On our journey south and east, we enter Croatia on November 8, 2022. In our experience, Croatia is the most diverse of the Balkan countries.
Our first period in Croatia is from 8 to 16 November, a first impression with the Adriatic coast and the capital city Zagreb as highlights. Then we make a detour through Bosnia and Herzegovina . On November 23, 2022 we enter Croatia again and follow the coast to Dubrovnik and on to Montenegro on November 28.
We experience Croatia in all kinds of facets, the fashionable Adriatic coast, the vast nature, the worldly cities and the memories of the turbulent past.
The northern Adriatic coast
From Piran in Slovenia we drive further south along the Adriatic coast, crossing the border of Croatia. An EU border crossing, so there are no formalities.
Funtana
We find a quiet camping spot at camping Polidor in Funtana, the only camping open in this season. Besides the tranquility and the possibility for a nice walk along the boulevard to the town, this is mainly a place to spend the night. The other campsites we pass during our walk, especially bungalow parks, are deserted and quiet. We can imagine that it can be very busy here in high season on the beach along the boulevard and on the terraces.
Rovinj
The town of Rovinj is definitely worth a short visit. The narrow streets invite you to wander and the sea on both sides of the peninsula is a beautiful azure blue under the gray sky.
Pula and Kamenjak
We stay a few nights near the Kamenjak peninsula and the town of Pula. We stay at camping Kažela near the town of Medulin.
The nature reserve Kamenjak invites you for a nice walk. The weather is still a bit gloomy, so we walk through the area with Milady. Fortunately, it clears up along the way and we make a beautiful off-road ride through the park.
After this “walk” we continue to Pula, a beautiful town with clear Roman influences.
On the advice of an Antwerp-Dutch/English couple, whom we speak on a terrace near the triumphal arch above, we have lunch at restaurant Pizzeria Jupiter. Highly recommended for anyone who comes near Pula and wants an uncomplicated meal in a cozy atmosphere with excellent service.
Zagreb
Sonja has been to Zagreb before and we look for places that are known to her. We find the market, the cathedral in scaffolding and beautiful murals.
Unfortunately it is bleak and drizzly in the city, so we go to a restaurant for a cup of coffee and tea, with something to go with it. Restaurant La Štruk serves only Štrukli, a Croatian specialty in sweet and savory variants. We opt for a Štrukli with apple and nuts and one with bell pepper. It turns out a kind of thin lasagna with a soft cheese sauce and the above filling. It tastes great and serves immediately as our lunch.
The southern Adriatic coast
A tour of a peninsula
When we leave Bosnia and Herzegovina again on November 23, 2022 , we are now a lot further south in Croatia. There is another headland of Bosnia and Herzegovina that cuts the coast of Croatia at this place, giving the country at Neum a seaport.
Croatia has built a huge bridge here, the Peljeski Most, over the Malo More strait that separates the peninsula from the mainland.
On the peninsula we find a nice spot in the parking lot next to the closed Prapratno campsite. It’s extinct here!
The coast is otherwise deserted, tourism is at its lowest point in this season and almost everything is closed.
Attracted by the striking defensive wall on the mountain along the way, we stop in Ston. We drive over the dam in the water with the now flooded salt fields on the right and the Adriatic Sea on the left.
For the first time in days it’s a beautiful sunny day, fresh, but pleasant. After the ride back and forth over the dam, we therefore decide to climb the “Great Wall of China” in Croatia.
The defensive wall of Ston runs from Ston to Mali Ston and served as a defense for the salt fields of Ston in the Middle Ages. It’s a steep climb up, but the view is spectacular. We fully enjoy our walk and the wonderfully warm sun on our backs.
We drive further south with the idea that we will find a campsite on the way. Unfortunately, the campsite that is indicated on Park4Night as “open all year round” is also closed and we decide to continue to Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik
We find a suitable apartment for a good price via Booking.com. We want to stay in Dubrovnik for a few days to visit the city and to write a little. Apartments Monica perfectly meets our expectations.
We arrive in Dubrovnik in time to walk into town and watch the sun go down. On a terrace outside the wall we have a nice view of this spectacle.
The city is beautifully lit this evening and exceptionally quiet. In summer, tourists come in droves, including cruise ships that visit this city three times a week.
It is wonderful to be able to sit with our feet up for a while and have the space around us for our daily activities. Such a luxury.
We visit the city again in daylight, the Christmas decorations are already hanging and Christmas music is playing from the speakers in the main street of the old town.
We conclude our city visit with this atmospheric sunset.
To Montenegro
We continue to follow the coastal road towards Montenegro. We stop one more time to do some shopping, at the Lidl.
Hello Gert Jan & Sonja,
We do indeed read your stories, click on all your links, print your maps, and take notes for our own adventures. By happenstance we will be visiting the Hungary and the Baltic countries this late spring-summer-early fall (7 months). Planning to follow your routes across the Baltics thus balancing our Schengen-non Schengen time. This will be our 4th trip back to Europe traveling in our VW camper that we store in Haarlem when we return to New Mexico.
Cheers,
Charlie
Hi Charlie, thanks for your reaction to this blog. We are always happy to hear that our hard work to document our travels is appreciated.
Next summer we will be in the Netherlands, if you happen to be there when we are (June and July) please feel free to contact us so we can meet and share travel stories etc.