Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we visit Croatia! It’s a beautiful country that is well worth checking out. As you know, here at Wolters World, we like to prepare travelers with the good, and the bad, of visiting a new travel destination. So these are the five things you’ll love, and the five things you’ll hate when you visit Croatia.
Love #1: Natural Beauty in Croatia
Most of Croatia is comprised of coastline. The main coastline is over 1,100 miles long, and then there are the islands of Croatia, with an additional 2,500 miles of coastline. There are tons of amazing beaches, albeit stone beaches, but Croatia beaches are beautiful nonetheless. If you don’t like the beach, just head inland to explore lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and mountains.
Hate #1: Getting to Croatia
Getting to Croatia is pretty easy in July and August, but if you want to visit Croatia in the off-season, it’s challenging. There are ferries that go from Venice to Croatia year-round, but the selection of flights decreases greatly in the offseason. It’s still possible to fly to Croatia, but the frequency of flights is reduced and therefore more expensive. Low-cost carriers tend to really focus on the busy season only, which is summer.
Love #2: Villages of Croatia
Croatia has so many great villages to explore. From Dubrovnik in the south to Pula and Rovinj in the north, there are just tons of quaint villages in Croatia. In addition to natural beauty, there are also really interesting Roman ruins and history in Croatia. The seaside towns are especially fun to visit, and you can easily fill an entire vacation just exploring the small towns of Croatia.
Hate #2: Getting Around Croatia
Once you figure out how to get to Croatia, getting around the country is another frustration. It seems like just about every bus trip takes 11 hours in Croatia. Croatia is basically a long, narrow country so traveling within Croatia often involves great distances, even though the country doesn’t seem very large. It can take as long as 12 hours to go from Dubrovnik to Zagreb. Because the bus system in Croatia is pretty slow, we recommend getting your own car for travel within the country.
Everything You Need to Know About Renting a Car in Europe
Love #3: Food in Croatia
The seafood in Croatia is about as fresh as it gets and is always delicious. If you don’t like fish, the meat in Croatia is pretty great also! Popular dishes in Croatia include surf and turf combinations and the food is also very affordable. You can also get some pretty good Italian dishes in Croatia as well. Wherever you go, be sure to ask your server what the local specialty is and give it a shot. This way, you can sample different foods from different regions of Croatia.
Hate #3: Summer Tourist Crowds
Most travelers take their Croatia vacation in July and August when the weather is ideal for beaches and island hopping in Croatia. With so many beautiful outdoor things to do in Croatia, summer is really popular. The small towns of Croatia get super crowded and become overflowing with travelers. The best time to visit Croatia would be June or September when the weather is still nice, but the tourist crowds are much smaller.
Love #4: Prices in Croatia
Croatia is a very affordable Mediterranean destination. I won’t say it’s cheap, but the prices in Croatia are very reasonable. A huge seafood dinner in Croatia is about half the price of what you would pay in Italy. Accommodation in Croatia is also very reasonable; we had a nice apartment in Rovinj for just 50 Euros per night.
10 Best Affordable Cities in Europe
Hate #4: Summer Heat
In the middle of summer when everyone is visiting, it also happens to be the hottest time of year in Croatia. It’s not just hot, it’s unbearably hot. It’s important to remember your sunblock and stay hydrated. Fortunately, there are a lot of water activities where you can cool off. However, this is another great reason to visit in the shoulder season as you might have a smaller chance of heatstroke!
Love #5: Croatia Tourism
The tourist infrastructure in Croatia is really great. While traveling between towns in Croatia can be a bit difficult, but once you are in a town, they are really easy to get around. There are a lot of English speakers, so language barriers are not an issue. There are tons of tours you can join, from bike tours to kayaking tours. Each little town seems to have its own schedule of cultural events and celebrations. The locals are generally very friendly and helpful, which really makes it easy to travel around Croatia.
Hate #5: Currency in Croatia
Croatia is still on its own currency, the Croatian Kuna. If you are traveling around Mediterranean Europe and have gotten used to using Euros for everything, you’ll have to exchange your Euros and learn a new exchange rate. Overall, Croatia is pretty affordable, but just remember you’re not looking at Euros anymore when you are out shopping.
Croatia is a fantastic country and they really have a great infrastructure for tourists. I highly recommend visiting Croatia; the “hates” are really just little things to have a heads up on, rather than a reason not to visit Croatia. Want more tips for planning your Croatia vacation? Check out these other blog posts: