A nine-day one-way drive along the Adriatic: from Split's Roman palace through the medieval island of Trogir and the Makarska Riviera to Ston's great walls and Dubrovnik's famous old city.
The drive south from Split to Dubrovnik is one of Europe's most satisfying coastal road trips. The D8 highway hugs limestone cliffs above a sea that shifts from jade green to deep cobalt, threading through medieval towns, beach rivieras, and a peninsula where the best oysters and red wine in Croatia come from the same stretch of sheltered water.
This nine-day Dalmatian Coast road trip itinerary is built for a standard hire car. It covers genuine variety: two UNESCO World Heritage cities, one of Croatia's best beach stretches, and the quiet pleasures of the Peljesac Peninsula before the main event in Dubrovnik. The Peljesac Bridge, opened in July 2022, means you can complete the route without crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Total driving is around 285 km. Individual legs run between 30 minutes and two hours. The D8 coastal road is well-maintained but narrow in places, with slow bends through the mountains above Makarska; allow extra time rather than rushing any leg.
Shoulder season is the sweet spot: May to June and September to October give warm swimming temperatures, manageable roads, and prices that are noticeably lower than high summer.
Split is a city of two halves. Beyond the old walls, there are trams, supermarkets, and Croatian football on outdoor screens. Inside Diocletian's Palace, a Roman emperor's retirement home from AD 305 has become a living neighbourhood: laundry strung between columns, cafe tables on the peristyle, apartments filling what were once imperial apartments. Start your trip slowly. The palace rewards time spent getting lost in its layers.
On your second day, take the 30-minute drive to Klis Fortress, a clifftop stronghold with a 360-degree panorama over Split, the islands, and the Dinaric Alps. It appeared as the slave city of Meereen in Game of Thrones; the views are worth the trip regardless.
Key activities: Diocletian's Palace peristyle, the Cathedral of Saint Domnius (built inside the emperor's mausoleum), the Mestrovic Gallery, and the evening Riva promenade.
Trogir is 27 km west of Split and earns an overnight stop rather than a day trip. A UNESCO-listed medieval city on a tiny island connected by two short bridges, it has a density of Romanesque and Gothic architecture that would take a day to walk through properly. The Cathedral of Saint Lawrence has a 13th-century portal by Master Radovan that is considered the finest Romanesque carving in Croatia.
White chalk cliffs, a Norman conquest battlefield, cobblestoned medieval streets and a seaside city that refuses to be ordinary: this East Sussex road trip itinerary covers it all in seven days.
The Kamerlengo Fortress at the western tip is worth the entrance fee for the views over the Adriatic, and the waterfront promenade fills with locals in the evenings when the day-trip coaches have gone. Staying one night lets you experience that quieter version of the town.
The drive south from Trogir on the D8 is one of the best hours of driving in Europe. Limestone mountains fall straight into the sea, passing through the gorge town of Omis, where the Cetina river meets the Adriatic through a narrow cleft in the rock, before opening onto the long arc of the Makarska Riviera.
Makarska is the Riviera's main town: a palm-lined promenade, a sheltered pebble beach, and a backdrop of grey-white Biokovo limestone that changes colour through the day. Two nights works well here. Use the first for beach and the town itself. On the second day, drive or take the winding road up into Biokovo Nature Park. The Biokovo Skywalk, a glass-floored platform at 1,228 metres, is bookable online and offers a stomach-dropping view straight down to the coast.
Practical tip: Book the Biokovo Skywalk at biokovo.com before you arrive. In July and August, slots sell out.
The Peljesac Bridge carries the coastal road over the narrow inlet at Neum, bypassing the short stretch of Bosnian coast that previously required a border crossing. Cross it and you are onto the Peljesac Peninsula.
Ston is the first stop. The town has two claims on your time: its medieval walls and its oysters. Built by the Republic of Ragusa in the 14th century to protect the salt pans that funded the city-state, the walls stretch 5.5 km and are the longest surviving medieval fortifications in Europe outside China. Walk them in the early evening when the light is low. Then eat at one of the Mali Ston waterfront konobas: the oysters from the sheltered bay below are among the best you will try anywhere.
The peninsula's Plavac Mali vineyards are worth a stop on the way through. This full-bodied red variety thrives on the steep southern slopes above the sea, and wineries including Milos and Matusko are open for tastings.
Dubrovnik is the end point of this route and it earns its reputation. Drive in from the north and the first view of the walled city from the Franjo Tudman Bridge is arresting: a compact limestone city on a sea cliff, surrounded by Adriatic on three sides, looking much as it did when it was the independent Republic of Ragusa.
Two nights gives you time to do the city properly. Walk the 2 km circuit of city walls early (gates open at 8am; go before 9am in summer to beat the heat and the cruise-ship tour groups). Take the cable car to Mount Srd for an aerial view over the old town and the islands. Take the short boat to Lokrum for quieter swimming and a botanical garden established by Austrian Archduke Maximilian in 1859. Leave one evening free to walk the Stradun at your own pace and find a restaurant table without a queue.
On parking: The old town is pedestrian-only. Park at Parking Gruz near the ferry terminal or at Babin Kuk and take a shuttle bus to the Pile Gate.
Fly into Split Airport (SPU) and out of Dubrovnik Airport (DBV). Both are served by major European carriers with good connections from UK, Irish, German, and Scandinavian airports. Book a one-way car hire from Split, returning in Dubrovnik; there is usually a modest one-way drop fee.
May, June, and September to mid-October are the best months: sea temperatures above 21 degrees for comfortable swimming, the coastal road manageable, and prices 20 to 40 per cent below July and August peaks. July and August are genuinely hot and very busy; the D8 can become a slow queue in places.
Croatia drives on the right. The D8 coastal road is the main route; it is scenic but can be winding and slow on mountain sections. Tolls apply on the A1 motorway (useful if you want to make time on the Split to Makarska leg). Petrol stations are plentiful throughout the route.
In Split, the Old Town inside or adjacent to the Palace walls is the most atmospheric option and sells out fast in summer. In Trogir, the old island has a handful of small guesthouses. Makarska has a wide range of hotels and apartments within walking distance of the beach. Ston is small and quiet; options are limited but quality is high. Dubrovnik has everything from backpacker hostels to five-star hotels, with the best positions close to the Pile Gate.
The Dalmatian islands are accessible from most stops on this route. Hvar (1 hour by catamaran from Split) and Brac (1 hour by car ferry from Split) are the most popular. From Orebic on the Peljesac Peninsula, a short car ferry crosses to Korcula, one of the least crowded of the main islands. Adding an overnight on any of these turns this into a mixed road-and-island trip with minimal extra driving.
An 8-day Northern Arizona road trip looping from Phoenix through Jerome, Sedona, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon South Rim and Route 66 Williams. Full itinerary with drives, stops and the best time to go.
The full route — stops, maps, and driving times — is on Routebook by Kington.
Nine days along the Adriatic on Croatia's most celebrated coastal drive, connecting two UNESCO World Heritage cities via pebble-beach rivieras, a medieval island town, and a peninsula of great walls and great wine.
Routebookby Routebook
