Road trips are my favorite kind of travel. I planned a road trip in Croatia from the southern city, Dubrovnik, to the capital city, Zagreb, and it was such a fun whirlwind adventure. We planned to see the main attractions (Dubrovnik, Split, Krka, Zadar and Plitvice), but we also stopped at two unplanned locations that really made the trip. You can read more about the full Croatia adventure on that post, but for now I want to describe the two must-see places you might not come across unless you are driving yourself.
Kamen Brela and Rastoke aren’t near major cities and with the massive number of popular destinations, I don’t think these two places get enough attention. This might be in part because they are between major cities. Either way, I didn’t find a whole lot of online fanfare about Kamen Brela and Rastoke as I was researching for my trip and they were highlights for me.
Kamen Brela
How to get there
It takes almost 3 hours to drive north along the coast from Dubrovnik to a beach called Punta Rata. It is easy to get to Punta Rata beach where the small rock island of Kamen Brela is located. We did the drive late morning, hit little traffic and found paid parking very close to the beach. We went in late September and found it very easy to find parking, but I would assume it’s much more challenging during peak tourist season. (I’d also assume that in peak season it would be much more challenging to get aerial photos without tons of other people in them!)
What to do at Kamen Brela
The beach itself is made up of small smooth pebbles and there is a shaded cement walkway, which is perfect for stretching your legs after a few hours in the car. The cafes along the walk provide a perfect stop for an afternoon espresso and a sandwich before embarking on the drive up to Split.
The Adriatic water is chilly in late September, but it’s bright blue and so enticing that we slowly eased our way in. After a few minutes we grew accustomed to the water and it felt quite refreshing. Heads up if you go: we did see sea urchins, so be careful where you step!
This is one of the most beautiful places I saw and it would have been easy to spend an entire day relaxing on the beach and walking along the coast. If I could experience this again I would bring snacks and some blankets (more than one because the beach is pebbly and uneven) and post up on the shore for the whole afternoon to watch the sunset.
Rastoke
The night before we hiked Plitvice Lakes, we stayed at B&B Plitvice Lacus, which was a 10 minute drive from the maint entrances to the park. We woke up early to get a jump start on hiking the trails and were chatting with our hosts at breakfast (side note: if you go to Plitvice, you should stay there – they were so kind and the place is great value for the price). We told them we planned to hike the park and then drive to Zagreb; our host implored us to stop in Rastoke on our way. He described it as “like a mini Plitvice.” He was right – it’s a town with waterfalls built in!
How to get there
The town is an hour drive from our B&B near Plitvice and not out of the way at all. We just typed “Rastoke” into gps and were off on our way, but I wouldn’t actually recommend anyone else do that because it wasn’t actually obvious to us what exactly we were looking for or where to find it. Instead, I’d recommend typing “Vodena Ovca cafe” into gps, which takes you right up to the bridge and parking area. Admittedly, I also missed the very sharp left turnoff and had to circle back.
What to do in Rastoke
We took our host’s advice and arrived in this tiny, sleepy town that felt completely empty of people and full of beauty. I’m a sucker for places where I get to feel like the only tourist, so I was in heaven there. Once we found parking, we walked over the bridge into town and stopped into the cafe for a coffee. We were the only guests, which made it feel extra personal and cosy. The coffee was fine – nothing life-changing, but it was good.
I noticed it looked like there were lodging options in the town; I could imagine that being a perfect place to stay for a night or two if you needed an escape. Though, I’m not actually sure what kind of activities there are outside of just enjoying the surrounding beauty, so it probably wouldn’t be my first choice. Though it may not warrant a night’s stay, if you find yourself on a road trip through Croatia then you should definitely make your way here!
These two stops were a part of a bigger road trip in Croatia where we also visited Dubrovnik, Split, Krka National Park, Zadar, and Plitvice Lakes. If you’re interested in seeing more photos or reading about that road trip adventure, you can check it out here!
