Croatia: the Dalmatian Coast: a 9-day road trip
Zagreb to Dubrovnik via Plitvice Lakes, Zadar, Šibenik, Split — about 625 km of driving across Croatia, suggested over 9 days.
See the attractions & sights guide for this route →
Stops on this route
Zagreb
Zagreb is Croatia's capital and largest city, split between the medieval hilltop districts of Gornji Grad (Upper Town) and the grid-planned 19th-century streets of Donji Grad (Lower Town) below. It is known for its Austro-Hungarian architecture, museum-dense squares, and a lively café culture along tree-lined boulevards.
Plitvice Lakes
Plitvice Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site in central Croatia, made up of sixteen terraced lakes connected by waterfalls and cascades that run through a wooded limestone canyon. The lakes' colour shifts between turquoise, green, and grey depending on mineral content, light, and season, and travertine barriers formed by moss, algae, and bacteria continue to reshape the terrain.
Zadar
Zadar is a Dalmatian coastal city built on a peninsula, layering a dense Roman and medieval old town over an even older Illyrian settlement. It combines ancient ruins and Romanesque churches with modern public art, including two well-known installations built directly into the waterfront promenade.
Šibenik
Šibenik is a medieval stone city on Croatia's central Dalmatian coast, spilling down a steep amphitheatre of hills to a sheltered bay where the Krka River meets the Adriatic. Unlike the Roman and Greek foundations of Zadar or Split, it was founded by Croats and first mentioned in 1066, making it the oldest native Croatian town on the sea. Its labyrinth of stepped lanes is crowned by two UNESCO World Heritage monuments and a ring of hilltop fortresses.
Split
Split is Dalmatia's largest city, built around the retirement palace the Roman emperor Diocletian constructed for himself in the 4th century AD. Unlike a typical ruin, the palace remains inhabited: its ancient walls, courtyards, and basement halls now hold shops, homes, cafés, and a cathedral, forming the living core of the old town.
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a walled Dalmatian city on the southern Adriatic coast, its limestone streets and baroque buildings enclosed almost entirely by intact medieval fortifications. Long a maritime and trading power in its own right as the Republic of Ragusa, it is now one of Croatia's most visited sites and a filming location widely known from television and film productions.
Road charges and rules along the way
Croatia
No motorway vignette or environmental sticker is required for passenger cars in Croatia; motorways are free or distance-tolled.
Mandatory equipment: Headlights (daytime running lights or dipped beam), Safety vest (reflective, high-visibility), Warning triangle, First aid kit, Spare bulbs (headlights), Winter tires, Snow chains
Plan this route with EuroDrive Scout — tolls, vignettes, ZTL alerts, fuel and parking →