Travel by car in Croatia: itinerary for ten days, travel budget, what to see in Croatia, beaches, wineries and restaurants.
I’ve put together the full itinerary of our September trip to Croatia. This article has all the highlights of the trip, separately and in more detail about the vacation in Baska Voda and Primosten.
We split the trip into two parts to have more time to see the surroundings of these two resorts. This is what came of it.
Documents for traveling to Croatia
Tourists planning a trip to Croatia by car will need the following documents:
- International passport for visa-free entry Croatia is a Schengen country.
- Insurance policy – health insurance can be made online in five minutes on the portal EKTA. It’s convenient – you don’t need to go anywhere, and the electronic policy that will be sent to your email has the same legal force as the one issued at the insurance company’s office.
If you are planning to travel with your own car, I advise you to read a separate post: To Croatia by car.
I wrote in an article about all our expenses for the road trip: toll roads, insurance, documents, and how much it cost us to move. At the same time, she compared the costs of flying to Croatia by plane and rent a car.
Season for vacation in Croatia
In Croatia, the sea season begins in late May and ends in the 20th of September. It practically lasts for four months, but if you don’t want to swim in the sea, you can go in spring and fall.
In winter, almost everything on the coast is closed. Instead, you can see the national parks of Plitvice Lakes and Krka without the influx of tourists.
It’s ideal to go to Croatia in mid-September: there are fewer tourists, prices are reduced by at least half, and there is a large selection of inexpensive apartments. The sea is still warm at this time, and the sun is not too hot. After September 20, the weather may deteriorate, but it depends on your luck.
I advise you to read it: Brela – the best beaches on the Makarska
We traveled to Croatia from September 11 to 21. The sun shone every day, and it was quite hot during the day – up to +26℃. The sea warmed up to +24℃ – just the perfect combination of temperatures. During the day, it’s not hot to walk around the sights, you don’t die of heat and stuffiness.
What is the money in Croatia
On January 1, 2023, Croatia becomes a Schengen country and joins the Eurozone, replacing the kuna with the euro.
From January 1, 2024, only the National Bank will exchange kunas for euros (indefinitely), and coins will be exchanged for euros until January 1, 2026.
Croatia travel itinerary for 10 days
We came to Croatia in our own car and drove over 1500 kilometers.
The route from Ukraine to Croatia and back was as follows:
Odesa-Ismail-Ferry to Romania Isaccea-transit through Romania with a drive through Transfagaras and an overnight stay at the top-overnight in Timisoara-transit through Hungary-Baska Voda (5 nights)-Primosten (5 nights)-Slovakia-transit through Hungary-Odesa.
The routes in Croatia itself were linked to two vacation destinations: Baska Voda and Primosten.
- While vacationing in Baska Voda, we were able to visit the following places: Dubrovnik, Ston and Mali Ston, Omis, Imotski and the Red and Blue Lakes, and the beaches of the Makarska Riviera.
- From Primošten we managed to see: Šibenik, Trogir, Zadar, Krka National Park, and drive around the beaches and lagoons between Trogir and Primošten.
Main attractions near Makarska Riviera
During the five days we lived on the Makarska Riviera, we traveled to the nearest interesting places. I want to tell you about each place separately – why I liked them or not.
Dubrovnik and the cable car to the mountain Srđ
Dubrovnik has been one of the most touristy cities in recent years, and it remains so now. When we arrived in Dubrovnik by car, we drove around for a long time looking for parking – everything was packed. Until we decided to leave the car in the underground parking lot and walk a couple of kilometers.
Parking in Dubrovnik:
– at the entrance to the Old Town – 7 euros/hour
– underground parking 2 km from the old town – 2.5 Euro/hour
The old town in Dubrovnik is the reason millions of tourists come here. The city was popular before, but after the filming of Game of Thrones, it turned into a hyper-tourist destination with huge crowds in summer. The prices for everything are just crazy – from housing to ordinary pizza. I hadn’t been to Dubrovnik before the Games, but we came in September 2021-there weren’t many tourists, but enough to feel like it was high season.
Dubrovnik – the best areas for the tourists
Old Dubrovnik is beautiful – that’s for sure! You can’t help but like the visuals of such cities. But the prices for museums here are draconian. For example, climbing the wall of the Minchet Fortress, from which the postcard opens, costs 30 euros. To put it mildly, it does not fit in my head. For this price, we decided to skip the climb to the city wall. But we also had a good day: we walked around the city, walked along the harbor, fed the seagulls, sat in a pizzeria and returned to our car in the parking lot. We went to Mount Srđ, which rises above Dubrovnik.
And absolutely free of charge (not counting the cost of fuel), we climbed to the observation deck above Dubrovnik. A funicular leads to the top of Mount Srđ. There is plenty of free parking at the top – the views of Dubrovnik from the mountain are worth the climb. There is also a museum of the Patriotic War of 1991 located in the Imperial Fortress.
I advise you to read – Free Dubrovnik
If you have a desire to stay in Dubrovnik, choose accommodation not in the Old Town. It is best to stay in apartments in the port area or in hotels outside the one-kilometer zone from the Old Town.
Ston and Mali Ston
On the way to Dubrovnik, we stopped by small but interesting towns – Ston and Mali Ston. There is an unusual defense structure here – the Ston Wall. Back in the days of the Dubrovnik Republic, salt was mined in Ston, one of the main components of the state budget. To protect the salt fields from invaders, a huge wall was erected around the Ston, which was used to defend against robbers. To build this wall, they had to exchange some of the land in Bosnia and give a piece of their own, which is the road you have to drive on the way to Dubrovnik from the Makarska Riviera.
If you are planning to travel to Ston or Dubrovnik, you can drive through the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is literally 15 km of highway that runs through the city of Neum. To cross the territory of BiH, you do not need a visa – a biometric passport is enough, which will be checked at entry and exit.
Or the recently completed and opened for cars Pelješacký Bridge, which allows you to bypass a piece of Bosnia.
The 5.5 km long wall is considered to be the longest in Europe, and it even visually inspires respect. Now it is a historical landmark – you can climb and walk along the Ston Wall for 10 euros per person. Such a walk is a great way to stretch your muscles, you will have to walk uphill all the time, and then downhill as much if you go to the wall in Mali Ston. But I don’t recommend doing it in the heat!
And salt is still mined here, although there is no need to protect it much anymore – values have changed a lot over the centuries. Stohin is a very nice town – you can walk along the wall, or just sit down for a cup of coffee in one of the local restaurants. We decided to try a local dessert – Ston cake, which is made of chocolate and pasta! It turned out to be delicious.
Tip: At the entrance to Mali Ston, I recommend staying at Oysters ANTONIO (Zamaslina 4, 20230, Ston).
They sell fresh oysters for 1 euro (to go) or 1.5 euros on the spot with a glass of wine.
Blue and Red Lakes near Imotski
Just a half-hour drive from Baska Voda is the village of Imotski, which has two unusual lakes – Blue and Red(Modro jezero and Crveno jezero). These are karst lakes formed in deep rock depressions.
The Blue Lake is large around the perimeter, but there is not as much water in it as it is shown on the map. But it’s interesting to go down to its karst sinkhole along a hiking trail. The summer of 2021 was dry, so we walked down for a long time – there was little water in the lake, but the place is still very beautiful.
The Red Lake is smaller in diameter, but the water in it goes up to 300 meters deep – it is one of the deepest sinkholes in the world filled with water. In fact, it is one of the deepest lakes in the world. Red Lake got its name for the color of the rocks – it’s beautiful, and at the same time it’s scary to look down knowing how deep it is.
If you have time, you can stop by the Prološko Bl ato Lake – the Bekavci observation deck offers a great view of the lake.
And we decided to attend a tasting at the family winery Vina Đuzel (Glavina gornja 81, 21260, Imotski), located on the outskirts of Imotski. We found it on the map and decided to taste the local wines.
They produce a traditional red dry Croatian wine, Trnjak, a white wine made from the autochthonous Kujundžuša variety, which is a very light wine for fish, as well as white Chardonnay and Rosé. Having paid for the tasting – 7 euros per person – we tasted four types of wine and learned the history of the local region and winery. We visited the wine cellar, walked through the vineyards, and bought three bottles to take home. Very sincere winery and good quality wine – I recommend it!
Omish and the Cetina River Canyon
Omis is another interesting town that I recommend visiting during your vacation on the Makarska Riviera. It is located at the mouth of the Cetina River. Thanks to the river, Omisza has the only sandy beach on the coast – for those who do not like pebbles.
I advise you to read it: Omish – a pirate town with sandy beaches
The city is surrounded by the high cliffs of the Cetinje Canyon, which makes it look unusual and actually very beautiful. We arrived in Omis in the afternoon and managed to climb the local fortress of Peovica(Mirabela) – the entrance fee is 2.5 euros per person and only in cash.
From the fortress you can see the whole city and the mouth of the river, which is really beautiful and worth going up there. If that’s not enough, go to the top of the cliff that hangs over Omish – to the Stary Grad Fortress. For extreme sports enthusiasts, Omisza has Via Ferrata, a trail made of metal brackets with a safety net laid along the rocks. You can also go kayaking on the Cetina River.
We drove along the Omsk serpentine to see the canyon from the opposite side of the sea. We visited the observation deck near the statue of Mila Gojsalic, a Croatian martyr and heroine who destroyed the Turkish Ahmed Pasha and his army by blowing herself and a munitions depot (16th century).
What to see around Split
We spent the next five days in another town, Primosten, which is located between Split and Zadar. This city is located just north of the Makarska Riviera, and it is closer to the Plitvice Lakes, the lakes of the Krka National Park, and there are also many pine trees along the coast, but the landscape is different.
Primoshten and the surrounding area
Primoshten is a small tourist town located on a small peninsula. More precisely, the peninsula has its Old Town, and the mainland has a modern city with a large selection of apartments.
The beach in Primoshten is very cool, it circles the neighboring peninsula. Small pebbles, a warm, windless lagoon, and pine trees are the reasons why tourists come here for vacation. There are some very beautiful places around Primosten that I recommend to spend a day in.
I advise you to read – Review of a beach vacation in Primoshten
Firstly, it is a hill with a huge lighthouse statue of the Black Madonna (Our Lady Of Loreto Statue). It has an observation deck and a cafe where you can enjoy a coffee with a view of Primosten.
Secondly, be sure to visit the Punta Planka (Ploča) cape. It’s incredibly beautiful here: white stones on which a small chapel is built, with a small lighthouse rising in front of it. The shore, blown by all the winds on a bright, hot day, looks like a sun-burnt earth against the blue sea.
Thirdly, take a dip in the karst salt lake Zmajevo Oko, located near the village of Rohoznitsa. According to legend, a dragon lives in it. Of course, these are fairy tales, but it was a little scary to swim. The lake is fed by sea water, although it is completely inside the peninsula.
We stayed for a few days in the new part of Primosten, in the Mara apartment. The town is small, it took us 10 minutes to walk to the beach.
Trogir
It’s a cozy and nice town that we came to several times from Primosten to walk around, drink coffee, and buy fish at the local fish market. Old Trogir, unlike Primosten, is located on an island with a small old bridge leading to it.
Narrow streets, medieval architecture, and a cafe or restaurant in every second building. It’s very similar in style to Dubrovnik, but much smaller, cheaper, and nicer. There are not as many tourists in Trogir as in Dubrovnik or Split. So it’s a great alternative if you don’t like crowds in ancient cities.
More information How to spend one day in Trogir
If you wish, you can go to the local Camerlengo Fortress Museum – entrance fee is 3.5 euros. You can climb to the very top of the fortress and see a beautiful view of the Trogir promenade. It is convenient to stay in Trogir if you arrive late or depart early from Split. The city is located directly next to Split Airport.
Shibenik
We came here for half a day to walk around the old town and buy seafood, vegetables, and fruit at the local market. The market in Šibenik turned out to be the cheapest on our entire route, with dorado at 5 euros per kilogram – it’s just happiness.
Šibenik is similar to the medieval coastal towns of Croatia: narrow streets, a huge St. James’s Cathedral, and many other churches. I liked it, but, like in other ancient towns, there was plenty to do for 4-5 hours.
But if you drive a little further, across the Shybenik Bridge, you will find yourself on an island where grapes are grown. There are many wineries here – visit one of them, BARAKA Winery we stopped by for a tasting. As a result, we tasted four types of wine, bought three rosés and two white wines, and went to our apartment to cook fresh fish. The wine is fantastically delicious – it’s a pity they don’t bring it to us.
Krka National Park
I wrote a separate review about this park of cascading lakes. I will say here that I planned to go to the Plitvice Lakes Park and to Krk. But because the summer of 2021 was very dry, the waterfalls in both parks were very weak. Our friends who visited both parks a week before us told us how little water there was. That’s why we stopped only at Krka.
Despite the drought, it was still very beautiful there. We spent a whole day in Krka:
- We visited the Skradinsky Buk waterfall and walked around all the routes.
- We went to the island of Franjevački Samostan.
- We walked the entire route near the Roshky Slap waterfall.
- We climbed the steep stairs to the Oziđana Pećina cave.
- We drove across the Krka Bridge.
The entrance fee to the Krka Nature Park is 40 Euros per person. Please note that toilets inside the park are available for a fee of 1 Euro.
Zadar
We came to Zadar before our daughter’s flight to Prague. We spent five hours in the city, which was enough time to see everything. There is an airport in Zadar, where low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizzair arrive. Here you can spend an inexpensive night before an early departure book a hotel in Zadar⋙
What we managed to see in Zadar:
- walked through the center of the Old Town,
- climbed the bell tower – 2 euros per person,
- sat on the waterfront and listened to the Sea Organ – very cool, a must-see and free of charge! walked along the marina along the yachts,
- ate delicious seafood in a nice restaurant.
More details about Zadar airport, where to stay, and what to see in this city
Budget and features of independent travel in Croatia
Many people write that vacationing in Croatia is expensive. I can’t disagree with you in some respects, although it is possible to optimize costs and save on something. First of all, you can cook on your own in the apartment, and you don’t have to go to restaurants every day. But you shouldn’t deny yourself this pleasure either – delicious seafood in Croatia is worth it!
Secondly, go not during the peak season, but in September, when apartment prices are lower. Although, to find a good apartment for three for 50-80 euros per day, you have to try hard. I mean that the third family member will not sleep on the couch, but on a full bed, that there will be a well-equipped kitchen and a washing machine.
Thirdly, you need a car to see more sights. If you’re only interested in the beach and the sea, save money on museums and national parks. They are really expensive in Croatia. But if you don’t like to lie on the beach all day, you shouldn’t skimp on this.
Our budget for the trip was 2000 euros for three of us for 10 days. This amount included everything: accommodation, meals, toll roads, and entertainment. We also included additional days when we were traveling from Ukraine and back – overnight stays in hotels along the way, restaurants. In addition, this amount included a flight from Prague to Zadar to Prague – our daughter was flying from another city to meet us. In fact, this is a budget for a two-week trip, where we spent money wisely without denying our desires. It’s probably cheaper.
Food prices and receipts in restaurants in Croatia
Most of the time we cooked on our own – we rented an apartment with a kitchen. But every two days we went to restaurants with seafood. If you cook on your own, food in the supermarket is a little more expensive than in Odesa and Kyiv. We cooked risotto, spaghetti with seafood (shrimp, squid), and prepared fish that we bought at fish markets. For breakfast, we had fresh pastries from bakeries, which are very popular in Croatia. Every morning we had coffee with croissants and fresh buns for 1 euro.
A small list of product prices:
- Coffee – 1-2 euros, depending on the place.
- Wine – a liter of white wine in a restaurant costs 11-13 euros, good Croatian wine in a store costs from 5 euros.
- Fruits and vegetables in the markets (peaches, figs, dates, tomatoes) cost from 1.5-3 euros per kg.
- Tastings at wineries – from 10 Euros per bottle, tasting – from 7 Euros per person.
- Fish in the markets – dorado from 5 Euros per kg (cleaning is included), small shrimp from 4-5 Euros, large tiger shrimp from 25 Euros.
Restaurants I recommend:
The average restaurant bill for three people was 50-60 euros with seafood, homemade wine, and a salad. We chose restaurants based on reviews on Google Maps – we liked most of the places. Here are recommendations of a few restaurants where it was really delicious – I’m not writing about inexpensive, because for some people 50 euros is an unaffordable amount, and others will say it’s a penny.
Restaurant and agritourism Šarićevi dvori in Primošten (22202, Primošten) – here we ate delicious octopus (trunk) cooked in a wood-fired oven in wine with potatoes – a portion of 130 Kuna (15-18 euros) with wine and salad for one person. Expensive, but very tasty!
Restaurant Aga (Villa Aga Apartments, Nemira V 13) – located near Omis, we stopped for dinner on the way. Low prices for fresh grilled fish, a beautiful sunset were watched while sitting at the table. The average bill is 40 euros for three: fish, salads and a carafe of white wine. The restaurant has its own parking lot.
Antinov Restaurant in Z adar (Obala kneza Domagoja 3, 23000, Zadar) – I have never eaten such juicy and delicious tuna in my life. The restaurant is located next to the lighthouse, away from the old town. But it’s worth going there for the seafood.
Pizza in Dubrovnik – Mea Culpa Pizzeria & Trattoria Dubrovnik (Ul. za Rokom 3, 20000, Dubrovnik) – prices in Dubrovnik are usually off the charts, but this pizzeria had adequate prices and, most importantly, delicious pizza and a large one for the price of 13 euros. The bill with drinks came to 30 euros for the three of us, which is not much for Dubrovnik.
Useful links for traveling to Croatia:
Car rental – I am looking for inexpensive options on Rentalcars.com
Booking hotels and apartments – traditionally on Booking.com
Travel insurance with discounts – online on the portal EKTA
What else to read:
- Features of a road trip in Portugal – route from Lisbon to Porto
- Tropea – beach vacation in Calabria, Italy
- Algarve – the best beaches in Portugal
