Dalmatian Coast Road Trip with Croatia Car Rental

Let's say that you’re planning a Balkan road trip and the historic region of Dalmatia in Croatia ranks high on your list of places to visit. Perhaps you envision yourself sailing across nearly 100 islands at Kornati National Park or taking a yacht down to Montenegro. Well, keep in mind that a car rental from Kemwel will be the most hassle-free mode of transport to tour the delectable Dalmatian Coast and other parts of the Balkan Peninsula!

Yes, the Dalmatian dog breed does originate from the historic region of Dalmatia that spans 3,600 miles along the Adriatic coastline of Croatia!

Renowned for being a yachting and sailing hub, this area showcases gorgeous limestone cliff formations and a Mediterranean climate that attracts thousands of annual tourists craving a beach getaway. Matter of fact, over 19.7 million visitors came to Croatia in 2018 with the majority hailing from Germany, Slovenia, Austria and Italy.

Book your Dalmatia car rental with Kemwel

From island hopping throughout the archipelago to hiking along the interior on Dinara, Mosor or Svilaja mountains, it’s no wonder that the Dalmatian Coast has become an affluent center for European tourism. Over the years, we at Kemwel have developed quite an extensive network of car rental locations in Croatia to keep up with the rising tourism trends!

After all, this Croatia has earned many accolades, such as the 2006 Destination of the Year by the National Geographic Adventure Magazine. On a national level, this Balkan nation even boasts 10 UNESCO World Heritage sites ranging from Roman times to natural wonders and "Intangible Goods" such as folk songs and dry stone walling.

Thanks to our partnerships with Croatian car rental companies like CarWiz, safe to say that so many of these gems can be easily accessed and thoroughly explored with a reliable Croatia car rental from the following Kemwel locations!

Drive from Zagreb to Zadar

Whether you’re an EU or non-EU tourist, most likely you'll be starting your journey from the capital of Croatia, Zagreb. Save the expense of public transportation and train travel by booking one of our premium Zagreb car rentals from a variety of strategic spots, whether that be downtown, the Zagreb Airport, as well as the Zagreb Railway Station. From these places you can take your one-way car rental from Zagreb to Zadar as your first pit stop in Dalmatia.

Less expensive and not as crowded as its Dalmatian counterparts (Split and Dubrovnik), Zadar has built a reputation around its Roman and Venetian ruins plus religious art dating back to the 8th century. With our selection of Zadar car rentals available in town, travelers can also hit up Zrce beach known for its lively music scene and numerous discos. Coordinate your Zadar Airport car hire and head to Kornati National Park that spans a total of 320 square km (199 mi) with 86 scattered inlets of various sizes. In total, it is 35 km long and 13 km wide. Another nearby natural attraction is Krka National Park with Skradinski Buk and Roski Slap waterfalls plus Visovac and Ugljan islands for more quality time in nature.

Drive from Zadar to Split

The second destination on your Balkan escape on the Dalmatian Coast is the charming maritime city of Split! With 250,000 residents, Split is the second-largest city in Croatia and most renowned for being the home of Diocletian’s Palace that is an UNESCO World Heritage site. Much of this area once fell under the domain of Roman Empire, made evident by the large amount of ruins found in Split. At the same time, this city serves as a major transit hub where discount Split car rentals are obviously in high-demand over the Kemwel booking engine, especially our short-term and long-term car leases at the Split Airport. For some good old fashion island hopping you can also find boat rides to Hvar and Korčula islands from Split.

As you can imagine, there's no shortage of excursions to do around here either! For example, Blue Cove is found on the island of Biševo where visitors embark on an unforgettable boat ride through this aquatic cavern known for its blue glow due to the light coming from below. Plenty of other natural wonders are also nearby for you to access with your Split rental car. As Croatia’s first, Plitvice Lakes National Park is a canyon with 16 emerald and blue lakes close to the Dinaric Alps. Be sure to take epic pics by Veliki Slap waterfall and Lake Kozjak or evening consider rafting on the Cetina River.

Drive from Split to Dubrovnik

Wrap up your Croatian adventure in one of the world's best preserved medieval cities and top tourist attraction in Croatia, Dubrovnik. Known as the Pearl of the Adriatic at the southern tip of the Dalmatian Coast, touring around Dubrovnik in a car rental will be a guaranteed way to travel in style and comfort. Even better, travelers can drop-off Croatia car rentals at the Dubrovnik Airport before continuing on to Montenegro or other parts of the Balkans. Whether you're driving a Volkswagen Caravelle Dubrovnik van rental or deciding on a yacht instead, this fortified city is waiting to be seen and experienced! With its signature orange tile roofs, Dubrovnik radiates Renaissance history. Some standouts include the Sponza and Knezev palaces plus numerous fountains found throughout the Old Town.

Many curious visitors also come to appreciate the Franciscan Monastery with 30,000 volumes, 22 incunabula, 1,500 valuable handwritten documents next to St. Savior Church. Outside of Dubrovnik visitors have the liberty to embark on some great day trips to places such as Cavtat, a resort village with a luxury Croatia car rental written all over it. Don’t forget about the island ruins on Mljet National Park accessible by villages of Pomena and Polače.