My husband and I took a trip to Croatia to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We loved the trip and have strongly recommended it to everyone. Here are some of our thoughts, tips and recommendations.
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Time and Length of Trip
We went in September and felt this was the perfect time to go. We found the weather (mid-80s) to be warm enough to enjoy everything outside. This included eating outside, swimming in the sea, boat rides and walking around on outside tours. We were told that September and May/early June were great times visit Croatia because it is not as crowded nor as hot as the peak tourist time of the summer months, but still warm enough to enjoy being outside. Because this is a popular tourist destination and can still be very crowded, we recommend spring and fall as ideal times to visit for both weather and crowds.
We came from the United States and spent one week in Croatia. For us, this was sufficient time and we were able to spend 2 nights each in 3 different cities. We felt like we were able to see many highlights of the country in this amount of time. You will certainly encounter others who visit for longer and, if time and budget allows, there is more to see!
Type of Vacation
What I love about Croatia is that it is adventure, history, romance and relaxation all in one. A vacation in Croatia is for someone who likes to explore, learn about historical sites and truly experience a culture. It is also a relaxing vacation with most of the hotels and sites along the sea or the numerous islands along the coast.
We found Croatia to be a very romantic destination filled with many tourists traveling as couples. There are also families with children of all ages and it is a very clean and safe for families to travel.
Where to Stay
There is so much to see in Croatia that I would suggest moving around and staying in more than one destination. We stayed 2 nights each in 3 different cities, traveling form the south to the north. We started in Dubrovnik, then took a ferry to the island of Hvar and another ferry to Split as our final destination.
Traveling between cities in Croatia is very easy by ferry, Uber, taxis and hired drivers. Each city is unique and showcases a different part of Croatian culture, lifestyle and history.
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a seaside town, relatively small (approximately 42k population). It is known for it’s historic walled city on the coast. We staying in a wonderful hotel, Hotel Kompas, right on the water with access to a beach and a quiet swimming bay. I would highly recommend this hotel choice because it was beautiful, modern, on the water, within walking distances to many restaurants, included an amazing buffet breakfast right on the water and was away from the crowds in the old city. We took an Uber from our hotel to the old city each day and it was a 15 minute ride. After being around lots of people and crowds during the day, we were happy to come back to the quiet tranquility of this hotel.
Hvar
Hvar is an island with a historic old town right on the water and a fortress up on the hill overlooking the city. Much of Hvar centers around water activities like snorkeling trips, sailboats and yachts and visiting the close-by islands. We stayed at the Amfora Hvar Grand Beach Resort. While this was a beautiful hotel with a great buffet breakfast included, we found that we didn’t spend enough time in our hotel to justify the cost and amenities there. The positive side of this hotel is that it is walking distance to everything….old town, restaurants, the port and waterfront area and the historic sites like the fortress. Hvar is known to be a bit more of a party town because it has more nightclubs and does attract a younger crowd, but we didn’t find that imposing at all as a couple not looking for that.
Split
Split is the second-largest city in Croatia and on the sea. It is known for the roman emperor Diocletian’s palace. The old palace serves as the main attraction in town and attracts many tourists and cruise ships. We stayed inside the palace walls in a small family-owned hotel called Heritage Antique Split. I would highly recommend this hotel because of the incredible friendliness and helpfulness of the staff here. Our room was big, beautiful and had lots of character. Being within the city walls made it so easy and convenient to walk to restaurants, shops, live music and historical sites.
Things to do
There are many things to do and sites to see as you explore Croatia. These are some of the highlights of our trip and the experiences we would recommend in each city we visited.
Dubrovnik
- Visit the old city and walk the city walls
- Take the tram to the top of Mt. Srd
- Take a walking tour (private or group) of the old city and learn the rich history of this area
- Try the local food. We did a “eat and meet with locals” group dinner (arranged through our travel company) and it was one of the highlights of our trip!
- Swim or kayak in the beautiful waters of the Adriatic Sea
Hvar
- explore the old city
- walk the steps up to Spanjola, the medieval fortress overlooking the city
- take a sailing trip around the Pakleni islands
- go swimming, boating or snorkeling on a chartered boat
Split
- take a tour of Diocletian’s palace and learn the amazing roman history
- shop, eat and enjoy live music within the city walls
- take a tour up to Plitvice Lakes National Park (amazing and worth the travel time)
Planning Resources
I recommend the following resources for planning your trip. For other general vacation planning resources that I suggest, see my main page on vacation planning (found here).
Frank About Croatia – This is an excellent source of information for all of Croatia
JayWay Travel – These are travel experts who specialize in eastern eurpoean travel planning. We used them and they are wonderful to work with and have excellent suggestions for hotels, transportation and excursions. They planned our itinerary and we couldn’t have done it without them!
I’d Love to Hear From You!
Comments or questions about Croatia? I’d love to give you my input and help you have a memorable trip to Croatia. I also love to hear about your travel experiences. Drop me a note!