Country guide
Croatia
Walled Adriatic towns, a thousand-island coastline and waterfall parks; May, June and September beat the peak-summer crowds.
Currency
EUR
Language
Croatian
English
Widely spoken
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+385
Destinations
Dubrovnik
A complete ring of medieval walls around a car-free stone city, with the seafaring republic that built them still legible in every street.
✓ best Jun-AugHvar
Croatia's sunniest island: a Venetian harbour town under a hilltop fortress, offshore islets by taxi boat, and vineyards and lavender the length of the ridge.
✓ best Mar-OctMakarska
A Dalmatian beach town with a 1,700 metre mountain wall at its back and a glass skywalk on top of it.
✓ best Apr-OctPlitvice Lakes
Sixteen lakes spilling into one another down a forested limestone valley, crossed on boardwalks laid just above the water, with the barriers between them still growing.
✓ best Apr, Jun-AugPula
A Roman amphitheatre standing nearly intact above a working shipyard, with Istria's coves, hill towns and truffles on the doorstep.
✓ best Apr-AugRovinj
Istria's showpiece: a Venetian peninsula town under the bell tower of St Euphemia, with pine islands offshore and truffle country inland.
✓ best Apr-AugSibenik
The stone city the Croats built themselves: a mortarless cathedral, four fortresses and Krka's waterfalls half an hour up the river.
✓ best Mar-OctSplit
A fourth-century Roman palace that a whole city moved into and never left, with the Dalmatian islands sailing from its doorstep.
✓ best Mar-Jun, Sep-OctZadar
A Roman forum, Venetian walls and a sea organ that plays the waves - Dalmatia's most inventive old town, and the gateway to Kornati and Plitvice.
✓ best Mar-AugZagreb
The Habsburg capital everyone skips on the way to the coast, all terrace coffee, odd little museums and a tiled church roof.
✓ best Apr-Aug, OctThe sweet-spot windows
Good weather, thinner crowds, better prices: the windows worth aiming for.
| Where | When | Why it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dalmatia | May-Jun, Sep | Adriatic warm, islands calmer, before/after the Aug crush | Jul-Aug packed + priciest |
Climate zones, month by month
Croatia has 10 distinct climate zones. The right month depends on where in the country you're going.
Dubrovnik Dalmatia →
✓ Best Jun-Aug
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Hvar Dalmatia →
✓ Best Mar-Oct
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Makarska Dalmatia →
✓ Best Apr-Oct · ✗ Avoid Jan
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Plitvice Lakes →
✓ Best Apr, Jun-Aug · ✗ Avoid Dec-Jan
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Pula Istria →
✓ Best Apr-Aug
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Rovinj Istria →
✓ Best Apr-Aug
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Sibenik Dalmatia →
✓ Best Mar-Oct
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Split Dalmatia →
✓ Best Mar-Jun, Sep-Oct
Conditions Jan Cool & wet · Feb Cool · Mar Mild spring · Apr Pleasant · May Warm · Jun Warm & sunny · Jul Hot · Aug Hot & busy · Sep Warm, sea warm · Oct Mild autumn · Nov-Dec Cool & wet
Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Zadar Dalmatia →
✓ Best Mar-Aug
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Zagreb →
✓ Best Apr-Aug, Oct · ✗ Avoid Dec-Jan
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions