Krka, Šibenik and Central Dalmatia

From Prague the route runs via Linz and Styria towards Maribor, so it makes sense to spend the first night in Ptuj in Slovenia, where the campsite lies right beside the thermal baths. Sort out the Austrian and Slovenian vignettes before you leave home — with the Austrian digital vignette the ten-day one is valid immediately, while the two-month version only starts on the eighteenth day after purchase. After a full day of driving, the pool is a better choice than trying to push on a little further.

In the morning you skirt Zagreb and join the A1 motorway, which runs beneath the Velebit range all the way to the Dalmatian coast. Stay in Lozovac or in Skradin; both lie by entrances to the national park, so the next morning you do not have to move anywhere. The evening belongs to Skradin's waterfront and to the local risotto, which is simmered here for hours.

Buy your park ticket online — with it there is no queuing at the reception and you head straight for the boat or the bus. From Skradin visitors are carried into the park by small boats and from April to the end of October that ride is included in the ticket; from Lozovac the park bus runs instead. Wooden walkways take you around the whole system of cascades, the mills and the ethno village. Swimming below Skradinski buk is not allowed, so leave your swimsuit at the campsite.

The second day in the park belongs to its quieter, upper section. Excursion boats leave Skradinski buk for the island of Visovac with its Franciscan monastery and further on to Roški slap — these cruises are paid separately and tickets are sold only on site, never online. From June to the end of September you may swim at marked spots by Roški slap, nowhere else in the park.

The Cathedral of St James is built entirely of stone, without mortar or timber, and around the outside of the apses runs a frieze with portraits of the townspeople of the day. Above the town stand St Michael's Fortress, which today hosts open-air performances, and Barone Fortress with its view over the St Anthony Channel. You enter the old town on foot and most of the lanes are really staircases, so bring proper shoes.

Heading south you stop in Primošten — the old town sits on a small peninsula and above it rise the Bucavac slopes, vineyards divided by dry stone walls, home of the red babić. In the afternoon you move on to Seget Vranjica near Trogir, where the campsites lie directly on the pebble beach. The rest of the day is for swimming and for settling in for several nights.

Trogir's old town stands on its own islet between the mainland and Čiovo and is on the UNESCO list. Do not miss the Cathedral of St Lawrence with Radovan's portal and the Kamerlengo fortress on the western tip of the island. A taxi boat runs into town from the campsites in Vranjica, which is the most pleasant way to reach Trogir. The early evening on the waterfront, with a view of Šolta and Drvenik, is worth waiting for.

You move your base to Stobreč on the edge of Split. Diocletian's Palace is not a museum but a living quarter — there are stalls in the underground halls, cafés on the Peristyle, and the Cathedral of St Domnius now stands in the emperor's former mausoleum. In the afternoon choose between Marjan hill with its views over the city and ancient Salona, which lies close to the campsite. Anyone fond of boats can travel from Split to Šolta as a foot passenger.

At Omiš the Cetina forces its way through a rock gate straight into the sea, and the small Mirabela fortress presides over the town. This is a day for activities rather than sightseeing: rafting on the calmer stretch of the river, a zipline across the canyon or the climb up to Fortica. Leave the vehicle in one of the paid municipal car parks on the edge of Omiš; from there it is a few minutes along the Cetina into the centre. For lunch try soparnik, a flat spinach pie from nearby Poljica.

In the morning you set off along the A1 towards Zagreb and on through Slovenia to the north; Ptuj is again an obvious place for the night. Empty your tanks and take on water while you are still at the Croatian campsite — there will be nowhere to do it on the way. In high season expect delays at the toll gates before Zagreb, especially on Saturday mornings.

The last stretch runs through Styria and Linz and is the calmest day of the whole trip. Before you leave the Austrian motorway, check that your vignette is still valid — checks in southern Austria are frequent. At home you then only need to dry the vehicle out and clean it, as the tanks are already empty.