7 day Croatia Road Trip Itinerary: Dalmatian Coast in Winter

This guide will help you plan the perfect Croatia road trip itinerary, especially if you’re visiting Croatia in winter. 

Jedd and I had the pleasure of living on the Dalmatian Coast for one month in late Fall, exploring from our home base of Zadar, Croatia. Then my parents joined us for a 10 day road trip in December.

In this post we’ll cover:

– Tips for a successful Croatia winter holiday
– Our experience driving Croatia in December (including our road trip budget)
– Best places to visit in Croatia in winter
– Our suggestions for the perfect Croatia road trip itinerary 7 days or more

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a booking through one of our links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

What to know about driving in Croatia

I would recommend setting aside at least 10 days in Croatia for a Dalmatian Coast road trip, especially if you need to return the car to the same place you started. If you have less time, I think a road trip is still the best way to see Croatia in a week. Just try to find a car rental with a low one-way drop off fee to make it easier to enjoy 7 days in Croatia by car without being rushed. 

Renting a car in Croatia

I typically search for rental cars on Priceline.com. With Priceline, you can filter the search results for Automatic Transmission. (In Europe, most cars have manual transmissions, which we’re not totally comfortable driving.) Renting manual is cheaper, however. Renting from an airport location also tended to be cheaper than in town. We ended up with an automatic transmission car from Enterprise at Zadar airport.

Browse rental cars on Priceline >>

Most rentals will allow for the short border crossing through Bosnia (it’s on the route between Split and Dubrovnik). If you plan to exit Croatia to any other country, you will likely need to pay a fee when you pick up your car. We paid 50 euros for the extra paperwork that allowed us to visit Montenegro.

Remember to confirm what type of fuel the car needs.

We waived the insurance coverage at the desk, as our Chase credit card we purchased it with covers insurance already.

We didn’t get a GPS unit either. Jedd used his phone on the T-Mobile ONE Global plan for directions. (You could also get a Croatian sim card if your data plan would be too expensive abroad.) We made sure to download offline Google Maps beforehand, too, in case there was any trouble loading the maps as we drove.

Tolls

Toll roads are common on the main highways. On Croatia’s road signs, toll roads are depicted with a highway icon on a green background. When entering onto a motorway that requires toll payment, there will be a station where you’ll press a button and take a ticket. Wherever you exit the motorway, there will be another station where you’ll hand in your ticket to an agent and pay the fee in cash. 

At the time of this writing, the toll price from Zagreb to Zadar is 105 hrk (roughly $15 USD). Zadar to Sibenik, about an hour journey, is 18 hrk ($2.70 USD).

Toll roads will typically save you time. Of course, if you’re driving a lot on a road trip, are not in a hurry, and want to take the scenic route, you may wish to save your money and avoid toll roads. 

If you use Google Maps for directions, it will tell you “this route has tolls.” You can click on your Route Options and select “Avoid tolls” for alternative options.

Ferries

You can drive around many of the islands of the Dalmatian Coast by taking a car ferry. Some ferries run more frequently in high tourist season, and we found the best way to understand the schedule in English was to inquire at a Tourist Information office in town.

In winter, routes may only run once or twice a day. For this reason, we opted not to rely on ferries for our itinerary.

Parking

Free parking is limited near the more popular tourist destinations. Smaller places like Zadar and Sibenik have large parking lots in easy walking distance to Old Town where daily rates are reasonable. Parking anywhere near Dubrovnik’s Old Town is astronomically more expensive, however, even with off-season discounts.

Usually, whether street parking or in a parking lot, there will be a parking ticket machine. You put in cash, take a ticket/receipt, and display the ticket in your car window. (Some machines advertised phone apps, which presumably allows you to pay by credit card, too.) Otherwise, you take a ticket coming in and pay what you owe to get out.

We made sure to book accommodations that included some sort of parking arrangement, even if it wasn’t always on site. Once we arrived in a town, we got around almost exclusively on foot.

Gas

Be sure to ask your car rental company what type of fuel is required for your vehicle. Gas stations in Croatia are self-service. In most cases, you actually fill up your vehicle first, and then take the receipt inside to pay. We were surprised at this “honor system” but realized the gas stations did have video surveillance.

What to know about Croatia road trips in Winter

Some locals seemed surprised that we chose to visit Croatia in winter. However, there are a number of benefits to traveling there in the off season. Here’s what we experienced visiting Croatia in December:

1. Far fewer tourists and very few cruise ships to contend with
2. Off season price discounts for parking, National Park entrance, and other attractions
3. Some poor weather here and there, but temperatures stay relatively mild on the coast
4. Some restaurants and tourist businesses close for the season, but plenty stay open
5. Advent celebrations bring extra festivities in the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas

Nearly every town has some version of an Advent market before and during Christmas. These markets are typically more for food and drink than crafts. You’ll find traditional Croatian holiday foods like sausages, mulled wine, and fritule, mini fried doughnuts with different toppings.

Best Dalmatian Coast Croatia Road Trip Destinations

Because of its Mediterranean climate, I think the Dalmatian Coast has the best places to visit in Croatia in winter. Plus, many Dalmatian Coast destinations are now over-run with crowds, so the off season is the only time to visit them in relative peace.

Now that you’ve seen our own road trip itinerary outlined, it’s time to starting planning your own. You can tailor your route by picking and choosing from the following recommended destinations, listed here from South to North.

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is stunning. It’s no wonder the UNESCO World Heritage Old Town attracts so many tourists. Being a prominent setting for the Game of Thrones show has only added to Dubrovnik’s popularity. By all accounts, over-crowding ruins the experience, so you either have to time your visit around the cruise ship schedule or go in off season, like we did. 

Dubrovnik’s Old Town is surrounded by city walls which overlook the sea. Walking the 2 km city walls is a top attraction, however, entrance fees continue to increase. At the time of this writing, it’s 200 hrk per person ($30 USD), which is pretty steep for Croatia.

As an alternative to the city walls, we chose to hike up to the Old Town basketball court (pictured above) for a similar vantage point and then follow the fortress walls from the outside. The East side has a marina with a walkway that continues to wrap pretty far around the city walls until you’re facing the sea. The West side, under the Pile Gate, has a small beach and scenic cove. You can also get a nice view of Old Town from across the cove by climbing up to the Lovrijenac fortress entrance.

Of course, we wandered all over the narrow alleys and plazas inside the walls, too. Placa Stradun is the main pedestrian street through Old Town. It’s full of shops, restaurants, and cafes. As you move out toward the North and South walls, the alleys turn into steep stairways.

Generally, things are more expensive in Dubrovnik than the rest of Croatia. To save money on dining, we made some of our meals at the Airbnb, going out once for pizza outside the city walls and once for Croatian “fast food.” Presa Fast Food inside Old Town proved to be as delicious as its high ratings indicated. Their cevapi and other sandwiches came on fresh, oven roasted bread, all made to order (50-80 hrk each). The fries also tasted fresh and amazing. If you do want to splurge, Old Town Dubrovnik does have some Michelin rated restaurants.

Being at the Southern tip of Croatia, Dubrovnik is a great base for trips to other countries. Mostar, Bosnia is a 2.5 hour drive. Kotor, Montenegro is just under 2 hours drive. 

Kotor, Montenegro Day Trip

We spent three nights in Dubrovnik. We chose to use one of our days there to take a day trip to Kotor, and we’re glad we did! The roads were not as nice but driving around the bay was spectacular. We hiked up to the fortress above town and then wandered around the charming Old Town and produce market. We enjoyed one of our favorite meals of the trip at Konoba Scala Santa. We found that Kotor had much more to offer in the way of local crafts than the other destinations on our trip.

Note: we did need to pay an additional fee (50 euros) to our car rental company in order to get extra paperwork allowing us to cross the border to Montenegro.

Where to stay in Dubrovnik:

– Dream Big Old Town Apartment – Stylish 2 bedroom with stunning balcony views over Old Town and free on site parking, walkable by long steep stairways (we stayed 3 nights)

– Mediterraneo apartment – Very similar to the above listing, where we stayed, and slightly closer to Old Town

– Rooms Posat – Amazing location just outside of Old Town, double or triple room with shared terrace

Driving from Dubrovnik to Split/Makarska, or Split to Dubrovnik

The drive from Dubrovnik to Makarska is 2.5 hours on the coastal highway (D8). Split is another hour and 15 minutes, for a total of 3 hours 45 minutes from Dubrovnik (or just 3 hours if you take the toll road).

We highly recommend driving on the coast the whole way, especially through Makarska. It is one of the most beautiful drives ever!

Either way, you’ll be passing through Bosnia. In the winter, these two border crossings took us no more than 10 minutes each. But it can get more congested at other times of year. Most car rentals in Croatia will allow for this small border crossing without additional fees, but it’s good to check just in case.

We took advantage of this 10 minute crossing through a new country to visit a bakery, Pekarna Magistrala (they take kuna and euros) and admire the view across the road.

There is an alternate way between Dubrovnik and Makarska that avoids the border crossing. You can drive along a peninsula that parallels the coast and then take a ferry between Trpanj and Ploce. The ferry times weren’t easy to find in advance and in the end, didn’t work out for our schedule.

Makarska

Makarska is a popular beach resort destination. What makes this small city on the Dalmatian Coast stand out is its gorgeous setting. In front of Makarska are stretches of beach and marinas, immediately behind are the Biokovo mountains, making an impressive backdrop. 

Apart from summer beach holiday activities, there are not a ton of things to do in Makarska. The Old Town is fairly sparse. It can make a scenic place to stay the night. Or, like us, you may opt to stop in for lunch and a walk along the Riva. We enjoyed our meal at Restaurant Timun, which has a view of the bay. 

There is a very nice walking path around the peninsula of St. Peter Park to Sveti Petar Lighthouse. You can continue along the far side of the peninsula and then up and over the hill to make a loop. (Just be aware that in season, the South side is frequented by nude sunbathers.)

Omis

Omis is a small town half an hour South of Split. Its magnificent natural beauty puts Omis on the map, as the town itself doesn’t have a whole lot to offer. But you’ll be hard pressed to find a more picturesque setting.

Before leaving town, we made sure to drive up to the Mila Gojsalić statue for the best views over the impressive river gorge. It’s like a scene out of Lord of the Rings!

There are ruins of a cliffside fortress, Tvrđava Starigrad, which can be accessed from the town or via a more challenging hike starting from the river. At the time of this writing, there’s a 20 hrk entrance fee and unknown, limited hours in winter. For warmer weather, there’s also a scenic zip line over the gorge as well as river rafting.

We stayed one night in Omis on our way back up to Zadar at the end of our journey. It was our cheapest stay of the trip and definitely had the best views (see photo above), although the exterior of the building was quite run down. It was fine for a one night stay but not a destination to spend a lot of time in.

Split

Split is a large, modern city on the coast that can also become over-run by tourists in high season. The main attraction is the Old Town on the coast, which was once entirely the palace of Roman emperor, Diocletian. Here, Split feels like a small, historic town. 

Split is beautiful, with its palm tree-lined Riva (promenade on the coast), ancient Roman architecture, and unique underground dungeon. It also has a few film sites from the Game of Thrones show. In general, Split feels more “hip” and was more vibrant at night than other destinations on the Dalmatian Coast.

To make the most of our two nights in Split, we booked a food and market walking tour with Eat Split. It was the perfect introduction to Old Town and gave us further insight into the food culture and local products.

Our local guide met us at Split’s outdoor market, where we sampled bread baked in a traditional peka stove, aged prosciutto, rakija (alcohol), world heritage sausage from Slavonia, cheeses, and candied orange peel. She took us through the palace and explained the history as well as some tips for exploring on our own. Next, we enjoyed a typical soparnik, a flat pastry filled with swiss chard. Then on to a restaurant for Dalmatian wines, seafood appetizers, and handmade pastas. Finally, we visited a traditional bake shop to pick out cookies. All the food was fantastic, and introduced us to many new things, even after living in Zadar for a month.

Click here to check price and availability for the food and market walking tour >

We took our guide’s advice and hiked up through neighborhoods to Marjan Hill. There is a cafe part-way up with a nice overlook of the bay and Old Town. Continuing further up are more trails and more viewpoints.

We also had an amazing dinner at Ma:Toni. It’s a bit of a walk from Old Town, to the Southeast near the ferry terminal, but it was worth it. The restaurant is set in an underground cellar so the atmosphere is really unique. Service is great and the food was delightful.

To the North of the city, in Solin, are ruins of an old Roman Amphitheater and a few other archeological sites. Normally there is a fee for admission. In December, however, the ticket booth was closed and the grounds are open to the street.

Split Highlights & Things To Do:

– Explore the Old Town, formerly Diocletian’s Palace. We highly recommend this food and market walking tour >

– Hike up Marjan Hill for a view over the town

– Enjoy a beach day at Bačvice Beach near town

– Take a boat trip like this full-day tour of three islands with lunch and wine

 

 

Where to stay in Split:

– Dafne Apartment with parking – Cute 2 bedroom with full kitchen on a cobblestone alley just outside of Diocletian’s Palace, free off site parking (we stayed here 2 nights)

– B&B Kastel Split – Amazing Old Town location, a variety of room types with views 

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Driving from Split to Sibenik/Zadar, or Zadar to Split

There are more direct routes between Split and Sibenik, however, we suggest taking the scenic coastal road, highway 8. 

Just outside of Split are seven ancient seaside settlements that have merged to become the town of Kaštela. This is a nice spot to walk along the seaside neighborhoods, parks and the small fortresses at each village. Though I would not say it’s a must see.

Trogir, half an hour West of Split, is one of the best preserved Medieval towns in Europe. It’s definitely worth stopping here to walk around if you can. The Old Town sits on an island with beautiful narrow alleyways, fortress walls, and a wide promenade wrapped around it. Make sure to find the Kamerlengo Tower Fortress, check out the boats nearby, and then admire the scenic square in front of the Cathedral of St. Lawrence. We were hoping to try Restoran Grota, which is in a cave on the outskirts of town, but it wasn’t open on the day we passed through. Instead, we found the friendly and tasty Vrata O Grada restaurant in Old Town.

Primošten is another scenic little town along the coastal drive, which also sits on a small island connected by bridges, like Trogir.

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Sibenik

Sibenik is the next main town on the journey. It seems to stay under the tourist radar, apart from being a jumping off point for Krka National Park. We loved it at first sight and could even see ourselves staying there for a month or more. 

Sibenik’s pedestrian-only Old Town starts at the water’s edge, framed by the Riva (seaside walkway), and continues uphill. For a quick self-guided tour idea, read more about Sibenik in our Day Trips from Zadar blog post. 

Sibenik is the kind of place where you can enjoy just wandering around the ancient alleys and shops of Old Town. Be sure to stop through the square (Trg Republike Hrvatske on maps) and wander all the way around Saint James Cathedral. While we didn’t go inside, we enjoyed the short climb up to St. Michael’s Fortress. You can catch a glimpse of the view from the driveway gate on the North side.

In the mornings, catch Sibenik’s vibrant outdoor produce market and indoor fish fish market on the Southeast side of town.

If you have a car and some spare time for a nature walk, you can drive out to Sv. Nikola beach. There’s a quiet playground and waterfront pathway that leads out to St. Nicholas Fortress on the water, though you can’t go inside the fortress from here.

Sibenik Highlights & Things To Do:

– Explore Old Town on foot

– Visit St. Michael’s Fortress

– Walk out to St. Nicholas Fortress, or visit by boat tour to go inside

Where to stay in Sibenik:

– Vicencin Place apartments – Two modern studios in the center of Old Town Sibenik, friendly owners (we stayed here twice)
– Heritage Hotel Life Palace – Rooms and suites set on a beautiful square in Old Town, breakfast included

 

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Krka National Park

Croatia’s National Park waterfalls are a must see. For winter visits, I personally think Krka Park may be a better stop than Plitvice Park because of the climate. In winter, Krka does close down many of its amenities, like cafes, ferry boats, and even some sections of the park. However, you can still see the best side of the park – Skradinski Buk – on an easy loop hike. And it doesn’t get nearly as cold at Plitvice.

We visited Krka in mid-November and again in early December. Walking on wooden walkways over the rushing water and admiring the various waterfalls was glorious without crowds! For more info gleaned from those visits, read the Krka National Park section on our day trips post.

We also enjoyed a quick wander through the little town of Skradin, the closest town to the Park. 

Highly rated accommodations near Krka:

– Vicencin Place apartments – Two modern studios in the center of Old Town Sibenik, friendly owners (we stayed here twice)
– Scardona Park Luxury Accommodation – Queen and King rooms in Skradin, on site restaurant and pool

 

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Zadar

Zadar was our home base for the month of November. It’s also where we started and ended our own road trip. While Zadar might not have quite as much to offer as its sister cities on the coast, Split and Dubrovnik, Zadar’s fortified Old Town sits on a small peninsula and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We recommend spending most of your time in Old Town. Be sure to visit the unique sea organ and neighboring Greeting to the Sun (best viewed after dark), both created by a Croatian architect. This is also a great spot to watch the sun set over Ugljan island.

Built by the Romans, Zadar’s Old Town narrow streets and historic monuments are now mixed in with shops and cafes. Don’t miss the iconic square with St. Donatus’ Church and ruins from the Roman Forum. The local produce market and fish market are also worth perusing before noon, especially if you’re interested in taking home local honey or sheep’s cheese from Pag Island.

Some of the restaurants we really enjoyed in town include: Butler Gourmet & Cocktails, Restoran Malo Misto, and Restorant 2 Ribara. For coffee, breakfast and cake, we like Bistro Gourmet Kalelarga (inside the Hotel Kalelarga).

You can easily see the main sights in Zadar in one day. But its central location on the Dalmatian Coast makes it a good place to overnight, so you can come and go from other day trips.

* Get access to our Zadar walking map here *

Zadar Highlights & Things To Do:

– Follow our Zadar self-guided walking tour map (sign up below for free access to our interactive map)

– Jadera Secrets sightseeing game

– A self-guided bike tour of Ugljan island

– Zadar Guided Market Tour and Cooking Class

Where to stay in Zadar:

We’re really glad we chose to stay in the Old Town peninsula for our month-long stay before our road trip. Coastal neighborhoods like Diklo and Borik were also recommended to us, but these areas seem more geared toward summer beach stays and would require more transportation.

We can highly recommend the apartment where we stayed, which is right at the heart of everything. It’s a lovely two-bedroom with open kitchen and livingroom, conveniently located on the main pedestrian street. The host, Mia, grew up in the same apartment and recently remodeled the place to host guests. 

Check rates and availability for Apartment Anai here >>

If you prefer a traditional hotel experience, Art Hotel Kalelarga is a highly rated 4 star hotel very close to our apartment. It’s very modern and stylish, with continental breakfast included. We enjoyed having coffee and croissants in their smoke-free cafe downstairs.

Check rates and availability for Art Hotel Kalelarga >>

Plitvice National Park

See the full Jumping Jedd Gallery here

Plitviče National Park may be Croatia’s most famous natural attraction. Plitvice Lakes is full of cascading waterfalls of all shapes and sizes, which you can explore by foot, boat, and tram. We visited Plitvice Lakes in early December – we share more specifics about what to expect in the Plitvice section of our day trips post.

One important thing I hadn’t realized before was that Plitvice is located up in the mountains, which means it is quite a bit colder than the Dalmatian Coast. It is also frequently rainy in Plitvice (outside of peak summer months) – but don’t let that deter you. I highly recommend checking the official website for any closures, especially in Winter. It’s also recommended to book your ticket in advance on the website.

Highly rated accommodations near Plitvice:

I hope this information is helpful to you! If you have any questions or suggestions of your own for a Coatia road trip, please let us know in the comments below.

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