Visit Croatia: our best travel tips

Croatia is a country that Benoit and I discovered separately before getting to know each other on various road trips with friends. But it was only more recently that we returned to Croatia, and more specifically to Zagreb, the capital, on our way to Bulgaria.

When to visit Croatia

Croatia is the ultimate summer destination. There are many beaches and magnificent national parks with numerous lakes and waterfalls. Most travellers prefer the summer months, but in all honesty, I think May-June or September-October are much more pleasant.

After that, it's important to distinguish between 2 regions and climates in Croatia:

- The coastal region and its Mediterranean climate. Here temperatures rarely drop below 10°C, even in the coldest winter months (ideal for hiking and road-tripping).

- In the north of the country (around Zagreb), the climate is what we call "Continental". The summers are very hot, but the winters are also a little harsher. Inland, there are numerous mountain ranges and ski resorts... So get ready to see some snow! :)

So, to the question of when to go, I think the answer depends on what you want to do. Personally, we're not big fans of the beach, and our road trip plans in Croatia are more focused on hiking, climbing and visiting national parks. So, for us, the ideal time would probably be between April and June, or September and October.

For beach enthusiasts, the safest time is from June to September.

Travel budget in Croatia

As is often the case, your budget will depend very much on your travel style and your desires in terms of hotel comfort, paid activities, mode of travel and meals. But overall, Croatia remains a country where the cost of living is relatively low.

You can eat for less than €10 per person without any problem. Well, I'm talking euros, but in reality Croatia only joined the euro zone on January 1, 2023. Chances are you'll still see prices displayed here and there in Kunas (€1 being equivalent to around 7.5 kuna).

Accommodation prices: Hotels have gone up in recent years... When 10 years ago you could still easily find hostels for less than €40 a night for 2, I'd say that now prices are closer to €60-80 a night. Of course, it all depends on where you are... In the capital and the tourist areas along the coast, prices are obviously higher than elsewhere in the country ;)

During our stay in Zagreb we managed to find a tiny studio for less than 30€ a night, but we were a 45-minute walk from the city center and it was really nothing to write home about ;) To see the details of our budget in Zagreb, click here.

If I had to give a range, I'd say it would be reasonable to assume a budget of around €50-80 per day per person in high season (including accommodation, meals and some paid activities during the stay).

If you're coming by van, expect to pay between €20 and €30 a night for camping.

Of course, the budget can go much higher if you opt for beachfront accommodation, go out for lunch and dinner and do paid activities every day ;)

To find accommodation, as always, we recommend you take a look at Booking or compare prices on the map below (by filling in the date and accommodation type filters).

Where to go in Croatia?

Croatia really is a country where it's worth moving around a bit to discover the immense variety it has to offer. In our humble opinion, it's a country that lends itself extremely well to road-trips or to a "multi-destination" trip, by which we mean a change of "base" 2-3 times during the trip.

To give you an idea, here's a map of Croatia with the main cities indicated on it. FYI: between Dubrovnik and Zagreb it's about a 6h30 drive.

Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik or Zadar: the best cities in Croatia

Cities aren't normally our thing, but we have to admit that in Croatia we really enjoyed spending a few days there. Zagreb is the city we most recently returned to together (you can read our full guide to the city here).

But on our previous trips, Benoit went to Dubrovnik and Split, while I took a road trip with my best friend via Split, Zadar and Pula. I have really fond memories of Split's sunny terraces and charming little streets. Benoit has vague memories of Dubrovnik's wild parties! On a more serious note, Dubrovnik is apparently also a very beautiful city, but at the time Benoit was far more interested in the bars than the 16th-century ramparts ;) But it's clearly one of the cities I'll be going to when we return to Croatia.

Pula, I remember, was where we paid the most for a campsite, but it's also a charming little coastal town with a magnificent Roman arena. After that, I don't think the town is worth spending several days in... it's more of a base for visiting the sumptuous Istrian peninsula region. From a charm point of view, I also recommend taking a look at the little town of Rovinj. I found it really adorable!

Krka, Plitvice and Mljet national parks or the Blue Cave

Croatia is far more than just cities! If you come to Croatia, I recommend you don't miss the Krka and Plitvice Lakes national parks. They're very touristy places, but well worth the effort. For the lakes, I advise you to be in a vehicle and to arrive early! Most tours arrive in the late morning, and during the first few hours there are really fewer people!

To rent a car in Croatia, as always, we recommend you compare prices on the following website RentalCars. Renting for your entire stay may be a good idea if you plan to move around a lot, but it's also possible to rent by the day for specific activities and visits.

On some sites you'll see that it's possible to make excursions to Plitvice from Zagreb, Zadar or even Split. So is it possible? It certainly is! Getyourguide offers a plethora of such excursions. It can be a solution if you don't want to rent a car, but be prepared to spend between 5 and 7 hours on the roads in a single day! It's not exactly next-door ;) Zadar being the nearest town... If we had to choose, we'd probably do a tour from there.

See the tours to Plitvice on GetyourGuide

Croatian islands and beaches

If your main objective is the coastal region for swimming, there's no shortage of options here! When I came on a road trip with my friend, we drove along the coast and ended up stopping a little after Split, where we found a small apartment to rent on Booking.

We didn't manage to go to the islands (we tried to book last minute and everything was full), but if you're in the area it might be worth exploring Mljet or Krk, which are paradises for nature lovers, or Hvar, which is more "lively" with more options for going out and bars.

Croatia road trip: itinerary ideas and practical information

7-day itinerary in Croatia: in my humble opinion, 7 days is a bit short to cover the entire Croatian coast... You'll be running non-stop and not enjoying your vacation. For a week, my advice is to focus either on the north or the south. For example, you could base yourself in Split and head out from there to see Dubrovnik, Hvar, the island of Korčula, or Krka National Park!

If you prefer to visit the north, the best place to base yourself is somewhere in Istria (there are lots of pretty villages!) and explore Plitvice, the island of Krk, Motovun, Buzet or Rovinj.

If you're planning 2 weeks, it's worth combining these two itineraries, and possibly changing base along the way. Personally, we prefer to stay in one place for 4-5 days and then move around depending on the weather and your mood, but there's nothing to stop you from moving every day ;)

Below you'll find all our articles on this country, where we're pretty sure we'll be going on a roadtrip with our van one of these 4 days!