Are you planning a motorcycle trip to Croatia? Don’t you have a ready route or a mind to plan it? We have already been through this during the preparation of our trips to Croatia in previous years. “Croatia on a motorcycle – day after day trip plan – maps, route description, and tips” is our vademecum, which we prepared based on our own experience from previous trips. We hope that you will enjoy it and we will be happy to supplement it with your comments.
Croatia on a motorcycle – when is the best time to go? For how many days?
Croatia on a motorcycle is a great idea, but only in the low season – at the turn of May and June or in September. Why? With the increase in the number of tourists and temperatures unfriendly to motorcyclists, prices for everything are also rising. Starting with accommodation and ending with the prices of food. The sea temperature in May may be different, but it will certainly be warmer than in our Baltic Sea. How many days to go? We think that 8-10 days is the minimum to see something, feel the climate and relax. The routes proposed by us can also be done in a shorter time, we always say that it all depends on our expectations and style of driving. But, if you like quiet sightseeing, then our proposed Croatian schedule should work. The main attractions are Plitvice Lakes, Sibenik, Trogir, Split, Sveti Jure, Makarska, lunar island Pag, and Hvar. We tried to make sure that the prices of tickets or ferries, given in all articles were current, but they often change from month to month, so it is worth to make sure before leaving. Two days, the first and last, are the travel days. We counted the start from Katowice, but since some of you will probably be able to have more kilometers to travel, we will also try to offer alternative accommodation on the road. All in all, it is about 3500 kilometers in total, from the borders of Poland.
Croatia on a motorcycle – Tent, hotels or private accommodation
Squatting is illegal in Croatia. We have heard many opinions that you can sleep in a squat without any problems, that no one is bothering you, and that you do it on your own responsibility. Besides, the prices in the low season are so decent that sleeping in a tent on camping sites is comparable to hotels or private accommodation. A tent according to us is worth considering if you just like it or if you are planning a holiday in the high season, when then actually camping may (but don’t have to!) be a cheaper option. If we don’t have a tent with us, we like to know where we’ll sleep, so we try to find accommodation before we travel. We often use Airbnb.pl portal, but to confirm your reservation you need to wait there for up to 24 hours, which makes it impossible to search for accommodation on an ongoing basis. Usually, we use Booking.com, in the end, we ask the locals, where you can find some nice place for a night. Below, in detail every day, you will find proposals for accommodation in hotels and guesthouses, perhaps you will take advantage of them. We know from our own experience that it is worth taking at least one place on the route, where we will stay for at least 3-4 days. This will be our base for short sightseeing tours and at the same time the opportunity to take a break from everyday driving, if you want to make a day off. Daily packing and unpacking can be tiring. For us, it has always been the most unpleasant duty of every day.
Croatia on a motorcycle – what to take with you on a trip?
If you have problems with packaging or are afraid that you will forget about something important – documents, cards, first aid kit, etc., read our travel guide with a downloadable checklist. We are not going to write the same here, but we certainly want to draw attention to two things. EHICP card, because it’s really worth saving yourself the trouble and get it in advance. After our first accident, we do not go anywhere without it. The card does not cost anything, and in case of need, it allows for the partial omission of hospital formalities, which can be painful abroad. And later in Poland as well. The second thing that is worth taking with you when you are going to Croatia is… swimming shoes or something that can replace them, e.g. sneakers. Most beaches are rocky and walking barefoot is quite painful, it’s one thing, and the other is sea urchins, whose injury is really very painful. Such good advice, if you are already stabbed by sea urchin – do not try to pull out needles, bury them with something, and so on. It rarely works, really. Needles have to come out by themselves, it is best to soften them, then walking is not so painful. Olive compresses, soaking in hot water with vinegar, we also heard about tomato compresses. Bad news, it can last up to several days, so prevention in the form of good shoes is the basis. Unless you don’t plan to take a bath.
Download our checklist
Croatia on a motorcycle – Currency and finances
The currency in Croatia is Croatian Kuna (HRK) and although sometimes you can pay in EUR, do not expect that it is possible everywhere. If you want to use cash, taking EUR with you and exchanging it for HRK, preferably in a bank, will be the most advantageous. We personally use payment cards. Until we discovered Revolut, these were ordinary VISA or MasterCard and, depending on the bank or card type, different fees were charged. Why do we mention Revolut? It is a card that allows us to make payments by exchanging currency online at the interbank rate. We have already written about the pros and cons of using Revolut. And now we come to probably the most interesting matter for you – how much money you’ll spend on travel and how much cash to take with you. As far as cash is concerned, we usually take about 50-100 €. Sometimes there are occasions that we want to buy something from the locals, some homemade products or alcohol, so it is worth to have some small amount of EUR with you. In such instances, we have never had any problems with paying in EUR. Quick conversion and you can always make a deal. And what about the total expenditure? The 9-day trip to Croatia cost us about 1000 EUR. For two people, with fuel, accommodation, meals, and without any compromises.
Croatia on a motorcycle. What to eat and drink while in Croatia?
Croatia, or any of the Balkan countries, is not in a good place for diet – that is for sure. Delicious cheeses, sweet fruits, homemade wines, rakija – we dreamt of it long after we returned home. We are not big fans of seafood and fish, but fortunately Croatia has many meat and vegetarian dishes to offer that cause the saliva to leak. Not to mention the great desserts and wines. Here are some dishes that we loved very much. We don’t go into the origin of dishes, we write about those we can eat while in Croatia, most of them are available all over the Balkans.
- An irreplaceable burek – or simply something like filo pastry rolls with a variety of fillings – from meat, cheese to spinach.
- Juicy ćevapčići – long, grilled chops traditionally made from lamb or pork. They are served with breadcrumbs, rice, French fries and very often grilled vegetables and ajvar. Quite salty, sometimes even very salty, but still delicious.
- Pljeskavica – but not the usual one, but with butterscotch. Pljeskavica is nothing more than chopped, minced meat cutlets from mixed meat. However, butterscotch has nothing to do with butterscotch in our (Polish) sweet understanding. It is a kind of cheese made of cream and buffalo milk. Gently dissolving on a hot chop, it makes this dish really unearthly.
- Fritule – crunchy mini donuts, in taste almost reminiscent of our Polish ones.
- Strukle is a dumplings-like cake, filled with cheese, cooked or baked.
- Baklava – here we could write poems about crunchy layers of filo pastry filled with nuts, butter, and honey – poetry.
- Snacks – figs in all forms, lavender honey, dried ham – pršut, goat and sheep cheese – especially the one from Pag – sir paški, ajvar, and juicy watermelons.
- Rakija and wine – here is what you like, but Croatia is definitely a land of wine and rakija flowing.
Croatia on a motorcycle – maps and route description with division into each day
Day 1 (Poland – Plitvice Lakes)
The first day is dedicated to travel from Poland, through the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovenia to the Croatian Plitvice Lakes. It is about 900 kilometers to drive. If you start from the Polish southern border at 7:00-8:00 AM, assuming that your average speed on highways will be about 110-120 km/h and every hour you will take 10 minutes breaks, you should be in place at around 20:00 AM. For those who want to spread the route into 2 parts, we recommend accommodation near Vienna or Maribor, depending on how many kilometers you have to do. During one of our trips to the south, we made a stop in Vienna. You can find the plan for the 1-day tour here. If you don’t like walking around and seeing churches, we recommend that you just go to the Old Town, sit in the market square and eat a Sacher cake or the famous Wiener Schnitzel.
IT’S WORTH KNOWING!
- In Austria, you have to buy a motorcycle vignette, where to buy it and at what price you will find out here.
- In Slovenia you have to pay a toll, more information about it can be found here.
- In Croatia, you pay only at the toll gates, before entering the motorway, no vignettes will be needed.
- Croatia is a member of the EU, but it is still not a member of the Schengen Zone, so have your identity card or passport ready at the border crossing point.
 |  |  |
|
|
|
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO STAY near Plitvice Lakes?
We would be pleased if you could use our referral link to BOOKING.COM. You will appreciate the time we spend on running our blog and help us to expand it further. Below you will also find our suggestions for accommodation near Plitvice Lakes.
 |  |  |
|
|
|
Day 2 (Plitvice Lakes – Trogir)
The second day is best to start with a visit to the Plitvice Lakes. 5-6 hours is enough for it. You will find out everything about Plitvice Lakes here. You can find there information which route is the most optimal, how much time you have to spend on sightseeing and how much you will pay for the entry. Nice surprise – prices in low season are much lower in 2019 than 2018, when we were there. Then, through the beautiful corners of the D27 route, we set off to a few days’ base in Trogir. We recommend also stopping at Szybeniko. It is a tiny town, for which a few hours of sightseeing is enough. If you don’t have time for it, don’t worry, you can do it later without any problems. The distance to drive is about 300 km.
IT’S WORTH KNOWING!
- In Plitvice, you can spend from a few hours to the whole day. We wrote about 5-6 hours, it was enough for us. Although we also know people who were totally not interested in Plitvice and could finish their sightseeing after less than an hour if they hadn’t paid enough for the ticket. Therefore, it is worth to think hard about this place, if someone does not like spending time walking and simply absorbing the surrounding nature, it can be a totally unsuccessful day.
- In this case, we recommend spending more time in Sibenik or Trogir – both cities strongly recommended. Small, intimate with a beautiful old town with a typical Croatian character. However, in the season they can be quite crowded. And if you just want to relax, there are plenty of beaches around Trogir, ideal for laziness.
- The most famous beaches on the Ciovo peninsula are Okruška Copacabana – a pebble beach with a wide range of catering facilities and water equipment for rent, Slatine – a rarity here, a sandy, good option if you didn’t take your bathing shoes and the white beach in Mavarštica, where white pebbles conquer the blue of the sea to almost unreal colors.
- Although we have already written about this before, take your swimming shoes with you.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO STAY in Trogir?
We would be pleased if you could use our referral link to BOOKING.COM. You will appreciate the time we spend on running our blog and help us to expand it further. Below you will also find our suggestions for accommodation in Trogir.
 |  |  |
|
|
|
Day 3 (Trogir – Hvar – Trogir)
On the third day, we recommend the route towards Split, to reach by ferry the beautiful island of Hvar, full of turns. The island of Hvar is famous for its lavender fields and legendary roads. Although the legends circulating about the island are almost only legends. It is worth stopping for a while in Stari Grad. It is a tiny town with a picturesque marina, which stole our hearts because of the climate and intimacy. Read more about this town founded by the Greeks here. The return journey leads through Sucuraj, Makarska, and Omiš. The distance to travel is about 250 km.
IT’S WORTH KNOWING!
- We deliberately missed visiting Split that day, it is better to focus only on the island and maximize the time we spend there. You can always come back there the next day. Additionally, we, personally, are not big fans of Split – as for us too overwhelming city.
- Sućuraj is a really miniature town, you can go around it in less than an hour – ideal for dinner and a walk before your trip to Trogir. Still loved by Poles Makarska. Well, we don’t recommend it – it’s too touristic for us and has long lost its character – but maybe someone wants to find out for themselves. Omiš is interesting because of the pirate castle, which offers an amazing view. Although you have to book some time for the entrance, the route at the beginning can be hard and certainly not in moto outfit, so you need to stock up on extra clothes, provisions and above all – water. We recommend it, but on another, more relaxed day. You will spend about 3-4 hours in the castle.
- During our first trip we spent the night on the island Hvar, it is a good solution if we want to get to know the island better. We recommend Stari Grad because it made the biggest impression on us, but worthy of attention are also Hvar, Jelsa or known from the lavender fields Velo Grablje.
- To see the lavender fields it is best to come in mid-June or September.
- Hvar is also famous for its tiny coves with beautiful beaches. The most famous are Lozna, Pelinovik, Vela Stiniva, Tatinja, Pokrivenik and Jagodna.
- All data concerning ferry connections can be found here.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO STAY near Stari Grad?
We would be pleased if you could use our referral link to BOOKING.COM. You will appreciate the time we spend on running our blog and help us to expand it further. Below you will also find our suggestions for accommodation near Stari Grad.
 |  |  |
|
|
|
Day 4 (Trogir – Sveti Jure – Omiš – Trogir)
The fourth day is probably what everyone is waiting for – the entrance to the iconic Sveti Jure. You can read more about Biokovo Park in our post here. We will not write about the same thing for the second time, we invite you to our entry about Sveti Jure, we can also summarize it in one word – UNEARTHLY. If you get up early enough, on the way back it is also worth to hook up with the pirate castle in Omiš, about which we wrote earlier. Remember about clothes for a change, something to eat and water. You can also visit the castle in the morning before Sveti Jure, which is an even more optimal option – it is still pleasantly cool. The distance to be covered is about 250 kilometers.
IT’S WORTH KNOWING!
- The entrance to Biokovo Park is subject to a fee. Current ticket prices can be found here.
- There are 2 routes leading to the pirate castle – with Omiš near the harbor, from the sea – it is an easier route and from the river Cetina, which lies between two tunnels – a more difficult one. We have heard about the existence of 3, from the side of the village Baućići, but Google does not confirm it, so it may only be local legends or the trail is unmarked and not adapted for tourists.
- The estimated time to enter from the side of Omiš is about 45 minutes, but given the temperature count about 1h + 1-2h on the very top – depending on your preferences.
Day 5 (Trogir – Sibenik – Split – Trogir)
On the fifth day, we suggest sightseeing the historic cities surrounding Trogir: Šibenik, Split. If Šibenik charmed us, Split overwhelmed us. Maybe it was just too hot and we were wearing moto outfits. Maybe there were too many people. We have to admit Split is certainly a beautiful city, but as for us, it’s too crowded and noisy. Generally, day five is all about relaxation and rest – visiting Šibenik or/and Split are only our propositions. Nearby there are also Krka waterfalls. The price is 200 or 100 HRK – depending on the season. You can go to the beach, about which we wrote before (the most famous are Okruška Copacabana, Slatine, Mavarštica) or buy a boat trip around the peninsula of Ciovo or to the beautiful Blue Cave. Here the prices depend on what we get in the package. The distance to be covered is about 150 km or 0km, depending on what we want to do.
IT’S WORTH KNOWING!
- When it comes to organized trips, the richest offer we have always found on the website getyourguide.com. Below you will find some of the suggestions for their trips. You can also ask the locals in the marina in Trogir, it will probably be cheaper, but still we have greater confidence in companies with adequate insurance and proven equipment.
Day 6 (Trogir – Zadar – Pag – Senj)
Here we recommend the trip along the Adriatic Route through Zadar and the cosmic island of Pag to Senj. We have already written about the island of Pag many times, links to our articles you can find below. We always recommend it, it is for us the most beautiful place in Croatia, surprisingly not Sveti Jure. It is about 270 km to drive.
IT’S WORTH KNOWING!
- How to get to the island of Pag, ferry prices and sailing times can be found in our article here.
- This is where, in front of the island of Pag, there is probably the most famous bridge in all of Croatia.
- Right next to Pag, there is the second tiny island Vir with unusual for Croatia red cliffs. It is worth a look there if you have enough time.
- On the way we visited Zadar, about which we heard a lot before our first departure. Maybe we demanded too much from Zadar, because a city disappointed us quite a lot. It is a strange hybrid, half modern, half trying to preserve the atmosphere of old towns. We did not like it.
- In Zadar there are famous sea organs, which sound combined with sunset on the beach, hypnotizes and makes you fall in love with this place. Well, Zadar did not charm us enough to stay in it until sunset, so we do not know.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO STAY in Senj?
We would be pleased if you could use our referral link to BOOKING.COM. You will appreciate the time we spend on running our blog and help us to expand it further. Below you will also find our suggestions for accommodation in Senj.
 |  |  |
|
|
|
Day 7 (Senj – Rijeka – Pula – Rovinj – Piran/Triest)
On this day we suggest a route through Rijeka and the Istrian peninsula to Slovenian Piran or Italian Trieste. Depending on whether you like small intimate towns or big vibrant agglomerations. The route from Rijeka to Trieste is one of the most beautiful sections of the Adriatic Route. On the way, you should spend some time exploring Pula or Rovinj, and in the evening leave a walk around Piran or Trieste. It is about 330 km to drive.
IT’S WORTH KNOWING!
- If we were to choose Trieste or Piran, we would definitely choose Piran. Picturesquely located on a cape that cuts into the sea, it definitely conquered our hearts more than the Italian Trieste. Additionally, the Piran is small enough to be seen peacefully in one evening, while Trieste is impossible to visit in one night.
- Pula is the capital of Istria, it’s quite a big city with many interesting places to visit, although some people say that in Pula is worth seeing only the amphitheater. Again, if we had to choose between Pula or Rovinj, our choice would be Rovinj. We just love small, intimate towns with a soul, where you can sit in a cafe and watch the life around you. But we leave the choice to you.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO STAY in Piran?
We would be pleased if you could use our referral link to BOOKING.COM. You will appreciate the time we spend on running our blog and help us to expand it further. Below you will also find our suggestions for accommodation in Piran.
 |  |  |
|
|
|
Day 8 (Piran/Triest – Poland)
This day is almost the same as the first one – we mainly treated it as a transit day, so we could get home faster. You can make a stop near Vienna or Brno and take a walk in the evening around the city. I think it all depends on how many kilometers you have to travel in Poland, we are lucky, because we live near the border and we do this distance at once. It is about 900 kilometres to drive.
IT’S WORTH KNOWING!
- We suggested the same route as the first day because it is simply the fastest. There is another option via Udine, Villach, and Wörthersee, but here you enter the paid motorway in Italy. Of course, you can avoid it, but it will have a big impact on time and it’s hard to drive this stage in one day. But another way, if you have more time, you can extend your trip, and visit a city of Venice, which we described here.
- However, if you choose this option, you can find the Italian toll rates in our article here.
- We did a similar route during our trip to Italy a few years ago – you can find it here.
- In Austria, you have to buy a motorcycle vignette, where to buy it and at what price you will find out here.
- In Slovenia you have to pay a toll, more information about it can be found here.
A bunch of useful links at the end
- Before leaving, read about the Revolut card. We recommend it because it is a really great solution abroad. Take a look at our article about it.
