The internet is full of cautionary tales about driving in Croatia.

“Hairpin bends with no barriers,” warned a TripAdvisor reviewer.

“The narrow roads are dangerous!” exclaimed another.

After five days of driving through the Balkans, I’m here to tell you – it wasn’t that bad. Maybe I’m biased because I drive on terrible roads daily, the kind where one run in with a pothole can take off your front tire. Yeah, Michigan, I’m looking at you.

While planning our trip to Croatia and Montenegro, we decided that renting a car was the best way to get to all our destinations. Driving isn’t always the cheapest option, but the freedom of choosing when and where we wanted to go was worth it. Plus, some places in Croatia are only accessible by bus, which meant any plans we made were tightly restricted to their timetables.

We drove over 500 miles on Balkan roads, starting in Zadar, Croatia to Kotor, Montenegro and back, experiencing all kinds of terrain on the way. From switchbacks up mountains, to sea level decents, the drive was beautiful (if albeit terrifying)! One day, we even ended up in a torrential downpour.

Driving in foreign places can be intimidating, and sometimes stressful, especially when you don’t speak the language. We did some research on driving laws beforehand, and in general, they’re not much different than those in the U.S. However, there were a few things we were glad we knew before we started our journey.

If you’re thinking about driving around Croatia, I’ve put together some tips to help you prepare for a smooth trip!

Trust Me…The Roads Are Fine
Like I said…I’m from Michigan. I’m well acquainted with bad roads. The main highways in Croatia were great! If you come across a hairpin turn? Just drive slowly! The only bad roads we encountered were rural – and honestly, we didn’t see anyone else driving on them, so we may have just taken a wrong turn. Drive with confidence.

Plan Your Parking
Fun fact: ancient cities didn’t plan their roads around cars. If you’re staying at an apartment/AirBnb/hotel, make sure they offer parking, or you may spend your time searching for a place to park your car instead of enjoying your vacation. Although we secured our parking ahead of time, we faced another challenge – the size of our rental car. We were driving a Ford Mondeo, the biggest sedan Avis had. It was like driving a tank. If we could go back and rent a different vehicle, I definitely would. The smaller your rental car, the easier driving will be.

Driving 101 – The Rules of the Road

I hate when I’m in an unfamiliar place and have no idea what the speed limit is. Luckily, the road signage in Croatia was clear so we never wondered how fast or slow to go. Yes, one of my Croatian Driving Tips is from Driver’s Ed 101: follow the basic rules of the road. We noticed some local drivers flew by us with a quick beep of a horn, but if you’re a tourist, I would NOT recommend following suit. With the varying terrain, this could be very dangerous.

Take The Long Way Home
We decided to take The Adriatic Highway (also known as the D8 State Road) whenever we had the opportunity to. This road runs along the east coast of the Adriatic Sea and passes through Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Although it’s not the fastest route, I daresay, it may be the most beautiful. Nothing can prepare you for the dazzling blue sea, quaint stone churches, and seaside villages you encounter on the way.  It may take an extra hour to get to your destination, but I promise, it’s worth the detour.

Keep Cash For Tolls
Other than gas, the other major cost of driving was tolls. Some of them were surprisingly pricey – one toll we paid was around $25! I’ve read that credit cards are accepted, but it doesn’t hurt to keep some kuna on hand so you’re not caught shortchanged.

Overall, we didn’t have any mishaps driving through Croatia. Plan ahead, use common sense and pay attention to speed limits!