is a country that has 4,800km of Mediterranean coastlines and more than 1000 islands. It is best to avoid travelling to Croatia during the month of July and August. Europeans like to spent their Summer vacation here. Things are not cheap here in the Summer. Croatia road trip is the best way to visit this country. Follow or adjust our Croatia itinerary to create a wonderful Croatia travel just for you and your family.
Honestly speaking, I have not heard of Croatia until my sister invited my husband and I to join them for a holiday there. I was septic at first because I was not sure what kind of place Croatia actually is. Questions such as safety, convenience, language barrier etc kept popping out of my head. Upon checking the internet on Croatia, I was completely sold. ?. I just could not wait for that holiday trip to arrive.
Croatia itinerary
Once we have decided on the the holiday destinations, we searched more in depth on Croatia so as to create an itinerary suited for our holiday trip. Croatia is traditionally divided into four historical and cultural regions: Croatia proper, Dalmatia, Slavonia, and Istria. We ultimately chose the Dalmatia region as our Croatia itinerary because of the beautiful coastlines, UNESCO world heritage sites, churches, and forts. Moreover, Dubrovnik is the location for the ever popular TV series “Games Of Thrones”.
Driving in Croatia
Driving in Croatia was not part of our itinerary as we were not very keen on driving in foreign land. However, through recommendations from other bloggers, we took on the challenge and decided to make it into a Croatia road trip. Turns out, the Croatia road trip made was excellent and incredibly fun. You just got to try it yourself. This road trip is not dangerous. The state of the road in Croatia is good for drivers. Moreover, road signage is also very clear, and you should not have much trouble navigating around.
Our Croatia itinerary
Day 1: Dubrovnik to Sibenik via Split
Croatia Car Rental
For this Croatia road trip, the car rental company we chose was EasyRent. Before choosing this Croatia car rental company, we were looking at other big companies like Sixt, Avis, Europcar, to name a few. We ultimately chose EasyRent because they were able to send the car to the apartment we were staying in Dubrovnik. And, they agreed to pick up the car from the apartment we were staying in Zagreb on the return date. That was the most perfect arrangement as we could start our Croatia road trip from the apartment in Dubrovnik rather than from Dubrovnik’s airport. However, do take note that this service might not be available during the Summer peak period. Do check with them first before making your bookings.
The man from this car rental company came to our apartment on time and the car was a automatic transmission Opel Zafira 7 seaters. After going through the normal checking procedure, we set off to Split before going to Sibenik for a 2 nights stay there.
Croatia Driving route
The distance between Dubrovnik and Split is about 229km. The drive from Dubrovnik to Split was about 4 hours because we made some photo stops. The coastal view along coastal (state) road D8 before you hit A1/E65 motorway was just too inviting to miss.
A1 (E65) motorway is a tolled motorway whereas D8 is not. However, we chose to use the A1 motorway because D8 closely follows the well-indented Croatian coastline, travel is considerably longer and less safe compared to the motorways because of numerous blind curves and at-grade intersections. As this route passes through Bosnia and Herzegovina, you would need to get your passports and green card ready. The border control will check your passports and the green card provided by the car rental company. We have heard about other nationals having some visa issues at the border, but our border crossing was smooth and fast.
Split
Split is the second largest city in Croatia, with a population of about 180,000, and is the largest city on the Adriatic coast. It is a city with a mix of tradition and modern vibes. As Split was under the rule of many empires, including Roman and Austro-Hungarian, you can inevitably feel it from their culture, the buildings and their way of life.
The most prominent architecture in Split is the Diocletian’s Palace. The Roman Emperor Diocletian built the massive palace in preparation for his retirement on 1 May 305 AD. This building forms about half the old town of Split, Croatia and is now in the UNESCO world heritage. The city street is packed with shops, restaurants, bars and people from all over the world.
Another interesting part of Split is the Riva promenade. The Riva is the main place in Split for people watching and relaxation. If you are tired after all the walking, you can rest and enjoy a cup of coffee in one of the cafe in the Riva. The Riva represents the modern side of the city although it is more than 1700 years old.
When arriving in Split, we parked our rented car near the Split port area as per advice from bloggers. It is not recommended to park your car at free parking areas, unless secured, for fear of vandalism or having your vehicle towed away. You can refer to the following few sites for more information on parking in Split.
2. Secured free parking in Split
Split is a very beautiful and interesting place if you have more time to tour Croatia. It was a pity that we could not stay in this wonderful place this time round. Well, it makes a good reason to come visit Croatia once again. Next time, we will surely stay in split for at least 2 nights in order to explore this marvelous city and the surrounding islands.
Day 2-3: Sibenik to Krka National Park via Skradin
Day 4: Sibenik to Plitvice Lake
Day 5-6: Plitvice Lake to Zagreb via Slunj
Driving through Croatia is truly the way to see and enjoy Croatia. You will have the freedom to stop whenever you want, visit places off the beaten path, and even stop on the side of the road whenever you see street vendors selling fruits or homemade jams and honey.
So, what are you waiting for??
