Cesky Krumlov, Czechia This post contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I've personally experienced or genuinely believe in. The first time I stood on Charles Bridge, my son was still a teenager who'd agreed to be seen in public with us, and we did exactly what everyone tells you to do in Prague. Astronomical Clock. Cobblestones. And we climbed a staircase on a whim that dump us, completely by accident, inside the grounds of Prague Castle through an unlocked gate. Free self-guided tour of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, no idea how we got there, but it was worth the accidental self-guided tour, even if we did it completely backwards. From there we made our way to Český Krumlov, the other place everyone tells you to see, and it earns every bit of its reputation too. But that was the whole trip, Prague and Český Krumlov, full stop, and that part was entirely on us. For that first trip, we hadn't researched a single thing beyond the two places everyone mentions. We only found out what we'd missed on the way out of the country, when we caught a train and spent the whole ride with our faces pressed against the train window. The countryside rolling past looked nothing like what we'd planned our entire trip around, and somewhere on that train ride, we made a promise to come back and actually drive the entire country ourselves. It took a few years, but we kept that promise, and it was worth every bit of the wait. This time, ten days, one rental car, and Czechia, as the Czech Repulic is now known as, turned out to have far more range than the postcards, or our first trip, ever let on. Here's the full route, where we stayed, and what we'd do again without thinking twice. The Route at a Glance Astronomical Clock in Prague Day 1: Prague. Days 2-5: Karlovy Vary. Days 6-7: Hluboká nad Vltavou, used as the base for a day trip to Český Krumlov. Days 8-10: Mikulov, with stops in Třeboň and Telč on the way there, used as the base for day trips to Lednice and Valtice. The further from Prague we drove, the better the trip was. That's not a knock on Prague. It's just the truth about what's waiting beyond the city limits. If you're planning to drive this route yourself, here's everything you need to know about renting a car in Czechia, including the part where Brno nearly finished us. Day 1: Prague We stayed at Hotel Černý Slon, tucked just off Old Town Square in a building that predates Canada by several centuries. Central, walkable from the train station if you don't mind a bit of cobblestone cardio, and quiet, unless a football match happens to be playing in the square below, in which case quiet stops applying until well after midnight. If it's full, Týn Yard Residence is a solid four-star alternative right by the main square. This time, we skipped the deliberate sightseeing and let ourselves get lost in Old Town on purpose, gothic spires and centuries-old stonework around every turn. The Astronomical Clock is worth timing your walk around, show up on the hour for the mechanical show, then cross Charles Bridge early before the crowds arrive. Prague Castle is still worth the climb, even though we did it on self-guided tickets, a guided castle tour with admission included would have connected the historical dots faster than we managed on our own. After that, get pleasantly lost in Malá Strana and duck into whichever pub looks the least touristy, or skip the guesswork entirely with a historic pub tour, drinks included. We also flagged a few things for next time: a river boat cruise past Charles Bridge, the view from Letná Park, and a classical concert in one of the chapels near Old Town. Czechia rewards a return trip, even within the same itinerary. Days 2-5: Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary, Czechia About an hour and a half outside Prague, the road opens up into Czech countryside that caught us completely off guard. Flat, easy, oddly meditative, until it dips into a forested gully and the rooftops of Karlovy Vary suddenly appear like you've driven through a side door into a different century. We stayed at Spa Resort Sanssouci, a short tree-lined walk from the centre, with world-class spa facilities, 50-plus health professionals on staff, mineral pools, saunas, thermal baths. Low effort, high reward. If you want something smaller and more private, Villa Julius a Emma sits right next door. If you'd rather be in town and don't mind channeling your inner Bond villain, Grandhotel Pupp is the real filming location for Casino Royale, and afternoon tea there is exactly as you would expect. Grand! Spa Hotel Imperial, perched above the town, is another strong option if you want the views with your treatments. Karlovy Vary, Czechia Karlovy Vary has been pulling in wealthy bathers since the 14th century, when Charles IV's injured hunting dog allegedly stumbled into a thermal spring and came out healed. True or not, the town built an empire on it. Walk the colonnades, sip the mineral water from one of the tiny doll-sized mugs locals swear by, and don't skip the hiking, 180-plus kilometres of trails wrap the hills above town. We took the funicular, directly from town, up to the Diana Lookout Tower and walked the Deer Leap trail back down, landing conveniently close to a pint. If you’re deciding whether the spa town deserves a place on your route, here’s my complete guide to visiting Karlovy Vary, including what to do, where to stay and why I recommend spending at least two nights. Days 6-7: Hluboká nad Vltavou & Český Krumlov Two hours south, the landscape goes from spa town to storybook. We stayed at Hotel Štekl, a castle property right next to Hluboká Castle itself, the Romantic Neo-Gothic reconstruction modelled on Windsor Castle in the 19th century. Every evening, once the day visitors had left, we took a bottle of South Bohemian wine up into the castle gardens and watched the sun go down over the valley. That alone fulfilled my childhood dream of feeling like a Princess. Hotel Stekl Most guides tell you to see Hluboká as a quick stop on the way somewhere else. We stayed two nights on purpose, partly because Český Krumlov books up solid in high season and partly because having a car meant we didn't have to choose, we had the quiet evenings in Hluboká and the easy day trip into Český Krumlov without fighting for a room in either place. Český Krumlov itself is the kind of town that looks built by film set designers, wrapped in a bend of the Vltava River with a 13th-century castle, an honest-to-god bear moat, and cobblestone lanes that earned it UNESCO status. If you're driving, parking gets tight in high season, arrive early or stay outside town the way we did. Feed the bears, wander the old town, and if it's warm enough, raft the river with Maleček Rafting & Canoe, past medieval towers and pop-up wooden riverside bars selling beer to anyone floating by. If Hotel Štekl is full, Garni Hotel Castle Bridge and Hotel Krčínův Dům are solid options inside Cesky Krumlov itself, and Guest House Olšakovský is the better budget-friendly pick. We slept in Hluboká nad Vltavou rather than Krumlov, which I realise sounds contradictory given everything I just said about the place. It isn't. Český Krumlov is very much worth it as I've described. It's just better visited than slept in, at least in July. Here's the case for Hluboká and here's the full Krumlov day, kayaks, lanterns, and one very soggy iPod included. Between the two posts you'll have everything you need. Days 8-10: Mikulov, Wine Country, and the Unexpected Cold War Detour Mikulov, Czechia The final stretch took us southeast into South Moravia, and it turned into the part of the trip that surprised us the most. On the way, we stopped in Třeboň, a spa town known for peat mud baths and centuries-old fish ponds still in operation, and Telč, a UNESCO-listed Renaissance square that's a perfect midday coffee stop even if an afternoon isn't enough to call it a full destination. We based ourselves in Mikulov at Pension Baltazar, a cosy guesthouse looking out over Svatý Kopeček, Holy Hill, a forty-minute hike from bed to summit with panoramic views over the vineyards below. Boutique Hotel Templ sits next door if Baltazar is full. Mikulov has been a cultural crossroads for centuries, once a stop on the trade route between Brno and Vienna, and it's still the easiest base for exploring South Moravian wine country without committing to one town for the whole stretch. From Mikulov, two day trips stood out. Lednice, which I started calling the Versailles of the East the moment we walked in, a riverside Neo-Gothic estate with a full minaret tucked into the grounds and a lazy river cruise past romantic ruins. And Valtice, where we went looking for a neoclassical colonnade and instead stumbled onto an abandoned Cold War border post, the actual Iron Curtain Museum, and, without warning, a group of Czech teenagers performing a full choreographed routine to a Grease song in front of a 19th-century monument. We also briefly and accidentally drove across the Austrian border, which is a story in itself. We said goodbye to our rental car in Brno, Czechia's second-largest city, before catching a train to Vienna. We didn't linger there, but it served its purpose as a central place to end a ten-day loop. What Surprised Us Most Telc, Czechia Outside of Prague and Český Krumlov, I had no idea what to expect going in. What we found was a country with far more range than its reputation suggests, spa towns, vineyard valleys, castle-dotted countryside, and roads good enough that driving never once felt like the hard part. If you're even considering Central Europe, Czechia earns a spot on the list. We'd go back without hesitation. If you want help building a route that actually fits how you travel, I'd love to put one together for you. And if you want the next post in this series the moment it goes up, the TMT newsletter is where that happens first.

Mikulov Czechia This post contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I've personally experienced or would book myself. We named our sweet little rental car after a candy. That should tell you everything about how relaxed this trip was, mostly. If you've read the 10-day Czechia road trip itinerary, you already know this trip was years in the making. A promise we made to ourselves on a train the first time we visited Czechia and left without seeing half the country. To make this trip a reality, it wasn't going to happen without a car. So before the next post drags you off to wine country, here's the actual logistics, the documents, the rental, the roads, and the one part of this entire trip that truly tested us. Do You Need an International Driving Permit to Drive in Czechia? We picked up our International Driving Permit at our local BCAA office, a straightforward in-person process. It's essentially a translated duplicate of your driver's license, in multiple languages, your passport photo, and an official stamp, that's the whole document. Ours covered multiple countries and was valid for a full year. Czechia requires non-EU visitors to carry an International Driving Permit alongside their home license. Nobody asked us for it once, not the rental company, not a single checkpoint the entire trip. It's still a real legal requirement, and at $25 CAD it’s the closest thing to a spy credential a Canadian can get at a strip mall in BC. Bond had Q. We had a very pleasant BCAA representative and a laminator. Tictac What's It Like Renting a Car in Prague? We picked up our rental car right at Prague's main train station, easy pickup, no drama. Whatever specific make and model we'd booked wasn't actually what we drove away in, which is just how European rentals seem to work, you book a category, not a car. We didn't mind. Our rule is always the most compact car available, European roads and parking are tight enough that smaller really is better, not just cheaper. What we got was small, blue and white, and looked enough like a Tic Tac box that the name stuck before we'd even left the parking garage. Tictac was peppy on the highway, easy on gas, and about as far from a Bond car as it is physically possible for a vehicle to be, no ejector seat, no gadgets, not even a decent cupholder, which suited us fine since nobody in Czechia was watching to see what we drove anyway. One thing worth flagging if you're not used to European rentals: it'll almost certainly be a manual. Automatics exist, but they're the rarer option, the kind of thing you have to specifically request and sometimes pay more for, the rental equivalent of finding a parking spot directly in front of Prague Castle on a Saturday in July. Is Driving in Czechia Easy for Visitors? This part was honestly easy. Czechs drive on the right, same as home. Road signs are posted in both Czech and English. The roads themselves, even the smaller secondary routes through South Moravia, were in better condition than plenty of roads back home in BC. I did most of the driving, and the only moment of real tension was untangling ourselves out of central Prague. Once we cleared the city, it was smooth the entire way, Google Maps the whole route, never once left us lost. Parking was a non-issue almost everywhere, since most of our stops were deliberately the quieter towns rather than the famous ones. Český Krumlov was the one exception, and we'd already planned for it, a parking lot just outside the old town, found through Google Maps ahead of time, a short walk in from there. No stress, because we knew to expect it. If you want to know what we actually did once we parked, the kayaks, the lanterns, and the iPod are all here. One small habit worth adopting: take a photo of your license plate the moment you pick up the rental car. More than one hotel asked for make, model, and plate number at check-in, same as registering a car at home, and having the photo on hand made that a non-issue every time. Keep in mind the narrow roads and limited parking in Europe Where Do You Actually Drop Off a Rental Car in Brno? I'm giving this part its own heading, partly because it deserves one, and partly because writing it down here is still cheaper than therapy. The plan was clean on paper, pick up in Prague, drop off in Brno, no doubling back. Finding the actual drop-off location turned into one of the most frustrating two hours of the entire trip. We went back and forth between Brno's airport and an industrial area on the edge of the city multiple times. Even the SixT representative at the airport had no idea where the Brno drop-off actually was, and confirmed the airport itself couldn't take the car. At one point we were seriously considering just leaving Tictac on a random street near the train station and walking away. We went back to the industrial area a second time, found the address we'd been given, and it turned out to be a small back-alley mechanic shop. The two guys working there could see exactly how frustrated we were. They pulled out their own phones, helped us track down the actual location, and then, while they were at it, sat us down, opened their beer fridge, and gave us each a beer while they called SixT directly to sort out where we actually needed to be. We finished the beers, drove around the half-block to the real address, and parked in a business parking lot in front of a building that turned out to be nothing but a wall of mailboxes for different companies. No staff, no counter, nobody. I walked in. Walked back out. Walked back in again. Finally, out of pure desperation, I read every single mailbox label until I found it, "Sixt," in tiny print, barely legible, with a small slot underneath for the key. I dropped the key in, ran back to the car, and told my husband I'd found it with the energy of someone who'd just taken first place on The Amazing Race. One practical note if this happens to you too: nobody was there to inspect the car or confirm the drop-off in person, so we photographed Tictac from every angle, along with the date and time, before we walked away. Worth doing regardless of how the drop-off goes, but especially if you find yourself dropping a key into an unmarked mailbox slot with zero human contact to back you up. Practical Tips for Self-Driving Czechia Get the International Drivers Permit even if you're fairly sure nobody will check it, $25 CAD is nothing against the alternative. Book the smallest car category available, European roads and parking reward it. Expect a manual unless you've specifically requested and paid for an automatic. Photograph your license plate at pickup, hotels ask for it at check-in. And if your rental is one-way into a smaller city, build in extra time for the drop-off, ours took the better part of an afternoon longer than it should have. Planning to visit Europe this summer? The EU Entry Exit System is now fully operational at all Schengen borders since April 2026. Czechia is part of the Schengen zone, so this applies on arrival regardless of which border you cross first. No pre-registration needed but budget extra time at border control on your first entry. ETIAS, the EU's new pre-travel authorisation system, is coming in late 2026 and isn't required yet, but check travel-europe.europa.eu/etias before you book if you're travelling after Q4 2026. If your trip includes a UK stopover, the UK ETA is also required, apply at gov.uk/eta before you fly. Self-Drive Czechia: The Honest Answer Driving in Czechia is easier than you think Yes, absolutely, rent the car. Nothing about this trip, Hluboká nad Vltavou, the wine country detours, the quiet roads through South Moravia, or spending two nights in Karlovy Vary would have worked nearly as well without one. The driving itself was some of the easiest we've done in Europe, well-marked, well-maintained, and never once stressful beyond the first twenty minutes out of Prague. Just build in a little extra patience for the drop-off if you're doing a one-way rental into a smaller city. Brno worked out fine in the end, with two strangers and a couple of free beers to thank for it. But it's the one part of this whole self-drive plan I'd tell you to expect to take longer than the map says it should. If you want help mapping a self-drive route that actually works for how you travel, I'd love to put one together for you. And if you'd rather get stories like this one before they hit the blog, that's exactly what Travel Notes From Seat 12A is for, the next issue from this trip lands there first.

Valtice Iron Curtain Museum Border Guard Post This post contains affiliate links. If you book through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend services I have used or genuinely believe will help my readers. We found the Valtice Iron Curtain Museum because Google Maps accidentally took us into Austria. This would have been mildly embarrassing under ordinary circumstances. It became a little more stressful because the rental-car company had given us one very clear instruction before we left Prague: "Do not take the car outside Czechia". We had absolutely no intention of doing so. But without a checkpoint, a customs booth or so much as a mildly disapproving border guard, Google Maps announced, “Welcome to Austria.” I immediately pictured someone back at the rental office watching our little dot cross the border and hovering over a button that would remotely disable the engine. After a quick and thoroughly unofficial U-turn, we headed back towards an odd-looking building we had passed beside the road. It appeared abandoned, but not in the usual boarded-up, weeds-through-the-roof sort of way. It looked as though everyone had simply stood up one day and left. Former Border Guard Hut Near Valtice Outside sat an old guard hut and a raised barrier. Inside, through the dusty windows, we could see uniforms, equipment and display cases. Then we saw someone watching us. We both froze. A few seconds later, we realized it was a mannequin dressed in an old border guard’s uniform. He had the sort of silent authority one expects from someone who has been standing in the same dusty room for several decades. Out came the phone. That’s how we discovered we were standing outside the Valtice Iron Curtain Museum. What is the Valtice Iron Curtain Museum? The museum occupies a former border-guard facility near Valtice, close to Czechia’s present-day border with Austria. Its exhibits focus mainly on the years from 1951 to 1989, when this quiet stretch of countryside formed part of the heavily controlled divide between communist Czechoslovakia and the West. That history feels especially strange when you consider how easily we crossed the same border without realizing it. Today, the road is so ordinary that the most obvious sign you have entered another country may be a cheerful notification from your navigation app. A few decades ago, it was an entirely different world. Can you visit the museum? Yes, but check the schedule before setting out. The museum operates seasonally, with opening days changing throughout the year. We arrived when it was closed, so we explored the exterior, peered through the windows and learned about it afterward. That means I can’t review the indoor exhibits or tell you how long to allow for a full visit. I can tell you that the location itself made us stop, ask questions and look at the surrounding landscape differently. Check the Valtice Iron Curtain Museum website for current hours and visitor information. What else is nearby? The museum fits easily into a day exploring Valtice and the surrounding countryside. Nearby places include: Valtice Château, the destination we had originally intended to visit The Reistna Colonnade, an enormous neoclassical monument on the hill above Valtice The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape, with its châteaux, monuments and trails Mikulov, the lovely South Moravian town we used as our base Mikulov and Valtice were part of the final stretch of our 10-day Czechia road-trip itinerary, which took us beyond Prague and into the smaller towns and countryside we had missed on our first visit. View Over Mikulov in South Moravia A trail behind the museum led us through the trees. We thought it might take us to a lookout. Instead, it brought us to the Reistna Colonnade. What happened when we reached it is where the day became considerably stranger. Reistna Colonnade Near Valtice Before driving near the border If you are exploring the area by rental car, check whether your agreement allows you to cross into Austria. Borders within the Schengen Area can be almost invisible. Rental-car contracts remain impressively capable of finding them. Look at the full route before leaving, download an offline map and do not assume your navigation app has read the fine print on your behalf. I’ve covered the rest of the practical details in my guide to renting and driving a car in Czechia, including road conditions, tolls, parking and the memorable experience of returning the car in Brno. If you’re still comparing rental options, you can check current rental-car rates through Discover Cars. Want to know where the wrong turn led next? The museum was only the beginning. The path behind it led us to an unexpected monument and one of the most surreal moments of our Czechia road trip. The full story, The Wrong Turn That Led to the Cold War, is being published in Travel Notes From Seat 12A. Enter your email at the top of this post to subscribe and I’ll send the complete story directly to you. No border crossing required. Continue planning your Czechia road trip If you're planning a Czechia road trip, these stories will help you connect Valtice and Mikulov with the rest of the route: A 10-Day Czechia Road Trip Itinerary Renting a Car in Czechia: Everything Went Fine Until Brno Why We Stayed in Hluboká nad Vltavou Instead of Český Krumlov What One Perfect Day in Český Krumlov Actually Looks Like

Cesky Krumlov This post contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I've personally experienced or would book myself. The first time we came to Český Krumlov, we arrived by train, which meant our 14-year-old son spent most of the journey contentedly ignoring us from behind his brand new iPod. We managed to book the window seat. Everyone was happy. We watched the South Bohemian countryside roll past for the better part of three hours, which turned out to be the trip's way of showing us what we were in for. We stepped off into the old town before the day-trippers had found their footing, and spent the whole day there with no plan beyond the rough direction of the castle. What we got was one of those days that earns itself in layers, each thing building on the last until by evening we were sitting on a deck along the Vltava watching sky lanterns rise into the dark while a man with an acoustic guitar played Joe Cocker into the warm summer air. I've been back since. It's different now. But that first day is still the standard everything else gets measured against. Is Český Krumlov Worth Visiting? Vltava River runs around the old town of Cesky Krumlov It is. The only real question is how you go, not whether you should. Český Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the same reason it's mobbed by day trippers from Prague by mid-morning in July: it looks like a fairy tale. A 13th century castle on a rocky hill above a river that loops almost entirely around the old town. Cobblestoned lanes between pastel facades. Bears in the moat. The place earns every bit of praise it gets. It also earns the crowds, which is the problem and the opportunity in equal parts. Get there early and the old town is yours. Arrive at eleven on a Saturday in summer and you'll spend the morning sidling past tour groups moving in one slow, photographing line. We arrived early. It's not a sophisticated strategy, but it works. What to Do in Český Krumlov: The Castle First The castle is the obvious starting point and the obvious starting point is obvious for a reason. Walk the courtyards for free, climb the tower for the view across the old town and the river loops below, and if you're interested in the interiors, Route 1 covers the Renaissance and Baroque rooms including the Masquerade Hall for around 300 CZK per adult. (Current ticket prices on the official castle site here). We did the self-guided version and got pleasantly lost between courtyards, which is fine since every wrong turn seems to deposit you somewhere with a better view than the turn before it. If you'd rather have someone connect the historical dots, the free walking tour is worth the time. The bears in the dry moat at the castle entrance deserve a mention because they're not a metaphor or a decoration. Two actual brown bears live there, the latest in a line that stretches back centuries to when the Schwarzenberg family first received them as gifts. The tradition has continued ever since. The bears seemed content enough, as far as anyone can tell. But they've never known anything else, which is the part that stays with you after you've walked away. The castle gardens sit above the main complex and in summer they're formal, hedges clipped into geometry, fountains, rose beds, the works. They're also where we had our accidental encounter with a private event. We heard music as we walked toward the garden, assumed it was piped ambience, rounded a corner, and found ourselves looking at a string quartet playing Mozart in front of a formally dressed crowd at what was clearly a private function. We backed away quietly, returned to the main path, and felt briefly like we'd stumbled through someone's wedding. Which, for all we know, we had. Kayaking the Vltava: The Afternoon The kayak rental is run from the center of the old town. The system is simple: you pay, you get a kayak, someone pushes you off, and they meet you at the pull-out point 5km downstream with a shuttle back to town. The instructions aren't especially detailed, which we discovered immediately upon entering the river and encountering our first decision point: a shallow rapid straight ahead, or a narrow channel on the left bank that bypasses it. My husband and son chose the channel without significant deliberation, on the grounds that it looked faster and more adventurous. I closed my eyes and discovered that it was both. When I opened them, the castle was there, high above the left bank, stoic in the way that only seven centuries of standing still can make something. I did my best impression of the same. It was a short performance. A view of the Vlatava River from the castle What followed was five kilometres of river at whatever pace the current decided. The Vltava here is shallow enough that tipping your kayak would leave you knee-deep in water rather than in trouble, which is information that would have been useful before the channel. The old town floats past on the left, restaurants and guesthouses right at water level, people on decks watching you go by with the benign satisfaction of people who already have their beer sorted. A few kayaks ahead of us had something trailing behind them on a line. It took us a minute to figure out what we were looking at. Coolers. People had tied them off the stern and were dragging their beer cold in the river behind them as they paddled. It's the most sensible thing I've ever seen anyone do on a river and I'm still a little annoyed we hadn't thought of it ourselves. Every half kilometre or so along the bank, signs with arrows appeared in Czech. We couldn't read them. We assumed they were distance markers. They weren't. They were advertisements for riverside food and drink stops, which we discovered when everyone ahead of us began pulling their kayaks out of the water at a clearing in the trees. We followed, expecting a bathroom stop. We found a vendor selling beer, Fanta, and snacks from the forest specifically for passing kayakers. Our son had a cold Fanta. We had a cold beer. We sat on a log in a Czech forest and watched other kayakers float past the gap in the trees. It was one of the better unplanned stops of the entire trip. Book kayak rentals in Český Krumlov here If you'd rather have the whole afternoon packaged rather than winging it the way we did, the all-inclusive summer tour combining a river cruise, castle visit, and lunch covers the same ground with less logistics to manage. The Evening: Joe Cocker, Sky Lanterns, and the Sacrifice of the iPod We were staying in a small guesthouse right along the river, ground floor with a deck that opened directly onto the riverside path. Across the water, close enough to hear conversation from, another property had set out individual chairs facing the river, each with a small tub in front of it. It took us a while to understand what we were looking at. Eventually we realized the tubs were foot baths, and the guests were being served wine while they soaked their feet and watched the Vltava go past at sunset. I've been to fifty-some countries. This is one of the more civilized things I've witnessed. We were still on the deck when the music started. A man on the far bank with an acoustic guitar, playing Joe Cocker like he'd been doing it for years. You Are So Beautiful first, Cry Me a River, then Ain't No Sunshine, the song list played on one after another like the guy knew exactly what the evening called for. The sky was going pink behind the castle and the river was catching the last of the light, and our son was in the chair next to us, dry for now, and nobody said anything for a while because there wasn't anything to say that the songs weren’t already saying better. Then the lanterns. People materialized on both banks of the river holding paper sky lanterns, the kind with a small heat source inside that lifts them into the air when lit. They all released at once. The lanterns rose in a loose constellation above the Vltava, bright against the darkening sky, drifting downstream with the current of the air the same way we'd drifted downstream in the kayak a few hours earlier. What goes up must come down. As the lanterns began to descend, our son noticed one heading toward the river and started moving toward where it was going to land. So did a girl about his age from somewhere along the bank. They both saw the trajectory. He got there first, or close enough, and went diving into the river to keep the lantern out of it. Fully clothed, shoes, shorts, everything. He came up with the lantern mostly intact, shook himself off, walked over to the girl, and handed it to her. She beamed. He beamed. We stood on our deck watching this and found ourselves unreasonably proud. He walked back to us soaking wet, hands in his pockets, grinning. We thought it was the whole situation. It was, partly. Then he pulled his brand new iPod out of his pocket and held it up in front of him the way you'd hold up a small fish you weren't entirely sure was still alive. It wasn't. The guitar player across the river had moved on to With a Little Help From My Friends. A small sacrifice had been made to the Vltava that night, and the river had accepted it. RIP iPod. Practical Tips for Visiting Český Krumlov If you're planning to stay overnight, which you should, search accommodation in Český Krumlov here. Book well ahead in July and August, rooms in the old town go fast. Arrive by train or arrive early if you're driving. The old town is walkable in twenty minutes end to end and it fills up fast in summer. If you're there by nine you have it largely to yourself. By eleven you don't. If you're driving, park before the old town. Parking fills up in high season and arriving early solves this too. If you're based in Hluboká nad Vltavou as we were on our second trip, the full case for basing outside Krumlov is here. And if you're driving rather than arriving by train, the full self-drive guide including what happened when we tried to drop the car in Brno is worth reading before you pick up the keys. Book the kayak in the morning and do it in the afternoon. The river is calmer once the day-trip crowds have mostly moved on, and you want the afternoon light on the castle anyway. Stay for the evening. The day-trippers leave. The town changes. Worth staying for even if you're basing elsewhere. Planning to visit Europe this summer? The EU Entry Exit System is now fully operational at all Schengen borders since April 2026. Czechia is part of the Schengen zone, so this applies on arrival regardless of which border you cross first. No pre-registration needed but budget extra time at border control on your first entry. ETIAS, the EU's new pre-travel authorisation system, is coming in late 2026 and isn't required yet, but check travel-europe.europa.eu/etias before you book if you're travelling after Q4 2026. If your trip includes a UK stopover, the UK ETA is also required, apply at gov.uk/eta before you fly. Český Krumlov: The Honest Bottom Line Cesky Krumlov Go. And go knowing what it is. Český Krumlov is a beautiful medieval town that's been discovered and is now firmly on the itinerary of half of Europe's summer tourists. That's not a reason to skip it. It's a reason to arrive early, stay late, get on the river in the afternoon, and be in a guesthouse along the Vltava on an evening when a man with a guitar decides to play Joe Cocker and someone releases sky lanterns into the warm summer air. We've been back since. It's busier. The magic is still there if you're there at the right time and moving at the right pace. But the first time, with a fourteen-year-old who jumped into a river for a stranger and sacrificed his iPod to the effort, that version isn't available anymore. It's just a story now. This one. If you want to see the rest of what this trip looked like, the full Czechia road trip itinerary is here. And if you want the next post in this series before it hits the blog, Travel Notes From Seat 12A is where that happens first. Have questions about Český Krumlov or planning your own Czechia road trip? Drop them in the comments below. I'm happy to answer everything I know.

Dubrovnik Croatia This post contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I have personally experienced or genuinely believe in. Four visits. That's how many times I've been to Dubrovnik. And every single time someone finds out, they ask me the same question. Is it still worth it? Here's my honest answer. Yes. But Go Smart. Dubrovnik is genuinely one of the most remarkable places I have walked through in all my years of travel. The walled old town, the marble streets worn smooth by centuries of footsteps, the terracotta rooftops tumbling down to the Adriatic, the bullet holes still visible in some of the buildings from the 1991 siege. There is nowhere else quite like it (well, there is actually a miniature version just up the coast on Korcula Island). But it is busy. Very busy. And if you walk through the main gate at noon in July behind a cruise ship crowd, you will have a completely different experience than if you arrive at seven in the morning when the streets are quiet and the light is doing breathtaking things to the stone. The difference between a disappointing Dubrovnik and a magical one is almost entirely about timing. Here's everything you need to know. When to Visit Dubrovnik The honest answer is May or September. May gives you warm weather, manageable crowds and the full run of the city before the summer rush arrives. September gives you warm water, thinning crowds and light that turns the old town golden in a way that July somehow never quite manages. July and August are peak season. The cruise ships unload thousands of people into the old town every day and the main street, the Stradun, becomes genuinely difficult to navigate at midday. If you're going in summer, go early morning before the ships arrive or come back in the evening after they leave. The old town at night is a completely different city. Lanterns on glowing off the cobblestones, warm stone walls, a handful of people who figured out the same thing you did. For the season-by-season breakdown across the whole country, including why we'd pick September above all of them, here's everything we know about timing a Croatian trip. Things to Do in Dubrovnik Croatia Walk the City Walls This is non-negotiable. The walls that surround Dubrovnik's old town are among the best preserved medieval fortifications in Europe and walking the full circuit takes about an hour. Do it in the morning before the heat and the crowds arrive. There are small seasonal bars set up in the turrets where you can stop for a drink and take in the views over the old town on one side and the Adriatic on the other. Worth every cent of the entrance fee. You only need to do it once. You will absolutely do it again. Walk the Dubrovnik wall for the views of the Adriatic The Franciscan Monastery and the World's Oldest Pharmacy Most people walk straight through the Pile Gate and keep moving. Don't. Just inside the gate is the Franciscan Monastery, home to the oldest working pharmacy in Europe, still operating in its original location. Go past the pharmacy, through to the interior courtyard. Look at the pillars. Every single capital has a different face carved into it. They've been watching people walk past for 600 years. Nobody knows exactly who they are. Six hundred years of watching tourists walk past and not one of them has stopped to ask. Find the Buza Bar There is a hole in the wall of Dubrovnik's old town. An actual gap in a 7th century defensive wall. Walk along the inside of the wall against the sea and look for it. We walked past it twice. In our defence, it is a very convincing wall. On the other side: Buza Bar. Chairs on bare rock, the Adriatic below, cold beer in hand, the sun going down. One of those travel moments you can't manufacture and can't quite explain to people who weren't there. It's more well known now than when we first stumbled onto it but it's still worth finding. Go for sunset. Buza Bar: Spectacular sunset spot and boat watching Hike Mount Srd The mountain behind the old town has a fort at the top with a museum covering the Croatian War of Independence in 1991. The bullet holes you see in some of the buildings in the old town are a reminder that this history isn't distant. The museum makes it real in a way that's worth an hour of your time. Hike up. It makes the drink at the top that much better. Take the cable car back down. Nobody needs to know. The Old Town at Night Come back after dark. Same marble, same stone, same streets but quieter, warmer and lit up in a way that makes you feel like you wandered into something you weren't supposed to see. This is when Dubrovnik gives you something back. The tour groups are gone, the restaurants are full of people eating al fresco in the alleyways and the city remembers what it actually is. Catherdral inside the old town of Dubrovnik Explore Beyond the Old Town Most visitors never make it out of the old town walls. The new city has beautiful parks everywhere and it gives you a sense of the real Dubrovnik, the one locals actually live in. Walk the promenade, find a local cafe, get away from the crowds for an hour. It won't take long before you want to go back inside the walls. But the break helps. Hiking outside the old town Day Trips from Dubrovnik Dubrovnik is perfectly positioned as a base for exploring the wider region. It's also one of the best starting or ending points for island hopping along the Dalmatian coast if that's on your Croatia list. Lokrum Island is a ten minute boat ride from the old town. Lush botanical gardens, peacocks wandering freely, a small saltwater lake known as the Dead Sea where you can swim in perfectly still water. The boat runs regularly from the old harbour. There is a seasonal restaurant on the island. It exists. That's the kindest thing I'll say about it. Pack a lunch, bring some drinks, find a shady spot under a tree with a view of the Adriatic and have the kind of picnic that makes you question all your previous life decisions. You'll be glad you did. If you'd rather someone else handle the logistics, this full day Elaphite Islands cruise includes lunch and takes you to some of the most beautiful and least visited islands in the area. Montenegro is two hours by car and worth every minute of the drive. The Bay of Kotor is one of the most dramatic coastal landscapes in Europe and feels like a completely different world from Dubrovnik. If you'd rather not drive yourself, this small group Kotor and Budva day trip from Dubrovnik handles the logistics and gives you a proper introduction to both towns. We've covered all of this in much more depth, including a passport situation at the Montenegro border that's worth knowing about before you go, in our full guide to day trips from Dubrovnik. Should You Do a Tour? Dubrovnik rewards context. The history of this city, the Republic of Ragusa, the siege, the Game of Thrones connection, the architecture, it all lands harder when someone who knows it well is walking you through it. If you want to understand what you're looking at rather than just photographing it, this Old Town walking tour is genuinely worth the time. And if Game of Thrones was part of what put Dubrovnik on your radar, this Game of Thrones walking tour with an optional Lokrum visit covers both the filming locations and the actual history behind them, which turns out to be just as dramatic as the show. For something completely different, this adults only sunset cruise on a 16th century Karaka sailing ship is the kind of thing you book on a whim and talk about for years. Sailing out of Dubrovnik harbour on a wooden ship as the sun goes down over the old town is not a subtle experience. And if you want to see the coastline from the water at your own pace, sea kayaking around Lokrum Island is one of the most beautiful ways to spend a morning in Dubrovnik. Practical Tips for Visiting Dubrovnik How many days do you need? Two to three days is enough to see the old town properly, do the wall walk, find the Buza Bar, hike Mount Srd and have at least one evening wandering the lit up alleyways. Any more than three and you'll start repeating yourself. Unless you find the Buza Bar on day one and decide that's your whole trip. No judgment. Where to stay? Staying inside the old town walls is atmospheric but expensive and noisy in peak season. That said if you can find accommodation in the quiet neighbourhood tucked against the sea wall, away from the main Stradun, that's the sweet spot. More cats than people, less than a five minute walk to everything you want to see and none of the noise of the restaurant district. Search Dubrovnik hotels on Booking.com and filter by distance to the old town to find it. Dubrovnik's unofficial spirit animal Getting around. The old town is entirely walkable. For Mount Srd the cable car runs from just outside the old town walls. For Lokrum the boat runs from the old harbour inside the walls. The cruise ship schedule. Ships typically arrive mid morning and leave by early evening. Check the Dubrovnik port schedule before you go and plan your old town time around it. This is the single most useful piece of planning advice I can give you for Dubrovnik and almost nobody mentions it. Planning to visit Europe this summer? The EU's new Entry Exit System is now fully operational at all Schengen borders. No pre-registration needed but budget extra time at border control on your first entry. Download the Travel to Europe app to pre-load your data before you go. For more on what to expect before your first trip to Croatia, click here for what you should know before going. Is Dubrovnik Worth Visiting in 2026? Yes. Absolutely yes. Not because it's the most peaceful place in Croatia, it isn't. Not because the crowds are manageable, they aren't always. But because there are very few places left in the world where you can walk through a gate in a medieval wall and feel the full weight of a thousand years of history under your feet. The bullet holes are still in the buildings. The oldest pharmacy in Europe is still open. The Buza Bar is still balanced on rocks above the Adriatic. And the old town at night, when the cruise ships have gone and the lanterns are lit and the marble is glowing, is still one of the most remarkable things I have seen in fifty countries of travel. Go early. Stay late. Come back in the evening. It earns it. Have questions about visiting Dubrovnik? Drop them in the comments below. I've been four times and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

This post contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I've personally experienced or genuinely believe in. Korcula old town On our first trip to Korcula we came by ferry from Hvar. Which means we arrived having already seen the Pula amphitheatre for the first time, having wandered through Rome in all its historical glory and having spent days on what is arguably Croatia's most famous island. By this point, we weren't going to be easily impressed anymore. Then Korcula came into view from the water. A fully encircled old town sitting on a small peninsula with a turret flanking it right at the water's edge. Stone walls, terracotta rooftops, the Adriatic on three sides. It looked like something from a fantasy film. The kind of place you suspect might not actually exist until you're standing in front of it. We stepped off the ferry and walked down the tree lined street of al fresco restaurants along the waterfront. Our son turned to us with the biggest grin on his face and announced with complete certainty that we were definitively the best parents in the world. We didn't argue. How could we. He'd just stood inside a 2,000 year old Roman amphitheatre, come from Rome and spent days on Hvar and this was the place that did it. A fully encircled medieval old town with a turret right at the water's edge. You could practically see him scanning the turret for Jack Sparrow. Is Korcula Worth Visiting in Croatia? Yes. Without question. Korcula is, in my personal opinion, the most underrated island on the Dalmatian coast. Not because it lacks anything. It doesn’t. But because Hvar gets the super yachts and the magazine covers and Korcula quietly gets on with being one of the most beautiful and genuinely liveable islands in Croatia without needing anyone's approval. The old town is a miniature version of Dubrovnik's old town sitting on a small peninsula. Marco Polo was allegedly born here. The locals will tell you this with considerable pride and the historians will continue to debate it. Neither side is showing any signs of backingdown and the island's better for it. Go to Korcula. Stay longer than you planned. That's usually the sign. How Many Days Do You Need in Korcula Croatia? Two nights minimum. Three is better. Four means you've completely abandoned any pretence of having a schedule and have simply decided to live here now. We respect that decision entirely. Two nights gives you the old town, one day of driving the island and one evening of al fresco dining on the waterfront. Three nights gives you all of that plus time to slow down into Lumbarda and find your own corner of the island. Getting to Korcula Croatia By ferry from Hvar: The most scenic approach and the one I'd recommend. The crossing takes approximately one to one and a half hours and the arrival from the water gives you your first view of the old town exactly as it should be seen. From the sea with nowhere to hide. By ferry from Split: A longer crossing but completely manageable. Book in advance at Jadrolinija.hr especially in summer. By bus from Dubrovnik via Ston: The second time we came to Korcula we took the bus from Dubrovnik. The route passes through Ston which is worth knowing about before you go. Ston is a small town on the Pelješac Peninsula famous for its medieval walls, the second longest defensive walls in the world after the Great Wall of China, and for its oysters which are farmed in the bay and eaten as close to the water as possible. If the schedule allows a stop it's worth getting off and having a look around. The route then continues to a car ferry crossing that brings you into Korcula from the western end of the island. A completely different arrival from the eastern ferry but a genuinely good one. You can check bus schedules and book tickets at Arriva Croatia before you travel. By ferry from Dubrovnik: Approximately two and a half hours along the coast. A beautiful journey that makes the arrival feel earned. One practical note. The ferry arrives into Korcula Town on the northeastern tip of the island. If you're staying in Lumbarda on the eastern end you'll need a taxi or a rental car waiting. The two are only five minutes apart by car but it's worth knowing before you arrive with a full backpack and no plan. Where to Stay in Korcula Croatia Korcula old town sobe The old town: Staying inside or immediately adjacent to the old town puts you in the middle of everything. The evening atmosphere on the waterfront, the restaurants, the alleyways. On our first visit we found a sobe directly in the old town from a woman standing at the dock with her photo album. She showed us her pictures and we said yes immediately. Her place was small and ancient and fitted the three of us perfectly. The stairwell was narrow but we all made it up with our backpacks on. The view from the top floor stopped us completely. The only way to get the shot was through the skylight which happened to be directly above the toilet. Dodgy, but worth it. Morning view from Apartments Villa Julija in Lumbarda Korcula Lumbarda: Five minutes by car from the old town and a completely different experience of the island. Quieter, more residential, more genuinely local. On our second visit we stayed at Apartments Villa Julija in Lumbarda. The family who ran it were so warm and generous that the accommodation became part of the experience rather than just a place to sleep. They invited us down for a glass of wine from their private vineyard just down the street. They told us everything worth seeing on the island and helped us arrange a rental car. In the evenings they sang traditional songs that drifted up to our apartment at sunset. Hearing that with a glass of local wine and the Adriatic in front of you is the kind of moment you carry home and can't quite explain to people who weren't there. If you'd like to stay where we stayed Apartments Villa Julija in Lumbarda is worth booking early. It fills up. Or search all Korcula accommodation options on Booking.com here. What to Do in Korcula Croatia Walk the Old Town The old town of Korcula sits on a small peninsula and takes about twenty minutes to walk end to end. You could try to get lost in it. We tried. The old town had other ideas. It's essentially impossible to disorient yourself in a place this small. Every street leads back to the water. Every alley deposits you somewhere you recognize. It is, in fact, the ideal destination for anyone in your travel group who has historically struggled with the concept of left and right. Korcula will restore their faith in themselves. Just resist the urge to hand them the map in Venice next. Korcula may have rebuilt their confidence but Venice will dismantle it again before you've found the first bridge. Find the side streets that run off the main spine. Sit in the small squares that open up between the stone buildings. Look up at the towers from below. That's the right way to experience Korcula's old town. The Cathedral of Saint Mark sits at the heart of the old town and is worth going inside. The Treasury Museum beside it houses a small but genuine collection including works attributed to Tintoretto. Marco Polo's alleged house is nearby. Whether he was actually born in it is a matter of ongoing historical debate. The house is still worth seeing and the debate is still worth having. Korcula, the home of Marko Polo At night the old town undergoes a transformation that the daylight hours give absolutely no indication of. The lanterns come on, the restaurants fill up, the waterfront comes alive and the whole place settles into a version of itself that feels like it was always the real one and the daytime was just the rehearsal. Book a Korcula Old Town Walking Tour If you want the history and context behind what you're looking at this one hour private walking tour of Korcula old townis worth the time. The stories behind the buildings land completely differently when someone who knows them is telling them to you. Rent a Car and Drive the Whole Island This is the single best thing you can do on Korcula and it requires a car not a scooter. Korcula is bigger than Hvar and the roads take you through the interior in a way that a scooter simply can't cover properly. The interior of Korcula surprises people who come expecting another Hvar. It's greener, more mountainous and the roads take you through working communities rather than abandoned stone villages. We drove the full length of the island both times we visited. From Lumbarda on the eastern end all the way through Korcula Town, along the northern coast through Račišće, inland through the wine country around Čara and Pupnat, then west through Blato to Vela Luka at the far end of the island. We found swimming holes every few hours and jumped into the crystal clear water every chance we got. The island isn't busy. Driving is genuinely relaxing rather than stressful. The secondary roads are the experience not just the route between two things. Search car rentals in Croatia here. Explore Lumbarda Lumbarda sits five minutes from Korcula Town on the eastern end of the island and is worth at least an afternoon even if you're not staying there. Sandy beaches, local vineyards producing the distinctive Grk white wine that grows almost nowhere else in the world and a pace of life that operates on its own entirely reasonable schedule. The Grk grape variety is specific to Lumbarda and the surrounding sandy soil. If you see it on a menu order it. It's dry, slightly mineral and the kind of wine that tastes better because you know where you are when you're drinking it. If you'd rather see the coastline from the water than the road this sightseeing riviera cruise around Korcula gives you a completely different perspective on the island. Seaside village on Korcula Find the Seaside Villages The coastal villages along Korcula's northern shore are worth stopping at as you drive the island. Račišće in particular is a small fishing village that feels genuinely undiscovered. A handful of houses, a small harbour, clear water and almost nobody else there. The kind of place you find by turning off the main road and following it to see where it goes. If you want to see the coastline from a completely different angle this half day kayak tour with wine tasting combines two of Korcula's best things in one afternoon. History, water and a glass of something local at the end of it. That's a good afternoon in my book. Korcula vs Hvar: The Honest Answer People ask me this constantly and I'll give you the same answer I give everyone. Hvar is famous for good reason. The catamaran arrival with the super yachts, the lavender, the main square, the energy of the promenade at night. It's one of the most visually stunning islands in Croatia and it earns every bit of its reputation. But Korcula holds my heart in a way Hvar hasn't displaced. And I've thought about why. Korcula is more mountainous and greener than Hvar. Both islands are beautiful in completely different ways. But where Hvar's interior stone villages are largely abandoned and quietly haunting, Korcula's interior towns are alive. Blato, Pupnat and Čara all have their own character and their own community. The island feels inhabited in a way that makes you feel like a visitor rather than a tourist. It's a small thing until you've experienced both. Then it's not small at all. That will change eventually. These things always do. But for now Korcula gives you more of what Croatia actually is beneath the tourist layer. And that's worth protecting while it lasts. Hvar and Korcula aren't in competition. They're just different answers to the same question. Go to Hvar for the famous version. Go to Korcula for the one that stays with you longer. Practical Tips for Korcula Croatia Rent a car. The island is bigger than it looks on a map and the best of it is in the interior and along the coast roads. You won't see the real Korcula from the old town. Stay in Lumbarda for at least one night. The difference between the tourist experience and the local experience on this island is five minutes by car. Make the five minute drive. Try the Grk wine. It's local, it's unique and it tastes exactly like where you are. That's the best reason to drink any wine. Book your ferry in advance. The routes into and out of Korcula fill up in summer. Book at Jadrolinija.hr before you travel. Go in late May or September. Korcula is less crowded than Hvar at any time of year but shoulder season gives you the island at its most genuinely local. Planning to visit Europe this summer? The EU Entry Exit System is now fully operational at all Schengen borders since April 2026. No pre-registration needed but budget extra time at border control on your first entry. Watch our full EES breakdown here and our ETIAS explainer here so you know what to expect before you land. For the full Croatia island hopping route that brings you to Korcula read our complete island hopping itinerary here. The Honest Bottom Line Our son called us the best parents in the world before we'd even put our backpacks down. He'd just come from Rome. He'd seen the Pula amphitheatre. He'd spent days on Hvar. We've been back since. Korcula has that effect on people. Some places announce themselves. Korcula just waits for you to notice. And once you do, you don't really stop. Have questions about visiting Korcula or planning your Croatia island hopping trip? Drop them in the comments below. I'm happy to answer any questions you have to help plan your next adventure.

This post contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I've personally experienced or genuinely believe in. Rector's Palace, Dubrovnik Croatia is one of those destinations where timing actually matters. Go in the wrong month and you'll spend your holiday fighting cruise ship crowds in 35 degree heat with accommodation prices that make your eyes water. Go in the right month and you'll have warm seas, emptier alleyways and the distinct pleasure of actually being able to see Dubrovnik without elbowing your way through a thousand other people to do it. I've been to Croatia multiple times across different seasons. Summer, May, September and October. Here is what I actually found at each time of year and what I'd tell you based on experience rather than a weather chart. What is the Best Time to Visit Croatia? It depends entirely on what kind of traveller you are and what you want from your Croatia trip. Which is either a very helpful answer or a deeply unsatisfying one depending on how much you like being told it depends. So let me be more specific. If you want warm seas, every restaurant and tour option open and the full energy of the Adriatic coast in summer mode go in July or August. Just know what you're signing up for. It's busy, it's hot and the prices reflect both. If you want the best balance of weather, open infrastructure and manageable crowds go in May or September. These are the sweet spot months and the ones I'd recommend to most first time visitors. If you want to see a side of Croatia that most visitors never find go in October. The crowds are gone, the prices drop further and the national parks take on a completely different character. Croatia in July and August: Peak Season Hvar Island July and August are Croatia's peak months and they earn that status. The Adriatic is warm, the days are long, every restaurant, ferry and tour is running at full capacity and the coastal towns are buzzing with energy. They are also the most expensive and the most crowded months of the year. Accommodation costs in July and August run 40 to 60 percent higher than shoulder season rates. The Dubrovnik old town in August with cruise ships in the harbour is a genuine test of patience. Hvar in July is busy and beautiful in equal measure. The super-yachts multiply. The prices follow. The morning markets are in full swing in summer. Pazar outside the eastern walls of Diocletian's Palace in Split runs every morning from 8am to 2pm and is worth an early start. Fresh produce, local cheese, wine and the occasional box of live snails that will raise questions you weren't expecting before breakfast. If you're based in Split during your summer visit the region around it rewards a day trip or two. This Krka Waterfalls, food and wine tasting tour from Split combines one of Croatia's most visited natural attractions with local food and wine in a single day. And if you want to make the most of your time inside Diocletian's Palace itself this Split and Diocletian's Palace walking tour gives you the history and context that makes everything land harder. One thing worth knowing about summer in Croatia that most visitors miss entirely. The Romans built an amphitheatre in Pula that seats 23,000 people and is still in use today. Big international artists perform there every summer and seeing a concert inside a 2,000 year old amphitheatre on the Adriatic is the kind of thing you'll be telling people about for years. We found this out the night we were staying in Pula when Florence and the Machine performed. We didn't have tickets. We didn't need them. We could hear every lyric from our accommodation. I can personally attest the concert was a rocking success. Check the summer programme before you go. Or just book a room nearby and let the Romans handle the acoustics. If you're visiting in peak summer the keys are booking everything well in advance and timing your old town visits for early morning before the cruise ships arrive or evening after they leave. The difference between Dubrovnik at 8am and Dubrovnik at 11am in August is something you need to see to believe. One is a beautiful ancient city. The other is a very beautiful and crowded ancient city. For your ferry bookings in summer book as early as possible at Jadrolinija.hr. The routes between Split, Hvar, Korcula and Dubrovnik fill up fast in peak season. Croatia in May and June: The Sweet Spot Opening Lumbarda, Korcula Island May is my second favourite time to visit Croatia and the month I'd recommend to most first time visitors planning their own trip. By May the tourism infrastructure is up and running. Restaurants are open, ferries are running on full schedules, tour operators are active and the islands, like Korcula, are accessible. But the full summer crowd hasn't arrived yet. You get Croatia functioning at its best without Croatia functioning at its most overwhelming. The weather in May is warm without being brutally hot. Temperatures typically sit between 18 and 25 degrees which is ideal for walking the walls in Dubrovnik, driving the Istrian hilltowns or island hopping without arriving at every destination completely done in. The sea is cool in early May but swimmable by late May for most people. June extends the sweet spot slightly but crowds begin building in the second half of the month as the school holiday season approaches across Europe. Early June still feels like shoulder season. Late June feels like the beginning of something else entirely. One note on May, some smaller restaurants and seasonal businesses on the islands are still opening up in early May. Occasionally you'll find something closed that you expected to be open. This is rare but worth knowing before you go. Croatia in September and Early October: The Sweet Spot Closing Split Croatia September is my personal favourite time to visit Croatia and the month I'd recommend above all others to travellers with any flexibility in their schedule. The sea is at its warmest of the entire year in September having absorbed the full heat of summer. Temperatures on the coast sit between 22 and 28 degrees. The Adriatic is genuinely perfect for swimming. And the crowds have started to ease. Not dramatically in early September but noticeably. By late September the difference is significant. Accommodation costs in September typically run 30 to 40 percent lower than peak August rates. Over a ten day trip that's a big difference to your travel budget. The same trip for considerably less money with fewer people in every photo. It's not a complicated calculation. September is also a beautiful time to be on the water. The Adriatic is calm, the boats are less crowded and the light in the late afternoon is magical. This sightseeing riviera cruise to Korcula is the kind of afternoon that makes you wonder why you ever considered going home. The restaurants and tour operators are still fully open in September. The ferries are running full schedules. The national parks are beautiful. Everything that's open in August is open in September with fewer people in it. Early October extends the shoulder season slightly. The sea cools a little but remains swimmable for most people into early October. Some seasonal businesses begin closing in mid to late October so it's worth checking specific restaurants or tour operators before you book. Croatia in October: The Underrated Month Krka National Park Croatia Almost nobody writes about Croatia in October from firsthand experience. Here’s mine. I visited Krka National Park on a day trip from Zadar in October during a cruise stop with my mum. The trees were just beginning to turn. Not fully into autumn colour yet but the edges of the leaves had started to catch the light differently. The park was noticeably less crowded than it would be in the height of summer and the waterfalls were still as impressive as you'd imagine. Just greener. More lush. A completely different version of the same place. That October visit gave me a Croatia I hadn't seen before. Quieter, cooler, and much less crowded. The tourist infrastructure was still running but winding down for the season. We had the wooden boardwalks at Krka largely to ourselves at points which, given how popular the park is in summer, felt like a small miracle. October is also prime truffle season in Istria which is either a reason to go or a reason to extend a trip you were already planning. If you're anywhere near the Istrian peninsula in autumn this truffle hunting and cooking tour is the full experience including the dogs, the forest and eating what you find. Or if you want to combine the hilltowns with the truffles and olive oil in one day this Istrian hilltop cities tour with truffle and olive oil tasting covers the best of it without needing a car. October works best for travellers who are more interested in nature, history and culture than beach life. The swimming season is effectively over for most people by mid October. But the national parks, the hilltowns, the old cities and the inland regions are all worth seeing in autumn and significantly less crowded than any other time of year. Croatia in Winter: The Season I Haven't Done I haven't been to Croatia in winter so I'll keep this brief and skip the part where I pretend otherwise. From what I understand the coastal towns and islands largely close down from November through February. Many restaurants, accommodation and tour operators shut up shop entirely. If a Dalmatian coast or island hopping trip is what you're after, winter is not your season. Zagreb is reportedly a different story with Christmas markets that are well regarded. But I'll leave that to someone who has actually been there in December to tell you properly. I'm not that person. Yet. When to Visit Based on What You Want You want warm seas and beach life: July and August. Book everything early and budget accordingly. You want good weather, everything open and manageable crowds: May or September. These are your months. You want the islands at their most beautiful with fewer people: Late September to early October. The sweet spot within the sweet spot. You want nature parks and cultural exploration without the crowds: October. Underrated and truely worth considering. You want the lowest prices and don't mind some closures: That would be winter. I'll get back to you on that one. Practical Tips on Timing Your Croatia Trip Book accommodation and ferries early regardless of season. Croatia's popularity means good accommodation fills up fast even in shoulder season. Don't leave it late. Find a konoba. A konoba is Croatia's version of a Greek taverna. A local pub and restaurant serving hyper-local food and drink, independent, unpretentious and almost always excellent. Hand made pasta, local wines, fresh fish. They exist in every season but in summer they're running at full steam. Look for one away from the main tourist strip and you'll eat better for half the price. Check the Dubrovnik cruise ship schedule before you go. The ships typically arrive mid morning and leave by early evening. Timing your old town visit around them makes a meaningful difference to your experience regardless of what month you visit. The national parks are worth visiting in any season. Krka and Plitvice are worth seeing in summer, shoulder season and autumn. Each season gives you a different version of the same place. I've seen Krka in October and it was genuinely worth the detour from Zadar. Planning to visit Europe in 2026? The EU Entry Exit System is now fully operational at all Schengen borders. No pre-registration needed but budget extra time at border control on your first entry. Watch our full EES breakdown here and our ETIAS explainer here so you know what to expect before you land. For everything else you need to know about planning your Croatia trip read our complete Croatia tips guide here. The Honest Bottom Line There is no wrong time to visit Croatia. There are just different versions of Croatia depending on when you go. Summer gives you the full energy of the Adriatic at its peak. May and September give you most of that energy with a fraction of the crowd. October gives you something quieter and more personal that most visitors never find. I've been in summer, in May, in September and in October with my mum on a cruise stop at Krka with the leaves just beginning to turn. Every version was worth it. Pick the version that suits who you are as a traveller. Croatia will deliver it. Have questions about when to visit Croatia or planning your trip? Drop them in the comments below. I'm happy to share whatever I know to help you plan your trip.

Dubrovnik Harbour This post contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I've personally experienced or genuinely believe in. Dubrovnik is one of those cities that rewards the traveller who uses it as a base rather than just a destination. The old town is spectacular and it'll keep you busy. But step outside those ancient walls and the surrounding region opens up in ways that most visitors never discover. We've been to Dubrovnik four times. The first time we arrived we found an outdoor internet park set up in a beautiful tree lined park beside the beach at Uvala Lapad. Individual desks, chairs tucked under the shade of the trees and a dial up connection you could rent by the hour. That park's gone now, replaced by beautiful homes along the waterfront. Dubrovnik's changed dramatically in a relatively short time. The day trips from Dubrovnik that made us fall in love with this corner of the world however are still very much there. Here are the best day trips from Dubrovnik based on what we've actually done, what we genuinely recommend and one trip that involved our passports being held at an international border while we sat in a minivan doing our collective best to look like people who found this sort of thing completely normal. How to Get Around on Day Trips from Dubrovnik Getting around Croatia Dubrovnik sits at the very southern tip of Croatia, shares a short border with Bosnia and Herzegovina and sits just across the water from Montenegro. That means your day trip options extend well beyond Croatia itself. For cross border day trips to Montenegro and Bosnia an organized tour is the easiest and most practical option. A local guide handles the logistics, the border crossings and the navigation so you can focus on actually enjoying the day. For island and local day trips the ferry system and the city bus network are both excellent. If you prefer to explore independently renting a car gives you maximum flexibility. The coastal roads around Dubrovnik are spectacular. They're also winding. We'll return to this point. Day Trip 1: Lokrum Island The easiest and most accessible day trip from Dubrovnik is also one of the most surprising. Lokrum Island sits just 600 metres off the coast of the old town and the little boat from the inner harbour takes about 15 minutes. Lokrum's a nature reserve. No hotels, no permanent residents, no cars. Just forests, walking trails, a ruined Benedictine monastery, a small saltwater lake called the Dead Sea where you can swim in super still water and peacocks. Quite a lot of peacocks. They wander the island with the casual confidence of animals who know they own the place. Lokrum's also a Game of Thrones filming location. The scenes set in Qarth were filmed here. For the record the peacocks weren't in Game of Thrones but they're arguably more interesting. One practical note before you go. Lokrum has clearly marked beach signs indicating which areas are for general swimming and which are designated naturist beaches. Check the signs before you settle in. We cover this in more detail in our complete Croatia tips guide if you want the full story. Boats to Lokrum depart regularly from the old town harbour. Buy your return ticket on the boat. The island closes to day visitors at sunset. Day Trip 2: Uvala Lapad Beach and the Klif Ecological Park Hike This is the day trip that almost nobody in the travel guides mentions and it's one of our favourites. It's also the only day trip on this list that starts with a city bus. Jump on the local city bus from Dubrovnik old town and head out to Uvala Lapad, the beach neighbourhood not far from the old city walls. This is where Dubrovnik's residents actually live, shop and spend their weekends. It's a completely different side of the city from the tourist filled old town and worth seeing specifically because it feels so ordinary and so genuinely Croatian. The waterfront promenade at Lapad is lovely. Walk it, find a cafe, watch the locals play tennis. This is also where we found that outdoor internet park on our first visit all those years ago, now replaced by beautiful homes along the waterfront. The neighbourhood's changed massively. It's worth seeing what it's become. From Lapad you can walk to the Klif Ecological Park, also known as Klif Przy Vlk Petka. It's a moderate hike with some uphill climbing but nothing too daunting. The trail's signposted and you genuinely can't get lost. We were the only people on it. The views are amazing. Bring water, wear good walking shoes and go early before the heat of the day arrives. This is the more modern, residential, and very local side of Dubrovnik that most visitors never see. It's completely free, completely rewarding and takes less than half a day. Day Trip 3: Montenegro — Kotor and Budva When we booked this day trip we had absolutely no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We thought we were signing up for a scenic coastal drive, a cute walled town and a harbour full of impressive boats. We weren't wrong. We just didn't account for everything in between. Montenegro's has its tourism operation firmly in place now and this day trip runs smoothly for thousands of visitors every season. When we went it was a slightly more character building experience. The kind that becomes a story you tell for years. The border crossing: The drive to the Croatian and Montenegrin border was straightforward enough. What we hadn't anticipated was the no man's land. The space between the two border crossings is wider than we expected. Considerably wider. Our tour operator pulled over, collected all of our passports with the brisk efficiency of someone who'd done this many times and disappeared into the border building. We waited. We waited longer than felt entirely comfortable. Conversations in the minivan became noticeably quieter. Someone checked their watch. Someone else checked it again thirty seconds later. When our guide eventually returned to the van he didn't have our passports. This wasn't immediately reassuring. It turned out the border agent had taken them to the Montenegrin side for processing. A police escort appeared. We drove behind it in silence. The minivan remained very quiet. The kind of quiet that happens when everyone's thinking the same thing and nobody wants to be the one who says it first. We stopped, and our guide disappeared again into a nondescript building on the Montenegrin side. We waited in the van. For a while. Eventually he returned carrying a stack of passports and wearing the expression of a man who considered this a completely normal Tuesday. We all exhaled at approximately the same moment. Then we went on our merry little way to Kotor. Kotor: Kotor Montenegro Kotor's a small walled town built entirely of stone. The walls, the churches, the stores and the narrow streets between them. All stone. A walled path climbs directly up the mountain behind the town for those with the energy and appropriate footwear. We spent a couple of hours wandering through the old town, popping in and out of shops and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Kotor's charming and worth every minute. Budva: From Kotor the minibus continued to Budva. The harbour was lined with enormous superyachts moored one after the other, each more lavish than the last, the majority flying Russian flags. Montenegro at the time was very much on the radar of a particular kind of wealthy visitor and Budva's harbour made that entirely clear. We ordered pasta. Specifically because pasta felt like the safest option given the communication challenges of the time. Our son's pasta arrived with a small quantity of unexpected meat in it. Not a lot. But as it turned out, enough. The ride home: The roads between Montenegro and Dubrovnik are winding. This point was made earlier in this post and it bears repeating because it's directly relevant to what happened next. Our son doesn't get motion sickness. This is a fact we were confident about based on years of family travel. It turns out this confidence was situation dependent. About two hours into the return journey he quietly asked us what motion sickness felt like. I turned around. One look at his face told me everything I needed to know. I turned back, grabbed our day pack, emptied it with the speed of someone who's been a parent long enough to recognize that particular expression and thrust it in his direction just in time for him to, as he liked to describe it afterwards, catch his lunch. Despite all of the above we had a genuinely fantastic day and this trip's absolutely worth doing. The winding roads are part of the scenery. The border crossing's considerably smoother now than it was when we went. And Kotor's one of the most beautiful walled towns in the entire region. Go. Book the Montenegro Bay of Kotor Day Trip from Dubrovnik here. Day Trip 4: The Elaphiti Islands The Elaphiti Islands are an archipelago stretching northwest of Dubrovnik. Three of the thirteen islands are inhabited: Kolocep, Lopud and Sipan. They're on our list for next time. The reviews from travellers who've done the full day cruise are consistently strong and the combination of car free islands, historic ruins, swimming and lunch on board makes it one of the most appealing day trips in the region. Book the Elaphiti Islands cruise from Dubrovnik here. Day Trip 5: Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina About two and a half hours from Dubrovnik sits Mostar, centred around the famous Stari Most bridge, a reconstructed 16th century Ottoman bridge that arches over the Neretva river. It appears in almost every best day trips from Dubrovnik list for good reason and it's firmly on our list for a future visit. The tour below also includes a stop at Kravice Waterfalls and the medieval village of Pocitelj which makes for a truely full tour day. Book the Kravice Waterfalls, Mostar and Pocitelj Day Trip from Dubrovnik here. Practical Tips for Day Trips from Dubrovnik Book Montenegro and Bosnia tours in advance. These cross border day trips are extremely popular in summer. Book before you travel rather than trying to arrange it in Dubrovnik. Take motion sickness tablets if you're prone. The coastal roads between Dubrovnik and Montenegro are winding. Consider this if you prone to motion sickness. Start early for Montenegro and Bosnia. Both are full day commitments. The minibus picks up from hotels early in the morning. Don't book anything for the evening of either trip. For Lokrum go early or late. The island gets busy in the middle of the day when the cruise ship passengers arrive. Go first thing in the morning or late afternoon for a completely different experience. For the Lapad and Klif hike bring water and wear proper walking shoes. It's a moderate trail with some uphill sections. The signposting's good. The views are worth every step. Go early before the heat arrives. Planning to visit Europe this summer? The EU Entry Exit System is now fully operational at all Schengen borders since April 2026. No pre-registration needed but budget extra time at border control on your first entry. Watch our full EES breakdown here and our ETIAS explainer here so you know exactly what to expect before you land. For everything else you need to know about visiting Dubrovnik read our complete Dubrovnik guide here. The Honest Bottom Line Dubrovnik makes an amazing base for exploring one of the most geographically interesting corners of Europe. Within a single day you can cross into Montenegro, sail to a car free island where peacocks roam freely or hike a trail above the city with views that'll stop you in your tracks and nobody else on the path. We've done most of these. One of them involved a passport situation that aged us visibly. Another involved a day pack deployed under pressure at speed on a winding coastal road. Both were completely worth it. Even the unexpected parts make for a good story. Have questions about day trips from Dubrovnik or planning your Croatia trip? Drop them in the comments below. I'm happy to answer everything I know.

Hvar Town Croatia This post contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I have personally experienced or genuinely believe in. Before you even enter the harbour of Hvar Town the catamaran ferry slips past the most opulent super yachts you have ever seen in your life. And before you set one foot onto the white marble promenade you already know this place is going to rock your world. Who’s on those boats? How did they find this tiny island? What should I wear? Who am I going to be rubbing elbows with at the al fresco dining on the promenade tonight? And, omg… was that Celine Dion? These are reasonable questions. Hvar raises all of them within approximately four minutes of arrival. We went back to Hvar three times. The first time we arrived by car ferry into Stari Grad and were immediately swarmed. There’s no other word for it. Before we had taken ten steps with our backpacks a small but determined army of locals had materialized from somewhere, each armed with a photo album and the unshakeable conviction that their spare room was exactly what we needed. Albums were thrust. Photographs were pointed at. Prices were justified with the casual confidence of people who had done this many times and knew how it ended. We picked one. We have no idea why we picked that particular one. Some combination of the photos, the enthusiasm and the fact that we were slightly overwhelmed and just needed someone to stop showing us pictures of their bathroom. We got into a complete stranger's car, our backpacks in the boot, the photo album on our laps as reassurance, and quietly hoped the whole arrangement would work out. It did and was one of the best travel experiences of our lives, conducted entirely on trust and mild desperation. We didn’t plan to go back. Hvar made that decision for us. Is Hvar Worth Visiting in Croatia? Secluded cove Hvar Island Yes. For first time visitors to Croatia, Hvar is absolutely a must see. The town, the island, the haunting abandoned stone villages with wild lavender growing through the walls and houses. It is unlike anywhere else on the Dalmatian coast. That said if budget is a consideration Korcula holds its own as an alternative and in some ways surpasses Hvar for the traveller who wants a more lived in, active and authentic island experience. More on that below. But for a first Croatia trip Hvar deserves its reputation and then some. How Many Days Do You Need in Hvar Croatia? Hvar town Two to three nights is the sweet spot. Enough time to explore Hvar properly, rent a scooter and drive the island, take a boat trip to the Pakleni Islands and have at least one long evening on the promenade. If budget is tight reduce your Hvar nights to one or two and add the extra days to Split, Korcula or Brac instead. Or visit Hvar as a day trip on the catamaran ferry from Split. I can personally attest that ferry is efficient and reliable having taken it multiple times. Hvar in a day is not ideal but it’s still worth it. Getting to Hvar Croatia Hvar Promenade By catamaran from Split: The catamaran takes under an hour and arrives directly into Hvar Town harbour. This is the most dramatic arrival on the entire Dalmatian coast. The ferry slips past super yachts as you pull in and the white marble town rises above the harbour in front of you. Take this ferry if at all possible. Book in advance in summer. By car ferry from Split or Dubrovnik to Stari Grad: If you are travelling with a vehicle the car ferry takes you to Stari Grad on the northern coast. A completely different and much quieter arrival into a genuinely charming old town with a beautiful canal along side it. This is also where you may find yourself being swarmed by locals with photo albums. See opening paragraph. Mostly replaced by online booking apps now but if the locals are swarming on arrival, embrace it entirely. Book ferries in advance at Jadrolinija.hr Where to Stay in Hvar Croatia Ive Roića Street Hvar Stay in Hvar Town for your first visit. You are central to everything and the evening atmosphere on the promenade is something you should not miss. Our specific recommendation is Ive Roića street, just outside the main harbour area. Far enough from the tourist activity to feel like a local neighbourhood, close enough to walk to everything. The views over the harbour from the apartments on that street are stunning. Several apartments are available there and worth searching specifically rather than booking something generic in the centre. Search Hvar hotels on Booking.com What to Do in Hvar Croatia Explore Hvar Town The main square of Hvar Town, Trg Svetog Stjepana, is one of the largest in Dalmatia and sits at the heart of everything. The 16th century Cathedral of St. Stephen anchors one end. The harbour anchors the other. In between is the marble promenade, the restaurants, the coffee shops and the evening parade of people that makes Hvar Town one of the most lively and beautiful places to spend an evening in all of Croatia. Walk every street. Find the tiny alleys behind the main square. Sit at a table outside at night when the lights come on and the super yachts glow in the harbour. If you’re lucky enough to be in the main square at the right moment you may hear the traditional singers of Hvar performing acappella. No announcement. No stage. Just voices suddenly filling the square from somewhere you can’t immediately locate. Everyone stops to listen. That’s the thing about Hvar. It keeps surprising you like this. Climb to the Fortica Fortress Above Hvar Town sits the Fortica Fortress, also known as Španojla, perched above the harbour with panoramic views over the town, the Pakleni Islands and the Adriatic stretching out beyond. Built in the 16th century on foundations that go back much further. The climb is worth every step. The views from the top are among the best on the entire island. Sail to the Pakleni Islands Just a short boat ride from Hvar harbour lies the Pakleni Islands archipelago. Crystal clear water, hidden beaches, secluded coves and the kind of swimming that makes you wonder if you can ever be as spoiled to swim in waters so clear and warm anywhere else in the world. Some of the Pakleni Islands have restaurants on them accessible only by boat. Rent a small boat from Hvar harbour, find one of those island restaurants and have lunch with your feet practically in the water. The food is fantastic and the experience of eating on a tiny island in the middle of the Adriatic is one you will not forget. This half day sailing trip around Hvar and the Pakleni Islands is exactly the kind of afternoon you will talk about for years. Rent a Scooter and Drive the Whole Island Hvar Island - Rent a scooter This is the single best thing you can do on Hvar and almost nobody tells you about it properly. Rent a scooter from Hvar Town and drive the island end to end. The main road takes you through lavender fields, past ancient stone walls and through villages that feel like they exist in a completely different century. Get off the main road whenever something looks interesting. It almost always is. The rest of the island away from Hvar Town is mostly quiet. Stone villages that were largely abandoned when the new highway redirected traffic years ago. The stone architecture in those villages is intricate and beautiful and the lavender just grows wild through everything. Peaceful and slightly haunting at the same time. We stopped at every one we could find and wandered through in near complete silence. At the far eastern tip of the island sits Sucuraj, a tiny port village whose main purpose now is the small ferry crossing to Drvenik on the mainland. Worth the drive just to say you drove the whole thing. Take Napoleon's Road Napoleon's Road Hvar Between Hvar Town and Stari Grad runs one of the most historically interesting and visually remarkable roads on the island. Napoleon's Road was built during the French occupation of Dalmatia in the early 19th century and winds through the interior of the island past massive fields divided by ancient stone walls with wild lavender blowing in the wind on both sides. Take this road instead of the main highway when travelling between Hvar Town and Stari Grad. It takes longer and it is worth every extra minute. For history buffs this road is one of the most under appreciated experiences on the entire island. Explore Stari Grad and Jelsa Stari Grad on the northern coast is where the car ferry arrives and where the history runs deepest. One of the oldest towns in Europe with a beautiful old town canal running through it. Much quieter than Hvar Town and genuinely charming. The Stari Grad Plain behind the town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an ancient Greek agricultural landscape that has been farmed continuously for 2,400 years. Jelsa further along the northern coast is the island's laid back alternative. A beautiful seaside promenade, a vast public park, local vineyards and some of the island's rare sandy beaches. The pace here is completely different from Hvar Town. Worth an afternoon if you have the scooter. The Celebrity Connection The guest list reads like a fever dream. Beyoncé visited in September 2011 and liked it enough to name her daughter after a tree she found here. The Mayor of Hvar granted Blue Ivy honorary citizenship of the town before she had technically been born. The honorary citizenship was extended to a pregnancy. Strange fact, but true. Tom Cruise came to decompress. Bill Gates moored his yacht out front. Giorgio Armani, Prince Harry. The super yachts in the harbour are not an accident. Hvar has been quietly luring them in for years. Practical Tips for Hvar Croatia Book your ferry in advance. In summer the catamaran from Split to Hvar Town fills up. Book at Jadrolinija.hr before you travel. Rent a scooter or a car. You will not see the real Hvar from the promenade. The island reveals itself on the road. Rent something with wheels and drive the whole thing. Go to Jelsa for the beaches. Hvar Town's beaches are mostly stone. Jelsa has some of the island's rare sandy beaches if that matters to you. Know your FKK signs. The Pakleni Islands include Jerolim, Croatia's most famous naturist island. Same rule applies everywhere on the Croatian coast. FKK sign means naturist beach. We have a whole section on this in our complete Croatia tips guide. Go in May or September. Hvar in July and August is spectacular and extremely busy. The super yachts multiply. The prices follow. May gives you the island before the full summer crowd arrives. September gives you warm water and noticeably fewer people. Beyoncé went in September. That point has been made. It bears repeating. Is Hvar worth the price premium? Yes for first time visitors. If budget is tight reduce your nights and add them elsewhere. One full day and two nights in Hvar gives you the town, one evening on the promenade and time for a scooter ride. That is enough to fall in love with it. Everything else is a bonus. Planning to visit Europe this summer? The EU Entry Exit System is now fully operational at all Schengen borders since April 2026. No pre-registration needed but budget extra time at border control on your first entry. Watch our full EES breakdown here and our ETIAS explainer here so you know exactly what to expect before you land. For everything else you need to know before your first Croatia trip read our complete Croatia tips guide here. Hvar vs Korcula: Which Island Should You Choose? This is the question every first time Croatia visitor eventually asks and here is my answer. Hvar is opulent, famous, expensive and stunning. The entry by catamaran is one of the most dramatic arrivals in Croatia. The town is beautiful. The island is haunting in the best possible way. Go for the experience of it. It has gained a reputation as a party island, so if that’s not your scene, read on. Korcula is more alive with people, more active, more authentic and genuinely more affordable. The walled old town as your entry point is magical in its own completely different way. It holds a special place in my heart that Hvar, for all its beauty, has not displaced. If you can do both, do both. If you have to choose and budget is a consideration, Korcula gives you more for your money. If you are visiting Croatia for the first time and want the full iconic Dalmatian experience, Hvar first. For the full Korcula and island hopping guide read our complete Croatia island hopping itinerary here. The Honest Bottom Line Hvar Croatia Hvar is beautiful on the outside. But go enough times and a Croatian family will invite you to dinner and their daughter will look at you years later and say, “you said you'd come back, I remember!” That is the version of Hvar that has nothing to do with parties or super yachts at all. These are the moments worth staying for. Have questions about visiting Hvar or planning your Croatia island hopping trip? Drop them in the comments below. I am happy to answer everything I know.

Split Croatia This post contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I have personally experienced or genuinely believe in. We found Split completely by accident on our first Croatia trip. We were trying to get from Plitvice Lakes National Park to Dubrovnik and needed a ferry. Split was just the place in between. Then we arrived and stood on that white marble promenade with the Adriatic right there and we're immediately blown away. The second time we spent four days in Split was not entirely by choice. I ended up in the local hospital with an eye issue that started on Hvar but needed the hospital in Split. But here is the thing about Split. Even when your plans fall completely apart, Split finds a way to make it completely fine. Between hospital appointments we lounged on the promenade drinking something cold, ate gelato, wandered through the open air market with the locals and watched the evening come alive. Four unexpected days in Split and not one of them felt wasted. That is Split. It gets under your skin whether you plan it or not. Is Split Worth Visiting in Croatia? Riva Promenade Split Croatia Yes. Split is Croatia's second largest city and one of its most underrated. Most first time visitors treat it purely as a transit point on the way to the islands. That is a mistake. Give it two full days minimum and it will become one of the highlights of your entire Croatia trip. Split has a compact and walkable old town built around and inside a Roman emperor's retirement palace. The waterfront promenade runs along the entire front of the city. The island ferry terminal sits right on that promenade. The local market runs every morning just steps from the palace walls. Everything you need is within walking distance of everything else, even the hospital. Split is genuinely one of the most liveable cities on the Adriatic and it shows. How Many Days Do You Need in Split Croatia? Two days is the sweet spot for most visitors. Enough time to explore Diocletian's Palace properly, walk the full length of the Riva promenade, visit Marjan Hill, find Gregory of Nin and have an evening on the waterfront before catching your ferry to the islands. If you have three days you can add a day trip to Krka National Park which is just over an hour away and completely worth it. If your plans fall apart entirely and you end up with four days like we did, Split will fill every one of them without too much effort. Getting to Split Croatia Split has its own international airport with direct connections from several European cities making it one of the most straightforward entry points for a Croatia trip. If you are planning to island hop the Dalmatian coast starting in Split and ending in Dubrovnik is the natural route. The ferry terminal sits right on the Riva promenade so the transition from arrival to island hopping is as seamless as any ferry journey can be. But, if you need to rent a car for any day trips you have planned, Search car rentals here. What to Do in Split Croatia Diocleatian's Palace, Split Walk Diocletian's Palace A Roman emperor built this as his private retirement home in 305 AD. Today an entire neighbourhood has grown up inside its ancient walls. Coffee shops, restaurants, residents going about their daily lives with Roman columns out their windows. The ancient and the everyday happening in the same postal code. It is completely surreal and completely normal all at the same time. The palace is not a museum you visit and leave. It is a living breathing part of the city that people actually call home. Walk every alley. Look up at the columns. Find the small squares tucked behind the main thoroughfares where locals sit with their coffee away from the tourist flow. Get lost on purpose. That is the right way to do Diocletian's Palace. Walk the Riva Promenade The Riva is Split's waterfront promenade and it runs along the entire front of the old town. White marble under your feet, the Adriatic right there beside you, palm trees moving in the warm sea breeze, beautiful boats moored in the marina and coffee shops and restaurants all the way along. The white marble is worn smooth by centuries of footsteps and it shines in the sun like it's been waiting for you to arrive without sunglasses. Pack them. You will need them more than you think. In the evening the Riva comes fully alive. Locals out for their evening stroll, restaurants filling up, music drifting from somewhere, the whole city seeming to migrate to the waterfront. Stay for it. It is one of the best free evenings you will have anywhere in Croatia. Find Gregory of Nin Gregory of Nin Just outside the Golden Gate at the northern entrance to Diocletian's Palace stands Gregory of Nin. A larger than life bronze statue of a medieval bishop who fought for the right to hold church services in Croatian instead of Latin. Rub his big toe for good luck. It is shiny from decades of hopeful travellers doing exactly that. Apparently it works. We rubbed it enthusiastically. Shortly after we headed to Hvar where my eye decided to stage a full rebellion. We ended up back on the fast cat ferry to Split, straight to the local hospital and unexpectedly extended our stay by four days. So the toe either needs significantly more rubbing or it has a very specific sense of humour. Either way rub it. The odds are probably still in your favour. Visit the Green Market, locally known as the Pazar Pazar Market, Split Just outside the eastern palace walls sits the Green Market, known locally as Pazar. It runs every day from 8am to 2pm. Fresh produce, local cheese, wine, flowers and if you are adventurous enough, live snails. Yes, snails. In a box. We saw them. The market is increasingly popular with tourists in summer so go early for the full local experience and the best selection. Pick up something for your ferry journey to the islands or your walk to Marjan Hill. The cheese is worth it. The snails are a personal decision. Walk to Marjan Hill The Riva promenade extends all the way to Marjan Hill at the western end of the city. Follow it past the marina, past the coffee shops and restaurants and into the quieter residential streets that lead up to the park. Marjanske Skale park sits on the hillside with beautiful views over the water and the city below. A genuinely lovely place to sit, have a picnic, catch the breeze and watch the sea. Take your hat and your sunglasses. The shade up there is similarly optimistic. Visit Klis Fortress About fifteen minutes from Split by car sits Klis Fortress, perched dramatically on a rocky outcrop above the city with sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. For Game of Thrones fans this is the filming location for the city of Meereen. For everyone else it is simply a spectacular medieval fortress with a genuinely interesting history and views that make the drive worth it. Book the Trogir Old Town and Klis Fortress tour from Split here. Day Trips from Split Croatia Krka National Park Just over an hour from Split, Krka National Park is one of the most spectacular day trips you can do from anywhere in Croatia. Cascading waterfalls, turquoise pools, wooden boardwalks right at water level and in October the most extraordinary autumn colours you have ever seen beside a waterfall. Book tickets in advance. In summer it sells out. This Krka Waterfalls tour including a boat cruise and swimming is the easiest way to get there and back without worrying about driving or parking. Trogir Just 27 kilometres west of Split, Trogir is a small medieval town on an island connected to the mainland by bridge. Highly regarded by travellers who have been and very easy to reach from Split. Worth considering if you have an extra half day. This Split and Trogir small group half day tour is a great option if you want to see both in one trip without worrying about transport. Hvar as a Day Trip The catamaran ferries from Split can get you to Hvar in under an hour. I can personally attest that these ferries are efficient and well positioned at both the Hvar and Split ends having taken them several times during an unexpected extended stay. My honest advice however is to stay at least three nights on Hvar rather than treating it as a day trip. The best of Hvar reveals itself slowly and the ferry crowds in summer mean a day trip can feel more exhausting than relaxing. But if your schedule only allows a day, Hvar is still worth it. Where to Stay in Split Croatia Split old town Stay as close to Diocletian's Palace as you can. That is the honest answer. You are in the middle of everything you want and need. The ferry terminal, the Riva promenade, the market, the restaurants, the evening atmosphere. Everything radiates outward from the palace and staying inside or immediately adjacent to the old town means you walk to all of it. Staying further out means taxis or buses every time you want to be where the action is. Keep it simple. Stay central. Search Split hotels on Booking.com Practical Tips for Split Croatia Wear sunglasses and bring a hat. The white marble promenade reflects the sun with considerable enthusiasm and the shade situation on both the Riva and Marjan Hill is optimistic at best. Stay for the evening. Split during the day is beautiful. Split in the evening is something else entirely. The whole city comes alive after dinner and the Riva becomes the social centre of everything. Buy your ferry tickets early. The ferry terminal is right on the Riva promenade and you can buy tickets from the booth where the ferries dock. In summer buy well in advance. The islands are popular and the ferries fill up. You can also book online at Jadrolinija.hr. Visit Pazar early. The Green Market runs every day from 8am to 2pm just outside the eastern palace walls. Go early for the best selection and the most local experience before the tourist crowds arrive. Plan for at least two days. One day in Split is not enough. Two days is the sweet spot. Three gives you room for a Krka day trip. Four means your plans fell apart in the best possible city for that to happen. Planning to visit Europe this summer? The EU Entry Exit System is now fully operational at all Schengen borders since April 2026. No pre-registration needed but budget extra time at border control on your first entry. Watch our full EES breakdown here and our ETIAS explainer here so you know exactly what to expect before you land. For everything else you need to know before your first Croatia trip read our complete Croatia tips guide here. The Honest Bottom Line Split is not just a ferry terminal. It is one of the most liveable and genuinely surprising cities on the Adriatic and it rewards travellers who give it more than a single rushed afternoon. We found it by accident. We ended up spending four unplanned days there during a hospital visit. And both times it gave us something we weren't expecting. That is Split. Plan for it. Or don't. It works either way. From Split the islands are waiting. Here's the full Croatia island hopping itinerary when you're ready. Have questions about visiting Split or planning your Croatia island hopping trip? Drop them in the comments below. I am happy to answer everything I know.

Hvar's old town This post contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I have personally experienced or genuinely believe in. One week in Croatia. It sounds like plenty of time until you start looking at a map and realising this country has more to offer than any seven days can possibly cover. I know this because I have been multiple times and still haven't seen everything I want to see. Here's the advice I give every friend who asks me how to spend a week in Croatia: stop trying to see everything. Pick a route that matches who you are as a traveller and go deep rather than wide. You'll come home having actually experienced Croatia rather than having sprinted through a highlight reel. There are two routes that work beautifully for a first week in Croatia. One is the classic Dalmatian coast that every travel creator recommends. The other is the Istrian peninsula that most North Americans have never heard of. I've done both. Here's the honest breakdown so you can decide which one is yours. Which Route is Right for You? Before you book a single night of accommodation ask yourself one question. Do you want beaches, islands, walled cities and the most iconic version of Croatia? Or do you want hilltowns, truffle country, coastal villages and the version of Croatia that most North Americans haven't discovered yet? If the answer is the first one, do the Dalmatian coast. If the answer is the second one, do Istria. If you genuinely can't decide, do the Dalmatian coast first. You can always come back for Istria. Most people do. OPTION A: THE DALMATIAN COAST Split, Hvar, Korcula and Dubrovnik by ferry Dubrovnik evening This is the route that every travel creator recommends for first timers. They're right. The combination of Roman history, island life, lavender fields, turquoise water and one of the most beautiful walled cities in Europe is genuinely hard to beat for a first Croatia trip. Fly into Split or Dubrovnik and do the route in whichever direction suits your flights. The Jadrolinija ferry system connects all four destinations reliably. Book your ferry tickets in advance especially in summer. Need a rental car for day trips? Search car rentals here. Days 1 and 2: Split Diocletian's Palace, Split Start in Split and give it two full days before you head to the islands. It earns them. Walk through Diocletian's Palace. A Roman emperor built this as his private retirement home in 305 AD and today an entire neighbourhood has grown up inside its ancient walls. Coffee shops, restaurants, residents drying their laundry from windows that look out over Roman columns. Someone's Tuesday morning happening inside a 1,700 year old imperial complex. Diocletian would have some thoughts on this. The marble on the Stradun is worn so smooth by centuries of footsteps that it actually shines in the sun. You'll look down at your feet and wonder how many millions of people walked exactly where you're standing. Hot tip: wear your sunglasses. The light bouncing off that marble on a clear Croatian summer day is not subtle. It is the sun's way of reminding you who is in charge. Don't walk past Gregory of Nin without stopping. The larger than life bronze statue of a medieval bishop who fought for the right to hold church services in Croatian instead of Latin. Rub his big toe for good luck. Apparently it works. We did it. Shortly after my eye went completely offline and I ended up in the local hospital. So either the toe needs more rubbing or I am not the best advertisement for Croatian good luck charms. That story is for another post. While you're based in Split, Krka National Park is less than two hours away and absolutely worth a day trip. This Krka Waterfalls tour including a boat cruise and swimming is the easiest way to get there and back without worrying about driving or parking. For the full Split guide including what to do, where to eat and how to navigate Diocletian's Palace read our complete Croatia island hopping guide which covers Split in detail as your starting point. Where to stay in Split: Search Split hotels on Booking.com Days 3 and 4: Hvar Cove on Hvar Island Catch the ferry from Split to Hvar. Book in advance in summer. The routes fill up faster than you'd expect. When you get there rent a scooter. The roads are quiet, the island is completely manageable end to end and you will find things on a scooter that you would never find in a car or on a tour bus. We found a cove so hidden there was nobody else there. No sign pointing to it. Just turquoise water and the sound of nothing. That's the Hvar most people never find. The whole island smells like lavender from the moment you step off the ferry and it doesn't get old. Want to see the best of Hvar from the water? This half day sailing trip around Hvar and the Pakleni Islands is exactly the kind of afternoon you'll talk about for years. Where to stay in Hvar: Search Hvar hotels on Booking.com Day 5: Korcula Old gate to Korcula's old town Take the ferry from Hvar to Korcula. The crossing takes between one and one and a half hours. Korcula is in my honest opinion one of the most beautiful islands in Croatia. The old town sits on a small peninsula jutting out into the sea like a miniature Dubrovnik. Marco Polo was allegedly born here. The locals will tell you this with considerable pride. Whether it's true is still debated but it just adds to the charm. Staying in Lumbarda rather than the old town was one of the best accommodation decisions we made in Croatia. Five minutes from everything, half the noise and a completely different feeling of the island. Consider it seriously. Rent a car here rather than a scooter. Korcula is bigger than Hvar and the roads take you inland through valleys and vineyards. Drink wine at the top of a turret in the old town. Drive the island. Find the quieter southern end where it gets more remote. Want a guided introduction to the old town? This one hour private walking tour of Korcula is worth the time. Where to stay in Korcula: Search Korcula hotels on Booking.com Days 6 and 7: Dubrovnik One of the many local alleyways in Durbrovnik Take the ferry from Korcula to Dubrovnik. It's a scenic journey along the coast and a genuinely beautiful way to arrive into one of the most famous cities on the Adriatic. Dubrovnik is busy. Very busy. And still completely worth it. The trick is timing. Go early morning before the cruise ships arrive or come back in the evening after they leave. The old town at night is a completely different city. Lanterns on glowing cobblestones, warm stone walls, a handful of people who figured out the same thing you did. Walk the city walls in the morning before the heat arrives. Find the Buza Bar, there's a hole in the wall of the old town on the sea side, follow the sound of waves through it and you'll find chairs on bare rock above the Adriatic. One of the great accidental discoveries of our Croatia trips. Hike up Mount Srd behind the old town. It makes the drink at the top that much better. Take the cable car back down. Nobody needs to know. Want to explore with a local? This Dubrovnik Old Town walking tour gives you the history and context that makes everything land harder. For something completely special this adults only sunset cruise on a 16th century Karaka sailing ship is the kind of thing you book on a whim and talk about for years. From Dubrovnik you can fly home or onward. The airport connects well to most European cities. For the full Dubrovnik guide including the honest crowd strategy, what to do and whether it's still worth visiting in 2026 read our complete Dubrovnik guide here. Where to stay in Dubrovnik: Search Dubrovnik hotels on Booking.com OPTION B: THE ISTRIAN PENINSULA Pula, Rovinj and the hilltowns Hum on the Istrian Peninsula This is the route for the traveller who wants to feel like they've discovered something. Istria sits in the north of Croatia, pushing up against Italy on its northern border, and the Italian influence is everywhere. In the food, the architecture, the pace of life and the gelato that makes all other gelato feel like an apology. Most North Americans have never heard of Istria. Europeans have been going for years. Everything we found there made us wonder why we'd waited so long. You'll need a car for Istria. The secondary roads are half the experience. Search car rentals here. Day 1: Pula Pula Amphitheatre Fly into Pula or arrive by catamaran from Venice for one of the most stunning harbour arrivals you'll ever experience. The catamaran runs from June 1st to September 20th in 2026, takes about three and a half hours and is foot passengers only. Give Pula a day. The Roman amphitheatre is the first thing you see arriving by boat and it stops you cold. Don't tell Rome but it's in better condition than the Colosseum. Still used for concerts today. We stood there completely unprepared for it and Croatia keeps doing this to us. Where to stay in Pula: Search Pula hotels on Booking.com Days 2, 3, 4 and 5: Rovinj Harbour in Rovinj Drive from Pula to Rovinj. About 35 minutes on good roads. Rovinj is the kind of place you arrive in planning to stay two nights and leave four days later wondering how that happened. Al fresco pasta every single evening, gelato that will ruin all other gelato for you and a waterfront promenade that invites you to slow down completely. We tried very hard to find a complaint. We couldn't. Use Rovinj as your base for the Istrian hilltowns. Drive to Hum, the world's smallest town, thirty people, two streets, seven minutes to walk the whole thing. Then head to Motovun and Buzet. Both hilltowns sitting above spectacular Istrian valley views. Motovun is a climb. Steep, relentless and nobody warns you. There is apparently a bus to the top. We did not find it. We climbed. Every. Single. Step. Our calves are still recovering from that climb. This is serious truffle country. Truffle oil on everything. Truffle hunts with local farmers and their dogs if you want to go full Istrian. We didn't manage it on this trip. It is firmly on the must do list for next time and given the truffle pasta alone it will absolutely be a next time. For the full Istrian road trip guide including exactly how to drive this region and what to see read our complete Rovinj and Istrian peninsula guide here. Where to stay in Rovinj: Search Rovinj hotels on Booking.com Days 6 and 7: Plitvice Lakes National Park and Zagreb Plitvice Lakes National Park Drive from Rovinj to Plitvice Lakes National Park. About two and a half hours. I walked through the gates of Plitvice Lakes National Park and waited for a unicorn to appear. I'm not joking. Sixteen interconnected lakes, waterfalls flowing from one turquoise pool to the next, wooden boardwalks right at water level. It genuinely does not look real. Book your tickets in advance. In summer it sells out. Bring lunch. Spend a full day. Stay overnight nearby if you can. It turns a day trip into a proper adventure. Then drive to Zagreb for your final night before flying home. Zagreb is a beautiful and undervisited city that most Croatia itineraries skip entirely. Give it an evening and a morning. You'll be glad you did. Practical Tips for Both Routes Book ferries in advance. Especially in summer. The Jadrolinija ferry routes fill up fast. Walking on as a foot passenger gives you more flexibility but don't leave it to the last minute on busy routes. Rent a car for Istria. Consider it for the Dalmatian route too. Having wheels gives you the freedom to explore beyond the main towns and find your own hidden swimming holes. Search car rentals here. Check the cruise ship schedule for Dubrovnik before you go. Ships typically arrive mid morning and leave by early evening. Timing your old town visit around the ships makes a massive difference to your experience. The Dubrovnik port schedule is available online and worth checking before your trip. Go in May or September. Summer is busy. Very busy. But Croatia is worth it at any time of year if you time your activities for early morning or after the cruise ships leave in the evening. Wear water shoes. Croatia's beaches are mostly beautiful white stone not sand. And the sea urchins are plentiful and unapologetic. Bring the water shoes. We learned this lesson watching an Australian guy in Hvar learn it the hard way. Trust us on this one. Check your cards before you leave home. Croatia uses the euro. Cash is still king, in my opinion, for everyday spending but credit cards are becoming more common place, so I'm told. Use ATMs at well established Croatian banks and withdraw once a week to keep fees down. And check both your debit and credit cards before you travel. A worn or delaminated card rejected at an ATM in Split with no cash alternative is not the start to a holiday you want. Planning to visit Europe this summer? The EU's new Entry Exit System is now fully operational at all Schengen borders. No pre-registration needed but budget extra time at border control on your first entry. For everything else you need to know before your first Croatia trip including what FKK means on a Croatian beach and why the tap water is better than you'd expect read our complete Croatia tips guide here. The Honest Bottom Line One week in Croatia is enough to fall completely in love with this country. It is not enough to see all of it. That's not a problem. That's the point. You'll come home already planning when to go back. A little bit Greece, a little bit Italy, but completely and unapologetically its own. That's Croatia. Pick your route, book your ferries, wear your water shoes and go. Have questions about planning your week in Croatia? Drop them in the comments below. I've done both routes and I'm happy to answer everything I know.

Pula, Croatia This post contains affiliate links. If you book or purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I have personally experienced or genuinely believe in. Croatia is one of the most beautiful countries I have visited in fifty countries of travel. It is also a country with a few surprises that nobody quite prepares you for before your first trip. I know this because I watched a stranger learn the sea urchin lesson the hard way in Hvar, wandered onto a naturist beach on Lokrum Island without realising it and once had to navigate the Croatian healthcare system with an eye issue in Split. All of that happened. All of it is in this post. Here are ten things to know before visiting Croatia for the first time. 1. Can You Drink the Tap Water in Croatia? Dubrovnik Monestery inside the walled city Yes. Absolutely yes. Croatia has excellent tap water quality throughout the country including on the islands. This is genuinely one of the best pieces of news you will receive before your trip because staying hydrated in a Croatian summer without buying bottled water every five minutes makes a meaningful difference to both your budget and your environmental footprint. Fill your water bottle at the tap. Drink freely. Move on with your day. 2. Do You Need Water Shoes in Croatia? Hvar Town beach - Bring water shoes Yes. This is not optional advice. This is the single most important packing tip I can give you for Croatia and almost nobody mentions it before your first trip. Croatia's beaches are mostly beautiful white stone, not sand. They are stunning to look at and genuinely comfortable to sit on. Getting into the water however is a different matter entirely because those same stones are home to sea urchins. Spiky, enthusiastic, absolutely everywhere sea urchins who have no interest in your holiday plans. I watched a group of Australian guys in Hvar jumping into the water having the time of their lives until one of them wasn't. He made his way out with blood streaming down his foot and a look on his face that said everything water shoes would have prevented. The sea urchin won that round. Bring water shoes. Pack them first before anything else goes in the bag. Your feet will thank you and so will the people watching from the shore. A practical note on beach footwear: consider shoes that work both in and out of the water. We use Keen sandals which go from the beach to the rocks to dinner without needing to change. One pair of shoes that does everything is always the right answer when you are travelling with a carry on bag. 3. What Does FKK Mean on Croatian Beaches? Cove off of Hvar Island Croatia has naturist beaches. They are very common, particularly on the islands and along the Istrian coast, and they are marked with a sign that reads FKK. This stands for Frei Körper Kultur, a German phrase meaning free body culture. Learn this before you go. We did not know it on our first trip. We took a little boat from Dubrovnik over to Lokrum Island with our lunch and our swimming gear, had a lovely walk around the island and eventually wandered up to what looked like a perfectly pleasant beach. We saw some people in the water. The water was very, very clear. So was everything else. We found the FKK sign on the way back. If you see an FKK sign on a Croatian beach you now know what it means. 4. Does Croatia Use the Euro? Niko Shop Hvar Island Yes. Croatia switched to the euro in January 2023. The old currency, the Kuna, is no longer in circulation so there is no need to research or source Kuna before your trip. Euros work everywhere and the transition has been seamless. We found the overall cost of Croatia to be very comparable to what we pay back home in Canada. Groceries, eating out, accommodation, all roughly in line with what you would expect to pay at home. It is not a cheap destination, particularly in peak summer, but it is not significantly more expensive than Italy or France either. Budget sensibly and you will be fine. 5. How Do You Access Cash in Croatia? Rovinj Croatia Croatia has been moving toward card payments in recent years and a viewer recently told me they found cards more widely accepted than they expected. That is good news and worth knowing. That said I still recommend always having some local cash on you. Smaller coffee houses, local restaurants, boat trips and market stalls can still prefer cash and some operate on a cash only basis. If you are caught without it you might find yourself leaving your table to find an ATM while the waiter waits. It happens. It is not the highlight of anyone's holiday. ATMs are widely available throughout Croatia. For the best experience use well established Croatian banks. Two reliable options are Zagrebačka banka and Privredna banka Zagreb. Screenshot those names before you go. Your future self will thank you. Withdraw cash once a week rather than making small withdrawals frequently. This minimises your bank and exchange fees which add up quickly over a two week trip. Use your credit card for larger purchases like accommodation and car rentals where it makes sense and keep cash on hand for daily spending. One more thing before you leave home. Check both your debit and credit cards. Look at them properly. If either is worn, delaminated or the chip looks questionable get a replacement before you travel. A card rejected at an ATM in Split with no cash alternative is not the start to a holiday you want. 6. Do You Need a Car in Croatia? Hum Croatia - You'll need a car to get here It depends entirely on where you are going and what you want to do. For the Dalmatian coast route, Split to Hvar to Korcula to Dubrovnik, you do not need a car. The Jadrolinija ferry systemconnects all the major destinations reliably and you can walk on as a foot passenger with your luggage. Book ferry tickets in advance in summer as the routes fill up faster than you would expect. One thing worth knowing about the Jadrolinija car ferries: they load cars from both ends of the boat simultaneously which can make boarding feel chaotic the first time. Follow the crew's directions and do not worry about the cars coming from the other direction. It looks worse than it is. For the Istrian peninsula you absolutely need a car. The hilltowns, the secondary roads, the truffle country, the hidden coves. None of it is accessible without one. The roads are excellent, the scenery makes every drive worth it and the secondary roads are half the experience. Search car rentals in Croatia here. 7. Do You Need an International Driving Permit for Croatia? Rovinj Croatia Technically no. Croatia does not require an international driving permit for most nationalities including Canadians. However we have always travelled with one and I would recommend getting one before you go. It costs approximately 25 dollars Canadian and takes about an hour to obtain through CAA. In years of driving through Croatia we have never once been asked to produce it by a rental agency or a police officer. We have always been glad we had it. Just in case. Policies can change and rental agency requirements vary. Check with your specific rental agency before you travel to confirm their current requirements. 8. What Croatian Phrases Should You Learn Before You Go? Pula Croatia Most Croatians in tourist areas speak excellent English and you will rarely struggle to communicate. That said learning a few basic phrases before you go is always worth the effort. It is a sign of respect and gratitude and Croatians genuinely appreciate the attempt even when the pronunciation is somewhat creative. Here are six phrases that will serve you well: Bok: Hello and goodbye. Casual and widely used. Dobar dan: Good day. More formal greeting. Hvala: Thank you. Molim: Please. Da: Yes. Ne: No. You will almost certainly say all of them wrong. The locals will smile anyway. Sometimes the smile is warm appreciation. Sometimes it might be amusement at your pronunciation. Either way you get the smile and that is what matters. 9. Is Croatia Safe to Visit? Croatian singers in Drubrovnik Yes. Croatia is one of the safer European destinations for independent travellers including solo travellers. Street crime is low, violent crime is rare and the general atmosphere in tourist areas is relaxed and welcoming. Standard travel precautions apply as they do anywhere. Keep an eye on your belongings in crowded areas like the Dubrovnik Stradun or Split's Peristil courtyard where cruise ship crowds gather in summer. Consider an anti-theft crossbody bag with RFID blocking for daily use. We use the Waterfly crossbody sling bag which has RFID blocking built in and sits comfortably across the body all day without feeling like a burden. Croatia is also LGBTQ+ friendly in the main tourist areas and cities. Attitudes in smaller rural areas may be more conservative as is common across the region. 10. What Are the People of Croatia Like? Buza Bar Dubrovnik Croatia initially surprised me with how reserved the people can seem at first. But reserve is not the same as unfriendly. In my experience Croatian people are genuinely warm, proud of their country and quietly go out of their way to make visitors feel welcome. The clearest example I can give you happened in Split. I needed emergency medical care for an eye issue and had no idea what to expect in a foreign healthcare system. The nurses were patient and kind. The doctors were thorough and reassuring. When their equipment broke down mid-appointment the doctor personally arranged for me to continue at his private clinic at no extra cost. He did not have to do that. He did it anyway. That experience told me everything I needed to know about Croatia and its people. One More Thing: The Entry Exit System If you are planning a European trip in 2026 you need to know about the EU's new Entry Exit System which became fully operational in April 2026. No pre-registration is required but budget extra time at border control on your first entry into the Schengen zone. Download the Travel to Europe app before you go to pre-load your data and speed up the process at the border. The Honest Bottom Line Rovinj Croatia Croatia rewards travellers who arrive prepared. Know your beaches, bring water shoes, carry cash, check your cards and learn at least six words of Croatian before you board the plane. Everything else you will figure out as you go. That is honestly half the fun. For everything else you need to know about planning a Croatia trip, start with our complete island hopping itinerary from Split to Dubrovnik, read our full Dubrovnik guide if the old city is on your list, or explore the Istrian peninsula road trip guide if you want the Croatia most North Americans have never heard of. The planning resources are all there. The water shoes are up to you. Have questions about visiting Croatia for the first time? Drop them in the comments below. I have been multiple times and I am happy to answer everything I know.