exilencfc

As per title really. BroNCFC and I are probably off to Croatia this summer and we think a day trip from Dubrovnik to Mostar would be fun. You can go by bus but hiring a car sounds a lot more flexible as well as making for a quicker journey. However I know that there are sometimes issues taking hire cars across borders so I thought i'd ask for advice. Also does anyone know what the drive is like and if it's safe to leave a car in Mostar for the day?

YVR Cockroach

I did this 3 1/2 years ago. Sixt (located at the Hilton) permits it as long as it is not a premium German vehicle (so no M-B, BMW, Porsche, expensive VW) which presumably are the high-risk theft targets. Our (Italian?) car was fine in Mostar for the few hours.

Drive is fine, just get a detailed road map/GPS/compass (we actually just used an ADAC map for the Balkans) as signage may be poor/confusing off the primary roads.

hdogan

The cross-border limitation for certain car categories are clearly outlined. You'll be fine, just obey the speed limits. Bosnian police love catching foreigners breaking the rules

While you're there, another nice day-trip would be to Kotor, Montenegro.

exilencfc

Thanks. No danger of us hiring a fancy car, we're far too cheap. BroNCFC has an HTC satnav, should that be ok? I might get a map too, I can read it even if he can't :P I shall warn him not to speed.

Kotor sounds like a good idea too

davidgrahammd

Make sure the rental company knows you want to go into Bosnia. There is a piece of paperwork (it was green last year but who knows if that will change) that will be included with your rental papers. The people at the borders will want that. Depending on the route you take (I drove along the coast and then headed inland - gorgeous views) you can be on major roads the whole way. From Dubrovnik figure on a 3 hour drive each way. Definitely a worthwhile thing to do.

davidgrahammd

Sorry about the multiple replies...I felt no concern about leaving the car parked for the day. There are lots of parking lots, some are pay lots and people are there watching things. If you go from Dubrovnik along the coast and then inland, you will have 3 border crossings each way (the joys of geography). That can be what adds time to the trip.

Masso

Yes, I actually hired a car from Zagreb and spent 5 days driving around Bosnia-Herzegovina three weeks ago. No problems whatsoever taking it over the border. As you'll see in Mostar, there will be plenty of other Croatian-registered cars there with you, so you don't need to feel concerned that your car will be vandalized out of nationalist rage. As has already mentioned, be sure that you mention to the car hire company that you intend to take the car across the border so that a green card is organised (something Croatian car hire companies can do immediately, unlike in other Balkan countries such as Bulgaria). Taking a hire car from Dubrovnik into Montenegro is just as simple and worthwhile (something I did in December last year). If you do go to Kotor, be aware that the 'Jadranska magistrala' around the Bay of Kotor on Google Maps may appear to be a main highway but in fact for long sections is barely a lane that is so narrow that two cars at times can't pass simultaneously.

Majikow

Quick bump to this thread to see if anyone can advise whether the insurance from my Chase Sapphire Preferred card will suffice for our upcoming trip in October. We're renting from Avis for a week, picking up in Split then driving to Mostar, Dubrovnik, then Kotor (and hopefully dropping off back in Dubrovnik if we can switch our flights).

Wanted to make sure there weren't any scams I had to look out for when I get to the rental office. I recently got burned for 30 euros in Ireland when I declined Avis' insurance, so I'm a little anxious.

stimpy

I use Amex rather than Chase, however there was no issue at all with me renting in Croatia and driving to Bosnia and Montenegro. I asked at the Hertz counter if there were any issues or permits required and they said no problem. And there were no issues at all at any border crossings, etc.

My first rental was a Ford Focus and the second was a decent Hyundai (can't recall the model) which was a triple upgrade they said.

hdogan

There are limitations for higher-class VW, Audi and Mercedes cars, as they get stolen in Bosnia

stimpy

That's not an issue when renting in Croatia because the rental agencies there simply do not offer high end cars. I'm sure there may be a few exceptions, but I could not find one at Hertz nor Avis.

hdogan

LOL, well, there are some

Majikow

Thanks everyone. So sounds like I should be good to go with just the credit card insurance and hopefully no funny charges. I got a rental for like $139 for the whole week, so I was hoping it wasn't a sham.