Arvy Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I am sure that many of you have done the trip to Croatia and that is our intention end of March. We will go through the tunnel and just wondered if we could obtain some advice on the route and places to stop thereafter. Any advice would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Yes I will second that request as Croatia is on our short list for the Summer. Brian B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Greetings to you both. We did Croatia last year on the way back from Istanbul. As for the route take your pick, as I recall we went through Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria etc. Just look at a map of Europe and join up the dots, it's all motorway, so you can't go far wrong, but you will have to buy a vignette for Austria, about eight Euro's as I recall, bought ours online in advance. I don't recall buying one for Croatia, but if you're going that way don't miss visiting Ljubljana in Slovenia where you will need a vignette, get one at local post offices and garages as you approach the border. We didn't use campgrounds en-route, we prefer truck-stops, they're free and right next to the road you're using, so very convenient for hitting the road next day. Dubrovnik is an absolute must, it is truly charming. Gets quite busy during the day with the confounded cruise groups playing follow my leader, but go back down again in the evening and it is a different place. The lost and bewildered have all gone back to their ships and hotels to be fed and you can really enjoy the ambiance of the town. The campground we used and would certainly recommend is Camping Solitudo in 'New' Dubrovnik. The campsite shared the facilities of the nearby hotel and there is regular public transport down to the old walled town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkist Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 We have also travelled to Croatia via the above route, last year we went to Luxembourg, Alsace region of France to Colmar, then across to Lake Constance, Innsbruck, Krimml waterfalls, Lienz, Villach then through the karavankan tunnel to Slovenia and down to Croatia. Lake Bled is also worth a visit, beautiful. Don't need a vignette for Croatia, but if you use the motorways its pay as you go. Take a ticket from the machine and pay when you leave the motorway. The waterfalls at Plitvce and Krka national parks should not be missed.The coast road gets more scenic the further south you go, ferries to the islands, I could go on! We find the Camperstop Europe book invaluable when on the move and need an overnight stop, not forgetting ACSI for longer stays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arvy Posted February 11, 2016 Author Share Posted February 11, 2016 Thanks that's great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 We stopped at Camping Kate two years ago. It’s a pleasant, smallish site about 5 miles south of Dubrovnik. There’s a bus stop within a hundred yards of the entrance. A short walk out of the rear of the site brings you to the shore, you can also get a boat to Dubrovnik from here. The owners are friendly and helpful and they speak English. There’s free wifi although reception is best close to the office. I don’t think it’s an ACSI site but from memory we paid €16 with hook-up. The showers were clean if a bit small. Again from memory there’s a drive over waste dump. More information at http://campingkate.incroatia.info/en/ We also used Autokamp Skver at Senj. This site, about 500 yards from the town centre, is very much like a French aire de service. The ‘vans park in two sea-facing rows with little space between individual ‘vans. The front row actually overlooks the shore. From memory we paid €14 with hook-up. Services were clean and the owner spoke English. We stopped at Camping Bled in Slovenia. Lake Bled really is picture postcard pretty. We also used ACSI sites en route and in Croatia. We found the people very friendly and helpful. A lot of them spoke English. We are under 3.5 in weight so bought vignettes en route for Austria and Slovenia. If you are over this weight then I believe a ‘go-box’ is required for Austria – I don’t know about Slovenia. Cattwg :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Hi Arvy, I've sent you a file with a short list of sites. Cattwg :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Hi Brian, I've sent you an e-mail with a short list od sites. Cattwg :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Thank you all for the information, and again John for the e-mail. Brian B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailent Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Interesting forum on croatia trip. We re planning for same trip this year. Any list of sites or places to see would be really helpful. Thanks First post!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NINOT Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 I live in Zadar, Croatia. Few days ago Zadar was named best european destination for 2016. http://www.europeanbestdestinations.com/destinations/zadar/. My advice is not to to take the highway, instead take the old road along the coast. The scenery is fantastic all the way. I would start north from Rijeka and just drive down south. Other places to visit would be Vodice, Trogir, Split and definitely Dubrovnik. Plitvice is a must, also islands of Kornati. In most cities on Dalmatian coast it is easy to park at regular car parking places and you do not get a summons (0.52-0.79 per hour, little more in the summer) Traveling along the coast gets busy in the summer and it slows you down because there are only two lanes (one for each direction) In general if you arrive in july and August it is very crowded, full of tourists. Beaches are fantastic and most of the islands are reachable by ferry. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NINOT Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 I forgot to mention Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, in case you take a different route. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailent Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 Thanks ninot Great info and website link. Zadar is now on our itinerary!! Can u recommend any campsites? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 If you are going to drive down to Dubrovnik, check to see if your insurance will cover you for Bosnia Herzegovina. Last year ours with Comfort didn't (most don't I believe) and I was not impressed with the Comfort staff who told me that they didn't cover either of the two countries - Bosnia or Hezegovina! This will mean that you cannot go through the Neum corridor (Bosnia H) Don't worry though, you can get a ferry from Ploce to Trpanj onto the Pelješac peninsular which is still in Croatia, thus bypassing Bosnia H. The ferry costs about £40, you just roll up and pay at the time & it takes about an hour overall, but is very pleasant and Pelješac is a great place to visit. It was the "garden" of Dubrovnik producing most of their food and near the mainland had huge salt lagoons which was a valuable commodity in bygone days and contributed to Dubrovnik's wealth. A very valuable bit of real estate very well defended. Most of Croatia's wine is made here, so it might take you a few days to get off this bit of land! Rejoin the mainland at Ston which has a defense wall to rival the great wall of China and huge - well worth a visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 Hi Sailent, I've sent you an e-mail. Don't forget ACSI sites if travelling outside of the peak period. Can recommend plitvice lakes national park as a long day out. Cattwg :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkist Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 We spend every June in Croatia, I agree with NINOT the coast road is a must, it isn't too busy in June and no need to pre-book campsites. we use ACSI or any small site that takes our fancy on the way down, ( lots to choose from ). If making a detour to Plitvice isn't an option, Krka national park is a must, its just a few kms from the coast, we stayed at ACSI camp Marina, friendly, good food and he doe's his own tours of the park. Also agree the Peljesac peninsular is beautiful, we stayed at camp Nevio, Orebic. Can also catch the ferry to Korcula from here. The drive from here to Dubrovnic is lovely, like others we stayed at camping Kate and got the boat into town. We are also insured with Comfort, but on the way back we decided to wing it and drive the Neum corridor, no problem, but its at your own risk. Its less than 10 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 yorkist - 2016-02-13 3:36 PM........................We are also insured with Comfort, but on the way back we decided to wing it and drive the Neum corridor, no problem, but its at your own risk. Its less than 10 miles. I'd urge caution with this. It may be a short stretch of road, and is not particularly difficult or dangerous, but the risk you are taking in driving while uninsured is severe. Were you to be involved in an injury accident, and be held liable (in a language you may not understand), you could find yourself in deep, deep doo-doo. This is one of those risks with a low probability, but with very high potential consequences. As I say, tread with great care. Besides, the ferry from Ploce to Trpanj is such a nice little boat, and not that expensive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailent Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Hi brian Is the ferry ok for 4.5 tons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailent Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Can i just thank everyone on this forum. I'm amazed how much info I've received! Thanks ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Sailent - 2016-02-16 7:32 PMHi brianIs the ferry ok for 4.5 tons? I fairly sure that'll be no problem. We are 3850Kg and there were bigger vans and coaches on our ferries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vino Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Hi has anyone been in sept/oct or does the weather turn early many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vino Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Hi has anyone been in sept/oct or does the weather turn early many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowie Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Hi; I wouldn't like to encourage you to go at any specific time of year; it could be great, it could be awful. We went 8 Sept -12Oct in 2012. Weather in Germany on the way back was awful, but early Sept was mostly warm/hot/blue sky according to my diary. regards alan b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairweather camper Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Bit of advise if possible please, we have electric bikes, we also usually tow a scooter (easy lifter hydro) is it worth taking the scooter ?. We like to park up for about a week at a time and not particular about sitting on the beach but we will be taking the coast road we like to get about a bit, would the electric bikes be enough or is there nice places further inland to visit making it necessary to take the Scooter, any help and advise would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Others may not agree, but based on our experience in autumn 2008, Croatia is a bit like a string of pearls - with quite a bit of string between each pearl. I'd think the scooter wouldn't get that much use, but my preference is for the towns rather than the countryside. In Istria, the ones we enjoyed were Pula, Rovinj, and Novigrad. On our way down Dalmatia, were enjoyed diversions to Krk and Rab, and then Nin, Zadar, Roznac, Split (the highlight for us), Dubrovnik (which slightly underwhelmed), Trogir and Starigrad. Didn't use motorway and just worked our way down the Magistrala. Be aware of various strong winds, most notably the Bora, but also various local winds usually under the name of Maestral. These can make driving quite exciting! :-) The Bora can also place the ferry from Ploce to Trpanj out of reach because it piles the water into Ploce, making the transitions onto boarding ramp to steep for motorhomes - as we discovered. The Magistrala is spectacular in good weather, and quite a drive. In the Bora it is equally spectacular, but you may find you need to use whatever side of the road the wind chooses! Its the only place I've seen wind strong enough to literally pull off the surface of a nearly flat sea and spin it up into the air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.