June 20, 2019 - A head's up from HAK for the holiday weekend ahead. 

Thursday, June 20, is the Feast of Corpus Christi, which many Croatians will connect to the weekend. Recall, on Saturday, June 22, is the Anti-Fascist Struggle Day, and on Tuesday, June 25, Croatia’s Statehood Day. Many drivers in Croatia will likely join the holidays for a mini vacation, which will result in increased traffic on Croatian roads and border crossings, reports T.portal.

Some travelers hit the road already on Wednesday, June 19, which intensified traffic at border crossings and highways, though there were no considerably large crowds. 

The Croatian Automobile Club (HAK) warns that on Thursday morning, there was already traffic from the Lučko toll station on the A1 Zagreb-Dubrovnik motorway in the direction of Dubrovnik, and they pray for your patience.

The same highway saw congestion between Draganić and the 3 Karlovac exit, and increased traffic between the Karlovac junction and Bosiljevo junction in the direction of Dubrovnik.

The biggest crowds are expected on Friday, June 21 in the afternoon, and during the morning of Saturday, June 22 due to the arrival of foreign tourists. Foreign drivers should return to the interior and Western European countries on Sunday, June 23, while Croatian citizens will return on Tuesday, June 25, according to the Croatian Automobile Club. 

The biggest crowds could be felt towards the interior, at the Lučko (A1/A6), Zagreb-East (A3) toll stations, in the afternoon on Sunday and Tuesday. There will also be long waits at the border crossings with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia entering the country (Slavonski Brod, Županja, Stara Gradiška, Maljevac, Bajakovo).

Although it is prohibited to carry out any construction work on motorways and state roads from June 17 to September 2, some of the necessary actions will still take place. At peak times, especially during the weekend, works on highways that could create larger crowds will not take place. If needed, work will take place during the week.

Although prognoses did not announce the extremely high temperatures we witnessed last week, before you take your trip, HAK has sent out a friendly reminder:

Before your trip, you must be rested and regularly stop at rest stops during longer journeys (every 2 hours). Make sure your vehicle is well-prepared for summer driving conditions. Always have enough fluids with you, like water and non-carbonated juices. It is important to regulate the air conditioner in the vehicle properly, and there shouldn’t be too big a difference between the temperature inside the vehicle and the outdoor temperature, up to 8 degrees. This is extremely dangerous if there is a baby in the vehicle.

Stay well informed about current traffic at www.hak.hr or on the HAK mobile application. Enjoy the fact that you are traveling on vacation. Due to a large number of tourists, we advise drivers not to travel at the last minute or use the afternoon hours to return to the interior. If possible, leave before the afternoon. It is also important to be informed. All information will be published on our website (www.hak.hr), smartphone application, and through radio broadcasts.

If you still have problems with your vehicle, our mechanics and towing service drivers are on call every day, and by calling in 1987, every driver in distress will receive roadside assistance in case of vehicle failure. The Contact Center, which is also part of the Information Center of the Croatian Automobile Club, is at the service of all the drivers during the holiday season.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.