On this trip we focused on northern Croatia, spending the majority of our time near Plitvice and in Istria. That necessitated a car, and all together, we drove about 800km across small country roads and modern toll roads.
Zagreb > Plitvice
We couldn’t arrive to Plitvice before 3pm, so we decided to take the slower non-toll road from Zagreb to Karlovac. We didn’t know just how many villages were along this route, each with a speed limit of 50 km/h. Needless to say, it was a leisurely drive!
Eventually we got to Karlovac, where we made our first stop at the Kastel Bistro for lunch. Just as the name sounds, the restaurant is on the ground floor of a small castle on a hill looking over the town. We didn’t have a reservation, but we managed to snag an indoor table just before a rush of people at 1:45pm. I ordered the Stocich malajvasia white wine and a chicken soup (mostly broth, but quite flavorful) plus a peanut butter and chocolate pie! Leandra went for the Bolfan Crni Pinot plus a burger (where the onions were surprisingly good). The French fries weren’t very crispy, seems to be trend in Croatia.
Fifty minutes further south we stopped in the town of Rastoke-Slunj, which is famous for its old village built alongside waterfalls. Parking was 2€/hr (coins only!) and we only needed one hour to walk around.
We started by walking through the village. Then up the hillside across from the village for views across the river.
Note that near the parking lot next to the highway they had a gate that requested 3€ per person to access a trail down to the river, and a bridge to the other side. It seems totally unnecessary to pay unless you really want to walk a complete circuit, and plenty of people were just hopping over it… You are better off with views from the roadside parking area.
We then returned across the ‘free’ part and into the other side of the village to see some of the old homes.
A nice stop, but may not be worth it if the town really want to charge more money in the future.
From here we continued another 45 minutes to Plitvice, with lots of traffic cameras and police along the route.
Plitvice > Istria
The road west from Plitvica Selo is a curvy, winding country road with nice views of valleys. Through this rural region we saw a few stork nests, signs for ‘sir cheese,’ and lots of stacked wood.
More sobering, there were fewer small towns on this road, and quite a few damaged and abandoned houses. Much of this is due to the War of Independence in the 1990s, including in the town of Saborsko, where we drove past a mass grave memorial.
Eventually we got on the toll road to Opatija, and the road included so many tunnels! This particular toll road ended in Riejcka, and our hour-long drive cost 6.50€ total.
Parking in Opatija was not easy, as the town was bustling on a Friday afternoon, but we eventually found a spot in our second choice lot. The meter machine was broken, but we were able to use an app to pay for parking. This actually came in handy in a few other cities later in the trip, so it was worth the download!
For lunch we had reservations at Lumber. Surprisingly quiet at lunch time, it was well worth the stop. Leandra ordered the syrah (silky, with currant, raspberry, a little smoke and earth, rich) and beef carpaccio, while I went paired a grasevina (more mineral, red apple, drier finish) with a black truffle bruschetta (intense!). The sweet tear drop peppers were a cool addition to both!
After lunch we took a stroll along the lungomare coastal walk – we saw pebbly beaches, small protected harbors, several old villas, and a small garden with monuments. Many of the hotels had ongoing construction and were actively getting ready for summer crowds.
The skies were threatening more rain, so after a half hour we hustled back to car to complete our drive. The toll was 6.60€ for second half to Pazin, including one 4.5 km tunnel.
Istria > Zagreb
Our drive from Istria was quite wet, with intermittent rain and occasional forays into the clouds themselves once were in the mountains. Leandra was quite happy when it dried out a bit in the middle of our drive! All told the tolls back where just shy of 16€.
We had booked lunch at Restaurant Kamačnik, which delivered on scenery with beautiful surroundings of green forest and a small river. Lots of tables outside but since it was raining we were seated inside. I ordered ćevapi with red sauce plus a house white wine, while Leandra ordered the game meat stew and the house red.
We made it back to Zagreb around 4:30p, so we filled up the gas tank and stopped at The Garden Brewery just a few kilometers from the airport. Leandra had the BBOP stout (a coconut variant of their standard) while I went for the sour Rascal (citrus and rose hip). The large outdoor area had covered cabins and chairs, but we opted for the greenhouse-like warehouse. Given the size this must be quite a lively scene on a warm nights!
