Drive to Croatia
Discussion
So,one or two may remember our trip in the Elise to Ibiza and the Pyrenees:
http://www.pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Now we fancy Croatia - Anyone driven there, or eastern Italy??
Any advice would be great!
http://www.pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Now we fancy Croatia - Anyone driven there, or eastern Italy??
Any advice would be great!
I have travelled by hire car from Venice to Croatia, but unfortunately I wasn't driving. I say unfortunately 'cos the roads through Slovenia were lovely and quiet, and I remember thinking at the time that it would be a great country to drive through in the Elise... The scenery coming down into Croatia along the coast road was pretty spectacular as well. I think you'll enjoy it if you go.
I did it as a kid a couple of times 20 years back (when it was still Yugoslavia).
It is one hell of a trip but the roads are fantastic and there are plenty of routes so you could go South of France, Italy, Croatia but come back Switzerland, Germany etc. The advantage of it being so far away is that as a destination it gives a real choice of stopping off points (been to Rheims, Bonn, Lucerne, Milan, Trieste, Monaco, Lyon, Grasse etc etc etc either going to or coming back from Croatia) .
Istrian peninsula (Porec etc) it plenty far enough. Even my step-father (who has a severe case of wanderlust) came to his senses and turned the car round when he realised just how much further away Dubrovnik was!!
Porec itself was stunning and plenty to do around and about.
Check your car insurance as Croatia may not come under the standard European cover.
It is one hell of a trip but the roads are fantastic and there are plenty of routes so you could go South of France, Italy, Croatia but come back Switzerland, Germany etc. The advantage of it being so far away is that as a destination it gives a real choice of stopping off points (been to Rheims, Bonn, Lucerne, Milan, Trieste, Monaco, Lyon, Grasse etc etc etc either going to or coming back from Croatia) .
Istrian peninsula (Porec etc) it plenty far enough. Even my step-father (who has a severe case of wanderlust) came to his senses and turned the car round when he realised just how much further away Dubrovnik was!!
Porec itself was stunning and plenty to do around and about.
Check your car insurance as Croatia may not come under the standard European cover.
Stitch said:
I did it as a kid a couple of times 20 years back (when it was still Yugoslavia).
It is one hell of a trip but the roads are fantastic and there are plenty of routes so you could go South of France, Italy, Croatia but come back Switzerland, Germany etc. The advantage of it being so far away is that as a destination it gives a real choice of stopping off points (been to Rheims, Bonn, Lucerne, Milan, Trieste, Monaco, Lyon, Grasse etc etc etc either going to or coming back from Croatia) .
Istrian peninsula (Porec etc) it plenty far enough. Even my step-father (who has a severe case of wanderlust) came to his senses and turned the car round when he realised just how much further away Dubrovnik was!!
Porec itself was stunning and plenty to do around and about.
Check your car insurance as Croatia may not come under the standard European cover.
Thanks, that is very good advice!It is one hell of a trip but the roads are fantastic and there are plenty of routes so you could go South of France, Italy, Croatia but come back Switzerland, Germany etc. The advantage of it being so far away is that as a destination it gives a real choice of stopping off points (been to Rheims, Bonn, Lucerne, Milan, Trieste, Monaco, Lyon, Grasse etc etc etc either going to or coming back from Croatia) .
Istrian peninsula (Porec etc) it plenty far enough. Even my step-father (who has a severe case of wanderlust) came to his senses and turned the car round when he realised just how much further away Dubrovnik was!!
Porec itself was stunning and plenty to do around and about.
Check your car insurance as Croatia may not come under the standard European cover.
Went on a driving trip to Croatia in 2006 (Student Gumball Rally) and all I can say is the roads are pretty quiet and the Police are friendly, some cars got pulled over for doing silly speeds and were asked to slow down then sent on their way.
It's quite a nice place as well, I'd definitely go back.
It's quite a nice place as well, I'd definitely go back.
I've driven down to Croatia 3 times now - twice in a landrover defender and once in the elise. The motorways are excellent, although don't yet go right down to Dubrovnik (or at least they didn't last year). However, as soon as you leave the motorway the smaller roads can be very dodgy - fine in a landrover, but a nightmare in the elise.
If you're planning on driving through Slovenia or Switzerland on the way you need to purchase a permit to drive on the motorways (not too expensive to buy, much more expensive if you get caught without one...)
If you're in Croatia and have the idea of going over the border into Bosina, don't! The roads are terrible and the locals aren't very friendly towards the British!
Where are you planning on staying over there?
I'll be driving down again in August, and am looking forward to it!
Cheers
If you're planning on driving through Slovenia or Switzerland on the way you need to purchase a permit to drive on the motorways (not too expensive to buy, much more expensive if you get caught without one...)
If you're in Croatia and have the idea of going over the border into Bosina, don't! The roads are terrible and the locals aren't very friendly towards the British!
Where are you planning on staying over there?
I'll be driving down again in August, and am looking forward to it!
Cheers
elise2000 said:
I've driven down to Croatia 3 times now - twice in a landrover defender and once in the elise. The motorways are excellent, although don't yet go right down to Dubrovnik (or at least they didn't last year). However, as soon as you leave the motorway the smaller roads can be very dodgy - fine in a landrover, but a nightmare in the elise.
If you're planning on driving through Slovenia or Switzerland on the way you need to purchase a permit to drive on the motorways (not too expensive to buy, much more expensive if you get caught without one...)
If you're in Croatia and have the idea of going over the border into Bosina, don't! The roads are terrible and the locals aren't very friendly towards the British!
Where are you planning on staying over there?
I'll be driving down again in August, and am looking forward to it!
Cheers
Great to hear that an Elise has been taken there and good to know that Dubrovnik may be a bit far -b It certainly looks it on the map.If you're planning on driving through Slovenia or Switzerland on the way you need to purchase a permit to drive on the motorways (not too expensive to buy, much more expensive if you get caught without one...)
If you're in Croatia and have the idea of going over the border into Bosina, don't! The roads are terrible and the locals aren't very friendly towards the British!
Where are you planning on staying over there?
I'll be driving down again in August, and am looking forward to it!
Cheers
We are planning a September departure, we are a little worried about the potential weather conditions though. Split was our destination, via Slovenia.
If you have any route advice, it would be great to have it!
This is a great thread - my wife and I are planning a similar trip for early September.
We live close to Amseterdam and plan to drive to Stuttgart to see the new Porsche Museum, then onto Stelvio, then Venice. Once there we were planning on Slovakia, Budapest and then back through Poland doing Krackow etc.
Having never planned such a roadtrip before - we thought to plan what we want to see and get hotels booked, then plan the route.
How far realistically can you comfortably drive in one day on the sort of roads that are there - 300 miles ?
We live close to Amseterdam and plan to drive to Stuttgart to see the new Porsche Museum, then onto Stelvio, then Venice. Once there we were planning on Slovakia, Budapest and then back through Poland doing Krackow etc.
Having never planned such a roadtrip before - we thought to plan what we want to see and get hotels booked, then plan the route.
How far realistically can you comfortably drive in one day on the sort of roads that are there - 300 miles ?
Tin Hat said:
elise2000 said:
I've driven down to Croatia 3 times now - twice in a landrover defender and once in the elise. The motorways are excellent, although don't yet go right down to Dubrovnik (or at least they didn't last year). However, as soon as you leave the motorway the smaller roads can be very dodgy - fine in a landrover, but a nightmare in the elise.
If you're planning on driving through Slovenia or Switzerland on the way you need to purchase a permit to drive on the motorways (not too expensive to buy, much more expensive if you get caught without one...)
If you're in Croatia and have the idea of going over the border into Bosina, don't! The roads are terrible and the locals aren't very friendly towards the British!
Where are you planning on staying over there?
I'll be driving down again in August, and am looking forward to it!
Cheers
Great to hear that an Elise has been taken there and good to know that Dubrovnik may be a bit far -b It certainly looks it on the map.If you're planning on driving through Slovenia or Switzerland on the way you need to purchase a permit to drive on the motorways (not too expensive to buy, much more expensive if you get caught without one...)
If you're in Croatia and have the idea of going over the border into Bosina, don't! The roads are terrible and the locals aren't very friendly towards the British!
Where are you planning on staying over there?
I'll be driving down again in August, and am looking forward to it!
Cheers
We are planning a September departure, we are a little worried about the potential weather conditions though. Split was our destination, via Slovenia.
If you have any route advice, it would be great to have it!
Dubrovnik does look a lot further on the map from Split, but is actually only around 100 miles - After you've driven 1000 miles another 100 isn't going to make much difference! It's a fantastic city, and is well worth the drive.
Other towns worth visiting apart from Dubrovnik and Split are Pula and Rijeka. Pula has a very nice Roman Amphitheatre (if you're into that sort of thing!) and is a great town for wandering around. The coastline around it also has several ex-military bases that were abandoned by the army around 6/7 years ago - they've just been completely deserted so you can wander around them - they're full of reminders of the communist era and are quite fascinating.
Are you planning on staying in hotels or camping?
halfpenny43 said:
This is a great thread - my wife and I are planning a similar trip for early September.
We live close to Amseterdam and plan to drive to Stuttgart to see the new Porsche Museum, then onto Stelvio, then Venice. Once there we were planning on Slovakia, Hungary and then back through Poland doing Krackow etc.
Having never planned such a roadtrip before - we thought to plan what we want to see and get hotels booked, then plan the route.
How far realistically can you comfortably drive in one day on the sort of roads that are there - 300 miles ?
I did a similar trip in 2004 (Britain-French Alps-Cremona-Venice-Slovenia-Croatia-Hungary-Slovakia-Poland-Czech Rep-Germany-Switzerland-South of France and back). We live close to Amseterdam and plan to drive to Stuttgart to see the new Porsche Museum, then onto Stelvio, then Venice. Once there we were planning on Slovakia, Hungary and then back through Poland doing Krackow etc.
Having never planned such a roadtrip before - we thought to plan what we want to see and get hotels booked, then plan the route.
How far realistically can you comfortably drive in one day on the sort of roads that are there - 300 miles ?
The roads vary considerably from one country to another. Slovenia has had a lot of European money invested in its motorways, as has Croatia, so they are great to drive on - much better than British roads!
Hungary & Polands roads are a different matter (or were 5 years ago).
In Slovenia, you could easily manage 400 miles in a day (or you could if the country was that large!). Hungary, it would be more like 200 I'd guess.
elise2000 said:
halfpenny43 said:
This is a great thread - my wife and I are planning a similar trip for early September.
We live close to Amseterdam and plan to drive to Stuttgart to see the new Porsche Museum, then onto Stelvio, then Venice. Once there we were planning on Slovakia, Hungary and then back through Poland doing Krackow etc.
Having never planned such a roadtrip before - we thought to plan what we want to see and get hotels booked, then plan the route.
How far realistically can you comfortably drive in one day on the sort of roads that are there - 300 miles ?
I did a similar trip in 2004 (Britain-French Alps-Cremona-Venice-Slovenia-Croatia-Hungary-Slovakia-Poland-Czech Rep-Germany-Switzerland-South of France and back). We live close to Amseterdam and plan to drive to Stuttgart to see the new Porsche Museum, then onto Stelvio, then Venice. Once there we were planning on Slovakia, Hungary and then back through Poland doing Krackow etc.
Having never planned such a roadtrip before - we thought to plan what we want to see and get hotels booked, then plan the route.
How far realistically can you comfortably drive in one day on the sort of roads that are there - 300 miles ?
The roads vary considerably from one country to another. Slovenia has had a lot of European money invested in its motorways, as has Croatia, so they are great to drive on - much better than British roads!
Hungary & Polands roads are a different matter (or were 5 years ago).
In Slovenia, you could easily manage 400 miles in a day (or you could if the country was that large!). Hungary, it would be more like 200 I'd guess.
Motorways.....
If you're passing through Eastern Italy, the Dolomites are well worth a visit - stunning scenary and roads are fantastic although they can get busy, but well worth a go. And if you stop there, the food is brilliant.
www.Alpineroads.com gives a fine list of roads to enjoy in that area - the passes in Slovenia look quite good too.
If you're passing through Eastern Italy, the Dolomites are well worth a visit - stunning scenary and roads are fantastic although they can get busy, but well worth a go. And if you stop there, the food is brilliant.
www.Alpineroads.com gives a fine list of roads to enjoy in that area - the passes in Slovenia look quite good too.
I've driven to Ljubljana in Slovenija more than 10 times, half of them in a Griff500 and this route is pretty similar but for the final stint. It depends how much time you have.
In a rush? Hammer down through Belgium, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Villach and hook a right instead of a left into Croatia. If you're going further down use Slovene motorways - they're the smoothest I've driven on in Europe and virtually deserted.
If you have more time then treat yourself to the cross-France/Italy version. It's slower but the roads and scenery are astonishing. The Route Napoleon may be stretching it a little but Chamonix and the Mont Blanc tunnel aren't too far off course.
Either way I'm sure your have a tremendously memorable journey. Enjoy!
dumbfunk
In a rush? Hammer down through Belgium, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Villach and hook a right instead of a left into Croatia. If you're going further down use Slovene motorways - they're the smoothest I've driven on in Europe and virtually deserted.
If you have more time then treat yourself to the cross-France/Italy version. It's slower but the roads and scenery are astonishing. The Route Napoleon may be stretching it a little but Chamonix and the Mont Blanc tunnel aren't too far off course.
Either way I'm sure your have a tremendously memorable journey. Enjoy!
dumbfunk
dumbfunk said:
I've driven to Ljubljana in Slovenija more than 10 times, half of them in a Griff500 and this route is pretty similar but for the final stint. It depends how much time you have.
In a rush? Hammer down through Belgium, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Villach and hook a right instead of a left into Croatia. If you're going further down use Slovene motorways - they're the smoothest I've driven on in Europe and virtually deserted.
If you have more time then treat yourself to the cross-France/Italy version. It's slower but the roads and scenery are astonishing. The Route Napoleon may be stretching it a little but Chamonix and the Mont Blanc tunnel aren't too far off course.
Either way I'm sure your have a tremendously memorable journey. Enjoy!
dumbfunk
Dumbfunk, this isn't a TVR forum - Lotus owners don't take the Mont Blanc tunnel when there are several stupendously entertaining pass roads to choose from! :-)In a rush? Hammer down through Belgium, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Villach and hook a right instead of a left into Croatia. If you're going further down use Slovene motorways - they're the smoothest I've driven on in Europe and virtually deserted.
If you have more time then treat yourself to the cross-France/Italy version. It's slower but the roads and scenery are astonishing. The Route Napoleon may be stretching it a little but Chamonix and the Mont Blanc tunnel aren't too far off course.
Either way I'm sure your have a tremendously memorable journey. Enjoy!
dumbfunk
Ouch!
I was trying to save the man time but clearly the passes are the braniac choice.
The passes in Slovenija are amazing but can be slow in traffic so better driven recreationally than if you have a place to get to on time. I would suggest Ljubelj and Vršič are the ones to go for. I have some photos that I'll dig out if you're interested.
df
I was trying to save the man time but clearly the passes are the braniac choice.
The passes in Slovenija are amazing but can be slow in traffic so better driven recreationally than if you have a place to get to on time. I would suggest Ljubelj and Vršič are the ones to go for. I have some photos that I'll dig out if you're interested.
df
dumbfunk said:
Ouch!
I was trying to save the man time but clearly the passes are the braniac choice.
The passes in Slovenija are amazing but can be slow in traffic so better driven recreationally than if you have a place to get to on time. I would suggest Ljubelj and Vršič are the ones to go for. I have some photos that I'll dig out if you're interested.
df
Hehe. Yes please - I'm heading there in Sept after another dose of Dolomites :-)I was trying to save the man time but clearly the passes are the braniac choice.
The passes in Slovenija are amazing but can be slow in traffic so better driven recreationally than if you have a place to get to on time. I would suggest Ljubelj and Vršič are the ones to go for. I have some photos that I'll dig out if you're interested.
df
OK, checked through my old albums and most of my shots are of the amazing scenery rather than the roads themselves.
However, this more or less sums up the Ljubelj pass from Villach in Austria into Slovenija. It's a modern road but very steep in places. Not really that much fun but quite light traffic since the awesome new tunnel got built:
The top of Vršič is about as high as you can get and it's a really special drive up steep cobbled roads in some places and down the incredible Soča valley on the other side. When I last went it was near freezing at 1611m here (taken from the carpark!):
... and 25º down in the valley as the road tracks the banks of this river back to sea level:
Hope this helps?
dumbfunk
However, this more or less sums up the Ljubelj pass from Villach in Austria into Slovenija. It's a modern road but very steep in places. Not really that much fun but quite light traffic since the awesome new tunnel got built:
The top of Vršič is about as high as you can get and it's a really special drive up steep cobbled roads in some places and down the incredible Soča valley on the other side. When I last went it was near freezing at 1611m here (taken from the carpark!):
... and 25º down in the valley as the road tracks the banks of this river back to sea level:
Hope this helps?
dumbfunk
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