Hi, a friend an I are in Zagreb, and we plan to explore Croatia by car - we are renting a VW Polo (cheap) and are going to go down to Split and Dubrovnik over 5 days. We enjoy drives, stopping by at random sceneries and having a gander/hike.
I'm told by some mates in the hostel we're at that some of these roads are very dangerous? For context, we've driven through the snowy highways in Abisko, Sweden in December (albeit in a Volvo 4x4).
Do advise on safety + recommendations. Thank you so much!
Hey, 5 days isnt much but if you dont mind driving you can have great time and sightsee much of Croatia. As we live in Zagreb we have done the drive Zag-Dubrovnik plenty of times and you can see below our favorite stops along the way.
Road Trip from Split to Dubrovnik
In the articles you can read more about best stops on the road trips between Zag-Split and Split-Dbk. Driving on the roads is very easy and all the roads on your route should be easy as most narrow and not kept up roads are on the islands and on this route you will not encounter this. Check this driving guide for Croatia to get more info on what to expect. Driving in Croatia Tips, Rules, General Guide
Im confused by what your friends from Hostel meant but you can take the highway all the way and use main public roads which are all easy to navigate. Only issue you can encounter is high wind and snow, snow could make you get stuck in Gorski Kotar and wind could cause for the bridges to shut down, so I would suggest before your trip to check the weather and plan to go for it when its not terrible weather or high winds expected etc. You can check also highway cameras to see the status.
https://www.hak.hr/info/kamere/#a1-zagreb-split-dubrovnik
If you will need any other guides specific for a city, where to park etc. you can find all in this sub here