Croatia - Greece
 

I am just starting to plan my 2020 trip to Eastern Europe; a 2-3 week trip. We love to drive on our trips, and are thinking of starting in the north (Croatia) and ending up in Athens (or south to north). Any road warriors out there that have made this trip? Any problems with the roads? What are the key places to stop/see?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Two hiccups: 1) if you rent a car in one country and want to drop it in another, there is a substantial fee involved. 2) you could easily fill that time in Greece and not cover half the country, and that time would cover Croatia quite well with some adjacent countries included. Based on what you want to do, I'd pick one or the other. There are more "key places" than should be expected to be listed here!
If you still want those two, best to rent a car in each place and fly between them.

What yorkshire said. You could easily spend three weeks in the Balkans, or in mainland Greece. Three weeks doesn't sound like much for Croatia (Zagreb?) to Athens, with all there is to see on the way, and are you skipping Slovenia because you've been there before? I use public transport, so can't comment on the roads, but I wouldn't plan to drive the whole thing.

My daughter and son-in-law took that route during part of an overland trip from London to Cape Town, but in their own Land Rover. I think you would struggle to find a rental agency willing to let you pick up a car in Croatia and drop it off in Greece, and of course there is the red tape with insurance, customs, etc. If you will be using your own car and have the proper insurance coverage you can do it. Apparently the roads in Albania weren't very good, but they encountered far worse in parts of Africa.

I didn't think the roads in Albania were that bad. Pretty windy in the mountains, but I've certainly been on worse, even in Europe (eastern Europe, that is). And you don't have to go through Albania - google wants to route them through Serbia.

If you decide to make this trip, I think you will have to be very selective. I spent 3 weeks in Croatia and had to skip a LOT. I spent a month in Greece and had to skip a LOT. The Michelin Green Guides should prove useful.

Thursdaysd, the reason they went through Albania is they visited a relative who was crewing on a superyacht in Montenegro, and from there Albania was the most direct route to Piraeus, Greece, where they loaded their Land Rover on a cargo ship to Alexandria, Egypt. I agree Serbia would be a better route.

The overland trip took lots of research and planning, not least to find the safest route through North Africa. The trip, which lasted nearly a year, went off without a hitch, apart from one flat tire in Tanzania.

I know this is off-topic, but the most challenging stretch of "road" on their trip was Van Zyl's Pass in Namibia, which is sort of a Mt Everest for off-roaders. My son-in-law couldn't pass up the challenge. If you have time to watch the video in this link, parts of it are heart-stopping!
https://www.dangerousroads.org/afric...s-namibia.html

In Croatia I would suggest that you visit Split and Dubrovnik then visit the Kravica waterfalls in Bosnia as part of a day trip to Mostar from Dubrovnik. This will reduce your time travelling and you will have more time to spend enjoying yourself. Airport choice depends where you choose to go in Croatia. Most seem to head south toward Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian Coast, but not everyone does. I don't think you really need to "plan" what to see and do in Athens too rigidly as all the main outdoor sights are very close to each other. What I mean is that if you find you've missed something out on a specific day, it's easy to slot it in the following day. What I would do initially is to define what my priorities are, essentially museums or the outdoor sights. If it's the museums, then don't skimp, make the most of your time in them, and then address the amount of time you have left. You can take a taxi and just explore the city. Greece is a wonderfully unique combination of culture, history, beauty, and relaxation. Even in the City, it is very easy to spend a couple of hours in a museum (ie. Acropolis, Benaki etc.); then take the tram for an afternoon swim. You can also spend the day hiking or at the beach - and then attend a cultural performance at night. The itinerary can be as fast-paced or lazy as you like....which brings me to this point. You do not need to supplement your trip with a lot of organized tours and day trips. Unless you enjoy hanging around with other tourists, you can travel quite successfully as an independent traveler. As an agricultural country, you'll have no difficulty finding fresh fruits and vegetables or selecting Greek dishes that are vegetarian.
As you get further into your planning, don't hesitate to ask more questions.