Driving in Croatia
 

We will be spending 5 days in Rovinj and we were wondering if it would be a good idea to rent a car for one day and see the surrounding areas, which brought me to the question of it is safe to drive in Croatia and can we do it with just a u.s. Drivers license and what areas do you recommend are worthwhile to visit relatively close to Rovinj?

Several things:

First and foremost, it depends on what you want to see and do! The major cities of Istria are connected by public transportation, but if you want to visit the hill towns, you would probably want to have a car.

Driving in Croatia is perfectly safe, as long as you drive within the rules and exercise good defensive driving habits. IME, there are all-too-many drivers in Croatia who take the roads at excessive speed, tackle blind turns in the center of the road, and overtake slower drivers too close to areas where there is no room for passing. BUT if you pay attention, drive defensively, and are willing to yield, you should be fine. The roads are good, and the major highways are excellent.

If you don’t know what places to visit, then I would STRONGLY encourage you to get a good guidebook, perhaps the Rough Guide. None of us can tell you what YOU will find interesting, and some guidebooks are so scanty in their coverage (the Rick Steves guidebook to the area is a perfect example, IME), that you won’t know your options. The cost of a good guidebook or two will be nugatory in comparison to the cost of your trip, and you will learn the things you need to know (like the answers to the questions you have already posed), as well as the answers to questions you don’t even know that you should ask.

Hope that helps!

Visit inland villages, Grožnjan, Završje, Gračišće, Hum and Motovun, also Pula.

I think you really need a car to enjoy Istria. Rovinj and the small villages were the highlight of our visit. We particularly liked Grožnjan.

We didn't encounter many if any problem drivers (sounds like Italians) and the roads were good.

Along with your driver's license an International Driver's Permit is required in Croatia. It's a translation of your license including your photo and is easily available at your local AAA office, where they will also take your photo, all for about $25.

<i> Driving in Croatia
Posted by: Sandramiani on Mar 30, 17 at 11:42am</i>

I've driven in that area. It is safe and scenic. The biggest annoyance is when you get stuck behind a large truck on a winding mountain road. It is very difficult to pass. For an introduction see http://www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap18/driving.htm.

For where to go have a look at the Michelin site https://www.viamichelin.com/. And bring a good maps with you when you venture out.

There are many small road side restaurants with lambs rotating on the grill out front.