Carhirequest blogcar hire and car travel tips for European travelers

General information

Split is known as capital of Dalmatia. It has around 250,000 inhabitants and is around 1700 years old. Most famous location in Split is Diocletian’s palace in the city centre which every years attracts more and more visitors. It is inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List. Split has a variety of restaurants and wine cellars, offering domestic specialities. There are many beaches and public beaches in the city and its surroundings, Bacvice is one of the most visited, since it is very shallow and almost in the city centre. There are four Marinas in Split area which make this place even more attractive to tourists interested in Sailing around Adriatic coast.

Location

Split is located around 380 kilometers from Zagreb, Croatian capital. 220 kilometers from Dubrovnik in the far south of the country and 200 from Zadar. Split is also connected with car ferry lines with Italy and Greece.

Airports

Split Airport “Resnik“ is located around 25 kilometers from the city centre and can be reached by Bus or Taxi. Every year this airport receives more and more visitors from all the parts of the world.

Traffic

Traffic is very intensive in sommer months like in any other coastal town in Dalmatia. Alternative means of transportation in Split are bus and taxi. Parking is charged 1 Euro per hour while taxi fair is around 1 Euro per kilometer.

General information

Dubrovnik has around 55,000 inhabitants, city is protected by UNESCO World Heritage, city is rich with cultural and historical monuments, and well know Dubrovnik city walls that were used to protect the city from different invadors. Every summer Dubrovnik organizes Dubrovnik Summer Festival which is very famous among the locals and visitors.  There are numerous, museum, galleries in Dubrovnik but also many restaurants in the city core where you can have nice Meditteranean meal.

Location

Dubrovnik is located in the far south of Croatia nearby border with Montenegro, approximately 220 kilometers from Split, and 600 kilometers from Zagreb, Croatian capital.

Airports

Dubrovnik airport „Cilipi” is located 30 kilometers from the city centre, can be reached by bus or taxi.

Traffic

During the summer season traffic in Dubrovnik is very intensive, it is very difficult to find a parking in the city core. Alternative transportation method can be used such as taxi or bus. Bus tickets cost approximates 1,5 Euros per ride and Taxi rate differs but usual rate is 1 Euro per kilometer.

General information

Capital of Croatia.  Zagreb has 1 million inhabitants and is one o the major businees meeting points in this region. Almost thousand year old city has a great cultural offer, in Zagreb you can find over 20 theaters, numerous museums and different galleries, lately new MSU (Museum of Modern Art) has been opened and offers something that does not exist anywhere in nearby countries.

Location

Zagreb is located in the northern Croatia, 200 kilometers away from Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, and 300 kilometers from Budapest capital of Hungary. It is very well connected with modern highway system with other part of the Croatia and also nearby countries.

Airports

Zagreb airport „Pleso” is located 16 kilometers from the city centre, can be reached by bus or taxi.

Traffic

City has a heavy traffic durgin the rush hours between 16-18 hours, but alternative means of transportation can be used, such as bus, taxi or modern tram system. There are numerous parking facilities in Zagreb where can can be parked. Parking price is approximately 2 Euros per hour.

Croatia is located in the central Europe at coast of the The Adriatic Sea, with over 1500 island out of which only 10% are inhabited is becoming one of the most popular European destinations. The capital city of Croatia is Zagreb.
Different landscape variations from Sea and Islands to the nearby montains makes the country beautiful, and many natural parks make it preserved and worth visiting. Plitvicka jezera National park is one of the most famous and well known in the region.

Popular destinations

Zagreb – is the capital of Croatia, and the main business stream in this part of Europe. Business is mainly reflected through the famous Zagrebacki Velesajam, which is held each year with different business themes. Zagreb airport is main point for the bussines people in the region, located only 16 kilometers from the city center.
Split is so called Dalmatian capital. Split is second largest city in Croatia, and one of the most visited Croatian cities. The city is 1700 years old and offers many things to see like Diokletians palace in the city centre. It is located on the Adriatic coast approximately 380 kilometers south from Zagreb.
Dubrovnik –Croatian mekka of tourism known in the whole world is on the most famous world destinations, surely most visited city in this part of the Europe. Each years hundreds of Cruise liners stop to Dubrovnik to let their passangers to expereince this marvel of arhitecture. Dubrovnik airport is stuated 30 kilometers away from the city centre.
Zadar – is know as the capital of Dalmatia from the old times when it was main port for all the trade in this part of Adriatic. It is located in central Dalmatia 200 kilometers away from Split and approximately 200 kilometers away from Zagreb. City that has a lot to offer, ranging from relaxation to the late night entertainment.

Airports

Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Pula, Osijek, Zadar, Brac

Spoken languages

Croatian language but thtough the most of the costal region English and German are spoken as well.

Currency

Croatian Kuna (1 Euro = cca. 7.5 Kuna)

Drivers licence and drivers age

– Driver must be at least 19 years of age and have 1 year of driving experience in order to hire a car in Croatia.

Travel tips

1. During the summer months July and August you can experience heavy traffic rush in the costal area as well as on the highways, as of 2010 Croatian high way A1 known as „Dalmatina” has been finished and will hopefully make the traffic runing smoothly.
2. The best time to visit Croatia is June and September since the weather is perfect and traffic intensity is low.
3. In the costal area you can rely on the knowledge of locals with different foregin languages, English is generally spoken almost everywhere as well as German. Italian is mainly presented in Dalmatia and Istria.
4. When in, Croatia there are 2 things you „must” do: 1. Try Croatian fish specialities like (Black risotto or „Hobotnica ili kruh ispod peke”) 2. Visit some of the gorgeous Croatian islands.

Drivers lane

In Croatia cars are driven on the right side as in most of the European countries.

Highways

Croatia is well inter-connected with modern high way system. Speed limit on the high way is 130 km/h, on local roads 70 km/h and in the urban areas 50 Km/h.

Borders

Croatia borders with following countries: Austria, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Hungary.

This can be useful for articles about Serbia travel:

• http://wikitravel.org/en/Serbia
• http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/Serbia/Do%27s+and+Don%27ts
• http://www.travelnotes.org/Europe/serbia.htm

Check this link … you can compile a couple of useful articles from this site:

http://www.odyssei.com/show-travel-tips/croatia.html

1. Something to check
2. Check this also

Entry Formalities. Citizens from the UK, EU countries, the US, Canada, Australia and New-Zealand may enter Malta for up to three months without a visa. Only a passport is required. South Africans and other countries need a visa.

By Air

Malta International Airport, located at Luqa, 6 km south of Valletta, has 24-hout currency exchange services, car-hire desks, a tourist information office, a restaurant and a variety of shops. Air Malta, Malta’s national airline, operates a scheduled service from many European destinations, including London, Manchester, Glasgow, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and Frankfurt. The airline also operates charter services from a number of airports in Britain and mainland Europe. Air Malta has offices in Valletta.

By Sea

Island Seaway operates an overnight car ferry service between Malta and Catania in Sicily four times a week, and between Malta and Reggio Calabria twice a week.

Hotel and Accommodation

In an effort to boost Malta’s image, the government has injected large sums of cash into the refurbishment of the island’s up-market hotels. There are now eight 5-star hotels and over 30 with 4 stars. In contrast to the over- ambitious building programme of the 1970s and ‘80s, when Malta looked perilously close to becoming a Spanish-costa-style package destination, the 1990s development was restricted to de luxe accommodation.

Generally speaking the grading of hotels is on facilities rather than style and character. Many 4-star hotels do not offer the same standards of service, comfort or décor that are demanded in other European destinations. On the other hand, they are good deal cheaper. The Malta National Tourism Organization publishes annually a list of hotels, tourist villages and guesthouses.

Car Hire

Car hire is cheap. Local law permits driving from 18 years. Some companies will not hire cars to those ages under 25 or over 70, while others will charge extra daily insurance for doing so. Drivers must present their own national driving licence or an internationally recognized driving licence. There is an additional charge for any extra driver. The main international car-hire companies have desks at the airport as well as in the major resorts. Local companies are cheaper, bur their cars may not be quite as reliable as those of the well-known companies.

Regulations

Driving is on the left. The speed limit is 64 kph on highways and 40 kph in built-up areas. Cars approaching a roundabout must give way to the traffic already on the circuit (in theory). Seat belts must be worn. Breathalyzer tests similar to those in the UK are now in force.

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