For motorway tolls, speed limits and Croatian fines in general, see Croatia motorway tolls and coastal driving. This guide covers what is different about the last stretch to Dubrovnik and driving around it.

Neum or the Pelješac Bridge: which route should I take to Dubrovnik?

The motorway does not reach Dubrovnik. On HAC's A1 price list, the southernmost A1 exit is Karamatići, near Ploče: 33.70 euros from Zagreb for a normal car (group I) and 52.40 euros for group II. From there you continue on state roads, and you choose between two routes.

Through Neum. The state road DC8 runs from the Klek border crossing through Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Zaton Doli crossing and on to Dubrovnik, as HAK's road listings name it. Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs puts the Bosnian section at 9.5 km. Since Croatia joined Schengen on 1 January 2023, both ends of that corridor have been external Schengen borders, with passport checks each way.

Over the Pelješac Bridge. The European Commission describes the bridge as 2.4 km long and 55 m high. It opened on 26 July 2022 and links the Dubrovnik-Neretva region to the rest of Croatia across Mali Ston Bay. The EU contributed 357 million euros. Hrvatske ceste lists the connecting roads: 2.14 km from Duboka to the bridge, 9.9 km from the bridge to Zaradeže, and a Ston bypass in two phases, 10.2 km to Prapratno and 7.89 km on to Doli, where it rejoins the coast road.

What changes with a non-EU passport

The EU's Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. It records the fingerprints, facial image and date and place of entry and exit of non-EU nationals on short stays, and replaces passport stamping. Driving through Neum means leaving and re-entering Schengen, so a non-EU traveller is processed by the system at each crossing.

What the rental contract and insurance say

  • Rental permission. For example, Hertz Croatia's terms ban crossing any Croatian border without prior written approval, "except when crossing the Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina borders on the A8 main road (route E65) between Split and Dubrovnik". Other companies set their own rules; check before you commit to Neum.
  • Insurance. The Irish DFA advises that anyone driving through Bosnia and Herzegovina, "including the 9.5km road section at Neum", should make sure their Green Card includes cover for that country. It adds that border guards may ask for ownership or rental papers, and that dipped headlights are required at all times in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Decision table

Your situation Neum (DC8 through Bosnia) Pelješac Bridge
EU passport, rental allows the transit Fine; two passport checks Fine; no border
Non-EU passport Two EES border checks No border, no EES record
Rental contract silent on Bosnia, or no Bosnia cover Avoid: you may be driving without valid cover Use this
Summer queues Check HAK's live border wait times, which come from the Interior Ministry Not affected by border queues

The bridge is the default for most renters. Choose Neum only if your contract clearly allows it, you have your passport, and HAK shows short queues.

Can I drive into Dubrovnik Old Town?

No. Access to the walled Old City is restricted, and the streets around it are a special traffic regime zone, which the city council approved in May 2024 with fines from 1 January 2025. The Dubrovnik Tourist Board sums it up: only guests with prior registration, or accommodation that includes parking, may enter.

The City of Dubrovnik's decision and its instructions set the details:

  • Area: the districts Grad, Pile–Kono and Ploče behind Grad, including roads such as Zagrebačka (from Baltazara Bogišića), Kralja Petra Krešimira IV, Frana Supila, Iza Grada, Branitelja Dubrovnika, Brsalje and Put od Republike up to Splitski put, plus Ilijina glavica, Zlatni potok, Sveti Jakov, Pile and Ploče.
  • Season: the system applies from 1 March to 30 November.
  • Who can enter: vehicles whose plates are registered in the system. A host with a private parking space or garage can register a guest's plate in advance. Drivers with a prepaid, reserved space at the Pile car park or the lower level of the cable car car park (Žičara) are entered automatically, but may enter no more than 20 minutes before the booked time and must leave within 20 minutes after it ends.
  • Enforcement: police, traffic wardens and municipal wardens enforce the zone, directly or by video surveillance.
  • Fine: 260 euros for a private individual. Offences with rental cars fall under a separate city regulation for rent-a-car vehicles, so expect the rental company to pass the fine on with its own fee. Hertz Croatia adds 50 euros per case.

If your accommodation is inside the zone, ask the host before arrival whether they will register your plate. If they cannot, you need a reserved space at Pile or Žičara, or you park outside the zone.

How much does parking cost in Dubrovnik?

Street parking and the city car parks are run by Sanitat Dubrovnik. These are its published zone prices (see also the English page):

Zone Where Hours charged 1 hour Multi-hour or day ticket
0 Pile car park (Iza Grada) and the cable car lower level 24 hours 20 euros May–Oct; 5 euros other months 250 euros May–Oct; 51 euros other months
1 Dr Ante Starčevića, Vukovarska, Obala Stjepana Radića, Nikole Tesle 06:00–22:00 1.30 euros Mar–Nov; 0.70 euros Dec–Feb 17.25 euros Mar–Nov; 8.63 euros Dec–Feb
3 Wider residential streets, including Zagrebačka, Frana Supila, Lapadska obala and Masarykov put 06:00–22:00 1.30 euros Mar–Nov; 0.70 euros Dec–Feb Day ticket 17.30 euros Mar–Nov; 8.60 euros Dec–Feb

Zone 0 is paid through Sanitat's prepaid booking system. Zone 1 is paid by SMS to 708201 and Zone 3 by SMS to 708203; check the signs for other payment options if SMS does not work from your phone. Sanitat adds a 10% handling fee to reservations, and Zone 2 is for residents with permits only.

Worked example: a July day in the Old Town

You are staying in Lapad and want five hours inside the walls in July.

Option Cost Trade-off
Drive to the Pile car park (Zone 0) 100 to 250 euros, plus 10% handling on a reservation Closest to Pile Gate; strict 20-minute entry and exit windows in the traffic zone
Leave the car on a Zone 3 street and take the bus 17.30 euro day ticket + 2 × 2.50 euro bus fares from the driver = 22.30 euros Bus time each way; Zone 3 is charged only 06:00–22:00
Same, with a Libertas day ticket 17.30 + 5.31 = 22.61 euros Worth it if you make more than two bus trips

Sanitat lists 20 euros for one hour at Pile and 250 euros for a multi-hour or day ticket; it does not say whether five single hours can be bought instead, so the range runs from 5 × 20 = 100 euros to 250 euros. Libertas prices a single city ticket at 2.50 euros from the driver or 1.73 euros bought in advance, valid one hour. Buying two advance tickets brings the bus option to 20.76 euros. The Pile car park costs at least four times more, and parking there also puts you in the traffic zone, where a timing mistake costs 260 euros.

A day trip to Montenegro in a Croatian rental car

The coast road continues south from Dubrovnik to the Karasovići border crossing with Montenegro, as HAK lists DC8. This is another external Schengen border, with the same EES processing for non-EU passports as Neum.

  • Rental permission: needed in advance. Under Hertz Croatia's terms, for example, the request must be made 5 days before pick-up, costs 40 euros, and luxury categories are not eligible. Hertz also says international one-way rentals are quoted on request.
  • Papers and insurance: Ireland's DFA advice for Montenegro says to bring vehicle registration or ownership documents and a locally valid insurance policy, and notes that the European Green Card is valid in Montenegro. It advises keeping dipped headlights on during the day, avoiding night driving outside towns, and not handing over your passport as security when hiring.
  • Queues: check HAK's border wait times before leaving, because the return queue into the EU is the one you cannot avoid.