Roads
and driving standards: despite the
macho Balkan image of Croatians, driving standards are no
worse than elsewhere, and certainly better than Greece!
Road conditions are generally good on main roads, but inland
on minor roads, re-surfacing work or road widening may
result in sometimes long stretches of unsurfaced road. The
main highway down the whole length of the Adriatic coast,
the Jadranska Magistrala (Adriatic Highway or Magistrala)
has progressively been improved and, although only single
carriage-way, is now a good road for most of its length.
Motorways:
despite the hostile terrain, the Croatian motorway (autocesta)
network is of high standard and increasing. Motorways are
commercially operated and tolls are quite expensive:
A1:
currently extends south from Zagreb to just beyond Split and
is planned to reach Dubrovnik
later in 2008
A3 runs from the Slovene border past Zagreb and out to the Serbian
border at Lipovac
A4 runs north from Zagreb up to the Hungarian border beyond Čakovec
A6 runs west from Zagreb to Rijeka; although still partially under
construction, all tunnels are complete
A7 runs north from Rijeka up to the Slovene border at Rupa
The web
site of the Croatian Motorways Agency (Hrvatske autoceste)
is tediously slow and difficult to navigate, but with perseverance, you may get useful information about motorway conditions and
progress with
development:
Croatian Motorways Agency web site
Fuel:
fuel is readily available across the country and
credit cards are accepted at garages. Fuel prices are no
cheaper than most of continental Europe.
Speed
limits: within built-up areas:
50 kph (30 mph)
open road: 80 kph (50 mph)
} The distinction is ambiguous -
highways: 90 kph (60 mph)
} watch the speed limit signs
motorways: 110-130 kph (70-80 mph) - watch the signs
Croat
drivers seem to believe they enjoy immunity to drive at whatever crazy
speeds they like; under NO circumstances does
this freedom apply to you. Croatian police are rumoured to
target foreign registered cars and on-the-spot fines for
speeding are hefty. So observe speed limits punctiliously!
Driving
regulations: Croatia has a zero
alcohol policy for drivers, and penalties for
offenders are SEVERE.
Dipped headlights are compulsory at all times, regardless of
weather conditions with on-the-spot fines for driving
without lights.
Insurance
and the notorious Neum corridor: check before you leave
that your vehicle insurance, and recovery service, cover you
for Croatia; there are still unbelievably some backwoodsmen
UK insurers that don't. But it is unlikely that your insurer
will cover you for Bosnia-Hercegovina (BiH), and if you plan
to drive the full length of the Magistrala down to
Dubrovnik, you have a potential problem: the so-called Neum
corridor refers to a 10 km wide strip of Bosnian territory
which gives BiH access to the Adriatic at the grubby coastal
resort of Neum, and which you have to drive through to reach
southern Croatia. Despite the official advice given by the
UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, even the Croatian and
Bosnian embassies in London insist that this strip is open
space between the separate parts of Croatia, and that a
'green card' is unnecessary if your insurance covers Croatia. The alternative is to cross
by ferry to the Pelješac peninsula which re-joins the
Croatian mainland further south, a pleasant enough drive but
more expensive and a long tortuous and mountainous route. If you
take the risk and drive through the corridor, Bosnian
driving standards are less forgiving and technically you
would be uninsured without a 'green card'. It's really up to you. If you want to know what
we did, click here
Ferries and
island hopping: part of the fun of travelling down
the Dalmatian archipelago is exploring the many islands of
this fascinating coastline, using the extensive ferry
services operated mainly by the Jadrolinija Ferry
Company.
Crossings are not unduly expensive,
almost all the ferries are drive-on/drive-off, and
you buy tickets at the port of embarkation, usually 10
minutes before sailing times. Visit the Jadrolinija
web site, and click on the sailings
schedules interactive maps:
Jadrolinija ferry services
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