A 10 day Croatia Roadtrip (Solo Driving Itinerary rules ) in 2026

10 Day Croatia RoadTrip Details:

I was inspired by a couple of friends to do this Croatia roadtrip and I am so glad that I did this road trip. I was a bit apprehensive about doing it solo. Just like all my solo road trips before and after this one.

But every time I figure out being scared is totally normal and I am glad that I was able to push past that fear every single time.

It has given me an array of memories and in this post, I write about how I was able to do this Croatia Road trip solo and the tips needed to do that as well.

When is the best time for a road trip through Croatia

I have been couple of times to Croatia. Once during winter and recently during summer. And I preferred doing Croatia by car doing summer.

This was in June and it was the perfect time to a road trip in Croatia. The summer crowds hadn’t come in yet and it was generally quite warm to swim in the many beaches around Croatia.

Since it was less crowded than summer, I could relax and enjoy each of the locations to the fullest.

And since it was not winter, I did not have to worry about driving in snow.

Even though, I was in Montenegro and Bosnia at the same time, I did not do combine the two trips and I ended up spending 13 days only in Croatia. I did rent another car in Montenegro but it is slightly more difficult to rent a car in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Similarly, I drove in Albania and North Macedonia on another trip during Autumn.

Things to keep in mind while choosing a car rental in Croatia

These are some of the things to keep in mind while choosing a car rental in Croatia:

• I decided to go with an aggregator like Discover Cars since it helped me to compare the different types of options and then choose the one that suited me.
• When I am driving solo in a new country, I prefer a smaller car. Even though back at home, I usually drive bigger cars.
• I ended up spending around 30$ per day for a car that I picked up at Dubrovnik airport and dropped at Zagreb airport.
• I ended up choosing a Manual transmission since I am again used to driving both back home. But this is something I wouldn’t definitely recommend. In my case, since I am used to driving on the left side of the road and Croatia drives on the right side, I kept looking for the gear box on the left. When I was driving from Dubrovnik to Split for the first time, I had a line form behind me while I was figuring this out and was going at snail pace. But I figured it out after the first day.
• IDP is not mandatory but it is preferred for both US and Indian driving licenses.
• I chose not to drive in Dubrovnik since parking was a pain and hence only picked up the vehicle from the airport once I spent 3 nights in Dubrovnik.
• It will cost you almost double if you choose automatic transmission.
• There is an interesting trivia if you are driving from Dubrovnik to Split via Neum which is in Bosnia & Herzegovina. You don’t have to pass Neum anymore because of Peljesac bridge.
• But if you want the added advantage of driving for less than 30 mins in B&H, you can do this drive via Neum. But this means that you first need to cross Croatia border. Then enter to B&H. Then exit B&H border and enter into Croatia again. Which means that you need a multiple entry Schengen visa and you also require a Green card which costs around 60 Euros. I wanted to do this since it is otherwise very difficult to get a car rental company from another country to rent a car in Bosnia & Herzegovina. I tried this in both Croatia and Albania and was refused a car that enters B&H.
• I chose Hertz since it was more reliable for Croatia road trips. I also purchased additional car insurance for around 10$ a day.
• Another thing you need to remember during your road trip in Croatia is that they don’t have toll stickers. And you need to pay a toll especially if you are driving in A1 (the main highway of Croatia). So please keep a credit card with you for paying at the toll. It is usually unmanned and I had to get out almost every single time because I am short according to European standards.
• Similarly, many fuel pumps are unmanned and you need to pay first and then fill up fuel. It comes to around 1.5$ for a gallon of petrol.

Tips for your solo driving Croatia itinerary

These are few tips for driving solo in Croatia as a solo female traveller:

• You are driving on your own. So pace yourself and take enough breaks in between.
• I stuck to maximum of 3 hours of driving at a time so that I don’t tire myself out.
• Stay hydrated and take enough bathroom breaks.
• I don’t like snacking when I am driving. But if you prefer them, do keep some handy.
• Keep all your emergency toll numbers handy. You never know who you may need to call in case of an issue.
• Ensure that you document the state of the car, both before and after the trip. I take a video multiple times during the trip. This is to prevent fraudulent insurance claims later on.
• Parking in some Croatian cities can be a nightmare. Which is one of the reasons I did not drive in Dubrovnik. Make sure that you choose hotels with parking facilities. Even in Split when I stayed in an apartment, I made sure that I had my parking sorted.
• I do know how to change a tyre if the necessity arises.
• Have a downloaded song list for all your road trips in Croatia. Else, driving solo can get tedious after a while. I love vibing to my favorite songs while driving.
• Make sure you have an eSim that works well everywhere in Croatia. Else, do get your own GPS as well.
• Map out your route before hand so that you know how much it will take between each of your stops. Also, account for some last minute stops.
• Croatia is actually quite affordable when it comes to renting a car and I did not spend more than 50-70$ per day including car rental charges, insurance, toll, parking and fuel.
• You will need a credit card to pay for your tolls.

My Croatia Road Trip Itinerary with stops and maps

I started my journey in Dubrovnik and ended up Croatia roadtrip in Zagreb. This can be interchanged as well since both have international airports.

I took a bus from Montenegro to Dubrovnik and I flew back to India from Zagreb. This is my driving Croatia itinerary for 10 days and I spent an additional 3 nights in Dubrovnik without a car.

This trip did not include many islands and I would love to go back one day to do island hopping.

You can find our Croatia road trip map below:

Dubrovnik

Truth be told, Dubrovnik may not be everyone’s cup of tea. And one of the main reasons is that it can get extremely crowded because of its popularity especially after Game of Thrones got so popular.

It was actually my least favorite place in Croatia but it was still gorgeous.

I ended up spending 3 days just soaking in the vibes in the old town of Dubrovnik. As a GOT fan, I had lots of places to explore and also ended up doing a GOT tour while I was here.

You have to walk along the walls here and there is so much history in the Old town.

I also ended up taking a half day trip to the nearby islands of Lokrum and Elafiti and did a cable car ride up to catch the best views of the city.

The city just vibes during evenings. I was not staying inside the Old town but just outside. And I used to walk every day in the evening to the Old town since the whole place used to just come alive.

There are so many cafes and restaurants to choose from and vegetarian food was definitely not hard to get in Croatia. Don’t forget to do a Dubrovnik pub crawl when you are in the city.

Fort Lovrijenac does have a paid entry option and you need to visit Dubrovnik Cathedral and the Franciscan Monastery too.

How to get here: Dubrovnik is connected with both US and Indian cities because of having an international airport. I was already in Kotor and hence it took me just 2 hours by bus to get to Dubrovnik. Another option is to take a 4.5 hour bus from Sarajevo.

Split

Driving time from Dubrovnik to Split: 3 hours

This drive is definitely beautiful and you will end up taking so many stops during this Dalmatian coast trip.

I did the longer route through Neum to drive through Bosnia since I wanted to drive through Bosnia. Only caveat is that you need to pass 4 checkpoints. You can avoid this by just taking the bridge.

I ended up staying 3 days in Split in an apartment that was walking distance from the harbour.

I spent the first day just exploring Split. Some must visit places include the Diocletian’s palace and cellars, the promenade, the Bell tower view of the city. Food here is excellent and there are also many wine tasting tours from Split.

Hvar, Vis and Blue Lagoon

On the 2nd day there, I ended up taking a boat tour to the nearby islands of Hvar, Vis and the Blue Lagoon. I did not want to take my car and hence just ended up taking this guided boat tour to these Croatian islands.

The islands are the perfect way to spend an ideal day and the Blue lagoon is definitely a must visit. But please note that the Blue Lagoon can get really crowded.

This famous tour also stops at Komiza and Budikovac Island. They also choose an isolated beach for you to relax during the day.

The waves can get choppy and hence this boat tour is not suited for people with back problems.

Trogir

Driving time from Split to Trogir: 30-45 mins based on traffic

On my 3rd day in Split, I just ended up taking a day trip to Trogir.

This city is a UNESCO world heritage city and is definitely one of my favorites.

The whole town is known for its architecture, mainly Romanesque and Gothic. Some places of interest in this city include the St Lawrence cathedral, Cipiko palaces, the old town center, the clock tower and the Kamerlengo castle.

Zadar

Driving time from Split to Zadar: 2.5 hours

I ended up staying in this charming city for 2 nights. I stayed a bit outside the city walls since the old town is pedestrian friendly place and cars are heavily restricted. There is parking just outside the City walls.

The Sea organ was definitely my favorite place in Zadar and it is amazing how the sea creates music when it touches the Sea organ. Definitely a great and unique piece of architecture.

The Old city is quite charming as well. Other than the Sea organ or Morske Orgulje, you can catch monuments like Greeting to the Sun, the Roman ruins at Forum, climb the bell tower and visit the main cathedral.

Sunsets are gorgeous especially near the Sea organ and the Greeting to the sun.

You can find parking outside the city walls for a price.

KRKA National park

Driving time from Zadar to KRKA: 50 mins

On my 2nd day in Zadar, I decided to visit KRKA National park as a day trip from Zadar. If you have time to visit only one national park, then I would definitely visit Plitvice lakes.

You can also stop at KRKA on the way from Split to Zadar.

You can also visit Sibenik which is very close to Krka national park.

There is a series of 7 waterfalls and you can visit some of them including Skradinski buk. You can walk along the many walking trails or take a boat tour to the monastery on Visovac Island.

Plitvice National park

Driving time from Zadar to Plitvice National Park: 1:30 hours

Plitvice is definitely one of the best places to visit in Croatia and it has to be on your Croatia itinerary.

I ended up staying here for one night and because of this, I was able to explore for a good number of hours after the crowds left as well as before the day trip crowds arrived in the morning.

This is also a UNESCO world heritage site and is a forest reserve with 16 cascading lakes.

During summer, it is open from 7 AM to 8 pm but last ticket is usually at 5 pm.

There is ample parking available and you can divide the upper and lower regions into two time slots. One in the evening before it closes and one region after opening hours in the morning.

This ensures that you cover most of the walking trail. There are different trails A,B,C, D etc and you can choose the one based on the difficulty of the trail.

The waters range from different shades of blue, green and turqoise.

It is forbidden to swim in the lakes and the trails are mostly easy to moderate.

Rovinj, Pula and Hum

Driving Time from Plitvice to Pula: 3 hours

I really wanted to visit the Istria coast and I decided to spend 1 night in the town of Pula.

Before this trip, I did not know much about Pula.

I left Plitvice quite late but since it was summer, I was able to cover this distance when there was still daylight.

Pula is a historic coastal city with a lot of Italian influence and did you know that Pula has an amphitheatre just like the Colosseum in Rome.

You can easily spend days here just soaking in the Mediterranean vibes and swimming in gorgeous beaches.

I did not have much time and this is one part of Croatia I would like to go back one day to.

Rovinj was just 40 mins and I did spend a few hours here before heading to Hum.

Did you know that Hum is one of the smallest towns in the world? The houses in Hum are so cute and you can easily visit this town in less than a couple of hours. It is around 50 mins away from Rovinj

I did end up getting lost on the way back from Hum to Zagreb and by the time I got to Zagreb, it was quite late in the night.

It was a long day and I would definitely love to spend more number of days in Istria coast.

Zagreb

Driving time from Hum to Zagreb: 3 hours

Zagreb was my last stop before my flight back to India and I decided to take it slow in Zagreb.

I had a lot of shopping to and since I was staying close to the city square, I ended up walking there every day to buy stuff like souvenirs, chocolates, wine and gifts for my nephews and nieces.

There are a few interesting museums and I ended up visiting the Museum of broken relationships which was definitely an unique one.

I loved walking around Gornji Grad and Ban Josef square.

I was too tired for the party scene by the time I got to Zagreb. But Zagreb definitely has one of the best party scenes in Eastern Europe.

Since I had an afternoon flight to catch, I ended up dropping the car at Zagreb airport and I kept enough time to ensure that I had time to do all the formalities before the flight.

It was definitely an eventful almost 2 weeks in Croatia.

Frequently asked questions about Croatia road trip itinerary

These are some of the most commonly asked questions and I try to answer them below one by one.

How many days do you need for Croatia road trip? / How many days do you need in Croatia?

I stayed a total of 13 days in Croatia and I drove for around 10 days during that trip. Like I mentioned before, I did not drive in Dubrovnik and picked up a car from the airport only when I was leaving.

I also did not include Montenegro or Bosnia & Herzegovina. I spent 4 days in Montenegro and 6 days in Bosnia & Herzegovina in addition to my 10 days in Croatia driving and 3 days in Dubrovnik.

I would recommend at least spending ten days in Croatia.

Can you road trip in Croatia?

Yes, I believe everyone should do a road trip in Croatia at least once in their life and it is a very easy one as well. The Croatia coastal road trip is definitely one of the best coastal routes and you should definitely do it during summers in Croatia.

Is 7 days enough for Croatia?

No, I would recommend at least 10 days driving in Croatia without day trips to Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzogovina.

If you can manage only 7 days in Croatia, then I would stick to the Dalmatian coast and not go to Istria. And do Istria region during another trip.

How long would it take to drive across Croatia?

Croatia is actually a small country and you can drive from Dubrovnik to Zagreb in less than 7 hours if you don’t do any stops on the way. It is another 3 hours from Zagreb to Istria.

You should remember that Croatia is actually made of too many islands and hence you can spend days island hopping around Croatia Islands.

Can a foreigner drive in Croatia?

Yes, foreigners are allowed to drive in Croatia if they have a valid driving license and are above 18 years of age. Most rental companies don’t insist on an International driving permit but it is safer to get one before your trip to Croatia.

Is driving easy in Croatia?

As someone who has driven in over 25 countries across the globe, driving was easy in Croatia. Like I mentioned before, the only thing that I would have chosen would be an automatic transmission car instead of a manual transmission car.

What is a good time to visit Croatia?

I would definitely say the best times to visit Croatia are the months of June and September. The summer crowds are not there and you get relatively warm months.

Some places like Plitvice Lakes are extremely beautiful in Autumn and winter too.

Since Croatia is primarily a beach destination, it is better to go there during the warm months.

Does Croatia accept Indian driving license?

Yes, Croatia does accept Indian driving license as long as your license is in English. If it is not in English, then you will need to have an IDP as well to drive in Croatia.

Is it worth getting a car in Croatia?

I loved driving in Croatia and I am someone who believes that everyone should definitely do this Croatia driving tour at least once in their life.

Having my own car meant that I could do things at my own pace and stop at places that I wanted without depending on others.

The coastal routes are especially great and it was so divine to drive through such gorgeous landscapes.

What is the best way to tour Croatia?

My opinion is definitely to hire your own car in Croatia. Croatia has minimal train services and for everywhere else, you need to take buses between two destinations.

Bus services are definitely good but it takes longer and some places may not have a direct route.

Having your own car gives you the freedom to go wherever you want during your road trips in Croatia.

Is Croatia left hand drive?

Yes, it is. In Croatia, you drive on the right hand side of the road and your steering wheel will be on the left.

This is similar to Us and other European countries except for the United Kingdom. India is right hand drive too like the UK.

Do I need IDP for Croatia?

If your driving license is in English, you may not need an IDP in Croatia too. However, if your license in another language, you will definitely need an IDP.

Even though rental companies don’t ask for IDP in Croatia, it is always recommended to carry it if you are driving outside your home country.

How to do 10 days in Croatia?

I have given my detailed Croatia trip itinerary and hope this helps you plan your trip to Croatia.

Conclusion

A Croatia road trip is one of the most rewarding ways to experience the country’s dramatic coastline, historic towns, and island-studded horizons.

From the ancient streets of Dubrovnik to the waterfalls of Plitvice and the Roman history of Split, every stop offers something unforgettable.

Driving lets you discover quiet beaches, scenic viewpoints, and charming villages you’d easily miss otherwise. Take your time, plan a few flexible stops, and leave space for spontaneous detours.

Whether you’re chasing sunsets along the Adriatic or exploring medieval old towns, this Croatia travel itinerary helps you see Croatia at its best.