Croatia - beach and nature

Vacation: 5-21 days
Approximate distance: 2800 km
Countries on the route: Hungary, Croatia

Contents

Language
Currency and Payments
Preparation
Ukraine-Hungary Border Crossing
Transit Specifics in Hungary
Fuel Prices in Hungary
Croatia Border Crossing
Croatia Toll Roads
Fuel Prices in Croatia
Split, Croatia
Krka
Plitvice Lakes
Zagreb

Route on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/mCU9ZMCQoetPm6H8A

Language

There are no communication problems in both Hungary and Croatia when using the English language.

Currency and Payments

Hungary – Forints, needed only for paying for toilets at some gas stations (there are life hacks).

Croatia – Kuna, exchange a small amount of money into Kunas. Some restaurants only accept cash, and local markets prefer cash payments too.

Preparation

Recommended steps:

• Find accommodation on Booking or Airbnb but do not book yet
• If vaccinated, no need for testing
• Visit the insurance company and get medical insurance policies and a green card for the car.
• Book accommodation, print booking confirmations, save them as a file (PDF)
• Head to the border with Hungary

For checking, verify all the documents needed for the trip:

• Passport
• Driver's license
• Vehicle registration document
• Medical insurance policy covering COVID-19
• Green card (liability insurance for the vehicle owner)

Ukraine-Hungary Border Crossing

You can cross the border with Hungary only at two checkpoints: "Tisa" (near Chop) and "Luzhanka" (near Berehove).

At the "Tisa" checkpoint, there is a large neutral zone, a bridge over the Tisa River. The road leading to this checkpoint is the Kyiv-Chop route, so delays in crossing the border may be longer. Crossing the border at the "Luzhanka" checkpoint is usually faster than at "Tisa." When approaching (within 1-2 km) the checkpoint, you might notice that the right lane is occupied by a queue of minibusses. If you are in a car, bypass this queue up to the blue ANP or UkrNafta gas station on the left side of the road. On the opposite lane, there will be a sign "entry prohibited." Stop before the sign or behind the cars if there are any. If there is no sign, proceed closer to the entrance of the checkpoint. If you see cars on the right, ask if this is the queue. If yes, stand behind them. Border guards at the entrance will instruct you on what to do, even if you ended up in the wrong lane.

Our car, in August 2020, was 8th in line before entering the checkpoint, and it took us 9 hours to cross the border.

You can check the border crossing points on the map and their congestion on the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine website:
https://dpsu.gov.ua/ua/map

Specifics of Transit through Hungary

In Hungary, road usage is subject to payment. The easiest way is to buy a vignette online: https://e-autopalyamatrica.hu/en/

A 10-day vignette for a passenger car will cost €13, and for one month – €17.70.

When to buy the vignette?
As soon as you pass the control on the Hungarian side, upon leaving the border crossing point, right when the first meters of the narrowing road start, there is an exit on the right. Stop there and buy the vignette online without using roaming since all Ukrainian mobile operators work there. Buy it through the website, receive a confirmation to your email, and you can continue your journey. They check the vignette at certain gas stations when you exit; each time it is a different place. The check is carried out by stopping you for 1 minute, verifying the validity of the vignette by your car's license plate, and if everything is okay, they let you go.

Learn more about toll payment, mandatory equipment in the car, and other nuances regarding traveling through the country in the article about Hungary

Fuel Prices in Hungary

Crossing the Border with Croatia

The border between Hungary and Croatia is common. You stop only once, and Hungarian border guards pass your documents to the Croatian side. Before entering the border, put the document generated by the website under the car's windshield. Do not be surprised if the border guards do not pay attention to it; this is the way it should be according to the rules.

Toll Roads in Croatia

In Croatia, tolls are charged for the distance traveled on the roads. From the Hungarian border to Zagreb, there is one section of a paid highway, costing 44 HRK (€6.6). After Zagreb, there is also a paid highway to Dubrovnik. The cost of traveling from Zagreb to Split is 181 HRK (€24).

Fuel Prices in Croatia

Split — Beaches, Strolls, Bicycles

A great place to relax if you enjoy being in cities. In the western part of the city, there is a large park where you can take walks. The park is located on a hill and has several observation decks.

Beaches

Bacvice Beach — the closest beach to the city center, covered with sand. It tends to be crowded, and cleanliness may be a concern. Free showers are available.
Firule Beach — a bit further from the center, about 10 minutes away, with sandy coverage and fewer people. It is noticeably cleaner. If you find the far end of the beach, kids usually enjoy playing football on the sand. Free showers are available.
Obojena beach — located at the bottom of the park, covered with small stones (quite sharp). It takes about 30 minutes to walk from the central promenade, or you can take bus 12, which runs approximately once an hour on a strict schedule. Free shower on the beach.
Kasjuni Beach — an ideal beach for watching the sunset, with the longest exposure to the sun. The downside is that the showers on the beach are not free, costing 1-2 kunas. The beach is almost at the edge of the peninsula where the park is located. We recommend going there by bike, and how to rent a bike is explained below.
Bene — a beach paved with polished stone tiles, surrounded by pine trees, making it very picturesque. The beach is the final stop of bus number 12. You can also walk here for about 25 minutes from the city center but not along the bus route. Instead, take the northern part of the peninsula with the park. There is a cat on the beach, black and white, named Felix. When you are there, say hello to her and her grandfather, who comes to feed her every day. The grandfather speaks English and Russian and recommended the cheap and tasty Fife buffet in the city.

Bicycle Rental

The easiest way is to rent bikes from NextBike. In Split, NextBike offers both regular and electric bikes. The cost is 5 HRK per hour.
If you want a better bike, lighter, with more gears, you can rent them on the promenade at the tourist rental for 10 HRK per hour. The rental is called Avax rent a car (Obala Lazareta 3, 21000, Split).

Supermarkets, Markets, and Cafes

Supermarkets — TOMMY, there are many in the city, with a sufficient selection of products.
Markets — fruit and vegetable markets are located near two corners of the old town. Payment at the market is only in cash. Fruits and vegetables are more expensive than in supermarkets, and sellers may try to cheat, for example, giving you spoiled peaches, etc. So always check and count the cost.
Little Beer Shop — on Google Maps, a shop where you can buy beer in the evening, and its selection is quite large.
Fife — on Google Maps, an inexpensive buffet where you can eat quite tasty both for lunch and dinner.

Krka National Park

You can swim in the waterfalls, which is near the main entrance from the town of Lozovac. The ticket is valid for the entire national park, so it's recommended to explore other areas of the park as well.

A cozy spot to view the Visovac Island from a distance. A 10-minute walk is sufficient for a good view. Parking on Google Maps

Roški Slap, Oziđana pećina cave, and the green thresholds on the Krka River. Parking on Google Maps. It's advisable to visit for a few hours, preferably before 6 PM because the cave closes at 6 PM. All locations are within walking distance. You can swim in the lake overlooking the waterfall. The green thresholds are very beautiful and unusual. And the cave, although we didn't make it, has 517 steps :)

Plitvice Lakes (Plitvička Jezera) — National Park

The park offers several routes: A, B, C, which are three one-day routes. A is very short, approximately one hour. B is sufficient to see all the main attractions. If you enjoy hiking for about 3-4 hours, take route C. A bus (Station 3) operates from the last point of route C to the parking lots near the second entrance (Station 2) and the first entrance. If you follow parking recommendations, we indicated parking near entrance 1 (Station 1). The photos will guide you on everything else.

Traveling on toll-free roads takes quite a while. If you're not in a hurry, it's doable, but the landscapes aren't very picturesque. From the lakes to Zagreb, it's definitely worth taking the highway. We encountered police enforcing speed limits on the toll-free roads, so be careful. It's best to follow a local car.

Zagreb

We arrived in Zagreb on a Saturday evening. The entire city is bustling. Restaurants and bars are packed, and near the opera house, around 1000 people sit on steps, curbs, etc.

Finding free parking space is quite challenging. To secure one spot, we had to circle around approximately 5 times using different routes.