Zadar Airport Car Rental

ZAD

Handover on request

Arranged for your flight, not an off-the-shelf desk pickup.

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One-way to Split

Collect in Zadar, return in Split or at the airport, by confirmation.

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Written quote first

Delivery, extras and deposit agreed before any payment.

Zadar Airport

A good starting point for northern Dalmatia.

Zadar Airport sits between two of Croatia's most-visited national parks and a coastline of islands, which makes it a practical place to start a driving holiday rather than just a place to land. Because our base is Split Airport, a Zadar handover is arranged around your flight instead of being picked up at a counter.

Tell us the flight number and landing time so the handover is planned around delays.
One-way returns to Split, Split Airport or another Croatian city are confirmed before payment.
Delivery to a Zadar hotel, apartment or the ferry port can be arranged on the same basis.

What to expect from a Zadar handover

Motion Rent's base is Split Airport, so a Zadar Airport pickup is arranged rather than automatic. In practice that means we agree the exact time and meeting point with you in advance, built around your flight number so a delay moves the handover instead of costing you the car. It is a slower process to book and a faster one to complete: no counter, no queue, no shuttle to a remote lot.

Because it is arranged, ask early. A Zadar handover on a fixed date is easier to confirm three weeks ahead than three days ahead, particularly in July and August.

Where a car from Zadar takes you

Zadar's position is its argument. Two national parks sit within an easy morning's drive, and the coast road north and south is one of the better drives in the country.

Plitvice Lakes — roughly 1 hour 45 minutes inland, comfortably a day trip if you leave early and beat the tour coaches to the entrance.
Krka National Park — around an hour south, the easier of the two waterfall parks to visit in a half day.
Pag and the Zrće coast — about an hour north over the bridge, a different landscape entirely: bare stone, salt and open sea.
Šibenik and Primošten — an hour or so south along the coast, and the natural first stop if you are working your way toward Split.

Collecting in Zadar, returning in Split

A common plan is to fly into Zadar, drive south through Šibenik and Trogir over a week, and fly home from Split. That is a one-way rental, and it is arranged the same way as any other: tell us both ends when you send your dates and the one-way arrangement is priced into the written quote rather than added at the desk.

If your plans are the other way round — landing in Split and finishing in Zadar — that works too. See the Split Airport car rental page for how the arrivals handover works, browse the fleet to pick a class, and send both dates and both cities so nothing is left to confirm later.

Questions

Before you book

Does Motion Rent have a desk at Zadar Airport?

No. We are based at Split Airport and arrange Zadar Airport handovers on request. The time and meeting point are agreed in advance around your flight number, and confirmed in writing before you pay.

Can I collect in Zadar and return the car in Split?

Yes. One-way returns to Split, Split Airport or another Croatian city are arranged by confirmation. Tell us both ends when you send your dates so the one-way is included in the quote.

How far is Plitvice Lakes from Zadar Airport?

Roughly 1 hour 45 minutes by car, inland via the A1 and the D1. It works as a day trip if you leave early, which also puts you at the entrance ahead of the tour coaches.

How far ahead should I book a Zadar pickup?

As early as your dates are fixed, and at least a few weeks for July and August. A Zadar handover is arranged individually, so it is easier to confirm with notice than at short notice.

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