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CROATIA/SLOVENIA - city, countryside and coast tour

A road trip starting out from the Northern coast of Europe and travelling down through Holland. Germany and Austria into Slovenia and then Croatia. Including visits to Lake Bled, the Istria peninsula, Split, Zagreb, Ljubljana and the Plitvice Lakes.
Photo shows: ROVINJ, CROATIA
HOW TO GET THERE
We started on our journey to Slovenia/Croatia from the ferry terminal at the Hook of Holland, because we were travelling with our caravan*  (towed) from the UK. The main loop of the trip inside Slovenia/Croatia could just as easily start anywhere within it, and you could do it in a car staying in hotels or other accommodation. If you're not intending to travel across Holland, Germany & Austria please see the Route 2. map below and then jump forward in the itinerary to the section on the Slovenia/Croatia loop starting at Lake Bled.

If you do the whole trip this will take you about 6 weeks, with 3 weeks just for the loop inside Slovenia/Croatia which is 960 miles plus mileage for side trips.

* please see notes on travelling with a caravan or motorhome underneath the header 'Caravanning' next to 'Home' above.

ROUTE 1 - HOLLAND - SLOVENIA

ROUTE 2 - SLOVENIA-CROATIA
ROUTE 3 - SLOVENIA- HOLLAND

ROUTE 1: 
THE JOURNEY OUT - NETHERLANDS TO SLOVENIA
HOOK OF HOLLAND[NL]
Headed away from the ferry terminal, it would be a shame to rush through the Netherlands, so a stop nearby with plenty to offer is at Delft, which is about half an hour away. The campsite is on the edge of Delft, and it is possible to walk into this very pleasant town from here. Walking in the other direction takes you into lovely park countryside along canal towpaths. Delft itself has typical  dutch architecture with very attractive canalside shops, cafes and restaurants.
DELFT - Lock keeper's cottage
 The town museum has a large collection of classic Delft blue & white patterned porcelain pottery.

COLOGNE[D].
The journey to Cologne will take about 3.5 hours. Your campsite is attractively set on the bank of the Rhine river, about 20 minutes from the centre of Cologne. In the city, the cathedral is a highlight, with the largest twin spires in the world, constructed in phases from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries. There is a photo exhibition inside of the devastating damage to the building and the city during the Second World War, which have since been extensively repaired/rebuilt. There is also an impressive shrine to the Magi, with a reliquary(the largest in the western world) which is supposed to contain the remains of the three kings.
COLOGNE - Cathedral: reliquary of the 3 kings
 The city hall (Rathaus) dates from the 12th century and is the oldest still in use in Germany. There are 3 of the original 12 fortified city gates still standing.

ELLWANGEN[D]
Travelling 4.5 hours further south you will come to your campsite, which is attractively situated on the bank of a river, and a short walk from the town of Ellwangen which is small, but attractive. You need to stop for a couple of days in order to visit Dinkesbuhl, which is one of the most attractive medieval towns on the Northern part of the German 'Romantic Road'(the full length of this road is worth a trip in its own right, which will be covered in a future post on this site).
ELLWANGEN
Dinkesbuhl is surrounded by intact town walls and towers, and its 15th-17th century buildings are beautifully kept. There is understandably a flow through of tourist buses into the centre but the expanse of the town allows for quiet wandering for most part.
DINKESBUHL
DINKESBUHL - Rapunzel Tower
The oasis provided by a large lake bordering the town is a particularly nice spot overlooked by fabulous towers including one that has a 'Rapunzel' plait suspended from one of its windows.

The town was the setting for the film 'The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm'.


ST JOHANN IM PONGAU[A]
Journeying on into Austria for an overnight stop before entering Slovenia, you will  come to the campsite at St Johann im Pongau. You will have been enjoying the Alpine scenery on your journey, and this is a nice spot to relax before continuing your trip.
 ROUTE 2: 
THE MAIN LOOP - SLOVENIA & CROATIA

 LAKE BLED

It will take about 2.5 hours to get to the Lake Bled campsite, which is right on the lakeside. Walking round the lake is a delight, with views that are amongst the most stunning in this part of Europe. There are a few 'selfie' spots where tourists are deposited for 10 minutes to take their obligatory photos, but most of the walk round is quiet and enjoyable.
LAKE BLED

Taking a rowing boat out on the lake will increase your viewpoints of the surrounding scenery and allow you to visit the church on Bled island and have a walk round there.

A 10 minute drive up into the hills above the lake will take you to the Vintgar Gorge, which has very pleasant boardwalks from which you can view the falls and rapids of the Radovna River.

BLED - VINTGAR GORGE

ROVINJ

A 3 hour drive will get you onto the Istrian peninsula of Croatia, and your campsite which is on the coast, a 10 minute car journey outside the town. This fishing port has tightly packed houses on its surrounding hill, with attractive cobbled streets leading up to the church (see photo at head of this post). The atmosphere is typically Italian riviera, not surprising as this was once part of Venice's jurisdiction.

Half an hour's car journey to the south of the peninsula will take you to another port, Pula. This has some impressive Roman remains, including one of the best preserved amphitheatres, and the Temple of Augustus.

PULA - Amphitheatre

PULA - Temple of Augustus, and City Hall
We also took a boat trip out to the Brijuni Islands. The former leader of Yugolavia, Tito, ran the government from here in the summer months.

RIJEKA

Crossing to the other side of the peninsula, a campsite at Moscenicka Draga is located 200 yards from the beach in this small resort. Rijeka is a major city, a 40 minutes drive along the coast. Halfway along is the sophisticated traditional seaside town of Opatija with its grandiose hotels and well presented promenade.

MOSCENICKA DRAGA
ZADAR

Travelling round to the main Croatian coastline close to Zadar, you will come to your campsite at Starigrad in about 3.5 hours. This is on the coast, and near to the National Park at Paklenica where there is some nice hiking.

PAKLENICA NATIONAL  PARK

Zadar is a a major city with a history stretching back to Roman times. The remains include the forum which is the largest on the eastern Mediterranean. A 16th century Venician Land Gate dominates the harbour area. Amongst the many interesting buildings you will find  the 9th century round St Donatus church.

ZADAR - St Donatus Church

Whilst looking round the city  we came across a regional cultural event, bringing together people from the countries that made up the former republic of Yugoslavia, who were showing off their traditional dress. 
ZADAR - traditional costumes
SPLIT

It's a couple of hours journey down to your campsite near Split. This is very pleasantly located right on the shoreline, and just 15 minutes drive away from the city. Split has a lot to offer, with architecture going back to Roman times.

SPLIT

The Emperor Diocletian's palace still has its central buildings and huge basement intact. This was used as a set during filming for 'Game of Thrones'.
SPLIT - Diocletian's Palace

Down at the old port there is a novel 'sea organ' which is played by the waves. The smaller town of Trogir is half an hour away, a very pleasant location with fortified sea walls and many old buildings and picturesque squares.
TROGIR
PLITVICE

Moving away from the coast, you're headed to the Plitvice National Park. The drive is very scenic, climbing up above the coastline. The campsite is a 3 hour journey away, and situated just a 5 minute drive from the National Park entrance. The many waterfalls and lakes of the park are very picturesque, and are connected with very well laid out trails and boardwalks. The water is very clear and gives plenty of opportunity to watch the abundant fish in the water.

PLITVICE NATIONAL PARK
ZAGREB

Travelling on to the Croatian capital, it will take a couple of hours to get to your campsite, which is a half hour drive or bus ride outside the centre. The centre is fairly compact and walkable, with interesting buildings and squares.

ZAGREB - St Mark's Square

There is large, bustling market and a large central plaza with street entertainers and children's rides. There were some traditional dancing demonstrations taking place whilst we were there.
ZAGREB - Traditional Dancers

LJUBLJANA
The campsite outside Ljubljana is just 1.5 hours drive, back into Slovenia. There are nice walks along the river from the campsite, a very pretty spot. Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia,  is a very attractive  city with a number of outstanding examples of Art Nouveau architecture and a nice riverside that you can enjoy with walks along or a boat trip. There are good views over the city from the castle that can be reached via a funicular. The Tivoli Gardens are an easy walk from the centre. 

LJUBLJANA
It is worthwhile taking a  trip out to Predjama Castle and the Postojna Caves, which are about a 50 minute drive from the campsite. 
PREDJAMA CASTLE
ROUTE 3: 
THE JOURNEY BACK - SLOVENIA TO THE NETHERLANDS
BAD ABBACH[D]
Headed back into Germany you may want to break your journey again with a stop in Austria. We would have done but the weather was atrocious as we headed over the Alps so we ditched our planned stop. We drove all the way from Ljubljana to Bad Abbach in about 6 hours. Your campsite is close to the River Danube, and a good base for a day out visiting Regensburg with its intact Aldstadt (old town), towers and bridges.


REGENSBURG
NUREMBERG[D]
It is a 2 hour drive to your next campsite near to Nuremberg. This is also a useful base for visiting some other nearby places. Nuremberg is a very large city with an impressive castle and old town. 
NUREMBERG CASTLE
A trip out to the town of Bamberg is a half hour drive from the campsite. This has a very pleasant location on the river and many beautifully kept old buildings.
BAMBERG - Riverside former fishermen's cottages
Wurzburg is another nearby town with a fabulous riverside location. This has different, Rococo/Baroque architecture including the UNESCO world heritage rated Residenz palace. 
WURZBURG- Residenz

The large ornate Maypole in the central square shows the trades for which the town is famous.


KOBLENZ[D]
A three and a half hour drive will take you to your campsite near Koblenz. This campsite is in a fabulous location overlooking the Rhine river with plenty of river traffic to keep you interested. Koblenz is an interesting city at the junction of the Rhine and Moselle rivers, where you will find the large park 'Deutsches Ecke'. The area has plenty of excursions on the rivers, and touring by car around the towns and villages along their banks. Braubach, just to the south of the campsite is a very picturesque village.

BRAUBACH
UTRECHT[NL]
Travelling on to your last stop before catching the ferry, the campsite is handily placed to pay a visit to Utrecht, which is the 4th largest city in the Netherlands. It has an old town centre and a pretty canal network.
UTRECHT
The run in to the ferry will take about 1.5 hours.

Have a Safe journey home!







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