Croatia Self Drive 07 - Coastal Odyssey

Summary

Croatia's whole coastline from Pula to Dubrovnik - includes magnificent history, beautiful islands and several national parks along the way.

START - Pula / FINISH - Dubrovnik.

Activity code: CRFD07

Duration: 15 Days

Get ready for a journey of discovery along the full length of the Adriatic coast over 2 weeks. Starting in the Istrian Peninsula at Pula, this route includes many national parks, historic towns, beautiful islands and much more. The itinerary concludes in Dubrovnik but can easily be reversed with the flexible flight schedule now available.

Your holiday exploration begins straight away with a hire car directly from the airport and a very short drive into Pula with its incredible amphitheatre; after this stop which will probably include lunch you can head over to the west coast of Istria and your main base for this part of the holiday, Rovinj. In this area there is so much to visit, including Porec, the Brijuni Islands and the lovely hill town of Motovun. Before driving inland to the main national park of your trip, Plitvice Lakes, we recommend an overnight in the seaside town of Opatija or on nearby Krk Island (accessible by a spectacular bridge).

Each day's drive is not so far so you have plenty of time to do some sightseeing, walking or take an extended lunch / picnic along the way. Your return to the coast after the incredible sights of the Plitvice National Park comes at the lovely old town of Zadar which also has some innovative new sights up its sleeve. Travelling further along the coast you can visit another national park, Krka, which is similar to Plitvice en route to your next main stop, either Trogir or Split (you can choose either according to your preference as it is easy to travel between them on the small ferry across the bay). Time to relax or perhaps take up the offer to do some rafting or the mulit-zip-wire experience in the Cetina Valley.

For the second week of the trip you could give up the car and travel on the fast ferry catamaran service to Dubrovnik via your choice of island(s) but sticking with the self-drive we recommend staying in Hvar Town for a couple of nights and then traversing the island to get the ferry over to the mainland (thereby avoiding backtracking to Split). Once back on the mainland you can stay in Ston and sample oysters and walk the walls or consider travelling inland to Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina prior to arriving in Dubrovnik. Mostar may be a day trip destination for many holidaying in Croatia but its stunning bridge, which was lovingly reconstructed after the war in the 1990s, and the old town's atmosphere is well worth the overnight stay.

If you have a few extra days you may wish to consider a few days in Montenegro which can be tailored to your preference between the beach resort of Budva with its tranquil old town and Kotor with its impressive walls, historic buildings and challenging walk up the "staircase" to the fortress high above.

We feel that the best finale to this holiday is a few nights in Dubrovnik where you can relax, enjoy some activities and sightseeing without your car as the local buses and cable car offer an excellent service.

** Designed as a linear route so you can reverse the direction if you wish.

Important Information

Flights available to book with us through a range of airlines, from various UK airports to Croatia. If we book your flights this means that your holiday will also be fully ATOL protected.

Prices shown are a guideline "from" (in UK Pounds) and are based on a travelling party of at least 2 adults. Single supplements may need to be applied to the twin/double price and discounts for children (under 12yrs) and/or a 3rd adult sharing a room are available upon request. Quoted prices for individual enquiries will depend upon your chosen accommodation, room availability and dates of travel. We always aim to match a high quality experience with exceptional value for money. Discounts will apply if there are 3 or more people in your travelling party as fixed costs such as transportation and guides will be shared equally between the group.