Family vacations in Croatia travel guide

Our vacations are run by expert, local instructors who understand the dangers of the mountains or the waves, but whose passion for such landscapes and pushing our boundaries within them is totally infectious. Don’t panic that they are going to be too exhausting. They are much more likely to be exhilarating, and with leader guides around at all times to ensure safety, in some ways you can chill out and just enjoy the ride, knowing that your kids are having a ball too.

Croatia is one of the best places in the world to not only learn to sea kayak, but also discover lots of different islands without having to be paddling experts. This is thanks to its archipelagos that boast over a thousand islands, as well as pretty peninsulas off the mainland. Just picture yourself escaping the giant cruise ship crowds descending into Dubrovnik and kayaking out of town to see the medieval walls from the water. Although you might think that sea kayaking with kids might be stressful, it actually has the opposite effect. If you go with a professional guide, you hand over the parental reins completely and allow them to do what they do best. Which means you get to take a back seat and mellow out on the water, either in a double kayak with your child, giving you that bonding in a boat experience. Or go for a single sea kayak, allowing you to chill out and enjoy the experience just for you, while also enabling you to sit back and watch your children revel in the joy of paddling. And nothing beats that feeling.

By joining a group of likeminded families in Croatia, with itineraries created by vacation companies who really know what families want and how family dynamics work, you are taking so much pressure off the organisation front. These are particularly well suited to activity vacations where you need an expert leader guide at all times, such as sea kayaking, river kayaking and canyoning. They are also great if you think your vacation would be made even better by having other children around for yours to hang out with. The groups are usually no more than about 12 people, maximum 16. Small group vacations in Croatia aren’t for everyone, of course, as some people just want to have family time together, in which case, check out our tailor made vacations there instead.

This really is a wonderful way to travel around Croatia with your family, or indeed several families, because the small ships that cruise around Croatia sleep maximum 40 people. They are locally owned boats, skippered by local captains and, in many cases, children under 10 years old get a big discount. They are great if you want to enjoy the islands but don’t want to be too active, and also if you want to travel outside the peak seasons, such as during May or October half term, when some other family vacations aren’t up and running yet. Goodbye queues to get on the island ferries; you will be snorkelling off Sipan before they have reached the front of the line. See our Croatia small ship cruising guide for more details.

“My granny came on this trip with me and my mum, and she did all the activities on the vacation. She could cycle up the hills quicker than me. She even made me learn some Croatian.” – Abi, aged 9

“A few of my dad’s friends were 50 this year, and so they got a boat to go cruising around the Croatian islands for all of us. There were loads of kids and loads of adults. They all said it was the best 50th birthday they had ever been to. I hadn’t been to any others, but this was definitely the best vacation I had ever had. We even saw dolphins!” – Leon, aged 9

“My mum and dad wanted to go to Venice, but we didn’t want to spend all of our vacation in a city. So we decided to go to Venice for a few days, and then take the ferry over to Croatia from there, and then have a week of adventures. So everyone was happy. And I must admit, Venice was pretty cool. But sea kayaking around the Rovinj archipelago was amazing.” – Laura, aged 15