Costa adriática oriental, from Istria to Albania by sea and road.

What is the eastern Adriatic coast?

The east shore of the Adriatic Sea, from the Gulf of Trieste to the Strait of Otranto, where the Adriatic opens into the Ionian. Five countries share it: Slovenia, with a short stretch of about 47 km; Croatia, which has most of it, with about 1,800 km of mainland coast and more than a thousand islands, islets and reefs; Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a sea outlet of about twenty kilometres at Neum; Montenegro, with the Bay of Kotor; and Albania, as far as the Greek border.

Unlike the Italian shore, flat and with long beaches, this is a coast of limestone mountains that drop straight into the sea, with long islands parallel to the shoreline and deep bays. For centuries Venice controlled many of its ports, and you can see it in the bell towers, loggias and lions of St Mark in many cities. Further south, the heritage is Ottoman and Byzantine.

What sections does it have and what to see in each?

From north to south, the first section is Istria, the peninsula shared between Croatia, Slovenia and Italy: Rovinj, Poreč, the Roman amphitheatre at Pula and hill villages inland. From northern Istria, the Postojna cave, in Slovenia, is about an hour by road. Next comes the Gulf of Kvarner, with Rijeka, Opatija and the islands of Krk, Cres and Lošinj.

Then comes the Dalmatian coast, from Zadar to Dubrovnik, the most visited stretch: Split inside Diocletian's Palace, the island of Hvar and walled Dubrovnik. Inland, the Plitvice Lakes can be visited in a day from Zadar or from Zagreb.

Past Dubrovnik Montenegro begins: the Bay of Kotor, a mountain fjord with the walled city of Kotor, a World Heritage site since 1979, and Perast; and further south Budva and Sveti Stefan. The last stretch is Albania: Shkodër beside the lake, Durrës and the so-called Albanian Riviera, between Vlorë and Sarandë, facing Corfu.

How do you get there and get around?

By plane, from Spain there are direct flights in season to Split and Dubrovnik, and often also to Zadar and Pula; other useful airports are Trieste and Ljubljana for the north, Tivat and Podgorica for Montenegro, and Tirana for Albania. The practical thing is to enter through one airport and leave through another.

By car, the Croatian A1 motorway runs down from Zagreb to Zadar, Split and Ploče, tolled, and the coast road, the D8 or Adriatic Highway, follows the shoreline, slower and with views. Since 2022, the Pelješac Bridge lets you go from Split to Dubrovnik without passing through Bosnia. If you hire a car in Croatia to enter Montenegro or Albania, ask the company for permission: not all allow it and some charge a supplement for insurance.

By boat, the Croatian state shipping company Jadrolinija and other companies link the mainland with the islands by car ferries and passenger catamarans. There are also ferries from Italy: from Ancona to Split or Zadar, from Bari to Dubrovnik, to Bar in Montenegro and to Durrës in Albania.

By bus, the coastal cities are well linked, and it is the usual way to cross into Montenegro without a car. The train is hardly any use: there is no line along the coast.

When to go and what changes in each season

May, June, September and early October are the best months: good weather, sea warm from June and fewer people. In July and August it is hot, the island ferries are full and cities such as Dubrovnik or Kotor receive several cruise ships a day. In winter the coast empties: many accommodations and restaurants on the islands close, the ferries reduce frequencies and the bura blows, a cold north-east wind that can close bridges and cut boat lines.

How many days and how to divide them

The whole coast, from Istria to Albania, needs three weeks or more. With a week it is best to choose one section: Istria with Plitvice, or Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik. With ten days you can go down from Split to Dubrovnik with one or two islands and finish at the Bay of Kotor. Allow at least two nights per base; island changes by ferry eat up much of the day.

What it is worth knowing before you go

Croatia uses the euro and has been in the Schengen area since 2023. Slovenia too. Montenegro uses the euro without being in the European Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina uses the convertible mark and Albania the lek; in all three there is passport control at the border, and in summer queues can be long. An ID card is enough to enter these countries, but it is worth checking the requirements before travelling. In high season, book the car ferries to the islands well ahead.