The highway peels away from Zagreb’s flat, quilted plain and climbs into limestone country where the road and the sea compete to hold your attention. Windows frame terraces of olive trees, jagged karst ridges, and the Adriatic’s slate-blue glitter as the driver navigates toll plazas and coastal ramps. Midway through that ribbon of asphalt you’ll step out in Split: the Riva’s palm-lined promenade and the ancient stones of Diocletian’s Palace press a Mediterranean welcome against the sky—two hours is short, but enough to feel the place alive.