Croatian run
Route: Split - Trogir - Murter Island - Zadar - Nin - Starigrad (Paklenica) - Jazerce (Plitvice Lakes) - Senj - Pula - Opatija - Rijeka (ferry) - Split - Dubrovnik - Makarska - about. Brac - Split.
Mileage - ok. 2000 km.
Transport - Kyiv-Split-Kyiv - plane, in Croatia - Opel Vektra (rental)
The first day.
Departure from Kyiv. Arrival in Split at 19-00. Passport control, baggage claim. Registration and receipt of a car at the rental point. The car was booked in advance via the Internet. Rental in Croatia upset by the high cost (1180.00 euros / 14 days). Therefore, the car had to be taken from a local rental company, because. prices in large networks were generally exorbitant. Maybe the season has affected, or maybe such a pricing policy in general. Arrival in Trogir at the hotel "Astoria" booked in advance (90 euros / day BB). Accommodation. Overnight. The hotel turned out to be quite suitable for a stopover during a road trip. Not big, located along the E65 highway (of course, you can hear the road, but I, as a resident of a big city, did not cause much discomfort), there is a parking lot. The local seafood restaurant is clearly popular, and not only among hotel guests, they cook really delicious food.
Second day.
Climb. Breakfast in the hotel. Trip to Trogir. The town made the most favorable impression: small, cozy. The quaint labyrinth of streets of the old city and the panorama from the observation deck of the fortress, contemplation (with a glass of fresh lemonade in hand) of yachts moored at the central embankment, evoked romance. In addition, the mind and soul have not yet been satiated with emotions and colors of relaxation. Next was a trip to the beach. Of course, it took us some time to get used to the idea that these strings (not even stripes) of the coast are called beaches. But... the incomparable sea more than compensated for this (one of the very few) disadvantages.
Early in the morning, advancing towards about. Murter (along E65), we planned to make a trip to the Kornati archipelago from there. But then we had a puncture (in the sense of "didn't work out"). All boats to the Kornati depart from Murter until 9-00, incl. we are late. We decided to freshen up and relax, and move to Zadar. How we ended up on this beach, history is silent, but the magical combination of pines and the sea did their job and our mood, which had fallen after the "flight" with the Kornati, improved significantly. Arriving and wandering around Zadar, I realized that seeing today is simply not our day. To be honest, Zadar did not impress me, so I omit the description. From there we went to the town of Nin (by 306). The place turned out to be tiny, almost a toy, surrounded on all sides by water and very calm. It made the most pleasant impression on us. I decided not to stop here for the night and go straight to Starigrad, because. The next day was planned to be dedicated to the Paklenica National Park. We arrived in Starigrad at 21:00. Housing was tight. With great difficulty, with the very active participation of local residents who were imbued with our problem, they found a room at the grandmother's for 20 euros. The situation and conditions indecently reminded the Crimean private sector and this finally confirmed me in the thought of “not our day”. However, fatigue did its job, we took a shower and collapsed to sleep.
Early rise, breakfast, and to Paklenica. The weather this morning was overcast with a light drizzle, which was only to our advantage. At the entrance to the park, as expected, civilized parking. We take a camera, some water, a couple of buns. Don't forget about clothes and shoes appropriate for the occasion (we were going to the cave, we had to climb the mountain path). In general, the park has several routes. Information about them can be found in the park and at the tourist information center. The routes are well organized: marked, there are places to rest. So, at the entrance to the park (5.5 euros / person) you find yourself in a gorge, where climbers hang in clusters from each rock, there are very favorable conditions for their training. Also, at the very beginning, work is underway to lay a tunnel and arrange a concert hall inside the mountain, so construction equipment is present. Then there is a rather long and steep climb. Entrance to the cave 10 euros. Story in Croatian and English. It is very cold inside, there are no public jerseys, as in the Crimea, incl. warm clothes - with you. I must say that the cave itself is interesting, but if you are not a particular fan of such phenomena or have seen enough of them with us, then it is better to choose a different route. Inspection of the cave, return trip, lunch and on the road to Plitvity (along A1 - 25 - 1). There were no free rooms in hotels on the Plitvice Lakes, so they started looking for accommodation at the entrance to them (7-10 km) in the town of Jazerce, we stopped at the BABIC hotel (the rooms are normal for an overnight stay).
At 8-00 we were already at the ticket office in order to get to the third station in the coolness in a still free trailer and start the walk from there (15 euros / person). And so it happened. Keep in mind that all our tourists are taken to the lower lakes, which reduces their attractiveness as a place for a pleasant walk to zero. Although this part is certainly more picturesque and spectacular. Therefore, having reached there, we were very glad that we started the route from above and there we walked a lot and admired this beauty. So we walked all day. I sincerely advise you to visit there, but it's better on your own. We spent the night in the same place as the day before.
Early rise. Breakfast and drive to Pula. The road took quite a long time. On the way to the coast, the only interesting place was Vratnik (the point before the start of the descent to Sen), the panorama of the scattering of islands is amazing. After the descent down, the road goes over the shore, so it is narrow and very congested. The average speed to Rijeka was about 50-60 km/h. Then it got easier. There was a full house in Poole. We managed to stay overnight only in "BI VILLAGE" (85 euros / day BB + parking). We went to the beach, freshened up and to explore the city. Pleasant old part of the city, a grandiose amphitheater (there is an audio guide in Russian). On that day, the St. Petersburg (if I'm not mistaken) ballet company performed in it, incl. along with the inspection, we had a chance to watch the rehearsal. And the musical accompaniment came in very handy. In general, the city liked its atmosphere.
It rained during the night, so the morning was damp and cool. We had breakfast on the open terrace of the cafe and were on our way. We were to return to Rijeka and take the ferry to Split. On the way, we had planned a stop in Opatija. A charming resort town with a touch of bourgeois and aristocracy in architecture. We made a halt, walked along the sea (there I first appreciated the charm of the fact that the coastline is public, regardless of which villas or apartments occupy the “first line”), dined at the Hemingway restaurant. Then Rijeka was waiting for us - an industrial and port city with very rare interspersed with history. Ahead - the night on the ferry. For us, this was not the first meeting with ferries, incl. everything was clear, but I will dwell on some details. We bought tickets at the Yadrolinia office in Rijeka, although we tried to do it in Zadar, but it seemed impossible. So, a ticket that includes the cost of transporting a car and a double cabin of an internal location (without windows) with breakfast cost us 180.00 euros. A couple of hours before departure, loading of cars begins, while passengers traveling light (usually young people) begin to occupy all available nooks, benches, landings, etc. with their sleeping bags. Incl. if you didn’t have enough cabins or you just decided to save money, I advise you to be in the forefront at the landing in order to provide yourself with at least some accommodation for the night.
So, hello again, Split! The ferry arrives around 6 am. Unloading, a quick search for parking and... Oh, MIRACLE! We walk around the palace of Diocletian, and there is not a soul! This is the best time to visit it! NOBODY is stopping you! You take pictures, but there is NOT A SINGLE TOURIST OR PASSER-BY!! ! FICTION!! ! By seven o'clock the fairy tale ends, the carriage turns into pumpkins, the horses into mice, and the Diocletian's palace into a courtyard and a market... But you have the opportunity to visit museums and buy souvenirs. And this is also necessary. One more breakfast (because at 10-11 in the morning it’s hard to call it lunch) and then our path lies south to Dubrovnik (along E65). And the path was not easy, as well as to Rijeka - the narrow and swirling coastal road does not contribute to the growth of the speed limit. So we, contemplating and VERY slowly moving, reached Makarska. Halt and further on the road. And here Neretvania appears before your eyes (the territory formed by the Neretva River), completely different from everything that was before. When you look at these fields flooded with water from above, you don’t understand at all where you are now. And these CRAZY delicious fresh fruits that you can’t pass by! I try to buy them all, my husband stoically resists this, trying to keep me within the carrying capacity of our car and our physiological capabilities (in terms of the amount of food consumed). A little more and we are in Dubrovnik. We are accommodated in the hotel "Grand Hotel Park" and rather to the sea. A few words about the hotel: it is under Italian management, which means that everything is very beautiful, but often not very high quality. Alas. But in the evening there is wonderful jazz in the open area! In the morning, a tour of the Old City is planned. Everything there is put on a wide tourist footing - a map, a route, an audio guide... The place is magnificent, with a rich history and, no doubt, worthy of attention. But, in our case, there were two factors that played a negative role. Firstly, it was so hot that already halfway through I wanted to spit on everything and jump into the sea right from this wall. Secondly, our consciousness was already fed up with the beauties of this country in general, and the old towns and winding streets and tiled roofs in particular.
We leave this wonderful city and rush to Makarska in order to get from there by ferry to about. Brach. And then something happens, without which not a single, more or less worthwhile road trip can do. What about blubbering?? ? Mindful of not the fastest road (E65), we decide immediately after Montenegro to go to the expressway (A1). Honestly, neither on the map nor on the navigator it was in this place yet (it ended in Split), but... we (as it turned out later, not only us, but also a huge number of other drivers who trust road services) see a gorgeous interchange and signs on A1. Turning there and driving 10-15 kilometers, we find ourselves on some mountain path of local importance. At this time, the navigator, who had previously yelled: “We are turning around, ” falls silent and more, until the very end of our journey does not make a sound. Somewhere on the horizon we see that road construction work is still going on, which means we will soon find ourselves on A1. Having reached the nearest settlement, we decide to investigate the situation. How surprised we were, and how we laughed later, when at the very first hut we saw a cardboard box nailed to a stool with the proud inscription "A1". So on this A1 we got to Makarska. Needless to say, we didn't win anything in terms of time? But they examined the new facets of Croatian beauties! Then the ferry Makarska - Sumatrin (25 euros), another 30 minutes of travel and we are at the Velaris hotel (75 euros / day with HP).
Day ten - fourteen
And here it is HAPPINESS - four days of deaf relaxation! Heady coniferous-sea air, chirping of cicadas, daytime siesta, swimming and lying on the beach! AND EVERYTHING!! ! NO RIDE!! ! No, I'm lying. We nevertheless hit the road to the other end of the island to Cape Golden Horn. This is a completely unique phenomenon for two reasons. This horn changes its shape depending on the current. And this is a huge sandy beach, which in itself is a rarity for Croatia.
Day fifteen
Last morning in Croatia, going to the beach, trying to swim until the next arrival, urgently buying the missing souvenirs, ferry Supetar - Split (25 euros), airport, car return, plane. So another vacation is over. We fly away, carrying in our hearts a tender love for Croatia and a desire to return without fail.