The Croatian Drava: the river plain of Podravina

Croatia, in the imagination of travellers, is almost all sea: islands, coves, stone towns overlooking the Adriatic. And yet there is another Croatia, continental and riverine, that most tourists never even glimpse. It is the Drava plain, the region of Podravina, where a great Alpine river slows down, widens and traces out a landscape of floodplains, riparian woods and orderly countryside. Here runs the Croatian stretch of the Drauradweg, the long Drava cycle path that rises in the Alps, and here you pedal in a silence that on the coast is now unthinkable.

From Varaždin

The natural starting point is Varaždin, a Baroque gem often called the little Croatian Vienna, with its white castle, pastel-coloured façades and a well-tended old town that is worth the trip on its own. From there you head east following the course of the Drava. The river, harnessed upstream by several hydroelectric reservoirs, alternates regulated stretches with wide natural areas of great value: the region is recognised as a transboundary biosphere reserve, a corridor of waters and forests crossing several countries. Along the way you come across lakes, canals and wetlands populated by herons, cormorants and a very rich birdlife.

Towards Slavonia

Continuing on, you reach Koprivnica, a bike-friendly town famous for the naïve painting tradition of the nearby villages, then you venture into deepest Podravina, among rural villages, country churches and the plain-spoken hospitality of the people. Further east the route heads towards Slavonia and its capital, Osijek, an elegant city on the Drava just before the river flows into the Danube. Its fortified quarter of Tvrđa, Baroque in layout, is one of the most beautiful and least visited in Croatia. Nearby opens the Kopački Rit Nature Park, one of the most important wetlands in Europe, at the confluence of the Drava and the Danube: a paradise to be explored at leisure.

The route

The itinerary is almost entirely flat, which makes it accessible to anyone who can stay in the saddle for a few hours. The surface alternates tarmac with embankments and gravel tracks along the river dykes; some stretches run on low-traffic country lanes. There are no climbs worth mentioning and the effort is all in the distance and the pace you choose to keep, not in the elevation gain. This is slow, contemplative cycle touring rather than performance riding.

Getting there

To get there, Varaždin and Osijek are reachable by train and bus on the Croatian network; Zagreb is the main hub and the reference airport. Once on the route you can move around very well on your own, and public transport helps to cover the less scenic stretches or to return to the starting point.

When to go

The ideal time is late spring, in May, when the plain is green and the birds are nesting in the floodplains, or September, with its golden light and milder temperatures. These are months when, while the coast is still, or once again, besieged, the Drava interior remains virtually empty of tourists: you avoid both the sultry heat of the continental summer and the beach crowds, and you enjoy more genuine hospitality and lower prices.

A practical tip: in the Croatian interior English is less widely spoken than on the coast and tourist services are sparse, so plan your stages and lodgings ahead of time, perhaps in the farms and family guesthouses of Podravina. Bring cash for the small village establishments and do not miss the chance to sit down to eat: continental Croatian cuisine, hearty and little known, is one of the finest discoveries of this journey.