Croatia
This 1382 km road trip through Croatia starts in the capital Zagreb and leads through the interior to Dubrovnik in the south. This is followed by a multifaceted route along the beautiful coastline all the way to Istria. It passes spectacular waterfalls and nature parks, picturesque harbours, hundreds of islands, as well as jagged hills and mountains.
Highlights along the way include Plitvice National Park with its spectacular waterfalls, the cinematic port city of Dubrovnik, Split with Diocletian's Palace, the many local markets with deliciously fresh produce, Krka National Park, a sunset in the port city of Zadar, the Krk peninsula, Roman archaeology in Pula and romantic Rovinj.
- Perfect travel companion if you want to discover Croatia by motorhome, car or motorbike
- Clearly arranged in 8 stages with 54 sights, travel tips, 23 hiking routes, 21 cycling routes, local tourism services and places to stay (244 campsites and 48 camper van sites)
- Available as PDF (travel guide 76 pages) in beautiful design, illustrated with inspiring texts and high-quality photography
- Includes interactive map for PC, tablet or smartphone so you have all information at hand en route
- Includes GPX files so you can download the full route and all cycling and walking routes onto your GPS
Some highlights on this road trip
Zagreb - Karlovac
Our road trip through Croatia starts in the capital Zagreb. Like every metropol, this city is rich in museums, theaters and historic buildings. Zagreb has more than 60 museums and galleries where you can get a solid portion of history and culture. Besides discovering the history of Zagreb, you can also take a walk in the many quiet parks such as Ribnjak and Zrinjevac. Moreover, if you want to get a taste of the cosy Croation atmosphere, you can take a stroll through the Dolac market where the locals come daily to buy fresh products and come to meet each other.
From Zagreb, we drive to Karlovac, which is situated on four rivers, so there are a lot of possibilities for swimming, rafting, canoeing or kayaking. Furthermore, you can visit the City Museum or climb the stairs to the tower of Dubovac Castle where you will get a beautiful view of the city.
Karlovac - Plitvice
After Karlovac comes the relatively unknown region of Zagorje. In this green region, you can take a break away from the crowded tourist sites. In the area, you will find several health resorts.
After Zagorje, we arrive at Plitvice National Park. This is the most beautiful place in Croatia and should not be missed on this road trip. In1979, it was added to the Unesco World Heritage List. This magnificent park consists of sixteen lakes that are connected by no fewer than 92 waterfalls. The highest waterfall is Veliki Slap, which falls 78 metres into the Korana River. The Plitvice lakes are divided into upper and lower lakes. The so-called Upper Lakes consist of 12 lakes where there is a difference in height of 100 metres between the highest and the lowest lake. The Lower Lakes are situated in a limestone gorge with some cliffs rising up to 40 metres. A path across a smaller lake leads to the Šupljara Cave, a natural cave that is a must-see. In addition, the forest in the park is home to rare birds, wolves and bears. All this natural beauty can be discovered on one of the many hiking trails that vary between two and eight hours of walking.
Plitvice - Dubvrovnik
From Plitvice we drive inland to Dubrovnik, all the way to the south. This trip takes you along beautiful views and picturesque villages. If you don't have much time, you can choose not to drive all the way to Dubrovnik. Alternatively, you can skip Dubrovnik and travel directly to Split. This will shorten the road trip by about 400 kilometres.
For those who have enough time, a visit to Dubrovnik is definitely recommended. This completely walled-in port city is on Unesco's World Heritage List. You can take a walk along the city walls and enjoy the spectacular views or stroll along Stradun, the main street of the old town. You can visit Fort Bokar, the Rector's Palace, Sponza Palace, Dubrovnik Cathedral or the Dominican Monastery. But also a walk through the old harbour will surely charm you.
Finally, for Game of Thrones fans, Pile Gate, the entrance gate that leads to the old town, cannot be missed. To sum up, really everything in this city is worth seeing.
Dubrovnik - Split
Split is the second largest city in Croatia. Despite the many tourists who come to the city every year, it remains one of the most fascinating Dalmatian cities. It is incredibly beautiful with azure waters, pearly white beaches and many interesting sights. From the busy old town to the shady nature on the Marjan hill. The biggest eye catcher is Diocletian's Palace, the best preserved Roman palace in the world. This site is also on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
About half an hour's drive in the direction of our next stop, we stop in Trogir. This coastal town is also called Split's little brother. It is a very small town, surrounded by water, where you can walk from one shore to the other within 10 minutes. However, it would be a waste not to stroll through this town, because there is a lot to see.
