Croatia, the coast road and the new bridge.
Croatia changed shape for drivers in 2022, when a bridge removed the border crossing that used to sit in the middle of its own coastline. It is a better country to be driven around than it was three years ago.
Where we collect
Dubrovnik and Split are the coastal airports and carry most of the summer traffic, with Zadar, Pula and Rijeka filling in. Zagreb is the capital, the business market and the natural start of a Plitvice trip.
Dubrovnik is also a serious cruise port, and in season the old town, the port and the airport all compete for the same stretch of road at the same hours. That is a planning problem rather than a driving one, and it is why we ask for the ship and the sailing time rather than just a pickup hour.
The routes we run most
- Dubrovnik airport to the old town, Lapad and Cavtat
- Split to Dubrovnik along the coast, now entirely within Croatia
- Split to Trogir, Šibenik, Makarska and the Omiš riviera
- Zagreb to the Plitvice Lakes, about two hours
- Split or Dubrovnik to the ferry ports for Hvar, Brač and Korčula
- Dubrovnik to Mostar and to Montenegro, both cross-border day trips
The bridge that removed a border, and the ferry clock
Until July 2022, driving from Split to Dubrovnik meant leaving Croatia. A nine-kilometre strip of Bosnian coast at Neum cut the country in two, and every journey between its two most visited cities crossed two international borders, with the queues that implies in August. The Pelješac Bridge ended that. The drive is now continuous Croatian road, and in peak season it is comfortably the faster option.
The islands run on ferry timetables. Hvar, Brač, Korčula and the rest are reached by car ferry or catamaran from Split, Drvenik or Orebić, and the sailings thin out sharply outside summer. We time the drop to the sailing rather than to the clock, and on a day when the last catamaran matters, that is the number we plan around.
Bosnia and Montenegro are real borders. Neither is in the EU, so a Mostar or Kotor day trip involves passport checks and a vehicle that is properly documented to cross. Both are routine for us, and both want an earlier start than people expect in high season.
Questions
What people ask us.
How long is Split to Dubrovnik by road?
Around three and a half hours, and since the Pelješac Bridge opened in 2022 it no longer leaves Croatia at all. Before that it crossed two international borders at Neum, which in August could add a great deal.
Can you take us to Mostar or Montenegro?
Yes, both are regular day trips. They are genuine border crossings with passport checks, and our vehicles and drivers carry the documentation for cross-border work.
Can you get us to the island ferries?
Yes, to Split, Drvenik and Orebić among others. Tell us which sailing you are aiming for and we will time the drop to it rather than to a round hour.
How far is Plitvice from Zagreb?
About two hours each way, which makes it a full day rather than a half. Keeping the vehicle with you is the usual arrangement.
Do you do cruise transfers at Dubrovnik?
Yes. In season the port, the old town and the airport all load the same roads at the same time, so we plan backwards from the all-aboard time.
Is a car useful in Dubrovnik old town?
Not inside it, no. The old town is walled and pedestrian. We drop at the gates, which is as close as any vehicle gets.
Travelling in Croatia?
Coast, islands or a border crossing. Put the route in and see the price.