Travelling to Croatia by car: which way, where to fill your tank and highway tolls

This summer season Croatia is expecting more tourists than last year, when over half a million Slovaks travelled to the Adriatic Sea. The vast majority chose to travel by car.

That's why we tried routes at the beginning of the season, one through Hungary, the other through Austria and Slovenia. We were interested in the current prices of highway tolls and new toll stickers. We discovered when to expect changes in the Croatian toll system and where there is a risk of delays due to roadwork.

Toll stickers

It is a good idea to buy a toll sticker before the trip. One piece of good news is that an Austrian one can be bought online without waiting 18 days for the validity to start.

The biggest news is the introduction of one-day stickers; unfortunately not every country offers them and sometimes they are not worth it.

The idea was to enable cheaper travel, especially in cases where holidaymakers are just passing through a given country. However, two problems arose.

Firstly, the validity of a sticker is tied to a calendar day, not 24 hours from the moment of purchase. In other words, those who wish to depart in the evening must take into account that after midnight their sticker will no longer be valid.

Still, you might not save anything, because you also have to take the return trip into account.

In Hungary, a one-day highway ticket costs €13.40 (5150 forints) and a 10-day one costs €16.60 (6400 forints). Therefore, those who plan to return via Hungary should not buy two one-day stickers.

Always buy them directly from the local highway operator, not from providers with higher prices. In the case of Hungary, you can buy them there, but you need to sign up first. If you already have an account, but will drive a different car than before, verify the vehicle registration number the sticker you're buying is attached to.

The situation is similar to Austria where a one-day sticker is also not worth it at €8.60, while a 10-day one costs €11.50. You can buy them there.

Slovenia is not offering a one-day sticker yet, so you still have to buy a 7-day sticker for €16. In the case of a lorry the price is €32. You can buy them there.

*is valid for 7 days

**is valid for 2 months

Travel through Hungary

Tolls: €58.20

We left Bratislava shortly after 08:00 in the morning and our destination was Split.

According to Google Maps, we would complete the more than 770-kilometre journey in 7 hours and 50 minutes; an accident had been reported ahead of Zagreb. We also planned for three shorter stops at rest sites.

There are very few of them in Hungary; also, highway sections are also lacking. Nevertheless, this is the shortest route, especially if you do not go around Lake Balaton and turn right near Mosonmagyaróvár, stick to the M86 road, which partially parallels the E65 international road, and continue to Csorna and Szombathely.

We preferred to travel through Hungary during the day due to the smaller risk of encountering forest animals and undisciplined drivers. But near Csorn, a car suddenly appeared in front of us while trying to overtake a truck. All we could do was brake and steer to the side.

When travelling through Austria and Slovenia, you don't have to worry about this as you are driving on highways the entire time.

After passing Szombathely, the road continues to Lenti and joins the M70 highway next to the Slovenian border. If you don't know this road, do not let the signs for Budapest confuse you; you'll be able to turn right towards the Letenye-Goričan border crossing.

You might even miss it since Croatia is part of the Schengen zone; you will stop at the first toll gate, from where the journey to Zagreb is easy.

Renovated rest stops and modern McDonald's restaurants have sprung up near some gas stations in Croatia. There are also charging stations for electric cars.

It takes 400 kilometres to get from Zagreb to Split, but the journey on the highway around Zadar went by quickly. In some sections, however, we noticed the deteriorating condition of the road surface. After more than 20 years, it already needs a more complex reconstruction, gradually being carried out.

During the summer season, the highway sections with traffic diverted to one lane will probably cause problems for drivers. The part of the highway near the Hrastovec tunnel under repair should be finished by mid-June. Current restrictions can be found here.

We arrived at our destination in Split at 16:30. The journey took 8 and a half hours without jams and with three short breaks.

Travel through Austria and Slovenia

Tolls: €69.90

On our return trip to Slovakia we opted for a longer and more comfortable route. Since we would drive on the highway all the time, it allowed us to drive at a higher speed. In terms of time, it is comparable to the journey through Hungary.

You can cover the 830 kilometre trip from Split to Bratislava in 8 hours. This season, however, there are several problematic sections to take notice of, most due to roadwork.

The first section is near Hrastovec tunnel in Croatia. A funnel is created because the work is being carried out in stages. Another delay occurred at the border, where the Slovenian police checked whether there were any migrants in the vehicles.

Jams began to form again in front of the Spielfeld-Šentijl border crossing, which is undergoing reconstruction, including a new road surface. There are fewer lanes on the Slovenian side.

However, you should know that repairs are being performed on several sections on the highway between Graz and Vienna. In order to avoid collisions, the drivers of passenger cars (designated PKW) are guided towards a narrower temporary lane in the opposite direction, which is slower than for trucks (designated LKW).

Toll in Croatia

Although many Slovaks would probably welcome the elimination of toll gates in Croatia in the holiday season, this will not happen until at least the second half of 2026.

It is interesting that the tender for the new Croatian toll system was won by the Czech Tollnet and Slovak SkyToll companies. However, the Austrian Kapsch TrafficCom company filed an appeal against the selection, which has delayed the introduction of the new system.

The new system still includes toll gates, but should allow passing without stopping and paying, which every year causes long jams during the summer season.

Jams at toll gates can also be avoided by purchasing the credit ENC electronic payment system. You can find a list of sales points where you can buy the device here.

Be prepared to pay by card even without the device, which shortens the stay at toll gates. Lučko, the busiest gate located near Zagreb, has separate sections for card and ENC payments located on the right, two kilometres ahead of the cash gate, where long jams form.

The amount of fees depends on the length of the highway section used; for example, from the Hungarian border, the Goričan - Sveta Helena section near Zagreb will cost you €5.80, but the section from the Lučko gate to the Dugopolje gate before Split will cost you €24. You can see how much given sections will cost you here.

Refuelling

The cheapest fuel prices are once again in Croatia this year. A litre of 95-octane gasoline in Split will cost €1.54, while in Bratislava it is €1.64. Therefore it is worth refuelling when returning from Croatia. At the time of our visit, it didn't matter whether we did so on the highway or in a city.

In Slovenia, we paid the same prices for gasoline as in Croatia. In Hungary, a litre of 95-octane gasoline cost €1.57.

Refuelling in Austria has always been the most expensive; it pays to get off the highway and find a cheaper filling station. Otherwise a litre of gasoline costs €1.63; on the highway it was €2.

Accommodation

If you are not the hotel type and prefer an apartment, it is not a problem finding one even a day before departure when booking through Booking.com. However, this is more the case at the beginning of the summer season, when there are a lot of apartments to choose from.

Once we booked an apartment, we almost immediately received a confirmation and a few kind words from the hostess, saying that she was looking forward to seeing us. The fact that we only wanted accommodation for one night was not a problem either.

We chose accommodation in a house three kilometres from the centre of Split and near the city beach. We discovered a single inconvenience right on the spot: a new house was being constructed right next door and there was a lot of construction activity during the day.

The nearest beach was turned into a large construction site too, because it was being renovated thanks to European funds. Checking the surroundings via Google Street View didn't help us this time, so it's a good idea to look at the latest reviews for the place you've chosen for your stay.

©Sme