Hi there,
We are planning a trip along the coastline of Croatia, something like a Zadar-Dubrovnik path seems reasonable doing in 3 weeks combining cycling-playa-tourism.
Anybody could give us at-hand recent experience cycling the coast road ?? Road conditions, driver's behaviors, ferries to the islands, beaches, best lodging options, must-dos, must-sees and things to avoid as a foreigner in this country...
Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Eric
The coastal road is paved, carries lots of traffic in summer and is too narrow for that many vehicles. It is an easy and fast ride by bike but I did not like it because it is like riding a speed-road. From Split to Dubrovnik large parts go through endless camping "conurbations". Mind that you have to go through Bosnia and Hercegovina town Neum to reach Dubrovnik. There are various inland roads with less traffic, many are paved as well.
I agree with americasonmtb. Definatelly you have to cross a few km trough Bosnia. I found this part very beautiful. But I have to warn you aswell, that since the road is sometimes very narrow and winding, it is unpleasant to drive with your bycicles. Don't go on this trip without the rear mirror. Drivers tend to be very impatient, fast and you will have to be carefull because on your right there will be a bad protection from the cliffs. I am writing my diary at the moment after our tour along the Croatian coast-line from Slovenia to Dubrovnik and further on (http://pedalkultura.blogspot.com). In any case I had stresfull moments because of the traffic (IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER!!!), but the scenary is amazing!!! I would encourage you to do do this trail, but be very aware of the dangers on the road!!! Try wild camping... we did it with no problems except with finding a good spot sometimes. Read our diary for more and if you have any further questions, just ask! Dubrovnik is crowded year-round and it is NOT a bycicle friendly place. It is VERY expensive, but A MUST SEE. Find a good place to store your bike while visiting the old city centre. Don't hesitate to bargain a good price for your accomodation with the locals offering rooms on the streets. They are very sneeky sometimes and they tend to rise the prices too much at the start!!! They can be very annoying too. I was sleeping near a youth hostel, hosted by an old and again sneeky lady. Maybe it would be better to stay in the youth hostel. :) I could tell you a lot more, so it is better if you ask me specific questions.
Hi Eric,
i have a similar project and will track all the information on this forum re the eastern adriatic coastal route! i'm not too sure whether and when i can do it so far that but that's part of my plans and that would probably be spring/late spring or something.
When do you plan to ride it?
If you wanna reply directly, here is my personnal email address: [email protected] (remove "popo": anti-spam).
Sébastien
Hi Eric, did you do your trip? We arrive in Venice on 8-04-14 and have 3months for our cycle trip. We are a family of 5. I am interested to hear about your experience. How was the Croatian coast? When we arrive in Bosnia, we plan to go north towards Budapest, then along the Danube river west. Greetings Juliet
Hi Juliet,
We abandonded the idea of cycling along the coast of Croatia. Seemed to be quite hazardous and strenuous. If you have the time, I strongly suggest riding in southern CZ. It's beautiful and very good for cycling.
Have fun and be careful out there,
Eric
Hi Juliet,
I just wanted to say something about the Croatia coastal route, especially as there have been some reservations about it on this thread. I cycled this coast in 2011 with friends, going from Venice to Dubrvovnik. Despite the first 3 days of a 6 day trip raining continuously (I think we were just unlucky!) it was a great ride. A year later I did the same coast solo to meet up with the same guys in Dobrovnik and then on to Thessaloniki in Greece. That coast is just fantastic, beautiful, with the most amazing views of the sea and lovely towns like Dubrovnik and Trogir. Also Montenegro and Macedonia were equally great. The coast is mainly undulating, but there are no extream climbs,.It is very bendy as it follows the countours of the coast, which always makes it interesting I think. Recommended!
Mike