Giuseppa

My husband and I will have apx. 12 nights to vacation in Croatia. We were thinking of flying from Paris to Dubrovnik. Spending about 4 nights in Dubrovnik and then renting a car and driving North to Istria w/overnight stops in between. Is this too long a drive in too short a time? We would then fly back to Paris from the Pula Airport . We so much want to try and see Dubrovnik, Istria and Rovinj while we are in this part of the world. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Michael

We did it in three or four days, with only two days of driving, in 1967. The only possible differences today would be that there is a border crossing if Bosnia goes down to the sea and traffic through the towns would be heavier than it was then. Zadar and Split (where we spent two nights) are worthwhile stops.

baldrick

We're just back from Croatia.
Upon arriving in Croatia, we took the boat from Rijeka to Dubrovnik and then worked our way back by car.
We spent 3 nights in Dubrovnik, 1 in Orebic, 5 in Split, 2 in Plitvice in hotels and then rented a villa for a week near Motovun/Istria.

Driving is in general OK and quite easy. We found the traffic signs indicating directions were not in abundance but we had no problems with our GPS for main roads.

One point: Bosnia has some 18 km of border on the Adriatic sea, so when coming from Dubrovnik you'll have to pass Bosnian territory to join the northern dalmatian part (Split. Zadar,...). We avoided this as we had been told that the Bosnian customs could have annoying practices. We left Dubrovnik, took the Peljesac peninsula and took the hop-on/hop-off ferry from Trpanj to Ploce. With the ferry, a trip from Dubrovnik to Split would take the better part of the day.

Pula to Dubrovnik is some 670 km, which is not that much. When buying a map, read it well for the completion dates of highway construction. Generally speaking, Rijeka-Zagreb and Zagreb-Ploce are completed.

I would suggest for your visit: Dubrovnik, Split, Krka National Park, Zadar, Plitvice National Park, Istria. If to choose only 1 NP, I would definitely choose Plitvice for it calm atmosphere and beautiful setting.

Don't hesitate to ask if you have questions.

Andrew

baldrick: <i>Bosnia has some 18 km of border on the Adriatic sea, so when coming from Dubrovnik you'll have to pass Bosnian territory to join the northern dalmatian part (Split. Zadar,...). We avoided this as we had been told that the Bosnian customs could have annoying practices. We left Dubrovnik, took the Peljesac peninsula and took the hop-on/hop-off ferry from Trpanj to Ploce.</i>

The typical American tourist has nothing to worry about when driving across this border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina while driving between Dubrovnik and Split. I drove through that once plus the one into Mostar and it was barely more than a wave of my passport, 30 seconds if that. No one stopped or searched my car or anything. I've had longer border crossings driving in the US into California.

Perhaps someone with unusual contraband or a conflicting nationality might have reasons to avoid the border there, but I can't imagine any reason for an American to do so.

baldrick

Andrew,
I checked my info once more this morning. One friend's car was halted at the Bosnian border, a 'typical swiss tourist' doing family travel, not dealing in contraband and not of a 'conflicting nationality' I would say. They were halted for half an hour, car searched, passports controlled and fined a small sum for no apparent reason. While waiting, 3 other cars doing family travel, of european non conflicting nationalities, went through the same thing.
These are the facts I have and it's the information I like to pass on to fellow travellers.

You got through twice as a typical american tourist, that's good for you, congratulations!

Andrew

baldrick: <i>One friend's car was halted at the Bosnian border, a 'typical swiss tourist' doing family travel, not dealing in contraband and not of a 'conflicting nationality' I would say. They were halted for half an hour, car searched, passports controlled and fined a small sum for no apparent reason. While waiting, 3 other cars doing family travel, of european non conflicting nationalities, went through the same thing.
These are the facts I have and it's the information I like to pass on to fellow travellers.</i>

These are not "facts" these are second-hand stories. By contrast, if you read back on all the Croatia threads and trip reports, on this website and others, you'll find numerous first-hand reports of travelers passing through that border quickly, without incident. So who are we to believe?

Judy

We drove from Dubrovnik to Trogir, with a side trip to Hvar, then to Plitvice and Rovinj before flying out of Zagreb. We had 15 days, so not much more than your 12. We enjoyed the drive and didn't feel rushed.

We had no difficulty at the Bosnian border.

maitaitom

Here's my first-hand report from 2008 (the Mussolini reference is to a border guard at the Montenegro/Croatia border who did not let anyone in one day due to some strife in the country). As you can see, no such difficulties in our BH border crossing.

"We kept driving, and soon, up ahead in the distance loomed the Bosnia-Herzegovina border. We hoped that Mussolini had not phoned ahead about the “crazy, lane-switching Americans.” Obviously, he had not sent word to our Bosnian friends, and the guards waved us through without so much as giving us a second glance. A short while later, we were back in Croatia. The movie will be called, “If It’s Sunday between 11:30 and Noon, It Must Be Bosnia.”

I remember the four of us being disappointed that they didn't at least stamp our passports. the guards' attitude toward us was so blasé that we could have brought in contraband or a five-piece band, and I don't think they would have noticed.

Elizabeth_S

We drove from Rovinj to Dubrovnik (stopping in Trogir for a few nights) and then on to Montenegro for a day trip without border issues, but we had made certain the rental car was legal to cross borders.

We took #8 from Rijeka down to Zadar - a road clinging to the coast in some places and the Bura was blowing! In fact parts of it were closed to motorcycles and trailers. Amazing drive!

Then we took the A1 from Split to its current termination (and then back on #8) - another amazing drive.

julia_t

I've driven across the Bosnia-Herzegovina border several times, not just at Neum on the Adriatic Coastal Highway, but also at other more remote crossings in the mountains.

I have NEVER had any problems - UK passport, Croatian plates on the car - and I am usually a single female driver, though once I did have a lady passenger (US passport) in my car when crossing back into Croatia.

Like most other people here. crossing the border was a doddle. I think baldrick's friends were just unlucky to be randomly selected for a check. That doesn't mean you will necessarily have trouble.

However, crossing from Croatia into Montenegro can be a different story!

Vttraveler

We had no trouble crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina during our trip last fall, either along the coast or up in the remote mountainous area near Vrgorac and Ljubuski. Our friend who lives in Sarajevo and visits Croatia/Neum area frequently has never had any problems.

As julia_t notes, random checks can happen anywhere, any time. My husband and I were stopped and had our car searched going into Canada in May--something we have never encountered in 30 years of visiting Quebec pretty regularly.

I would not plan a driving route in order to bypass the short stretch of BiH coastline.