along the adriatic

If you end up renting a car, check carefully on the international drop charge. I think you'll want to drop the car in the same country where you pick it up.

In addition, be aware that you need an auto vignette to drive in Slovenia. I don't believe it's terribly costly, but the fine for not having it wouldn't be fun to pay.

If you haven't driven in Europe before, you have some research ahead of you. Italy, in particular, has some rather stringent (and heavily enforced) rules about not driving in designated areas. Although those areas are well-marked, tourists who haven't done any pre-trip research often fall afoul of them, and they end up getting some very costly traffic tickets after they return home, topped off with $40+ administrative fees from their car-rental agency. Don't let that happen to you. Google "ZTL Italy". They're serious about their speed limits, too.

If you find you need help with some specific segment of the trip up near its northernmost point, the shuttle company GoOpti may be useful to you. I haven't used them, but I've read quite a few positive comments from folk who have taken their shuttles between Venice and Ljubljana, etc.

I have only used scheduled public transportation myself.

Thank you!!
Do you know if there's a train or trains that run that route I can take instead?

Hi,
I found the train route!
Do you have any rec's on hotels/pensions in Bari, Ancona, Padua, Bologna, Trieste? Can I find them on the RS website??

Rick's guide books list hotels in some cities but not all; I don't think he has hotel advice on this website.

I use booking.com, reading reviews carefully to be sure I'm getting what I want, which includes solid Wi-Fi and air conditioning. The reviews on booking.com are all from people who have actually stayed at the properties; I find them helpful.

Thank you!!

In general the Adriatic coast is very beloved by Italians, so there are several tourists doing that route and enjoying the beach resorts and historical cities/towns along the way.
The train line Bologna - Pescara - Bari - Lecce is one of the most important of Italy. That line from Rimini follow the coast north to Ravenna and Venezia, but is a secondary one: the fats and main one pass through Bologna and Padua before reach Venezia and continue to Trieste. The same route is followed by the highway A14 "Adriatica".
You will pass through several regions very different each other in tradition, accent and traditional food. For international tourists isn't very required this side of Italy, even if plenty of things. Italians usually prefer to concentrate on a single region for a couple of weeks. For both reasons as far as I know there aren't group tours "from Bari to Trieste": of course you can ask for a private tour, or you must arrange it by yourself.

Since is plenty of nice and interesting villages and towns, my suggestion is to do a mixed experience: part travelling by train and part by car.

I am no expert...yet...but I have lived in Abruzzo for 8 months. My experience is that the train is limited, as it runs only up and down the coast. You would miss out on the gorgeous mountains and tiny towns if you stick just to the train. Also, having driven here for less than a year, I have found that the roads in Abruzzo and Puglia are well marked and well maintained for the most part (right around Bari was a potholed mess but that’s the only exception so far). Driving has not been a challenge at all. I even drove to Rome to exchange leased cars and it wasn’t as terrifying as I expected (granted, during lockdown).

All this to say, I would encourage you to stick to your plan of a road trip for maximum flexibility and fun. At least on the Italian side. Maybe drop your car outside of Venice and either get a Slovenian car or look for public transit alternatives on the east side of the Adriatic. I have not been there yet, so I can’t comment on their road situation, but I agree with the earlier poster that you don’t want to drop a car in a different country than where you originally rented it.

Can’t comment on places to stay as I have no personal experience. I normally use booking.com as well to check options.

The drive from Rovinj, Croatia to Piran, Slovenia and then on to Venice was easy for us back in July 2017. Plan for a little time for the stamp line to cross the Croatia-Slovenian border.

Thank you all so much!!! I'm so excited to do this!

Yes, the car in Italy to Trieste, then the train to Croatia.