This is the seventh stage of a tour through Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The routes were plotted and driven in 2015 by Marc Telkamp. Today's ride is inspired by one of Marc's routes: the route has been shortened to give you time for sightseeing along the way.

Today you will leave Slovenia behind. Croatia with its more than 1000 islands welcomes you. First you drive a nice piece through National Park Risjnak. You will eventually drive along the Adriatic coast via an endlessly winding road. You take a trip to the island of Pag and finally spend the night in Zadar, where you can admire the Adriatic coast in peace in the evening from one of the many terraces. The diversity of the route means that this route gets 5 stars; you drive along impressive mountains and lunar landscapes, cross the sea with a ferry service and antique bridge. Together with the abundance of beautiful photo stops, terraces and cultural attractions, this route is definitely worth it.

Hopefully you spent a good night in the youth hostel and perhaps also visited the nature reserve in the area? Today you are back on the road with the bike. It will be a long sitting with 6 driving hours, but you will not be bored for a moment.
Immediately after departure you will be surprised with a beautiful castle along the route: Grad Snežnik (rp 2). It is first mentioned about this castle sometime around the 10th and 11th centuries. It has always had a residential function for various princely and other noble residents. The castle currently serves as a museum. It provides insight into how the nobility lived in this castle at the time.

After this trip, the long drive of today really starts. Soon you cross the border into Croatia (rp 3) and you enter the Risnjak National Park (rp 4). This park is known for the presence of four different climates. You can feel the continental climate of Pannonia, a somewhat stricter alpine climate, the fresh mountain climate of the Dinara mountains and already the mild Adriatic maritime climate. Later today on the route you will long for the cool breezes and the somewhat lower temperature in this park. The 35 km long road through this park you can drive almost without navigation. There are few side roads and exits. Simply follow the asphalt and enjoy how the curves pass uninterrupted under your wheels.

The road eventually takes you to the restaurant Carov Most (rp 6), located on Lake Lokvarsko (rp 5). You can take a lovely break here and perhaps enjoy a fish caught in this lake. After this break, the road winds a lot further to the South. Once this road crosses the highway, it's time to get your eye on your navigation again. The right turns will lead you to the D501 where you can catch the first sparkles from the Adriatic sea.
The road winds through the hills and villages along the coast, but soon the road follows the coastline, giving you beautiful mountains on the left and a magnificent view of the coast and the islands on the right.

After a short refueling stop (rp 8) you can visit the Nehaj castle (rp 9). This castle was built in 1558 by the Uskoks. This population group occupies a special place among the Croatian people. The Uskoks were soldiers who waged a guerilla war against the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, they were poorly paid by their patrons, which made them known primarily to the Venetians as pirates. In order to generate income, the Uskoks regularly attacked passing Venetian ships. The castle is now a museum dedicated to telling the story of these Uskoks.

Along the coast you will notice that you pass by one island after another. Some islands are inhabited, others, due to their small size, are exclusively inhabited by birds and sea animals. During your drive today you will visit the island of Pag (the 4th largest island in Croatia). At Prizna (rp 12) you take the ferry to Zigljen. For more information about times and prices you can visit the website of Croatian Ferries.

On the island of Pag you will be amazed by the almost moon-like landscape. Due to the few and especially low vegetation, the landscape sometimes looks desolate. The entire island is covered with a thin layer of salt. This makes it an ideal place to extract salt in salt pans. Solana Pag is therefore one of the largest salt-winning companies in Croatia. Their salt pans can be seen from the main road (rp 18).
Don't forget to take a break in the town of Pag (rp 17). It has a picturesque city center with various squares, churches and restaurants. If you want a bite to eat, the locals will recommend ordering Paški Sir or lamb. Paški Sir is a locally produced cheese made from sheep's milk and olive oil. The lamb is especially tasty because the lambs live on the salty soil of the island.
You leave the island via the Paski bridge (rp 20). Hold onto your bike as soon as you enter the bridge. The “Bura” can blow strongly here! This wind also ensures that the entire island is covered with salt: it chases sea fog onto the land. As soon as the damp mist has dried, a thin layer of salt remains. Few plants can survive these high salt values ...

The Paski bridge is of great significance to the locals. For a long time this was the only fixed connection to the mainland. During the Yugoslav war, the bridge was therefore bombed to achieve strategic gains.
At the viewpoint you can stop to take a picture of the bridge. You will notice that you also see a fortress along the bridge. Fort Fortica (rp 19) was an important defensive fort in the Middle Ages, which protected a busy trade route. If you visit the fort, you will also notice the thick walls.

Eventually you arrive in Zadar after a long day. You can refuel a bit (rp 22) before you reach the end point at Villa Hrešć (rp 24). This hotel is located a little further from the center, along the coast.
If you want to take the time to visit the city of Zadar, consider booking a hotel in the old town. Here you can visit Zadar Cathedral and St. Donatus Church. By far the most popular attractions in the town are the sea organ and "Greeting to the Sun." The sea organ is played by the sea. The wavy sea provides a continuous flow of sounds via a number of underground pipes. The greeting to the sun is a glass artwork that lights up in the evening and provides a true light spectacle.