Heading to Croatia wasn’t in our plans for this trip. As we packed up and headed for breakfast, we were heading for Sofia in Bulgaria. However, plans changed and we decided to head North and go to a Northern Ireland Women’s game in Czechia. Read on to hear about our crossing from Serbia to Croatia by Flixbus.
Planning crossing from Serbia to Croatia
On this trip, we had been doing a lot of our planning the day before departure, but the morning of departure was a new one for us.
With our new plan to head towards Poland for a few days, we had to head north. There were many different options of routes to take, but we had already been to Romania and Hungary, so we opted to go to Croatia. Going to Croatia would also set us up nicely to go through Slovenia, which would be country number 40.
The next step was to book a bus to Zagreb. Train wasn’t an option; they suspended the route during COVID, and it never started again. There was a bus leaving in a few hours, which, in hindsight, would have been ideal.
However, we still had a few things to see in Belgrade, so we booked the 4:15pm Flixbus from Belgrade to Zagreb. Setting us back £130 and on paper said it would take 5.5 hours. **The bus station fee wasn’t noticed at the time of booking, we only found out about it on arrival at the station, find out more about that later.
Bus and accommodation booked, we got packed up and set about our day in Belgrade.
Belgrade Bus Station.
We (I) messed up here. The plan was to grab some snacks and drinks from the local supermarket, but as it was a Sunday, everything shut down early. We arrived at the supermarket 5 minutes after it closed.
Never worry; we will just have to pay a bit extra at the station for drinks and snacks. On arrival, we realised this was going to be a bit more difficult than we hoped, as no one took cards.
After hunting for a cash machine in the station, we went and bought some supplies for the bus. There were places to eat in the station, but no one was interested after we had a look at what was on offer. The fact that no one else was eating was a key sign.
The Belgrade bus station was a bit chaotic. There were no signs telling you where to stand. We decided to ask at the information desk, and the woman was able to point us in the right direction.
The woman also let us know that, at that point, you needed to pay to get onto the platform. What?! Yes, you have to pay 190 Serbian dinars to get on the platform. We went to desk 12 and handed over 380 Serbian dinars (Megan didn’t have to pay). Then we made our way to the gate, where the guy checked our platform ticket, and on we went.
Our bus was ready and waiting, so on we went. We were at the back of the bus and thankfully no one was sitting in the middle seat, so we got a bit of extra leg room. The bus departed slightly later than scheduled.
Heading to the border.
The journey to the border was beautiful. The countryside in Europe is surprisingly beautiful for the best part.
We sat back, and I had a few beers just taking it all in. Then I decided it was time to use the toilet. I got up and made my way down to where the toilet was located, and the door was locked. Panic kicked in as the light wasn’t on inside the toilet. I walked down and asked the extra driver, and he said there was no toilet on this bus.
I sat back down in my seat sweating, thinking how I would make it through this journey with no toilet on the bus… However, I was distracted as it looked like we had reached the border.
Crossing the Serbian Border.
After about 2 hours, we arrived in Batrovci to cross the Serbian border. The queue for the border was massive and tailed back for ages, especially for truck drivers. Their queue seemed to never end. Lucky enough, there was a coach queue, and we moved into it and were second in line.
Once the bus in front cleared, it was our turn. Everyone had to get off and cross the border on foot.
This was surprisingly easy and we got our passports stamped out of Serbia and were told to go stand with everyone else.
It was all going really well until two girls got stopped and had to go get their bags for extra searches. This added another 20 minutes to our crossing. They didn’t seem too popular among the rest of the passengers, who had to wait in the sun with still no access to a toilet.
With everyone back on, we made our way a few minutes down the road to the Croatian border.
Crossing the Croatian Border.
Thankfully, there was a separate queue for coaches. The queues for cars were massive. I guess it was all weekend the holiday makers were heading home.
We all had to get off the bus again and go through the same process as the Serbian border.
Our passports were checked and stamped again with no issues. No one on our bus got sent for extra checks and we were on our way again after about 10 minutes. All very simple.
Rest of the journey.
While we waited at the border to board the bus, a couple of parents of young children had a go at the bus driver about toilets. He promised there would be a stop soon. Thankfully, five minutes down the road, we made a rest stop. I have never seen a bus clear as quickly, not for food or water, but to use the toilets.
The rest of the journey was uneventful. We watched a beautiful sunset, played on the switch, Megan sat messaging her Grandda and then decided 45 minutes outside Zagreb she was going to have a sleep. Does anyone else’s child do this? Literally waits until we are there and decide it is time to go to sleep. It drives me insane.
That 45 minute sleep turned into 90 minutes as there was serious traffic outside Zagreb, which felt like it was going on for ages.
However, just before 11pm we rolled into what was a lively Zagreb bus station, jumped onto a tram outside the station, and headed for a much needed sleep in our apartment.
Would we recommend Serbia to Croatia by FlixBus?
It is a very long journey. In total, it took just under 7 hours. This wasn’t helped as, for whatever reason, they didn’t have a toilet in operation. If you are travelling with young children, I would say they would probably get a bit grumpy and restless. However, for what we paid at the last minute and how relatively simple it all was, I would recommend it (but probably wouldn’t do it again without a toilet).
Thanks for taking the time to read about our experience crossing from Serbia to Croatia by FlixBus.
Check our further border crossings.
The Lewis Family.
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