Hi guys, we plan to go for a bikepacking trip starting in Ljubljana, down to Zadar and then take the ferry to Italy from there.
Now we could either go over the islands (Krk, Rab, Pag) or along the D8 coastal road. For me the main question is whether the coastal road has MUCH more traffic than the roads on the island.
What's your view? Red or Blue line? BTW full tarmac, i.e. 28mm road bike.
by MiserableGainz
10 Comments
I did island hopping and had a blast. Can’t comment on the amount on trafic on the mainland, but on the islands it was perfectly fine!
The jadranska magistrala is extremely busy, especially in the summer. Huge tourist buses constantly. I didn’t enjoy it personally. I’d pick the island route.
What time of year? From ~May to ~October, that coastal road is downright suicidal. Lots of high speed traffic. Would not recommend. Maybe if you go in the off season it’s a tolerable, but I don’t have any personal experience.
I haven’t personally done this route but I did a lot of research into this route. General vibe was that you should avoid the highway at all costs. Everyone who did the highway said there was hardly any shoulder, constant cars and it was impossible to enjoy. Island hopping is what all the bike tour groups do. We thought about basically stealing their itineraries but we simply didn’t have enough time available to make it work.
Depending on time (but probably late June as ferry to Ancona did not operate earlier in past years).
D8 is passable in early spring and autumn. After rain and similar weather events, strong bora wind (from inland to the sea) makes ride really difficult. In a peak season be aware of inexperienced car drivers, towing caravan or rental motorhome drivers. Generally, yes MUCH more traffic as this is main supply road to coastal cities.
Generally island hopping is more scenic, not so hilly, roads very calm, but depends on inter-island connections schedule. Check: Jadrolinija [Krk-Rab](https://www.jadrolinija.hr/en/travel/valbiska_krk_-_lopar_rab) (ferry for cars) and Rapska plovidba ([Rab-Pag](http://www.rapska-plovidba.hr/rab-pag_hr.html)) (passenger boat, can accommodate up to 7 bicycles). Pag – mainland to Zadar = bridge.
I did it, but about 15 years ago 😉
Initially planned as coastal road ride, but after we realized how huge traffic is, changed to island hopping. Best decision, islands are more peaceful and diverse (imo),
I just did something similar. Not all island are easily connected with ferries when i was there in Oktober.
We did cres – krk – rab – pag -> (mainland) zadar – krka waterfalls – sibeñik – split – (island) Korçula.
And then to Bosnia with the Ciro route(highly recommend!)
If you want to go offroad, have a look at this route: [https://bikepacking.com/routes/bikepacking-croatia/](https://bikepacking.com/routes/bikepacking-croatia/)
I am not bikepacker but casual cyclist who is going to vacations in Croatia almost every summer. I would pick island hopping instead of coastal road which is super busy, gets really dangerous in the summer, etc…
I did this route island hopping and it was super fun! The islands each feel different vibe/vegetation-wise. Also, make sure to check out the abandoned Haludovo Palace Hotel on Krk island.