Croatia: From the sea to the mountains and back again

Finally, vacation! But where should I go? To Tuscany in Italy, or perhaps a hut tour in the Dolomites? Or fly even further away, for example to Iceland, and explore the incredible vastness of the country? It's not easy to decide when the world has so many great places that I would love to see and experience! In the end, due to the warmth, proximity, and practicality of simply being able to jet off with a tent, I chose Croatia. And I have not regretted it! Here you will find a travel report from northern Croatia down to the south and back again! I will also give you tips on how to make your trip there as smooth as possible.

Initial preparations – vignette and tolls

I traveled to Croatia via the Tauern Tunnel. It is important to note that you need a vignette for both Austria and Slovenia, and you also have to pay tolls in between. I registered online with the operator Asfinag (via the ADAC), and then the toll is registered digitally in Austria and automatically debited from my account. You can simply drive through the toll stations without having to wait in long lines. Very convenient! In Slovenia, the toll is included in the vignette, and in Croatia, you always pay at the toll stations along the way, either by card or cash. Don't forget the vignettes and tolls, otherwise you'll end up with a hefty bill ;-).

Distance: 2,398 km + local travel

Travel time: 1 day, 4 hours, 17 minutes

Plankton watching and beautiful bays in Dramalj

My first destination was a bungalow in a holiday resort called “Holiday Homes/Holiday Resort” Kacjak near Dramalj. It's located relatively far north in Croatia, near Rijeka. I had been here a few years ago and found the area to be wonderful and quite peaceful. There are beautiful bays, the water is crystal clear, and the island of Krk is not far away. And you can drive to Rijeka and other cities if you need a little more urban flair. Another advantage is that it is quite easy to reach from Germany. I drove for about eight hours, which is a good day's journey.

During this vacation, I had set myself the goal of living even more intuitively and letting go of my rational mind a little more. This made the trip even more special. Feel free to read my previous blog post, “Living intuitively for one month.” I simply let myself be guided by my feelings. Whether it was exploring the underwater world with a snorkel mask and fins, going on a tour with my camera, swimming in the sea at night, or enjoying the sunset. Croatia is a great country to have all these experiences and relax to the fullest.

A personal highlight for me was swimming in the sea with plankton on a starry night. Plankton are algae that fluoresce when the water moves. You move your hand through the water and everything around you starts to glitter green. And if you have a snorkel mask with you, you can dive underwater and immerse yourself in the sparkling green sea of stars. I had never experienced anything like it before and wish everyone could see this amazing natural spectacle.

Off to the mountains towards Makarska

After a week at Dramalj, I headed further south. I had about a four-hour drive ahead of me. My destination was the area around Makarska. How do I always find my destinations? I do it based on my feelings and mood and with the help of Google Maps, which always gives you a great first impression of places. If something appeals to me, I just drive there and let myself be surprised. Not knowing and planning everything in advance is part of the “experience” for me. Where would the appeal be otherwise?

There are two options for driving further south. There is a road along the coast. There you usually have a great view of the sea and drive through all the towns on winding roads. Much faster and also more relaxed is the route through the mountains, further north. It is, so to speak, the highway through Croatia, for which you also have to pay a toll. Overall, I saved more than an hour of driving time. And I really enjoyed the drive through the mountains. First, you wind your way up high, and then you drive through the vastness. You get a completely different impression of Croatia here, and I can recommend trying both routes.

From the highway, there are roads that lead into the countryside. On the way to my destination, I drove through small towns, always heading towards the mountains. What awaited me was an area where the mountains reach into the sea. The combination of mountains and sea never ceases to fascinate me! I also saw mountain slopes that had been completely burned down. Apparently, there had been forest fires there a few days earlier. I can't imagine what that must have been like!

Wind from Africa and a river through the awning

I arrived at the “Plaza Dole” campsite near Blato, which has very spacious pitches. It is located right by the sea and I had a great pitch with a view of the sea, about two minutes from the bay and a place for my hammock right in front of my tent. I really enjoyed the few days I spent there. The bay was rocky, of course, but everyone found their own spot and the water was beautiful and clear turquoise blue. There was also a shallow beach. The view of the mountains and the island opposite was simply amazing!

And then at some point the weather changed and it was supposed to rain. On the recommendation of a local, I went swimming in the sea at 7:30 a.m. (!). It's very unusual for me to get into the sea so early, as I'm not really a morning person. But in a tent, I usually wake up early with the sun. The sea was very stormy and at first I wasn't sure if it was dangerous. But after so many Croatians, including seniors, went in, I bravely joined them and decided to give it a try. I watched an older lady next to me who used the waves as a counter-current system and thus remained in place. I just had to try it too. We were repeatedly pushed towards the beach, which made it quite safe. The water was the perfect temperature, as the wind had apparently brought the warmth from Africa. A really great, unforgettable experience!

But then, at some point, the rain came. I thought I was well prepared, but who would have thought that there would be such heavy rain and that a river a few centimeters high would form through the surface drainage system in my awning. It was a little scary for a while, and I stacked all my things on the table and chair in the rain to save them from getting wet. As the water level continued to rise and I feared that the water might reach my inner tent, I fled to my car. After this experience and another thunderstorm warning, I packed my things and headed further north, where the weather was supposed to be better. I would have liked to continue on toward Albania or Montenegro, but not with a tent in the rain. Another time, then. The area there was so great that I'm sure it will be even better further south!

On the trail of Winnetoo and sunsets at the cemetery

So I drove back north through the heavy rain, hoping to find a dry spot with sun and warmth. My destination was the area north of Split. If you drive down the highway there, you pass through areas with long stretches of water and a hilly landscape. You can definitely go hiking here or go on tours with a stand-up paddle board, that was clear.

I ended up at a very small, personal campsite called “Camp Barinica” in the second row by the water. Compared to my huge pitch before, it all felt very cramped and urban. But the site was also like a small community with lots of nice conversations. And over the days I learned to appreciate the advantages of the area and the campsite. Within walking distance, I could set up my hammock in my personal paradise just a few hundred meters away and enjoy a great view of the water. You can also go snorkeling, swimming, walking, hiking or even go on longer tours with a stand-up paddle board. After the “heavy rain stress” of the last few days, I decided to relax and took a trip to Primostén. This little town is really cute and especially in the evening it's great to have dinner at the harbor with all the boats. The historic town has lots of little alleyways and there is a cemetery at the top of the hill from where you have a great view of the sea and the surrounding islands. I had an incredible sunset there and a great evening with pizza and ice cream.

I found out from a Swiss man, who later spoke to me while I was relaxing by the water with his wife, that Winnetoo was filmed in the area around the campsite and that you can even book guided tours to the filming locations. There is also the Krka National Park nearby, which was recommended to me several times and is said to be a great natural spectacle with impressive waterfalls. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to visit the national park due to time and weather conditions, but it would be an absolute recommendation. There is so much to experience in the area and I could have spent many more days there.

In search of a new “rain gap” and a new tent load test

Now that the rain was set to move into the area and, based on my experience, I had little desire for another flood or days in the tent, I set off in search of a new “rain gap”. A weather app is always very helpful here. I always use the Ventusky app to look at the weather radar images and forecasts. At the time, it was still nice on Lake Garda and the area around Rovinj looked pretty good. I wanted to make a stopover there on the way to Lake Garda and spend just one night.

I then drove north through the mountains again. I would never have thought that Croatia would be so mountainous in this area and that it would go up in serpentines. The road was well developed. What struck me there was how cheap petrol was compared to Germany. Filling up was really fun again. I paid about 30 to 40 cents less per liter in Croatia than at home.

My next stop was a campsite near Rovinj called “Porton Nature Hideouts”, as I wanted to see the town. The campsite also has beautiful modern cabins with terraces that you can book. Not cheap, but very attractive. However, I didn't have time to set up my tent in the evening and I was really exhausted and didn't feel like walking into town in the rain. But I'm sure it's well worth seeing - just looking at it in the middle of the sea on the peninsula. It has something very lofty and proud about it and at the same time you can tell that it certainly has a lot to tell because of its age and location.

Another thunderstorm was forecast that night and I was a little nervous about whether it would wash me away again. This time I pitched my small backpacker tent as it would be quick for one night, but I didn't know how good the membrane would be in heavy rain. However, I was so tired that I slept soundly in the pattering rain and despite the experience on my neck, and woke up dry the next morning. Tent load test successfully passed!

A twist of fate, snowfall and crossing the Alps on summer tires

The next morning I had to think about whether I should continue on to Lake Garda or go home. My inner voice whispered to me that I should go home. When I had made up my mind and planned to drive to Villach and then home via the Tauern tunnel, I received a sign from fate at reception. An elderly German couple were talking about how their friends were stuck on the Tauern highway with their motorhome without snow chains. Snow chains compulsory, seriously? At the beginning of September? I could only believe it when they showed me photos. As I only have an older vehicle with summer tires, it was clear that there was no way I was going there. As there was supposed to be more snow over the next few days, I decided to drive over the Brenner Pass as an alternative and try it there. The webcam told me that it was still fine there

I was a little nervous, but still confident and checked the weather forecast, snowpack depth, precipitation forecasts, weather radar and temperatures every 10 minutes. My plan was set. I wanted to be back over the Alps before the absolute snow chaos and not spend an extra 3 days in Italy on Lake Garda. I then drove according to the sat nav and at some point realized that I had accidentally taken the shortest, fastest route over the Alpine pass and not the Brenner freeway. Oops! I think my satnav simply changed the route at some point or I wasn't paying attention during all my route checks. As the serpentines took me higher and higher into the mountains, I was a little nervous about what to expect at the top and whether there would be snow on the road. And if so, what would I do? I would simply turn back, I decided.

Once I reached the top of the mountains in South Tyrol, I took a short break in Sexten to enjoy the view of the Drei Zinnen mountain range and take some photos. Amazing! It had been between 26 and 34 degrees Celsius during the days and now it was maybe around 10 degrees Celsius. People were walking around in winter clothes and the air smelled of winter and snow. What a contrasting program! As I wanted to keep the option of doing a hut tour in the Dolomites on my trip open, I was well prepared in terms of clothing.

But the journey up the pass was only half the battle, as I discovered beforehand. The exciting part followed. I was allowed to drive over the Brenner Pass with my summer tires in the rain, on a wet road and at around 1.5 degrees Celsius. It was very windy and I was afraid that the road might be icy, especially as a large part of it leads over a bridge. But I wasn't alone. In a convoy with many other holidaymakers, presumably all on summer tires, we patiently and carefully crept over the Brenner at 60 km/h. It was certainly not the most pleasant drive. It certainly wasn't the most pleasant ride of my life, but I'm happy to have made it and crossed the Alps safely.

Of trail running and Innsbruck

My last stop was the Austrian city of Innsbruck. After a 9-hour drive, I didn't want to drive any further. I also really wanted to see the city. Something had been making me think about it for a long time. On the way to and in Innsbruck, I had a series of exciting “coincidences” that ultimately led me to my first trail run in the mountains two weeks later. But I'll save that story for another time!

I then spent the night in a very cute hostel in the middle of the city, the “Montagu”. The prices for overnight stays in Innsbruck are generally very high and the hostel is therefore not cheap either. However, I can absolutely recommend it, as each room is specially designed, everything is clean and has been decorated with lots of love. I felt totally at home there and came back a few more times afterwards.

So that's it for my travel report from Croatia for now. I hope you enjoyed reading it and that it gave you some inspiration for your next trip! I love writing personal travel reports that incorporate my experiences, but also give you specific tips to make your trip easier!

Best regards,

Katharina

Have you ever been to Croatia? If so, what did you particularly like? What else would you like to experience there? What experiences inspired you from this post?

Feel free to share your answers in the comments. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!