Thanks to its miles of luxury beaches and resorts, Croatia maintains a booming tourist industry for travelers. Croatia flights are filled with holiday travelers seeking sun and surf during the winter months and cruise ships docks millions of travelers a year on Croatia’s coastline. The most alluring part of Croatia is its abundance of land – despite the hoards of travelers that book flights to Croatia every year there is always a secluded piece of land hidden among beach coves for visitors needing a little solitude.
Step into Croatia’s medieval past and explore ancient ruins, castles and churches that ooze history. Take a walk through Croatia’s tiny villages or the capital city of Zagreb and dine at one of the locally owned-restaurants before rejoining the masses in one of Europe’s most magnificent countries.
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Croatia is roughly divided into two climatic regions: one along the Adriatic coastline and one inland. The coast is Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Temperatures range between 79 and 86 degrees (F) in the summer. Inland, the country experiences a continental climate, with warm summers but cold winters.
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Peak season:
The European summer is the most popular season with vacationers and when Croatia flights and resorts are usually full. Fares on flights to Croatia and hotel prices usually rise between June and August.
The mountain range running north-south alongside the country’s sea protects the coastline from the worst of the winds and the cold weather, which means spring arrives early and fall ends late. If you’re heading for the coast during this time, it’s possible to swim from about May until October in Southern Dalmatia. This means that May-June and September-October are great times to visit. Cheap flights to Croatia can be found during this time, and you'll avoid the crowds.
Off season:
Because the main draw of Croatia is its coast, the winter period (especially from November to February) is the low season for tourism. However, it is possible to ski in the mountains. Zagreb is rapidly becoming a tourist hotspot and is worth visiting at any time of year – even if the weather is freezing, there is enough to do inside. Lent and the accompanying carnival is another great time to fly: Rijeka is the place in which it is celebrated with the most enthusiasm.
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Internal Croatia flights are the quickest way of getting around and are available between all major destinations, such as Split, Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Zadar and Pula. Croatia Airlines is the national carrier.
If you are planning on staying on Croatia’s beautiful coast, one of the most enjoyable ways to travel round is by ferry. This is certainly not the quickest route – ferries from Rijeka to Split, for example are overnight, whereas you could drive in four hours – however it is easily the most attractive and one of the best ways to see the country. The ferries are run by Jadrolinja (pronounced “yad-ro-lin-eeah”) and are very reasonably priced. For travel to some of the more remote islands, ferry is obviously the only option.
Buses are available throughout most of the country and tend to be the quickest form of public transport. They are often more expensive than the trains, though not as comfortable. The rail network is relatively good, but any travel along the coast, or from the coast to Zagreb, is far easier accomplished by bus. The coastal path from Rijeka down to Dubrovnik offers some wonderful landscape and views of the azure sea.
Cars can easily be hired and driving is easy. Most roads are in a good state of repair for travel between the more popular tourist destinations.
The following chart gives approximate journey times from Zagreb (in hours and minutes) to other major cities and towns in Croatia.
| | Air | Road | Rail |
|---|
| Dubrovnik | 0.55 | 11.00 | - |
|---|
| Split | 0.45 | 5.00 | 5.25 |
|---|
The following chart gives approximate journey times from Dubrovnik (in hours and minutes) to other major cities and towns in Croatia.
| | Air | Road | Rail |
|---|
| Zagreb | 0.55 | 11.00 | - |
|---|
| Split | 0.35 | 4.15 | 9.45 |
|---|
| Rijeka | - | 12.00 | 22.00 |
|---|
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- One of the major draws of the country is its stunning coastline, running the length of the country from Rijeka past Dubrovnik. But be prepared before you hit the beach: there are very few sandy spots to be found, and most of the resorts boast instead a rugged and beautiful black rock. Bring a thick towel if you need padding for sunbathing.
- Dubrovnik is arguably the most popular town. Its best beach, however, isn’t on the mainland but a small island just ten minutes away by taxi boat. Lokrum island is a national resort, protected by the Croatian Academy of Art and Science. As well as a stunning beach, backed by pine trees, the island also has a botanic garden, filled with tropical plants, and an old Benedictine monastery, part crumbling, hidden in the undergrowth which now serves as a restaurant. The taxi boats leave from Dubrovnik Harbor every half hour.
- Most tourists congregate on the southern Dalmatian islands, but those to the North – though often a bit cooler in temperature – can offer even more beautiful scenery and tend to be less crowded in the height of summer. Rab – which can be reached by ferry from Rijeka in just over an hour – is one of the most attractive. The greenest of all islands, it is covered with pine forests and also has sandy beaches. Rab Town has Roman and Greek buildings, with numerous churches and historic squares.
- English is not widely spoken, beyond those involved in the tourist industry. Try and learn a few words of Croat if possible, which will get you a long way in shops and restaurants. Otherwise, Italian is the most widely understood Western-European language, due to the proximity of the country and also because Croatia has long been a popular summer holiday-spot for Italians.
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Zagreb (ZAG) (Pleso International) is 10 miles southeast of the city.
Dubrovnik (DBV) is 11 miles southeast of the city.
Split (SPU) is 16 miles northwest of the city.
Pula (PUY) is 5 miles northwest of the city.
Rijeka (RJK) is 17 miles from the city on the island of Krk.
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All visitors require a passport valid for period of intended stay, as well as documents and tickets for onward or return destinations and sufficient funds (at least €100 or equivalent per day unless a national of an EU country).
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U.S. citizens must present a passport (it may be expired up to 6 months). Visas are not required for stays of up to 90 days.
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