ZADAR | CROATIA

One of the challenges that I talked about in a previous blog was the one-way crossing of European borders. The one-way fees that rental car companies charge make it unaffordable and force creativity when you are planning your travels. This was something that we were faced with on this trip. The overnight bus from Trieste to Zadar was the perfect way to cross from Italy into Croatia, our next stop and my 38th country that I have visited.

FLIXBUS | ITALY TO CROATIA

The overnight bus that we chose left Trieste, Italy and had one transfer in Ljubljana, Slovenia before arriving in Zadar, Croatia the next morning. The reason that we chose Zadar was that it was one of the cities that we wanted to see and also had an Avis office. We had heard mixed reviews on the bus and the biggest complaint that most people had was that the bus is often running behind schedule. That was not the case for us, it departed both stations on time and actually arrived about 30 minutes early. As I mentioned, the bus does stop in Ljubljana where you have to change buses and then you have to disembark the bus once more at the Slovenia / Croatia border for immigration. The immigration stop happens in the middle of the night so getting a good night's sleep on the bus is a little difficult but it does save you the cost of one night in a hotel. In the end, the overnight bus was the only option that worked for our plans and we were happy with it. If you are looking for tips on how to get the best sleep on a bus, check out this article by Wanderu.

FIRST STOP IN CROATIA

As soon as we arrived in Zadar, we picked up the rental car and headed up to Plitvice Lakes. but ended up back in Zadar for the night. Since we weren't getting back until late in the evening, we just found an inexpensive place to crash that turned out to be super nice. It was a huge house that had been converted into a boutique hotel. Luxury Rooms LaVie is a place that you should definitely check out if you need a place to stay for the night in Zadar.

The next morning we made some time to explore the old city, wandering the streets and checking out the Sea Organ. The city is a beautiful place that is very relaxing and makes you want to spend more time there. The next time we are in Croatia, we will make sure to budget more time in Zadar. For this trip, it was time for some beach time in Split.

If you want to follow along with our 25-day wedding / honeymoon trip, you can see more of our adventures in Malta, Italy, the Vatican, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.