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This is all rudimentary but these features are always different in different models.

REMEMBER to Ask the rental agent to show you how to turn on:

windshield wipers
turn signals
headlights
cruise control

Another important point is how to get the car into reverse.

Where is the gas cap located and how do you open it?

Location of emergency brake, hood latch, and trunk latch.

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Emergency

The emergency services are on 112.

Emergency road help with advice in English is on 987.

Traffic information in English is available at 98.5FM during the tourist season. Otherwise road traffic info is provided 24 hours a day by Hrvatski Auto-Klub on 041 415 800.

The US embassy is at 2 Thomas Jefferson Street, 10010 Zagreb and they can be contacted on 385-1-661-2200. Their website is http://zagreb.usembassy.gov/

Safe Driving info for Croatia: http://www.rhinocarhire.com/Drive-Smart-Blog/Drive-Smart-Croatia.aspx

Driving info: http://www.croatiatravelguide.net/info/driving-in-croatia

It has been reported that auto rental companies in Europe are fanatical about dings and nicks. Small stuff can turn into mountains in their eyes. The next time I rent a car in Europe I am going to take a photo of every side and the bumpers so that if I am charged for a dent I will know whether or not it was there when I rented the car, and so will they and so will my credit card company.

Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes via Hravatski Telakom

Bistro Grill Pastuh is at the Stadium

SixT Android App

This app is compatible with your device.

Source: Sixt Rent a Car – Android Apps on Google Play

Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia is the reason Croatia tops my bucket list!

This is the planning page simply to collect  data for our European dream vacation 2017.

Start at Entrance 1.
That way, you walk uphill, through the park, to Entrance 2 and at the end of the day, you’re walking downhill back toward Entrance 1. That way the waterfalls are always facing you.

*****

How do I find the secret spot for the BEST photo of Plitvice Lakes?

After you pass by the Big waterfall, (Veliki Slap)

-> go up the stairs that are located on the right of the waterfall,

-> follow the road for about 5 mins (you will see the Big waterfall from up) until you go to an asphalt road.

-> Turn right there and walk straight (2-3 mins) until you pass a wooden bridge,

*****
Captured this helpful review from Tripadvisor:

After breakfast, we rambled (there’s lots of rambling in national parks, as you can see) on a paved path about five minutes from the hotel to the actual entrance to the park, where we bought our tickets and waited for the shuttle to transport us to the Donja Jezera (Lower Lakes). I had read in Rick Steves’ book that it was best to start at the Lower Lakes, and although, as I have stated, I don’t follow his restaurant and hotel advice often, his tips on visiting tourist sites have, for the most part, been right on the mark. He didn’t fail us this time, either.

After a short tram ride, we began our hike, and the first views of Plitvice were breathtaking, to say the least. We overlooked a panorama of waterfalls and lakes, not to mention a hell of a lot of tourists walking on the boardwalks that wind through, around and over the lakes and falls.

After a short downhill hike, we saw the signs for Velicki Slap (not a Croatian wrestler, but meaning Big Waterfall), and we took the ten to fifteen minute detour to take pictures and experience the thunderous, cascading water.

The Velicki Slap is the tallest waterfall in Croatia. The numerous lakes are lined with wooden boardwalks with a twofold purpose: one to keep you on the path and away from any unexploded landmines (the first person killed in the war was a forest ranger at Plitvice) and also to preserve the delicate ecological balance of the park.

The Plitvice boardwalk system really is something to behold and something they would never allow in the litigious United States, since there were no rails to keep uncoordinated tourists from falling in. The lakes are incredibly pristine; so pristine that you are not even allowed to touch the water for fear of ruining the ecological balance (so you had better not fall in buddy!). Water in the turquoise lakes was so clear that the school of fish glistening in the afternoon sun were smiling (probably because they knew that they would not be dinner for any of the tourists).

At each and every turn, a new, incomparable vista awaited us with another series of waterfalls tumbling down into the gorgeous lakes. The more we walked, the more people we saw, but thankfully most were going the other way having started at the Upper Lakes, so thank you Mr. Steves for your recommendation.

I don’t have a clue how long it would normally take to navigate the Lower Lakes, because every minute or so one of us stopped to take another in a seemingly never-ending series of photographs. After going through the countless pictures we snapped, Kim and I agreed that even our best photographs could not capture the astonishing beauty that is Plitvice National Park.

When our walk through the Lower Lakes ended, we arrived at a lake that had picnic tables and a place to get some refreshments, including barbecue items that smelled tantalizing. We grabbed some water, and soon found ourselves transported by boat about twenty minutes across Jezero Kozjak (so beautiful that I didn’t even make a Telly Savalas joke) to the Gornja Jazera (Upper Lakes) region of the park.

The tranquility and serenity here is indescribable, and even though we were only half way through our journey at this amazing park, we all commented that Plitvice might be the most fantastic national park we had ever visited.

If possible, the Upper Lakes are even more beautiful than the Lower Lakes. “Unbelievable.” “Incredible.” “Remarkable.” “Stupendous.” You can go through a litany of possible adjectives, and I believe by the end of our hike every superlative known to mankind had been uttered not only by us but also by everyone we encountered on the trails of this wondrous park. Between the Buza Bar and Plitvice National Park, Croatia now had two of the most scenic spots on earth.

Our hike continued past where most tourists call it a day, and we were rewarded with even greater solitude and even grander views from above. Finally, the lakes and waterfalls became less and less prevalent, but by this time we were in “breathtaking scenery overload” mode.

At the end of the trail there was a sign explaining how the park was formed. Centuries ago there was a forested valley with a river running through it (actually, looking at a recent picture of Robert Redford, he might have been there). Over time, limestone was formed which broke off and caused the river to dam up and form the beautiful lakes and waterfalls that compose Plitivice. The unspoiled, white limestone lakes, submerged trees and schools of fish (not only are they happy fish, but educated, too) only add to the exceptional beauty.

We caught the bus back to where our day’s journey began, walked up to the hotel, showered and went out on the hotel balcony for cocktails (surprised?). We spent the late afternoon chatting with other guests on the beauty of this national park. Looking out onto the National Park, the four of us once again counted our lucky blessings for being so fortunate to experience a day like today.”