Please sign in to post.

Driving Slovenia,Croatia, Bosnia

We are landing in Ljubljana in late May for 3 weeks driving a circle route through 3 countries. Distances each day don't seem to be too far. 1. Is it better to stay in two or three places and do day trips? Do you know any great places/accommodations to stay? 2. At that time of year do you have to make lodging reservations for Hotels, Sobes, Pensions, or Farms or can you just show up in the afternoon? 3. Do you have to reserve in advance to get your car on the Adriatic Island hopping ferries in June?
Thanks in advance

Posted by
315 posts

We did a loop out of Ljubljana west into Italy over ten days last summer. Driving in Slovenia was very easy and we had a great time. I'd recommend carefully considering your map when planning how many nights to stay places. We only did one stay that was a single night (in Italy), but single night stays are easier to negotiate in a car than by public transportation. If you don't have reservations in advance, you might stumble upon some great places but you may also spend more time then you want looking for accommodations. It's really a personal choice. Have a great trip.

Posted by
3049 posts

Keep in mind that many of the roads in Croatia and Bosnia are two lane and windy. So even a modest mileage may take a while and feel somewhat exhausting. With regards to day trips versus staying 1 night at different places as you go, it really depends on what you want to see. Day trips in my mind are not reasonable if the transit time is more than 2 hours each way, and that's pushing it. With the huge amount of Sobes you're probably pretty safe not reserving in advance, but if you're visiting highly touristed places (like Dubrovnik) I would consider reserving in advance to get a good price for a quality lodging. At the best value places people do make reservations. You may be stuck paying more for less. Can't speak to the ferries, sorry. I didn't spend a ton of time in Croatia or Bosnia, but I adored Sarajevo (stayed 3 nights, wish I'd stayed longer) and thought Mostar was great for 1-2 nights. In Croatia, we were glad we stayed in Cavtat instead of Dubrovnik (a nearby town, beautiful and easy for day tripping to Dubrovnik without the tourist hordes) and really thought Split was fantastic. Zadar was a good base to fly out of but didn't impress me enough as a destination unto itself.

Posted by
86 posts

For the ferries: you don't have to reserve, but then you run the risk of not getting to your Croatian destination in a timely manner. I would do it for peace of mind. 2 summers ago I was waiting at the dock in Rijeka as a foot passenger with a res and saw driver after driver being turned away. The next available ferry was 2 weeks away, so they were having to drive to get to their destinations. Yuck. (this was the night ferry to Split, Korcula and Dubrovnik) May mightbe a little different than July though. Also, I highly recommend booking a cabin. If you don't you could be sleeping on the floor in a hallway if you do go by over night ferry. I'm not sure about shorter routes though, as I haven't taken those.