Approximate distances from Calais: City Miles Brussels 128 Dubrovnik 1,248 Luxembourg 239 Metz 265 Milan 620 Mulhouse 391 Munich 597 Poreč 952 Pula 973 Rovinj 961 Split 1,130 Strasbourg 364 Stuttgart 469 Trieste 925 Turin 595 Umag 939 Venice 768 Verona 698 Zurich 521

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Driving to and from Croatia, particularly Istria in the far north of the country, should be an enjoyable part of your holiday. Istria is closer to the Channel ports than you might think and there are many routes to choose from. Whichever one(s) you decide upon, you are bound to go through some spectacular scenery and pass several interesting areas and cities.

Depending on the time available, you could, for example, stop in France at the cathedral city of Reims or in champagne country around Epernay. Given your travel timings, you might find that Germany provides the best place to stop, on the mighty Rhine at Karlsruhe or at the great commercial city of Stuttgart or beautiful Munich in Bavaria. Or just a little further on in Austria, you may be attracted by mountain-encircled Salzburg. You could even go down one way, and back in another, taking in several of these wonderful places!

For Istria, which is very much in the north of Croatia, you only "need" one overnight stop each way, but ideally, in the interests of a relaxing journey, you should make it two nights each way. And it's not that much more expensive because stopping twice means leaving the UK on a Thursday to take your property over on the Saturday, and arriving back in the UK on a Monday, both of which, during high season, has the advantage of avoiding the hefty cross-Channel week-end supplements. However the main advantage is that you will be able to enjoy your journeys much more, which one overnight stop will not allow you to do.

When planning your journey please give consideration to the following:

• The journey time from your home to your departure point, allowing time for possible delays.
• The journey time on the continent, allowing time for delays and breaks, and remember the one-hour time difference with the UK.
• Double-check your route before you travel (for example, the closure of some Alpine tunnels).
• Traffic can be heavy especially, in the peak summer months, and Saturdays are usually the busiest days.
• Remember the arrival time at your chosen property is between 16:00 and 19:00 hours, and checkout is before 10:00AM
• You may choose the slower more scenic roads or the faster option of the autobahns or motorways for which there usually toll charges. In Switzerland there is a one-off annual motorway use charge, payable when you enter the country. (approximately £23 in 2003).

We do not recommend driving to Dalmatia from the UK.