Help on which cities to rent car for/Croatia

Renting a car once you leave Dubrovnik will definitely make it easier to see all of those places. Check rental car prices for one-way rentals from Dubrovnik to Zadar to see what options and prices you get.

You might want to check out the Terms and Conditions on rental cars for Croatia. I was reading that one large German car rental company doesn't their vehicles to even go into Croatia. I don't know the reason, however. Could be any reason--including government regulations. ? ? ? ?

Car rental rates appear to be pretty good. Sixt Car Rental is large there, but we've heard too many complaints on them. Enterprise Car Rental is also there, and they've got my vote. Alamo Car Rental is also there, and it is owned by Enterprise.

We were in Montenegro and Croatia 6/2022, and found the coastal areas to be absolutely lovely. We're going to be back--and taking in Slovenia too.

I'm confused. Is your week of hiking in Montenegro a tour? I think you'd certainly need a rental car for that if you're doing it independently. The national parks in Montenegro are said to be beautiful, but I don't think they're served by public buses.

The ride around the Bay of Kotor is absolutely stunning. The problem is that the driver needs to be watching the road.

I haven't been to Niksic. I liked stopping for a new hours (and lunch) in Herceg Novi, which is on the way from Dubrovnik to the Bay of Kotor.

Your list of stops in Croatia doesn't include Plitvice Lakes National Park, which is a favorite of mine. I haven't been to Krka, which I know is less touristy, but I don't think it's a substitute for Plitvice. For Plitvice it is essential to visit the park outside daytripping hours, which means spending one night near or in the park so you can see it late in the afternoon and/or early in the morning. Plitvice is about 1-1/2 hours beyond Zadar by car. I thoroughly enjoyed Zadar, but if I had to cut my time there to practically nothing in order to get to Plitvice, I'd do so.

Sounds like a good idea in some of my favorite places.

I suggest you contact this person and see if she can help you plan a good trip.
She handles the entire region and is really, really, really good at what she does and it costs nothing to start a conversation and see if it will work for you.

Dijana Krkotic
Executive director
Doclea Travel
Address: Bulevar Sv. Petra
Cetinjskog br. 79
81 000 Podgorica
Phone: +382 20 675 197
Mob: +382 69 277 749
E-mail:dijana@docleatravel.com
www.docleatravel.com

Thanks, Rick Steves Team, for all the wonderful and timely advice. You are amazing!
Let's skip the hiking part--that's a separate trip with ground transport. I'll just focus on Croatia.
First, it seems that I've mixed up the waterfalls and Plitvice. Apologies.

Can you tell me the driving route to go along the coast (stopping at my points of interest) to Plitvice, as that is the #1 place which caught my eye in Rick's video.

*Should I go straight from Split up north to Plitvice and then circle down to Zadar?

*Or is the route better from Split to Zadar, then to Plitvice? And do let me know the hours of driving please!
*In short, I need a logical route for driving, and without the experience of knowing miles and distance and water work-arounds, that is hard.

*Thanks if you can suggest (and help me cross out places that might not fit in my 8 day timeframe):
*Mljet (night 1)
*Bol (not sure if Mljet and Bol can be on same day--maybe I can cross one off)?
*Korcuka (night 2)
*Split (night 3)
*Trojir
*Krka national park (waterfalls)---maybe I'll replace this with Plitvice (night 4, 5)
*Zadar (n ight 6)
*Plitvice (2 nights, one to get there early before park opens)
*And where would I return the car to? Not sure which is the logical major center. But I think I have to fly home from Dubrovnick.
With thanks!
Roseanne

Roseanne, if you want to see Plitvice, it would make sense to start or end the trip in Zagreb, which is only about two hours from Plitvice. Zagreb is a bigger airport with better flight connections than Zadar's most likely. You'd be able to rent a car in Dubrovnik and return at the airport in Zagreb or vice versa.

In Korcula, remember that there is no car ferry to Split from Korcula Town, where the ferry from Orebic connects. You have to take the car ferry from Vela Luka on the other side of Korcula to get to Split. There are passenger catamarans from Korcula Town to Split, not car ferries.

You don't need two nights at Plitvice unless you are arriving late before the first night and panning to spend the entire day at Plitvice and just find it easier to spend a second night there. You could either arrive in the mid-afternoon and see some of the park the first afternoon and the rest the second morning...or just see the entire park in a day, getting in first thing in the morning. Yes, you will hit crowds by mid-morning. So you could either deal with the crowds...or do the late afternoon / next morning approach, which requires only one night probably.

There are park-run hotels right in Plitvice that are convenient (walk right into the park) though a bit overpriced. One advantage is that they will stamp your park ticket from the first day to allow you to enter a second day without paying again.

I think the big attraction at Krka is the Skradinski Buk waterfall, a huge cascading waterfall that dwarfs anything you'll see at Plitvice. There is more to see at Krka than the big waterfall, but that's the highlight, and if you want to see just that, you don't need to spend even a night there. Just a few hours. Krka is a less coherent hiking experience than you get at Plitvice, which is two huge lakes plus dozens of little waterfalls, so you have to hike it to get the gist of it. At Krka you can just see the waterfall if you want or spend time driving between the other attractions in the park.

Yes, starting and ending in Dubrovnik isn’t the most efficient. Andrew will have good advice if you are planning this all yourself. However, I would probably do part of the trip by ferry - either from Dubrovnik to Split or the opposite, with island stops in either Korcula or Bol (in this short a timeframe, I wouldn’t try to hit both) and Mljet. Spend 2 nights.

And not to talk you out of what your heart is set on, but I would also skip Trogir. It is charming but you are short of nights (and it is not fast and efficient to park) and you may want to either pick up or drop off a car in Split (depending on the direction of your route). With a second night in Split, maybe you could see Trogir as a day trip.

I drove Plitvice - Split in about 3 hrs in the afternoon, if that helps.

Again, Zadar is interesting but so are all your other stops. And parking is expensive there to stay in the old town area.

Maybe, predicated upon needing to depart from and return to Dubrovnik:
Mljet - night 1
Korcula nights 2-3
Split - night 4 -5 (day trip to Trogir) pick up car upon leaving
Plitvice - night 6
Zadar - night 7 & 8 (day trip to Krka but you could skip this)
Dubrovnik- night 9 before your flight
return car upon arrival in either Zadar or Dubrovnik

Some of the timing and number of night decisions I would make based on ferry schedules.

I used Uni-Rent. I picked up in Dubrovnik and returned in Split but you could do the opposite. And they have a couple of locations in Zadar as well.

There are no wrong answers! But I know I struggled some getting my head wrapped around it all and I had a month.

You might find the ViaMichelin website (viamichelin.com) useful. It suggests driving routes. If you want to prioritize scenery, you can select "Discovery" under "My Route Options". Keep in mind that the estimated travel times do not include any stops, traffic delays, navigational errors, searching for parking at stops enroute, or walking from your parking place to your sightseeing destination.

Hi there team Rick Steves!
Thanks for all the wonderful and thoughtful help. You made reference to "Andrew" helping me--I'm not clear who he is or how to reach him! Did I miss a post?

In the meantime, based on your last advice, can you check and see if I understand the itinerary correctly?
I can pick up car from either Dubrov. or Split. Would I be missing beautiful scenery and landscape if picked up car in Split?

1. Mljet - night 1** (Does this require a Ferry? Or reachable by car? And how can I know how often it comes and goes? Is it reasonable to reach there in a few hours from Dubrovnick?

Korcula nights 2-3 (Is this using a ferry from Mljet? Estimated hours from Mljet? Or can it be driven on land from Mljet to Korcula?

Split - night 4 -5 (day trip to Trogir) pick up car upon leaving (Ah....can also get car from Split) Are cars easy to get in Split? Would I be missing a land opportunity of scenery? Or is it just easier by ferry

Plitvice - night 6 Leave Split early morning, arrive Plitvice mid-day, see park late in afternoon, again, early next morning.

Zadar - night 7 & 8 (day trip to Krka but you could skip this)

*If I return car to Zadar, can I get back to Dubrovnik easily ? How? (in a day or 4 - 6 hours)? Same question for Split?

**Question--was told Split hotels are very expensive and Trogir ones are cheap--but sounds like you can't drive in to old city?
Again, Zadar is interesting but so are all your other stops. And parking is expensive there to stay in the old town area. (How much more or less per night)?

With so much thanks for all of your help!
Warmly
RG

To check ferry routes use croatiaferries.com. To see driving routes with times use distancesfrom.com. There is no need for a car to travel up the coast. From Dubrovnik to Korčula to Split to Zadar can all be done by ferry or catamaran. Rent the car at the last town before driving to Plitvice Lakes. Cars can be returned at any Croatian city for an extra fee.
Mljet is an island, need to take a ferry. Trogir can also be reached by ferry or bus from Split for a dsy trip, it’s about an hour.
If you will be hiking for a week in Montenegro, why drive back there before heading up the coast? Seems a waste of time.

You made reference to "Andrew" helping me--I'm not clear who he is or how to reach him!
In the meantime, based on your last advice, can you check and see if I understand the itinerary correctly?

Andrew’s post was a couple above mine.

I can pick up car from either Dubrov. or Split. Would I be missing beautiful scenery and landscape if picked up car in Split?

I only took the ferry so I don’t know. But you can’t do it all. And there’s no bad choice.

Mljet - night 1** (Does this require a Ferry? Or reachable by car? And how can I know how often it comes and goes? Is it reasonable to reach there in a few hours from Dubrovnick?
Korcula nights 2-3 (Is this using a ferry from Mljet? Estimated hours from Mljet? Or can it be driven on land from Mljet to Korcula?

Check the ferry links Barbara gave you. But yes, you can go by ferry from Dubrovnik to Mljet to Korćula.

Split - night 4 -5 (day trip to Trogir) pick up car upon leaving (Ah....can also get car from Split) Are cars easy to get in Split? Would I be missing a land opportunity of scenery? Or is it just easier by ferry

Again - just check schedules and car rental prices and decide. The ferry from Korćula to Split is easy. I returned my car in Split but I would assume that if you make a reservation ahead of time, you won’t have a problem getting one there. I wouldn’t try to get one without a reservation.

If I return car to Zadar, can I get back to Dubrovnik easily ? How? (in a day or 4 - 6 hours)? Same question for Split? **Question--was told Split hotels are very expensive and Trogir ones are cheap--but sounds like you can't drive in to old city?

I stayed in apartments in both. Use booking.com and look at options and prices to see what you prefer. In Trogir, you drive close to the old city, park an hour to take your luggage, return and move to the large lot, and walk back in. For me, it was just extra trouble for a one night stay.