Youll also experience less traffic than in the summer months (July and August) which makes a road trip a lot more pleasant! Can it be avoided with our own rental car insurance proof? Im hoping to rent a car this August (5 Aug, 2019) at Plitvice Lakes and travel to Zagreb and drop off there. PRICE: HRK 662 (US $97.5) HRK 1003 (US $149) per day. So if you only plan on passing through Neum in order to reach Dubrovnik, you don't need to pay a cross-border fee. The only problem youll have is you wont be able to drive through small villages, but many of them are better to explore on foot! you will need to pay either by credit card or cash. Let me start by assuring you that there is no right or wrong choice here the road conditions in Croatia are close to excellent, so any car you rent will do. You should count tolls into your budget however, the fees are a lot lower than in many other countries. According to Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, average rates have risen as high as 134 dollars per day.2. If you have rented cars abroad before, you probably know that most car hire companies offer an insurance policy to go along with the car, but these are generally very overpriced and sometimes cost more than hiring the car. Hertz. It is practical to have a car in these situations. The problem with all car rental companies here is that the demand is very strong for a short period in July and August, and sometimes companies overbook the vehicles. In New South Wales, the average daily cost of a rental car listed on Kayak between December 1 and January 31 was 72 per cent more expensive compared to the same time last year. But, some other companies have a cross-border fee even for the EU member states. But, in my opinion, Google maps are the best and the cheapest navigation solution in Croatia. There may be a fault that the company is not aware of. I have A question. From. Even for the high season, you can secure a mini-size car for as low as 45 a day if you book 6 or more months in advance. Toll fees can be paid in both cash and credit/debit card, which makes life a whole lot easier for those on a road trip! If I were to rent a car, I want to confirm that my US State (Wisconsin) license will be enough. You can drive a rental car from Croatia to Bosnia, Montenegro, or any other European country. We want to rent a car in Zagreb, than go to Bosnia, Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia. We are a family of 10 planning a renting and returning 2 cars in Croatia. Here you can check the updated rates for all the highways in the country (in English!). Make sure to ask for all receipts, a list of damages, police reports, photos, etc., and anything that your insurance company may require as proof before reimbursing you. It happened to us just this past winter in Spain. Both countries are non-EU, and roaming charges are huge. Compare car hire in Croatia and find the cheapest prices from all major brands. Pick Up. Car rental companies belong to this group of businesses. And if its not on your itinerary already, be sure to add the incredible Istria region to your Croatian bucket list. In this case, you should point it out to them before you take the vehicle so that youre not held responsible, Familiarize yourself with the car. Thanks. And they also work offline (if previously downloaded). We will not have rental car in Hvar. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Last week of June our family (mum, dad & two teens) have a quick trip to Croatia from NZ for our sons sport. Most start at around 70. Many of my cards are issued with chips and printed numbers. Every car company has different rules when it comes to cross-country car hire, and they approach every rental individually. PRO TIP: Never try booking at the last minute during peak season in Croatia (which is June to September) as you may not find a vehicle to rent, and if you do, the price will be heavily escalated due to the high demand! I just dropped you a word via email. Well be making an overnight stop at Velika Kladusa in Bosnia on our way. If you look for a cheap car rental in Croatia, we recommend using brokers like Rentalcars or similar websites. What is the best way to take a ferry from Hvar to mainland, where we can pick a rental car for further driving into Plitvice lakes, Rovinj etc. Priti, Let me know did you drive without IDP? They try to charge extra. Thanks for the great website. What do you think of these two issues? Thanks! I still dont understand why this happens, but it apparently happens all the time. Very informative! Hi Frank, We are planning a trip to Croatia and related areas with the kids aged 4 and 7, they are good travellers. There are many others throughout the country, but those are the ones with the heftiest toll fees. GET DETAILED INFO ABOUT DRIVING IN CROATIA HERE! I`ve heard that border crossings can be a challenge from Croatia to Monte Negro, from Serbia to everywhere and so on. There are a few standard legal limits when driving in Croatia. Ill be travelling from split to dubrovnik back up towards mostar and back to split. The most popular car rental brands in Croatia are Sixt, Fleet Rent, Avantcar, ORYX and Enterprise. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I am positive is has to do with the illiquidity of the lending market ie banks lending to companies. An international driver's license is only mandatory in the case when your national driver's license isn't written in Latin letters (for example, if it's written in Cyrillic, or in Chinese characters). It belongs to Bosnia, and, thus, it counts as a cross border transfer (yes, even if it is like 6 km). The question is which one will you be the most comfortable in? The only thing you need when crossing the border is the green card a proof that your car has a minimum level of insurance required to be in Bosnia. RECOMMENDED CAR TYPE: If you want to take full advantage of your vehicle and drive it through the many small villages and their back streets, youll need a small vehicle (especially if you are not planning on going far distances). At the time of writing the cheapest compact car for 2 weeks in August at Almeria is 44% (or 330) cheaper in Spain than it is at Murcia. Do not power up hills. You can rent a car in Dubrovnik and drive to Montenegro, or take your car rental from Croatia to Bosnia and back. I am not sure about Albania and Kosovo. A Fiat Panda or a Hyundai i30 would work well in this situation and wouldnt cause too much of a hassle if you decide to drive into a small village. Any concerns regarding credit card physical appearance? We figured as we had prepaid for the car this would be covered. Frankaboutcroatia.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Besides, only traveling by car allows you to make as many stops as you want in order to discover all those beautiful places along the way. PRICE: HRK 200 (US $29.5) HRK 227 (US $ 33.5) per day. How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Car in Croatia? So, any rentals going are getting higher rates. Things to Check Before You Rent a Your Car 7. This means that, for example, you can take a road trip from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, but take a plane back from Dubrovnik to Zagreb. I just want to be sure the if we do that, that Sixt in Croatia will allow me to extend the rental. 3. What I cant ascertain from the websites is if we can take the car into Italy and costs of going through the border. Am I still permitted to drive in Croatia and Bosnia? I thinks the electronic payment system is too much hustle for a short stay in Croatia we have some traffic jams at the toll booths, however they are not excessive nor they happen often. There are some businesses we don't trust and always believe that in dealing with them we'll certainly get screwed up. Some subjects we've already covered above, but nevertheless, we'll summarise our best Croatia car rental advice and tips below. I am aware that Kosovo is a no-go by rental car, but I wasn`t aware that Albania and Macedonia could be an issue? Hour. because well have to probably catch a taxi or something back to our hotel after we drop it off, so ideally wed be as close as possible to accommodations to keep the fare down. Great Post very informative! Neum is a coastal town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Norwegian citizens, by the way), Sorry for all the questions, any reply would be greatly appreciated :). i would like to rent a car in split; what is the closest rental car pickup/dropoff location to the downtown area? The exact sum depends on the company; please check with the company or it will also say on the site right away if you are using any of the price comparison websites, Check if the company youre hiring your car from is charging additional fees for, Ask the car rental company if there are any, Check if there is a fee for picking up the car in premium locations, for example, car hire in, Inspect the car thoroughly for scratches and dents on the exterior. I am happy to see you are interested in visiting Croatia, one of my favourite countries! They'll do the same when you return the car (unless you are fully covered, in which case they don't really care.). Headlights should also be used at night and when visibility is less than 100 meters, Winter tires are required from November to March, however, your car rental company should sort this out before you hire the vehicle. There's plenty to consider and we'll demystify car rental insurance in Ireland below. Shop around! Booking within a week of your trip will likely cost you more. Here are 4 car types I recommend for different types of vacations: RECOMMENDED CAR TYPE: If youre going to be doing a lot of long-distance traveling between cities and seeing a lot of open roads, youll need something comfortable with room for plenty of luggage. The speeds are measured in kilometers per hour and your rental car will reflect that, too. Besides sea and beaches with beautiful islands there are also many beautiful places that you can look after which lies in country side. When planning your road-trip, use this site to schedule which stations youll need to stop at along the way. I suggest you look further inland, especially if you are renting a car. Would I need an international driver license? And we even had full insurance. For drivers over the age of 25 the legal blood alcohol level limit is 0.05% as long as you dont get into an accident, Using a mobile phone while driving is illegal unless you have a hands-free device, Between the end of October and the end of March, dipped headlights should be used during daylight hours. Or, that's what car rental companies will try to make you do. This piece of document proves that your car has at least a minimum level of insurance required and it is recognized and accepted by different European countries. Hour. I used your suggestion of rentalcars.com. Intend on a day or 2 in Zagreb without car before we depart for home. Parking in popular destinations in Croatia can be a real hustle, and it costs money. This also means that rental prices increase dramatically in these two summer months. They charge an extra insurance for taking a car on the ferry. Unfortunately, Im foreign is not going to help you much if youre pulled over for not following the laws of the road. Most big chain companies dont even offer that option, and the ones that do charge a lot of money for it and it can only be arranged by advance request. Airport shuttle seems cheap and regular v cab or other from Lucko. If true is that still current? and another question on if not driving car so easy to commute to one city to another city ? This time Im driving up the coast and back but of course will have to transit Bosnia I suspect they will claim we need to buy it but I plan to refuse. This is not true the green card is enough. The same is true about breaking into the car to steal your belongings. However, car rental in many places is still surprisingly cheap. If it`s not exaggerated, do you know how long we should count on border crossings to take? Since roads in Croatia are great, well-marked, and easy to navigate, GPS is not really necessary to have. However, if youd like to travel in the summer, youll have the benefit of experiencing the warmest weather and youll meet plenty of other travelers along the way (but be ready to see the higher rates for accommodation and transportation, as in any other country). The Tasmanian Government stepped in, offering a $1,000 Hire and Drive Reimbursement grant to encourage Tassie locals to consider sharing their cars. It takes time for your car to get up to speed in snow or ice and it takes longer for the car to slow down. Hi Anna, insist that the car rental company gives you this paper. If youre going to be traveling long distances, make sure the car is equipped with cruise control. Frank, I have noted that you say drivers license of our country is sufficient to allow us to drive in Croatia. The A1 motorway connects Zagreb with Ploce to the south; The A6 motorway connects Zagreb with Rijeka to the west, The A8 motorway connects Rijeka with Kanfanar in Istria (this road is mostly a 4-lane motorway although there are still a few sections with a single-carriageway road), The A9 motorway connects Pula with the Slovenian border via Kanfanar, The A3 motorway connects the Slovenian border to the west with the Serbian border to the east via Zagreb. Weve been looking on carrentals.com, but arent sure about the rules. We have a question about car rentals. You want to have enough time to do paperwork, and inspect the car (to avoid any hidden charges for sudden damages). The only downside is you may not be in the mood for a swim as it gets rather cold, and many of the tourist attractions and hotels will be closed for the winter (though beautiful Plitvice National Park is open during the winter, which is awesome, totally recommended!). 6 years ago Save Most companies charge a one-way fee for a short hire. If it covers it, then the procedure in the case of any damage is the following: the car rental company will charge you directly for any damage that might occur. This is a bucket list trip. Read full disclaimer here. A 16 country study of car hire costs worldwide reveals that the USA and Turkey are the cheapest places to hire a car this summer, and Portugal and Italy are the most expensive. But to experience all those places and take advantage of Komarna's awesome location, you'll need a car. Yes, they do. Maybe you can rent it there and then drop it off in Zagreb. Needless to say, our friends returned the car a day earlier in a similar condition and they have never charged them anything. Travellers will be paying on average 317 to rent a compact family car (e.g. 2) We were also told for our week long rental which I had already paid for insurance through Expedia, that we would really need to buy two additional insurances (one was car body, the other for tire damage) or they could charge us for small scratches etc. I recommend driving a mini Fiat 500 or a Fiat Punto as they can easily navigate the tiny back roads without any hassle. It may be more than a little stressful trying to figure it out after youve departed, Make sure that your drivers license is with you and valid for at least the next 6 months. ATTENTION: We all know that the views are marvelous and you want to snap some pictures for your memories, but PLEASE make sure you move your car to the side and you are not blocking the road, ok? We share here the best information about traveling to and in Croatia, including destination guides, travel tips, activities, accommodation, and the best places to eat and visit. Prices have risen so high about 88 percent from a year ago that rental cars are now one of the key factors driving the biggest rise in inflation since 2008. Its able to handle a variety of different terrains while still providing you with the maximum amount of comfort. They are brokers and work with all major car rental companies in Croatia. I recall seeing a comment on another website regarding a requirement the the credit card have raised/embossed characters. I highly recommend investigating this option before signing any insurance papers that the car rental company gives you. Hope this helps! And then you will need to claim it with your credit card company. Any suggestions to keep a 5 five year old will be appreciated. My wife and I are driving our own car from Italy into Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzgovina and are wondering how we get a green card to show that we have the required insurance.We would very much like to hear from you. Hi Mercedes, Your car should come with a green card accepted in both countries. A big portion of your traveling budget is going to go towards fuel if youre taking a road trip. I think you will be better taking a ferry to Rovinj, and renting a car there. Without extra insurance, you as a customer are partly liable for any damage. Rovinj is generally more expensive than some places (more touristy but with good reason) so keep that in mind, too. Do rental companies have an extra charge to take a car onto a ferry connecting to islands like Hvar and Korcula? Do you have any good companies that youve personally used in the city and not the airport of Dubrovnik? While in low season you perhaps can just show up at the airport and find a car to rent, this isn't the case in high and shoulder season. I also listed 2 prices for high and low season, so youre prepared no matter what time of year youre traveling! Where to pick up your car. Anyways, . Do you know a car company that will do this? Note: Drivers from the UK need a full driving licence, their driving licence code, proof of address like a bank statement and photo ID to rent a . The earlier you book your vehicle, the better rate you will have. Report inappropriate content ratheniska ireland Level Contributor 146 posts 3. NOTE: In most cases, your car insurance does NOT include possible damages that can happen on the ferry. Take into consideration the fact that Croatia has many narrow village streets and tiny back roads that will be extremely difficult to navigate with a big car. I`m trying to find a car rental company that allows border crossings to as many Balkan countries as possible. A validdrivers license from your home country is sufficient to drive in Croatia. We also have a couple of nationwide companies. But, they pre-charged 60 for the fuel (in case we don't refill). Please let us know in the comments below. Hi Keshala, yes, there is an additional fee for taking a car hire to the islands. You can choose from a range of different suppliers like INA, Crodux, Tifon, Petrol, and Lukoil. A Land Rover Discovery or an off-road Jeep is the perfect car for the job. That was how much Hotwire told me it would cost to rent a car for a three-day weekend when I searched last month. I was told I could call back to the Sixt office where I live to extend the rental. The simple answer to this question is Yes, you should rent a car in Croatia! Me and some friends are planing a trip this summer. This is more difficult than it might seem. How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Car in Croatia? However, you will need to pay a cross-border fee. Hi Morten, But its just a bad luck, for the most time car rental goes fine. Car theft is rare in Croatia I wouldn't worry about that. What Documents Do You Need to Rent a Car in Croatia 3. Re: Car hire seems very expensive! Some blogs suggest staying out of old town, in Lappad for exemple. However, try to be firm and insist on using the green card, and refuse to pay extra. If you need this service, you will need to arrange this directly with the car rental company. The minimum driving age in Croatia is 18. The major rental car companies in Europe are Avis, Hertz, Budget, Europcar, and Sixt. It is one of the largest car rental providers in Croatia. And if you head south youll end up driving on this road sooner or later. Do you know if you can also drive car rentals into albania and kosovo? Renting a smaller, compact car is more practical. If you prefer to book directly with a car rental company, as opposed to renting through a broker, you'll find all major international car rental companies in Croatia. PRICE: HRK 1700 (US $250.5) HRK 1750 (US $258) per day. PRO TIP: If crossing through Bosnia or Montenegro, do not forget to switch off the internet on your mobile both countries are not part of the EU and the roaming charges are really high! Thanks Peter. If you only plan to stay in big towns like Zagreb, Split, or Dubrovnik, you'll probably be better off without a car. Paid parking (marked as P with a blue background) is quite easy to find and it usually costs anywhere between 1 and 2 EUR per hour (parking machines usually accept only coins and in kunas, the local currency). Is this easy to do? . Things to Consider When Renting a Car in Croatia, 5. It's certainly worth trying especially during the low-demand periods. You really dont have to have it but I always do just in case since it clearly says Croatia is member. This is the most scenic road in Croatia. Mid- and full-size cars make a good choice if you plan on traveling long distances, as they provide more room. Keep cold-weather gear, a blanket, as well as food and drinks in the car when youre driving. We are heading over in October.. to the lokva rogocznica area I believe, looking forward to getting out and about. Is it anything to worry about, have you heard of ant issues getting it back? Just be sure there is enough space for all your passengers and their luggage and you should be good to go! Thank you for creating this wonderful site. We are looking for a car rental for just one day from Dubrovnik to Split and back. A meal at McDonalds starts at around 10 euros for the most basic budget version, if someone is earning 20-30 euros an hour they're considered very lowly paid. Any suggestions? Holidaymakers face sky-high car hire prices this summer as rental firms struggle to meet renewed demand. Parking in Dubrovnik is extremely expensive (50-75 kn per hour). So, Nova is definitely worth a try if you are looking to rent a car in Croatia. It means you have greater flexibility if you want to rebook later. Chris Brown, editor of Auto Rental News, an industry publication, says MirrorTrip could eventually solve the car rental drop-off problem. Each was for 100 Euro; we bought one for the car body. Heres everything you need to know about renting a car in Croatia! Depending on the length of time rented, daily rates ranged from $41 to $75. Since my company often rents with Oryx, and I know people there, I called and asked for the best deal they could make me for a day rental. PRICE: HRK 200 (US $29.5) HRK 220 (US $32) per day. First, you need to check with your credit card company if you are covered for renting a car in Croatia. I know it will be a busy season when I am in Croatia. If you are going from Split to Dubrovnik or the other way around by car, you will need to cross a tiny strip of land that is not in Croatia. The pandemic caused a complete collapse of demand for hire cars as overseas travel came to a standstill. Buses are ok if travelling to Dalmatia, but not on islands or in Istria. 2. We fly into and out of Zagreb. One of the reasons that car rentals are so expensive is that car rental agencies sold off most of their cars during the COVID-19 pandemic. Do you know where can I parking the car and how much a diary? If you are planning to do a longer road trip and you are thinking of going to other EU countries by car, the green card insurance will also be enough (oh, the beauty of the EU!). So, book your car as soon as possible if you can't drive a manual. Just take a look at the above picture wouldnt you want to rent a car and drive along that beautiful coastline? half had done so in Spain, where a week's rental costs 355 in Malaga . I always suggest you follow the rules and let the locals pass if they really want to. You better make sure to book your car rental in Croatia well ahead. My husband and I are planning a 10 day trip to Croatia in June and were trying to figure out our itinerary. Hidden additional fees that you werent aware of can leave you way over budget after your road trip. while if you were to use a small local company, it might just ignore your claims. 2. Thanks in advance for your reply, were looking forward to experiencing Croatia!