Responsible sailing in Croatia
Sail on by
We’re not saying that sailors can be shallow, but since they don’t ever have to stop anywhere long, there’s little chance to deep dive into a destination when you’re on a boat. It’s very easy to hop from port to port without much thought about how much you’re impacting, or neglecting, the local community. Whilst sailing leaves a light touch on the environment: no noise or engine pollution, sailors often don’t contribute much to the local kitty. Many of Croatia’s fifty or so marinas are government-run, big, and separate from the nearest town, but lots of Croatia sailing vacations will involve mooring at town quays on islands – and here is where there’s a real chance to interact with the country on a very local level.What you can do
When you’re moored up right in the center of town, make the most of it: eat at the local restaurant, and buy your next picnic from the local shop. This way, your presence is contributing to people’s livelihoods, and not just to other tourists’ photographs.
Our Croatia sailing Vacations
Sailing in Croatia
A multi-activity adventure sailing cruise in Croatia
From
€580 to €790
4 days
ex flights
Dubrovnik to Hvar sailing vacation
Active sailing adventure around Croatian Islands
From
€920 to €990
5 days
ex flights
Split Islands sailing vacation, Croatia
Explore islands and bays around Split with a sailing yacht.
From
€1270 to €4000
8 days
ex flights
Croatia sailing vacation, land based accommodation
Korcula Island luxury Villa and Yacht Cruises
From
€3500 to €5600
8 days
ex flights
Istria and Northern Adriatic sailing adventure, Croatia
Multi-activity sailing vacation around Croatian islands
From
€2050
5 days
ex flights
Dubrovnik Islands sailing vacations
Explore amazing islands around Dubrovnik on a sailing yacht.
From
€1390 to €4500
8 days
ex flights
Crowding out
In 2017, UNESCO warned that Dubrovnik’s World Heritage status was in danger because of its intolerable overcrowding. You only have to visit in July and August to see that the problem is very real: in the late morning through to the afternoon the numbers within the city walls can swell tenfold thanks to cruise ship traffic. You’ll be borne along the streets on a swell of people, shoulder to shoulder. Sailing vacations often start in Dubrovnik – the harbour is a ten-minute drive away, on the Ombla River, and whilst sailing boats are a thousand times smaller than cruise ships, their visiting crews still add to the crowds.What you can do
We can’t stress enough how important it is to visit Croatia out of season, and avoid Dubrovnik between 11am and 3pm. You’ll be surprised by the number of crowds who make it out to the islands as well. If a ferry or a cruise ship can get there, they will come. April, May, September and October will be cheaper and quieter. We’d strongly advise against traveling in July and August.
We can’t stress enough how important it is to visit Croatia out of season, and avoid Dubrovnik between 11am and 3pm. You’ll be surprised by the number of crowds who make it out to the islands as well. If a ferry or a cruise ship can get there, they will come. April, May, September and October will be cheaper and quieter. We’d strongly advise against traveling in July and August.
Island waste
Croatia’s islands are oft-visited and admired for their pristine peace. Few people stop to think about where their waste is going when they’re relaxing on a pebbly beach on Korkula. Islands wrestle with waste disposal – it’s a lot trickier to manage than it is on the mainland. Until very recently, lots of rubbish was merely burnt or buried. Many Croatian islands are only at the early stages of recycling; Hvar started offering recycling to its residents in 2018. And it’s not just the land that has a waste problem. Unfortunately, sailors pollute the seas, whether they want to or not. There are often no places to pump out tanks, so sailing vessels empty their tanks directly into the sea. Black water (from the toilets) and grey water (from the sinks) will all go seawards in the end.What you can do
Some marinas do offer pumping out facilities for your waste, so use these whenever possible. However, most of the time you’ll be at anchor or on town quays where there aren’t the same facilities. There might be water, water all around, but use it sparingly on board, and don’t pump your tanks anywhere near the coast.
Yacht Week
Yacht week started in Croatia in 2006 and has grown ever since into a massive industry, with many imitators. This floating spring break brings a raft of partying twenty-somethings to Croatia’s island bars. So far, so fun, but by 2013 the situation was out of hand. Yacht Week was a fully-mobile, uncontained party machine, often using non-local skippers and up to fifty yachts at once. As it visited island after island, its drunk revellers left litter, let off firecrackers, and left Hvar Town’s residents with a bad taste in their mouth. In 2014, Palmizana resort signed a petition, and the town council of Hvar voted unanimously to ban Yacht Week – though the ban was never enforced, Yacht Week was in disgrace. In 2018, Hvar put up threatening signs, fining tourists up to €700 for drunk and disorderly behaviour. New regulations saw security guards recruited to shepherd Yacht Week revellers off the streets and into the bars on the remoter Pakleni Islands. Now, Yacht Week’s operations have been forcibly reduced to five cruises a month.What you can do
If you want to sail in Croatia, do it with a responsible, local operator who use local crew – and pay them well – who sail in small flotillas and show you Hvar’s UNESCO sights, not its club nights. If you’re bareboating, ask at the base before you leave about avoiding Yacht Week destinations.
If you want to sail in Croatia, do it with a responsible, local operator who use local crew – and pay them well – who sail in small flotillas and show you Hvar’s UNESCO sights, not its club nights. If you’re bareboating, ask at the base before you leave about avoiding Yacht Week destinations.
Responsible tourism tips
More about Croatia sailing
Croatia’s a great place to sail, with great weather, wonderfully clear water, and over 1,200 islands. All in all, these shores are a sure-fire sailing vacation hit. Find out more in our Croatia sailing vacations guide.
Croatia’s long coastline and numerous islands provide plenty of sailing opportunities. Check our map of where to go sailing in Croatia and put these destinations into your chart plotter.
Small group travel is great if you’re a solo traveler or with a couple of friends, but your family might prefer to have their own boat. It’s a great way to spend time together, and a great way to enjoy Croatia with kids.
It might have a reputation as an easy sailing area, but Croatia is no crčche. If you’re an adventurous sailor, then you can have a fantastically rewarding bareboat sailing vacation in Croatia.
Croatia is a flotilla sailing capital – vying with Greece as one of the tops spots for this fun group activity. Enjoy well-serviced marinas, safe ‘line of sight’ sailing and, of course, lovely weather, too.
The sailing community is a friendly bunch and they don’t hold back on useful tips. We’ve collated the best words of advice for sailing in Croatia both from the experts, and from the travelers themselves.
