Croatia - first thoughts

[Boxster5]

Well our previous experience of Croatia was limited to a couple of stops on a cruise (we hate cruises) but really enjoyed Hvar, Dubrovnik plus Kotor in Montenegro.
This time we flew via Ryanair (3 hour delay due to first officer calling in sick!) from Newcastle to Zadar.
As a result the hire car company (AVIA) gave our car away as we were outside of the 59 minute grace period (we’d given them our flight details but they weren’t interested) - €40 additional charge oh and we have none of your group cars available so that’s another €154 upgrade (from a Skoda Fabia to a Kia Stonic - hardly an upgrade).
Absolutely shambolic service and the guy became really aggressive towards my wife where we basically told them to stuff their rental. Welcome to Croatia!
So now we’ve calmed down, what do we think?
Well apart from getting a parking ticket in Zadar (that I know I paid for and put on the dash - a mystery I’ll never be able to answer!), the country is stunning.
As this is Pistonheads, some experiences of driving.
Well some junctions are just plain weird where those on the main road give way to those on side roads (most people seem confused as to who has right of way).
Speed cameras are everywhere but they aren’t obvious (more like modern industrial CCTV multiplex cameras stuck on a lamp standard) and speed limits change regularly that you end up not knowing what the limit actually is.
Petrol prices seem permanently fixed €1.57/litre for 95 u/l wherever you look (certainly around Zadar).
Food seems to revolve around pizza, burgers, pasta with the odd grilled meat & fish but there are some really nice restaurants if you hunt them out.
As I said the country is stunning and we have 7 nights in Zadar before moving onto Cavtat for 5 nights finishing with our final 2 nights in Trogir before heading home.
Would we return - most definitely, now that we’ve sussed out the alternative choices to the pizza/burger/pasta staples which was our biggest initial bugbear.

[OldSkoolRS]

Following this with interest as we've done the similar stops to you on a former cruise and would like to return to the area for an extended stay. I was watching an older espisode of 'Travelman' today in Split and a friend of mine has been then this week too, so I'll be asking them some questions later on too.

We got stung on a similar hire car charge arriving late when we flew to Alicante last year. This year we did a longer trip to another area of Spain and didn't hire a car at all and just used coaches, which were cheap and I felt less hassle as we tend to walk a lot once we're at each location. I wonder if that would be an option on a similar holiday to yours?

Enjoy the rest of the trip.

[SuperCharged V6]

We stayed up the coast from Dubrovnik this summer. First rule, don't drive in Dubrovnik centre, it is packed and practically stationary most of the time. They have 12,000 cabs ( to give you an idea NYC has 13,000 !!) and many are unlicensed, so the quality of driving is dubious. Parking is only outside of the city, near the harbour etc. As you go North along the coast road, everyone drives around 50mph and that it is...literally....find a gear and fall asleep....

Once off the main roads, traffic is minimal and you can enjoy the beautiful little coves that no tourists go to as the bus/coaches don't go there.

[loudlashadjuster]

Love Croatia and I’ve been to Cavtat many times, great place.

[Boxster5]

OK so we’ve now left Zadar and are in Cavtat.
Even though we used the quicker motorway route past Split (rather than the tediously slow coastal route) the drive along the A1/E65 is stunning before crossing the spectacular Peljesac Bridge crossing that negates the need to go through Bosnia. A lot of money has been spent on this route through the peninsular but once you hit near Dubrovnik, it’s a bit of a car park. Very very crowded roads and no alternative route available.
Have to say we are not a fan of Cavtat - first time here, very very busy, lots of Brits (we’re British but don’t want to be surrounded by them on holiday) & just not our cup of tea. In Zadar, it was rare to hear any English voices which was great.
There is only one car park which we found out to our cost was €3 per hour so we ended up paying €15 for car parking as we’d crept into the fifth hour whilst we were in town last night. We are staying up the hill so it’s not practical to walk as we are both struggling to walk with foot & ankle problems and taxis aren’t that cheap.
So you can’t just pop down the road for a coffee unless you fork out another €3 for car parking - hate being ripped off!
I’ve found some other alternative restaurants in the hills which we will be trying rather than battle with the crowds in Cavtat.
Needless to say we won’t be returning to this part of Croatia. Let’s hope our last 2 nights in Trogir is more successful.

[Boxster5]

Final update - another lovely drive from Cavtat along the coast (once you get past Dubrovnik) towards Split then onto Trogir.
Our accommodation was within easy walking distance to the “old town” which is situated on an island and accessed via both a road bridge plus a footbridge.
The old town is lovely but VERY touristy but not many Brits - lots of narrow lanes with cobbles but over-run with walking tours that clog up the lanes.
It reminded me of a small version of Venice strangely.
The remainder of the town is a bit of a dump to be honest (reminded me of Hersonnisos in Crete) with a very large permanent set of market stalls just across the bridge from the island which just seemed weird - it didn’t smell great with a strong smell of bad eggs which considering there were some very average bars & cafes here wouldn’t entice me anywhere near them.
Also you are sometimes pressured into bars & restaurants by meeters & greeters which is always an instant turn-off for us.
In summary a tourist trap which is over-run with everyone descending on the old town. Prices are also reasonably high.
So Croatia - a spectacular country with some beautiful places to visit but we preferred the area around Zadar rather than Split or Dubrovnik. We’ve yet to try Istria but would definitely return to Zadar. Croatia overall is definitely not cheap though. Car parking costs if you have a hire car or drive there will soon add up especially at some of the more touristy areas. Petrol though seems to be centrally fixed and is the same price no matter where you go, including motorway services - €1.58/litre for 95 u/l.
No one seems to take any notice of speed limits (especially on the motorways) & indicators must be an optional extra.
Other than that, we really enjoyed our time there.

[GreatGranny]

Good write ups thanks.

But expecting to be the only Brits somewhere then complaining when there are other Brits there is the most British thing ever

[Boxster5]

GreatGranny said:

Good write ups thanks.

But expecting to be the only Brits somewhere then complaining when there are other Brits there is the most British thing ever

Ha ha but we really don’t like following the crowd. We always try to find where the locals go. When we’re in France (which is still our favourite place), we find a local Bar Tabac and just soak in the atmosphere (as well as the stray cigarette smoke!). A nice draught Affligem or Grimbergen and no one takes any notice.
Luckily my schoolboy French comes across OK so we sort of blend in.
We don’t like English pubs or Irish pubs abroad - I just don’t understand them but I suppose lots do (horses for courses I suppose but not our cup of tea)

[RedAndy]

we did Pula and Zagreb a 15 years back. it was a country of 2 halves. The coast is proper european expensive and same standard of living. The inland bit was much poorer and "communist bloc" and cheap. I loved both. great people, beautful landscapes, good beer. must go back.

didnt drive though

[Bannock]

Boxster5 said:

Final update - another lovely drive from Cavtat along the coast (once you get past Dubrovnik) towards Split then onto Trogir.
Our accommodation was within easy walking distance to the “old town” which is situated on an island and accessed via both a road bridge plus a footbridge.
The old town is lovely but VERY touristy but not many Brits - lots of narrow lanes with cobbles but over-run with walking tours that clog up the lanes.
It reminded me of a small version of Venice strangely.

Pretty much the entire Adriatic coast of Croatia used to be part of the Venetian Republic, Croatia has never be a country in its own right until recently. So that kind of Venetian architecture and building is pretty widespread.

If you're ever down that way again, I'd recommend going inland a bit, even into Bosnia, to see some beautiful and utterly unspoiled and uncrowded old towns and cities, like Trebinje, which isn't far from Dubrovink but has a similar old style to it. No tourists there and food is ridiculously cheap, 2 Euros for a pizza for example when I was there last year. Bosnian food also tends to be a bit heartier and more traditional, big emphasis on the grilled/BBQ meats for example. Worth seeking out.

As you've found, I too prefer the north of Croatia, its far less tourist-trappy than around Dubrovnik. Rijeka, Pula, Rovinj, Krk, for example. Much less hectic.

[Boxster5]

Bannock said:

Boxster5 said:

Final update - another lovely drive from Cavtat along the coast (once you get past Dubrovnik) towards Split then onto Trogir.
Our accommodation was within easy walking distance to the “old town” which is situated on an island and accessed via both a road bridge plus a footbridge.
The old town is lovely but VERY touristy but not many Brits - lots of narrow lanes with cobbles but over-run with walking tours that clog up the lanes.
It reminded me of a small version of Venice strangely.

Pretty much the entire Adriatic coast of Croatia used to be part of the Venetian Republic, Croatia has never be a country in its own right until recently. So that kind of Venetian architecture and building is pretty widespread.

If you're ever down that way again, I'd recommend going inland a bit, even into Bosnia, to see some beautiful and utterly unspoiled and uncrowded old towns and cities, like Trebinje, which isn't far from Dubrovink but has a similar old style to it. No tourists there and food is ridiculously cheap, 2 Euros for a pizza for example when I was there last year. Bosnian food also tends to be a bit heartier and more traditional, big emphasis on the grilled/BBQ meats for example. Worth seeking out.

As you've found, I too prefer the north of Croatia, its far less tourist-trappy than around Dubrovnik. Rijeka, Pula, Rovinj, Krk, for example. Much less hectic.

Thanks for that - don’t get me wrong we really enjoyed our time in Croatia but we were spoilt by the relative peace & quiet around Zadar in the first 7 days so Cavtat & Trogir came as a bit of a letdown. We had planned to go to Montenegro but found out that the hire car cross border charge had somehow increased to €125 so made a quick decision to change to Cavtat. Trogir was chosen as it was a sub 90 minute drive to Zadar airport. I did consider Rijeka, Pula & Rovinj before we plumped for where we headed so maybe next time. Again Bosnia would have been a decent choice but border control comes across as a bit awkward from what I’ve read. I would like to have seen the bridge at Mostar.

[Bannock]

Boxster5 said:

Bannock said:

Boxster5 said:

Final update - another lovely drive from Cavtat along the coast (once you get past Dubrovnik) towards Split then onto Trogir.
Our accommodation was within easy walking distance to the “old town” which is situated on an island and accessed via both a road bridge plus a footbridge.
The old town is lovely but VERY touristy but not many Brits - lots of narrow lanes with cobbles but over-run with walking tours that clog up the lanes.
It reminded me of a small version of Venice strangely.

Pretty much the entire Adriatic coast of Croatia used to be part of the Venetian Republic, Croatia has never be a country in its own right until recently. So that kind of Venetian architecture and building is pretty widespread.

If you're ever down that way again, I'd recommend going inland a bit, even into Bosnia, to see some beautiful and utterly unspoiled and uncrowded old towns and cities, like Trebinje, which isn't far from Dubrovink but has a similar old style to it. No tourists there and food is ridiculously cheap, 2 Euros for a pizza for example when I was there last year. Bosnian food also tends to be a bit heartier and more traditional, big emphasis on the grilled/BBQ meats for example. Worth seeking out.

As you've found, I too prefer the north of Croatia, its far less tourist-trappy than around Dubrovnik. Rijeka, Pula, Rovinj, Krk, for example. Much less hectic.

Thanks for that - don’t get me wrong we really enjoyed our time in Croatia but we were spoilt by the relative peace & quiet around Zadar in the first 7 days so Cavtat & Trogir came as a bit of a letdown. We had planned to go to Montenegro but found out that the hire car cross border charge had somehow increased to €125 so made a quick decision to change to Cavtat. Trogir was chosen as it was a sub 90 minute drive to Zadar airport. I did consider Rijeka, Pula & Rovinj before we plumped for where we headed so maybe next time. Again Bosnia would have been a decent choice but border control comes across as a bit awkward from what I’ve read. I would like to have seen the bridge at Mostar.

Grr, car rental companies. I know your pain, I've had to search long and hard to find ones which allow cross border use without too much faff or expense. It's even a pain between Croatia, Italy and Slovenia, even though they're all in the EU now. So last year I just drove my own car all the way to Montenegro and back via Serbia, Bosnia and back via Croatia and Slovenia (I have a property down there in Montenegro and the Missus is an ex-Yugo). Problem solved! On the way back we missed the opening of the new Bosnia-dodging bridge by 2 days, so still had to go through that little bit of Bosnia at Neum. The local Bosnian government used to like all that traffic passing through as people would stop and spend money. The Croats wanted an agreement with them to stop border checks in order to speed up traffic and prevent the inevitable queues, so when the Bosnians refused to co-operate they said, OK, we'll build a bridge round you. The Bosnians laughed and thought it was a bluff as it would be an expensive project, but they got their bluff called and now they're pretty pissed off at losing the through traffic an associated business. Tough luck, eh?

Best time to visit Dubrovnik area and Montenegro was shortly after the wars...it was deserted down there in those days, and really, really cheap living, almost paradise.

[Boxster5]

Bannock said:

Boxster5 said:

Bannock said:

Boxster5 said:

Final update - another lovely drive from Cavtat along the coast (once you get past Dubrovnik) towards Split then onto Trogir.
Our accommodation was within easy walking distance to the “old town” which is situated on an island and accessed via both a road bridge plus a footbridge.
The old town is lovely but VERY touristy but not many Brits - lots of narrow lanes with cobbles but over-run with walking tours that clog up the lanes.
It reminded me of a small version of Venice strangely.

Pretty much the entire Adriatic coast of Croatia used to be part of the Venetian Republic, Croatia has never be a country in its own right until recently. So that kind of Venetian architecture and building is pretty widespread.

If you're ever down that way again, I'd recommend going inland a bit, even into Bosnia, to see some beautiful and utterly unspoiled and uncrowded old towns and cities, like Trebinje, which isn't far from Dubrovink but has a similar old style to it. No tourists there and food is ridiculously cheap, 2 Euros for a pizza for example when I was there last year. Bosnian food also tends to be a bit heartier and more traditional, big emphasis on the grilled/BBQ meats for example. Worth seeking out.

As you've found, I too prefer the north of Croatia, its far less tourist-trappy than around Dubrovnik. Rijeka, Pula, Rovinj, Krk, for example. Much less hectic.

Thanks for that - don’t get me wrong we really enjoyed our time in Croatia but we were spoilt by the relative peace & quiet around Zadar in the first 7 days so Cavtat & Trogir came as a bit of a letdown. We had planned to go to Montenegro but found out that the hire car cross border charge had somehow increased to €125 so made a quick decision to change to Cavtat. Trogir was chosen as it was a sub 90 minute drive to Zadar airport. I did consider Rijeka, Pula & Rovinj before we plumped for where we headed so maybe next time. Again Bosnia would have been a decent choice but border control comes across as a bit awkward from what I’ve read. I would like to have seen the bridge at Mostar.

Grr, car rental companies. I know your pain, I've had to search long and hard to find ones which allow cross border use without too much faff or expense. It's even a pain between Croatia, Italy and Slovenia, even though they're all in the EU now. So last year I just drove my own car all the way to Montenegro and back via Serbia, Bosnia and back via Croatia and Slovenia (I have a property down there in Montenegro and the Missus is an ex-Yugo). Problem solved! On the way back we missed the opening of the new Bosnia-dodging bridge by 2 days, so still had to go through that little bit of Bosnia at Neum. The local Bosnian government used to like all that traffic passing through as people would stop and spend money. The Croats wanted an agreement with them to stop border checks in order to speed up traffic and prevent the inevitable queues, so when the Bosnians refused to co-operate they said, OK, we'll build a bridge round you. The Bosnians laughed and thought it was a bluff as it would be an expensive project, but they got their bluff called and now they're pretty pissed off at losing the through traffic an associated business. Tough luck, eh?

Best time to visit Dubrovnik area and Montenegro was shortly after the wars...it was deserted down there in those days, and really, really cheap living, almost paradise.

I can just imagine the Bosnians not being too chuffed about it. The bridge itself is spectacular and the road through the entire peninsular is new with numerous tunnels connecting you back to the mainland - apparently built by the Chinese and 85% funded by the EU, total cost circa €418 million. The first car to cross was a Rimac EV (a Croatian car company 20% owned by Porsche).
One thing we did notice is all petrol prices are the same no matter where you go so as we left €1.58/litre for 95 u/l. However I topped up at a motorway services on the E65 and was going to put in 10 litres to get it back to what it started at so €15.80. Emmm well I got to €16 and it didn’t even get to 9 litres! Can’t believe they can do that but just show’s don’t believe the advertised price if they screw the pumps?

[theboss]

There's lots of road-building going on down there generally, I made the same observations all over the Balkans last year and then when I went down there last month I drove on two motorways in Serbia that didn't exist 12 months ago, one of which was funded by a loan setup by UK gov.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bechtel-and-enk...

Belgrade's southern bypass is also finished and was very impressive

[Boxster5]

theboss said:

There's lots of road-building going on down there generally, I made the same observations all over the Balkans last year and then when I went down there last month I drove on two motorways in Serbia that didn't exist 12 months ago, one of which was funded by a loan setup by UK gov.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bechtel-and-enk...

Belgrade's southern bypass is also finished and was very impressive

The tolls in Croatia were low - around €14 from just outside of Zadar to south of Split which is a bargain and a brilliant road. Strangely the new bridge and highway through the peninsula wasn’t a toll road which I’m surprised at. Can’t say the same about some of their parking charges around Dubrovnik but I suppose space is at a premium there

[Boom78]

Another thumbs up for Croatia. I went for this first time in August, stayed on a car less little island just off Dubrovnik called kolocep. Really nice people, amazing scenery and quite possibly the clearest sea I’ve ever seen, gin clear!

Dubrovnik can get really busy and very hot. We went on a Monday when the cruise ships aren’t in town, still v busy though. Cable car views with a cold lager was incredible.

Would definitely go back. Some of the small towns/resorts south of Dubrovnik on way to the airport look really nice.

[sleepezy]

We're off on Saturday for a week - mainly staying in Dubrovnik with a last night in Cavat - any more tips for "must do's", great bars or restaurants gladly received (we have a hire car) - really looking forward to it.

Edited by sleepezy on Monday 2nd October 11:06

[loudlashadjuster]

If you're looking for a great meal in a spectacular setting, try Konavoski Dvori. It's about 20 minutes drive from Cavtat

https://www.esculaprestaurants.com/restaurant-kona...

If you park in their car park but then head south into the woods, there is a maze of trails, aqueducts, water wheels etc. that is well worth exploring before you sit down for dinner. Quite a place.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Went years ago to Porec and visited a few places in Istria. Wasn't a fan of Pula myself - it was too busy after being in Porec and Rovinj. Istria generally was lovely though. We also found it absurdly cheap - I think our most expensive meal out was about £70 for two, with wine, aperitifs, digestifs, coffee, 3 courses and some amuse bouche. It had some of the best seafood I've ever enjoyed. We also popped over to Motovun a couple of times, and that's a lovely place also - the birthplace of Mario Andretti (which I didn't know at all until we turned down a backstreet and saw a very unassuming plaque on a stone wall - very easy to miss).

We stayed at the Kempinski at Portoroz for a few nights beforehand as well and loved it there - bit of a tourist trap for eastern europeans but there was a lovely honesty to it all.

I wonder though if Croatia has become more expensive since they entered the Eurozone this year?

Edited by Swervin_Mervin on Monday 2nd October 11:27

[foxbody-87]

Just got back myself, love the place. But yeah, talk about confusing speed limits and plentiful speed traps! Still, the motorway was fantastic. Hope to go for a third time soon, but maybe visit further north