Croatia by car: the Adriatic coast road from Rijeka to Dubrovnik
The Jadranska magistrala runs the length of the Croatian coast with the islands on one side and the mountains on the other. Here is a week along it, north to south.
Plan this trip1 Rijeka
Photo by Antonio199cro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Rijeka (lit. River) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia. Wikipedia
Start here, or at the Opatija riviera next door, where the Habsburgs went for the winter.
Written about in 94 languagesStart a trip here
2 Plitvice Lakes National Park
Photo by Zysko serhii, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. Wikipedia
A detour inland on day two: the lakes and waterfalls, a full day on foot.
Written about in 59 languagesStart a trip here
3 Zadar
Photo by dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Zadar, historically known as Zara, is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Wikipedia
The sea organ at sunset, and the Kornati islands by boat if there is time.
Written about in 88 languagesStart a trip here
4 Krka National Park
Photo by Rkoster, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Krka National Park is one of the Croatian national parks, named after the river Krka that it encloses. Wikipedia
Waterfalls you can see from a boardwalk, an hour from Šibenik.
Written about in 37 languagesStart a trip here
5 Split
Photo by Tatyana Peshkova, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Split is the second-largest city in Croatia, after the capital Zagreb, situated on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Wikipedia
Diocletian's palace, and the ferry port for Hvar and Brač.
Written about in 96 languagesStart a trip here
6 Hvar
Photo by Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Hvar is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis and Korčula. Approximately 68 kilometres (42. Wikipedia
A night on the island: the car ferry from Split to Stari Grad takes two hours.
Written about in 56 languagesStart a trip here
7 The Makarska Riviera
Photo by vacation2, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The Makarska Riviera is a part of the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) long and several kilometers wide, at the foot of Croatia's second-highest mountain Biokovo. Wikipedia
The most dramatic stretch of the coast road, under the Biokovo mountain.
Written about in 15 languagesStart a trip here
8 Dubrovnik
Photo by Zysko serhii, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Dubrovnik, historically also known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, a seaport and the centre of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Wikipedia
The end. The Pelješac bridge now keeps you in Croatia; the old road passed through Bosnia at Neum. Walk the walls at eight in the morning.
Written about in 104 languagesStart a trip here
Riding or driving it
Croatia charges motorway tolls but the coast road is free. Roadlegs lists the toll roads and the countries; set Avoid tolls and it keeps you on the magistrala.
Open the plan in Roadlegs How the planner handles this vehicle.
About the facts and photos
The descriptions in italics are the opening sentences of the Wikipedia article for each place, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, fetched on 6 October 2026. Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under the licence named beside each one. "Written about in N languages" counts the Wikipedia editions that have an article, from Wikidata; it is a measure of how well known a place is, not a rating. Everything else is the author's own opinion. Roads close with the seasons: check before you go.
More ideas
The Balkans by motorcycle: 10 roads from Montenegro to Albania and Bosnia
Ten Balkan roads for a motorcycle: the Durmitor ring, the Tara canyon, the Kotor serpentine, Llogara Pass, the Albanian Riviera, Theth and the Neretva canyon.
A fjord road trip in Norway by car: 7 stops in 7 days
A one-week car itinerary through the Norwegian fjords from Bergen to Ålesund: Hardanger, Flåm, Sognefjord, Geiranger, Trollstigen and the Atlantic Road.
The best road trips in the UK and Ireland
Seven road trips in Britain and Ireland by car: the North Coast 500, the Wild Atlantic Way, the Ring of Kerry, the Lake District, Snowdonia, Cornwall and Antrim.
.jpg){kind=link}
Greece by car: the Peloponnese, Delphi and Meteora in ten days
A ten-day road trip in Greece by car from Athens: Corinth, Mycenae, Nafplio, Epidaurus, Monemvasia, the Mani, Olympia, Delphi and Meteora, with where to stop and how long.