lay3r3

Thanks for the feedback I've reposted with a more descriptive title.

I've been reading through many of the threads on the topic but want to be sure I'm understanding what I'm reading We'll be in Croatia driving from Dubrovnik to Rijeka and then catching the train to Zagreb for a couple of days before heading back to the US. It looks like we'll be renting from Economy Car Rentals, adding the boarder card option ($125US ugh!) so we can hit a few places like Montenegro. So any gotchas or worries that we should be aware of? I just picked up my IDL today. I also can't seem to find a road map so any suggestions for that would be greatly appreciated!

tower

lay3r3:

I've ben driving "Yugolslavia" since the late 70's...it was not easy driving back before the "split up"..potholed roads, poor signing, sporadic petrol stations, etc..but the massive differences since the war ended are for the most part, pleasing..the road system has improved beyond belief. You will have no problems driving anywhere that you mentioned...plenty of petrol, good signage, good roads.

Go to Barnes and Noble or any good bookstore and you will find a variety of road maps for Croatia and vicinity.

Enjoy Croatia...what time of year?
I can recommend very nice lodgings and dining if you wish...what does your budget look like? The $125/day for the car is far more than the last time we were there ('04)...even with a border passing card, we paid $65 for a Toyota Corolla.

Stu T.

travel2live2

Congratulations on renting a car for this trip! I would not want to do it any other way myself.

One little tip - make sure you do not speed. We got stopped in Croatia last year and were fined a hefty sum. The police told us we did not even need an IDP which was good because we did not have one.

Croatia is very easy to drive in compared to many other countries. Also easy to navigate.

We went with AutoEurope as we always do. We found another cheaper but true to their word they matched the price and upgraded our vehicle.

julia_t

I rented with economycarrentals in October 2007. Had no problems with them except perhap that the upgrade car I was given was a bit larger than I would have liked! I thought the cross-border card was a good deal actually, it contains the green card and all the documentation you need to go to Montenegro and Bosnia. I paid about 60 euros I think. Also, another plus of renting with ECR is that there are no restrictions about going on ferries unlike some other hire companies. Wow, do they pack those cars in tight!!! During my weeks rental the car acquired a long dark mark down the passenger side, presumably when I had left it on a street or in a carpark somewhere, maybe Mostar, maybe Dubrovnik. Kind of rubbery like from a wing mirror or truck bumper. But I couldn't rub it off... I told the man when returning the car, I was quite worried, and he just shrugged and said "is nothing, will come off in the wash" and that was it. Also my card wouldn't work when I picked it up at Split airport, but they let me take the car anyway and did all the technical stuff with it when I got back!

Re the road map, I bought a Michelin one on amazon. Do get the one with the largest scale possible though.

And watch the speed limits. At times they can seem painfully slow - I particularly noticed this driving up to Mostar, and many others will be overtaking you, but the police are about, and fines can ne expensive so best not to risk it.

Have a great trip!

lay3r3

Thanks for the great replies. I think our rental price looks like $50USD a day if I recall correctly. I haven't booked it yet b/c we haven't purchased our airplane tickets. The border card was an extra $125 for the entire period. We originally looked at AutoEurope b/c of the feedback but had concerns that the website indicated not allowing us to leave the border. I did not actually call them but plan to. Ferries are important for us too so that will be a consideration.

We'll be there on our honeymoon the first 2 weeks of May so it will probably be a little cool but hoping for the best.

David

Jroth21080

Perhaps someone here can help me out. I really need some advice on this trip.

Ill be going to Croatia 2nd week in June and Im having a though time with my trip lay out. We have 8 nights 9 days (well, take away 1/2 day on our first day and wipe out the last full day for travel). Im looking to start in Dubrovnik 2 nights 3 days (which is really 2 days when u factor in travel time from the airport after our flight gets in, and then leaving for Spilt on the 3rd day at around noon), then drive to Spilt for a night or 2 then take the ferry to Hvar for 1-2 nights then the ferry to Korcola for 1 night then back to Dub. We wanted to go to Zegreb but it doesnt look like we will have enough time. Any suggestions? Also, what is the best way to get from Dubrovnik to Spilt.. rental car or bus? Thanks!!!

irishface

Two years ago I was in Croatia in the first three weeks of May. On the 14th in Dubrovnik it was in the 90's. Earlier in the trip in Opatija, Rovinj, etc. the weather was warm enough so we were in shortsleeves all day and light sweaters in the evening. It was plenty warm for me. But then I live in New England and if you come from farther south, maybe you will think it cool. There were people swimming, but I wouldn't count on that; the water seemed chilly even by New England standards.