Our plan is to drive from Vienna, Austria south through Lake Bled, Slovenia than down to Plitivice National Park and than to Dubrovnik. On the way back, we will stop at Rovinj.
How is driving in this area of Europe? Are the roads good? Am I likely to encounter traffic jams in April?
I would appreciate any words of advice from someone who has done a similar drive.
How long do you have for this drive? It’s quite a distance and you’ll be passing many lovely places along the way that you may not wish to skip.
As for the driving itself, make sure you have the all clear from your rental agency on driving into all the countries along the way, including Bosnia, which you have to pass through to reach Dubrovnik. The alternative is putting your car on a ferry to avoid it but then you have to make sure you are allowed to take the car on ferries. If it’s an Austrian rental, it will most likely come preequipped with the Austrian vignette (toll sticker), but you will need to buy the Slovenian vignette at a gas station as you approach the border. Tolls in Croatia are paid at toll booths by cash or card. April is generally quiet apart from the daily rush hour around major cities. The only busy periods are around Easter and in the last week of April when many countries have holidays.
The newer highways are fast, well marked & excellent with frequent construction underway. The older 'surface' roads are usually slower, narrower but more interesting and with view turn-outs. Drivers are fast, skillful but usually polite. Cars & trucks are fairly new. (Only been possible since breakup & civil war end.) Get the International Drivers ID & learn the EU road signs! Very few signs in any language - only symbols. Expect parking problems in Split & Dubrovnik. We rented a car for 3 weeks in Zagreb (after visiting Zagreb), drove thru Slovenia (Ljub, Bled, over pass, Kobarid, Skocjan, Piran) and back into Croatia (Rovinj, Pula, Plitvice, Zadar, Hvar, etc) to Dubrovnik where we returned the car. Loved the trip.
My report home to driving in Croatia was there was no road that was straight or level. Perhaps the "highways" were better but I wanted to stop and see stuff. The small roads are small roads but never felt unsafe there.
