Croatia

Rating

Description

Picture

Riding
**

There aren't many roads along the coast of Croatia. The major roads are narrow, busy, and fast with no shoulders. Both car and truck drivers are incredibly patient and courteous with bicyclists. The one exception is tour buses, they treat you the same as they would a motorcycle or a car. They will give you space if it's there but no matter what they are going to pass. On the island Korcula, I was knocked off the road 3 times in the first two miles out of Korcula city by the air shock of passing busses. This was a narrow twisting road but it was the only road out of a popular tourist town.

You need to pay close attention to traffic at all times in Croatia, drivers don't expect bicycles on the roads but they will treat you well if they see you. You also need to be aware of the traffic problems you are creating, most drivers won't be able to pass you because of the stream of high speed traffic coming in the other direction. You can easily create a major traffic backup.

Our best rides where on Korcula on the secondary roads. There was no traffic, the views were magnificent and the bad road conditions were no problem for us. On Korcula the secondary roads had a recently paved strip about 2 feet wide in the road covering the telephone cable, the rest of the road was broken up or dirt. Croatia has the potential to become a world class bicycling destination, the rugged beauty of it's mountains and coast, the emerald waters, the dry warm climate all bicyclists need is a little space on the road and way to navigate the secondary roads. Many of the tertiary agricultural roads were very good and provided great rides through fields of grapes and olives. However, the maps were not good indicators of where they would end.

Our experience trying to find replacement parts and a bike mechanic was not good. The bicycle parts available were of very poor quality. The one bike mechanic I met wouldn't work on my bike. I not sure why, maybe because of the parts or maybe he'd never seen a folding recumbent. Anyway, he wasn't interested in helping, that was very unusual in Croatia. Everyone else was very helpful. Be aware that everyone will think you are German or English, they are really surprised and pleased when they find out you are from the US. The English have a very bad reputation in Croatia because of their soccer fans.

Because of the busses and ferries Croatia can be very successfully traveled as a bike tourist. However, if you want to ride on the roads biking is task not fun.

Camping
***

There is no savage camping in Croatia, but there are plenty of campgrounds along the coast. It compares very favorably with camping in Maine. The facilities are clean and usually have warm showers (better than Maine). No restaurants or bars except at the very large campgrounds in the north. Campgrounds like everything in Croatia are inexpensive.

Private rooms in cities are the usually the best choice. They are inexpensive (about $12/day in 2002), convenient, and easy to find. The rooms are much nicer than you'd expect. Usually the room is in a separate part of the house with its own entrance (not at all like the US or UK) and has good plumbing. Here's a technique we developed to find rooms. Ride into town and find a part of town you'd like to stay in. Stop at the local convenience store and ask if they know of anyone who rents rooms, they always seemed pleased to help. This didn't work everywhere, in Sibenik we couldn't find any accommodations but there was a campground just up the road.

Hotels are amazingly expensive in Croatia (about $100/night), especially in Zagreb. However, you can usually find a room near the bus station(very few trains in Croatia but bus travel is very inexpensive and surprisingly comfortable) if you ask.

Food & Wine
***

Our best meal was in a rustic restaurant in a very small town on Korcula, it was a real treat (see picture). In tourist areas there are lots of outdoor cafes with excellent people watching, the food is good and the beer is cold but fairly expensive. The produce does not look very good, partially green tomatoes seem to be the rule.

Try Croatian wines, they have come a long way in the last few years. They are no longer the sweet dull wines you'd heard about. They are bold, young and brassy with lots of energy. They are expensive ($10 US) but try them and listen to your waiter, he will point you in the right direction. Before or after dinner try a Prosec straight or over ice with a twist, I think you'll be pleased.

Outside of tourist areas food quality falls off, better than Russia but not what you might want. The meat is very fatty by US and European standards. But just relax and enjoy what is there. Try the Croatia version of Pannini and the local dishes in Dubrovnik.

Sights
*****

The ancient walled cities of Croatia are amazing. These aren't sterile abandoned ruins, these are living cities built in the 11th century or earlier. There is nothing like Dubrovnik, this is the largest walled city in the world and maybe one of the romantic. You have to walk the walls, wander the narrow streets and sit in the outdoor cafes with a drink or an ice cream. The climate is dry and warm and the sea is a warm emerald green, great for swimming and sunbathing.

Split is another amazing walled city. The old city is build around Diocletion's palace, the only remaining Roman Place. It's a wonderful combination of Roman Place, Renaissance Towers, and Medieval buildings. There is a wide promenade on the harbor filled with outdoor cafes.

Trogir and Zadar are also not to be missed. Trogir is a medieval castle on an island, it has a maze of narrow streets and a wide promenade along the water filled with outdoor cafes. Zadar has the most amazing ancient churches. The 9thC Church of St. Donat gives you a very different view of what a church can be, simple but soaring. It is just one of several 11thC or older churches in Zadar. Take time to walk the old city at night and visit a concert in one of the old churches.

Croatia is an amazing place to visit, ancient walled cities, beautiful sea and island and inexpensive.

Overall
****

If you really want to ride this is not the trip for you. If you want to visit an amazing country with magnificent walled cities, beautiful islands, and a warm emerald sea as a tourist with a bicycle, Croatia is it.

Article by Roland