Driving Split to Dubrovnik on the E65

The E65 coastal highway between Split and Dubrovnik is approximately 220 km of road that at various points runs within 10 metres of the sea. The road quality, traffic conditions, and optimal stopping points vary significantly by season and by whether you are taking the motorway or the old coastal route.

The two route options

The fast route uses the A1 motorway from Split south to the Ploče interchange, then joins the D8 coastal road south. This avoids the old coast road through Omiš, Makarska, and the Biokovo mountain section. Total time with this option: 3.5 to 4 hours. Motorway toll: approximately €7 for the Split to Ploče section.

The scenic coastal route follows the old D8 from Split through the Omiš canyon, along the Makarska Riviera under the Biokovo mountain face, and south to Ploče. This adds 45 minutes to an hour compared to the motorway route but passes through some of the visually strongest sections of the Dalmatian coast. In July and August, road traffic on the Makarska Riviera section means this route can add 1.5 hours rather than 45 minutes.

Biokovo range

The Biokovo massif rises from the sea to 1762m (Sveti Jure peak) within 5 km of the coast. Driving beneath it on the Makarska Riviera, the mountain is continuously visible as a near-vertical wall. This section of coast also has the best view-point restaurants, places where the terrace is directly above the sea and the Brač channel is immediately visible.

Skywalk Biokovo: an observation platform at approximately 1228m altitude above Makarska, reached by the Biokovo mountain road. The viewing deck extends beyond the cliff edge. Worth a stop if you are doing the scenic route, adds 45 minutes including the drive up the mountain road.

Makarska

Makarska is the largest town on the Riviera, approximately midway between Split and Ploče. It has a working harbour, a kilometre of pebble beach, and a pedestrian zone that functions as the local evening promenade. In summer it is genuinely busy, not a stop that feels particularly local. The stretch of coast between Brela (north of Makarska) and Gradac (south) has individual small beach accesses that are quieter than the town beaches.

The Pelješac Bridge crossing

Since July 2022, the bridge crossing at Komarna-Brijesta is the main route south. The bridge is 2.4 km long and 55m above sea level at midpoint. On a clear day, the view from the bridge encompasses the Pelješac peninsula to the west, the Neum coastline to the east, and the open Adriatic south toward Korčula.

No toll on the bridge. The transition from the A1 motorway to the D8, across the bridge, and back to the D8 south of the bridge is straightforward. The road is well signed.

Ston

Ston is 75 km from Dubrovnik on the Pelješac peninsula. It is worth a 45-minute stop: medieval salt pans in operation, the longest medieval wall in Europe after the Great Wall of China, and small restaurants at Mali Ston selling oysters and mussels grown in the bay. The oysters at Mali Ston are farmed in relatively clean open-bay water and have Protected Geographical Indication status within Croatia.

Traffic in peak season

In July and August, the coastal road between Split and Dubrovnik carries a significant volume of tourist traffic. The most congested sections are:

• Omiš canyon and Omiš town centre (A1 motorway avoids this entirely)
• The Makarska town centre (again, motorway avoids)
• The 12 km before Dubrovnik's northern entry (Ivanica) on any day from mid-June through August, expect 20 to 45 minutes at the Dubrovnik gateway

Private transfers for this route use the A1 motorway south for the Split-Ploče section as a matter of course, bypassing the coastal road bottlenecks entirely.