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Croatia travel advice

We have so many dedicated experts hiking, biking and kayaking here, we were bursting with Croatia travel advice. The main ones are telling you how to get away from the crowds, which is easy if you know how. And how to handle the heat. One easy step to that - discover the mountains, rivers and lakes. Fewer degrees centigrade, but more degrees of adrenaline. See below for more tips.

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Croatia travel advice from our friends

TRAVEL LIKE A LOCAL!

Local travel tips

Xania Wear, co-founder of our vacation specialists WearActive, shares her Croatia travel advice: "You can't really island hop on a vacation in Croatia. In Dalmatia you have to go back to the mainland and then get another ferry out. So, people underestimate how long and difficult it is to get from one place to another."

Marijana Filipovic from our supplier Cycling Croatia, shares her Croatia travel advice: "if you are going to the islands, you really need to be aware of the crowds in summer, and book your ferry, and also get to the port at least one hour in advance so that you definitely get on board. "

Local activity tip

Marijana Filipovic of our supplier Cycling Croatia, shares her Croatia travel advice: "Don't miss our mountains in the Gorski Kotar region. Most of the tourism focuses on the blues of the coast, but this is the green heart of Croatia. We don't want to have mass tourism here, for sure, but keep a good balance between man and nature. You might even spot bears up there if you are lucky"

Local culture tips

Croatia travel advice from Ivana Grzetic, from our experts Adria Adventure: "Don't talk too much about the past, as people are still sensitive regarding the 1990s. So, remember that a lot of these people have been through the war, and so it is nice to be a little bit humble when talking about. Because you never know what happened to somebody's family. This applies mostly to the Dubrovnik region that was affected the most. And if you do want to talk about it, inform yourself about it before you go."

Xania Wear of WearActive, one of our island vacation specialists, shares a local secret: “The Vis Regatta at the beginning May is a very local island event with Croatian skippers at the helm which not only includes sailing, but also concerts, local food and an environmental day. We love it.”

Hot weather tips

Marijana, of our supplier Cycling Croatia, shares her Croatia travel advice: "we want people to enjoy themselves on vacation, so if they get too hot or tired, we have a back up van to pick them up and travel back with us if they are tired. We just want to create trips for people who want to enjoy visiting off the beaten track by bike, but we don't want them to be exhausted."

Xania Wear of WearActive says: "It gets really hot in summer, so we try to encourage our guests to go with what is natural for your body in this climate. To do what local people do. So we get up early in the mornings, and then have a siesta because that is what everybody is doing. Some families resist this a little because they want to do as much as possible during their vacation time. Or they might want to have their evening meal at seven, yet it is still pretty hot here at that time and it is the best time to go swimming. And local people would eat later here. So, we encourage people to break out of their normal routines a little."

Local people tips

Ivana Grzetic from our Croatia specialists Adria Adventure says: “A lot of people who work in tourism come from the north – which is what we call the hinterland, such as Slavonia. They don't have tourism in their blood, like we do in Dubrovnik, and so sometimes they might come across as rude, but they don't mean to. Often they have come from a completely different profession, and so they are still getting used to how tourism works. And don’t forget to buy an ice cream from a local slasticarna, the Croatian equivalent of the Italian gelateria.”

Health & safety

TRAVEL SAFELY IN CROATIA

Health

If you are camping or hiking in summer, be wary of ticks. Carry tweezers so you can remove carefully, apply a deterrent and then a reef-safe suncream afterwards.
Tap water is top quality in Croatia, so you can ease off on the bottled stuff.
A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) allows many European citizens to access Croatian public healthcare at a reduced cost, or sometimes for free. Extra insurance is always handy.
Rabies can be found in dogs, bats, and other mammals in Croatia, so avoid touching animals.
It gets seriously hot in summer, so ensure you stay hydrated and wear a hat. The wind is deceptive on the coast and some don’t realise how hot they are getting.

Safety

If you are sea kayaking or sailing, always wear a buoyancy aid and ensure it is fastened properly. Especially with children, who can slip out of them easily.

If you are hiking, let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back.

Since the end of the wars in 1995, there are still thousands of landmines in Croatia. Not in tourist areas, thankfully, and areas which are suspected to have mines are marked with mine warning signs. So, talk to a local if you are going off the beaten path.

Watch out for Bura wind warning signs, mostly in the Velebit area and in the winter months.

The coasts are very rocky, so rubber shoes are a must, and also carry antiseptic spray and plasters to the beach, as cuts do happen.

Croatia tips from our travelers

Recommendations from those who have been there

At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travelers are often... other travelers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do – and opinions about what not to.

We have selected some of the most useful Croatia travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your vacation – and the space inside your suitcase.

Expect adequate hotels rather than luxury. Take a travel kettle if you want an early morning cuppa – there was no tea or coffee making facilities in any of the rooms. – Nick Ward

Take time to explore the parts of Dubrovnik that the tourist masses miss – we loved the sudden quiet down at Pile bay, just metres from the noise and congestion of Pile Gate. – Sue McDonald

The only tip I would give is that the restaurants in the bay of Rukavac do not take credit cards, so we were unable to pay our restaurant bill the first night. Many places on Vis didn't take cards so you'll need to keep getting cash out. You also definitely need water shoes, as the beaches are mostly pebble. We used very high factor 50 'once' sunscreen on our upper bodies and none of us burnt. – Fiona Brenninkmeijer

Beware Hvar town is nightclub land. Seeing the town is a must but I think a stay at Starigrad town would have been better. – Sue Howles

My jaw dropped at the first view of Dubrovnik, but better was to come. The islands were absolutely beautiful, i.e. Korcula, Sipan and Mljet. But most of all I loved my experiences with the people of Croatia... they were honest, friendly, approachable and yet not in your face. I could not say enough about how much we enjoyed our experience. – Anne McCarthy

Photo credits: [Xania Wear - island hopping: eGuide Travel] [Marijana Filipovic - Gorski Kotar region: Roman Avdagic] [Xania Wear - the Vis Regatta: Andrey] [Xania Wear - hot weather: Stuart Alldred] [Review 1 - Brian Langford: vxla] [Review 2 - Eunice Gray: karlnorling]

Written by Catherine Mack

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