One coastline, three countries, four days. Here's how to actually do it.
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Some road trips you plan for comfort. This one you plan for the sheer, greedy thrill of seeing how much beauty you can string together in four days: an Ottoman bridge in Bosnia, a walled town on a Montenegrin peninsula, a lavender-scented Croatian island, and the Adriatic glittering the entire way.
It's an ambitious loop from Zadar — honestly, a touch mad in four days — but completely doable if you respect two things: the borders and the ferry. Get those right and the rest is just good driving and better swimming. Let's map it out.
🗺️ The loop at a glance
Leg | Distance | Time | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
Zadar → Mostar | ~300 km | ~4 h | Enter Bosnia 🇧🇦 — leave the EU |
Mostar → Budva | ~280 km | ~5–6 h | Cross into Montenegro 🇲🇪 |
Budva → Hvar | ~350 km + ferry | ~6–7 h | Drive north, then the Drvenik–Sućuraj ferry ⛴️ |
Hvar → Makarska | ferry + short drive | ~1–2 h | Ferry back to the mainland |
Makarska → Zadar | ~150 km | ~2.5 h | Home on the A1 |
Distances and times are approximate and assume light traffic — the single biggest variable is the border wait, not the road.
⚠️ Read this before you book anything
You're leaving Schengen twice. Croatia is in the EU and Schengen; Bosnia and Montenegro are not. Carry your passport (not just an ID card), and check your car insurance covers both countries — you may need a Green Card from your insurer.
Time your borders. In peak summer, the Croatia–Montenegro crossing can swallow 2–3 hours midday. Cross early morning or late evening and it drops to 15–30 minutes. Plan your driving days around this, not around lunch.
Three wallets. Croatia and Montenegro both use the euro; Bosnia uses the convertible mark (KM/BAM) — keep a little cash for coffee, tolls and the bridge.
The ferry is your pivot. The Drvenik–Sućuraj car ferry (Jadrolinija, ~30 min) is how you get the car onto Hvar. In summer it runs ~11 times a day; a car is roughly €13.50–€19.70 plus a few euros per person. Aim for a sailing, don't assume one's always waiting.
Day 1 · Zadar → Mostar 🇧🇦
Mostar's Stari Most — rebuilt stone by stone, and worth every kilometre.
Leave Zadar early and point south on the A1. You'll drop off the motorway near Ploče and cross into Bosnia — your first passport stamp of the trip. Roughly four hours of driving, more if the border is busy.
What to do: Mostar is small and made for wandering. Walk the cobbled Kujundžiluk bazaar, watch the local divers launch off the Stari Most, and eat ćevapi by the river as the bridge lights up at dusk. If you leave Zadar at dawn, you can fold in a stop at the Kravice waterfalls or the dervish house at Blagaj on the way. Overnight in Mostar.
Day 2 · Mostar → Budva 🇲🇪
Budva: a medieval old town wrapped in beaches.
Today is a driver's day — five to six hours down through Trebinje and into Montenegro. If you're ahead of schedule, the detour to Kotor and its fjord-like bay is one of the great coastal drives in Europe.
What to do: Budva's Stari Grad (old town) is a maze of stone lanes, churches and a little citadel, ringed by beaches. Swim in the afternoon, walk the walls at golden hour, and enjoy a long dinner — you've earned it. Overnight in Budva.
Day 3 · Budva → Hvar ⛴️
Hvar — sailboats, a hilltop fortress, and the smell of lavender.
The biggest transfer of the trip, so start early and get the Montenegro–Croatia border behind you before the crowds. Drive north back up the coast to Drvenik, catch the car ferry across to Sućuraj on the eastern tip of Hvar, then follow the island road west to Hvar Town (allow about an hour — it's scenic but slow).
What to do: Arrive, exhale, and let Hvar do the rest. Climb to the Fortica fortress for the view over the Pakleni islands, wander the marble main square, and find a harbourside table for dinner. Overnight on Hvar.
Day 4 · Hvar → Makarska → Zadar
Makarska: one last swim under the Biokovo massif before the drive home.
Take a slow morning on Hvar, then ferry back to the mainland. Break the drive north in Makarska — its pebble beach and palm-lined promenade sit right under the dramatic grey wall of the Biokovo mountain. A swim and a long lunch here is the perfect full stop to the coastal leg.
From Makarska it's a straightforward two-and-a-half hours up the A1 to Zadar. Roll back into town in time for a Zadar evening: watch the sunset Alfred Hitchcock called "the most beautiful in the world," listen to the Sea Organ, and let the Greeting to the Sun light up the quay. A fitting end to the loop.
One honest note on pace
Four days makes this a fast loop — three of them have real driving, and two involve leaving and re-entering the EU. It absolutely works, and the payoff is spectacular. But if you can steal a fifth or sixth day, add a night in Kotor and a second on Hvar, and the whole thing shifts from a sprint to a proper holiday.
Thinking of driving this loop — or have you done it and want to tell me what I've missed? Reply and let me know. We read every message.
— Germany Diary