Croatia's coast roads deliver gobsmacking panoramas of majestic islands whether you're riding right down at sea level, metres from the water's edge, or high and dry guiding the bike through smooth curves of tarmac atop severe cliffs. You can split the Croatian coastline into two marvellous sections. Each takes less than a day to fully explore, giving you time to backtrack and perfect the odd mind-blowing sequence of corners. Prepare for variable tarmac, but expect good weather and inexpensive pizza.
The upper section runs from Rijeka to Starigrad just north of Zadar. Here there isn't much traffic as inland motorways take the majority of the load. Leave Rijeka using the E65 to the south and continue past the turn-off to the island of Krk. That's a whole other beautiful ball game. Straight and well-surfaced single carriageway lets you warm up the tyres and drink in the view, but when you pass the little port of Senj the curves start demanding your attention. If you're riding to the coast from Zagreb or futher east, you can ride directly to Senj from the motorway down the labyrinthine Route 23. It's full of blind bends, fickle surfaces and the odd tourist bus: a real brain challenger.