Pros and cons of driving in Croatia

Old Feb 27th, 2013, 03:12 AM
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Pros and cons of driving in Croatia

Hi, my husband and I will be travelling to Croatia in May. We are starting in Venice and then going across to Croatia for 2 weeks. Please can I have some opinions about hiring a car in Venice and then driving to Treiste then Zagreb, and from there driving around the country. The distances between towns seem managable, and I would think that it is a quicker, easier way of getting around, than using buses and trains. We want to go to Plitvice, Split, Dubrovnic, up the coast to do the islands, and then back to Venice. Any suggestions from seasoned travellers would be most welcome. Thanks.
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Old Feb 27th, 2013, 03:49 AM
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I've only been to Croatia once and was on a bus tour but the road down the coast to Dubrovnik was almost empty of traffic (late April) so the driving looked very easy. You'd have to take a bus to Dubrovnik as there is no train service if you used public transport.

Have you checked the driving times? It seemed like it too most of the day to go from Split to Dubrovnik (but I could be misremembering).

IMO it would definitely be easier to have a car to cover this area. If you have time you should see Lake Bled and the surrounding area as it's lovely.

Before renting a car check with the rental company to make sure you can take the car into Croatia. There shouldn't be a problem but it's wise to check. And also to check to see if you need any particular permit to use the Croatian highways (as you do in Austria) and if you need reflective vests, or anything else required in Croatia. An Italian car may not be equipped with the requirements for Croatia.
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Old Feb 27th, 2013, 03:58 AM
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My traveling buddies and I drove all of Croatia (we were in our late 60's) 5 years ago. It was great. Yes, you do have to tell the rental company you are going into Croatia.
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Old Feb 27th, 2013, 03:59 AM
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Croatia is like Italy in that a vignette is not needed, but rather, one pays tolls based on distance driven. You collect a ticket upon entry to the highway, and pay when you exit.

Going from Trieste to Zagreb through Slovenia will require a vignette that costs 15 Euros and is good for a week from the date stamped.
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Old Feb 27th, 2013, 05:18 AM
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i'd drive it, some of those coast roads get pretty wiggly
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Old Feb 27th, 2013, 07:44 AM
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Up to you really. The only issue is if the rental company allows their cars on ferries. Parking can be a pain.
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Old Feb 27th, 2013, 05:50 PM
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If you plan on picking the car up and returning it to Venice, you will spend a LOT of time driving - the coast of Croatia is very, very, very long. If you don't return the car to Venice, you may (or may not) face a very hefty one-way fee. Another option would be to use public transportation until you are in Croatia, and then, depending on where you end up, use public transportation (flight, ferry, bus, whatever) to depart. (And in May, you might want to consider starting in Dubrovnik and ending in Venice.)

As already mentioned, having a car will complicate your access to ferries. On the hand, a car would increase your option to explore parts of islands other than the main ferry ports.

And also as yorkshire mentioned, parking can be problematic. Be sure you know your options before you go.

In my experience, major roads were quite good - broad and well-banked and easy to maneuver. If you drive without a GPS, note that roads are often marked by major destinations rather than by route numbers, so, for example, there may be times when you may need to take a road marked "to Zagreb" even if you have no intention of going there on that day. Viamichelin and mappy were pretty good about providing that information.

Once off the major expressways (and even, sometimes, on them) I frequently found that others drove in ways that I considered frightfully dangerous - taking blind curves in the middle of the road without regard for the possibility of oncoming traffic; roaring up behind other drivers and passing in no-passing zones, again without leaving room for oncoming vehicles; etc. Not to mention that some of the roads are narrow and twisting, may not have guardrails, and are beside some of the most outstandingly stunning vistas imaginable, so its hard to focus on the road at all. IMO, driving in Croatia required extraordinary alertness and defensiveness.

I was glad I rented a car for the stretches that I couldn't easily cover by public transportation. I was glad I used public transportation when I could, as it gave me the freedom to truly enjoy that spectacular scenery.

Hope that helps!
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