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There’s no shortage of things to see and things to do in Croatia. It’s a country of breathtaking natural beauty, offering great swimming, boating, cycling and summertime sun, plus oodles of history, interesting architecture, incredible wine and delicious seafood.
We visited Croatia during shoulders season, September 2024. This article is about things to do in Croatia is based on that experience. Rather than going broad, checking off multiple destinations and experiences covering the entire country with a long “to do list” from a guide book, we went deeper into certain areas. We stayed longer in some places and deliberately left gaps in our plans, to respond on the ground to opportunities as they presented themselves. If that sounds like your kind of travel, come along for the ride as we share insight about things to do in Croatia.
But first a bit of history about tourism growth in Croatia, and how it might inform your travel choices.
Recent history and tourism growth
The 1991-1995 civil war which created Croatia from the former Yugoslavia, devastated tourism to the country. But an influx of investment interest followed, and once Croatia joined the European Union in 2013 tourism accelerated even more. The Game of Thrones being filmed there more recently, shot Croatia onto the international radar for many.
Statistics show that Croatia logged 2.5 million visitors arriving in June 2024, which rose to 4.04 million in July, and 4.25 million in August. Tourism is now a key industry for the Croatian economy, contributing a fifth of the country’s GDP.
Pick your time to go
Croatia has become a popular destination, and rightly so – it’s a beautiful country. But here’s the dirty little secret: it has been over-sold. Croatia’s marketing has been so good, that many destinations within the country have fallen victim to their own success with over-tourism. A visit to Split, Debrovnik, Krka National Park or Hvar Town on a cruise ship day, even in shoulder season, will quickly confirm this. Does that mean Croatia is no longer a worthy destination? Far from it.
It just means there is merit in considering more carefully where and when you go, possibly adjusting expectations to avoid crowds, as well as considering the impact on communities your tourist dollars will touch if you choose to go off the beaten path, or stay longer in those lesser known areas.
Shoulder season in Europe is becoming more popular
Prior to arriving in Croatia, we had been cycling the island of Corsica, and then touring in Tuscany, Italy. In both countries we felt blissfully unaware of over-tourism, crediting out good fortune to traveling during shoulder season. But that all changed when we arrived in Split, having taken the overnight ferry from Ancona, Italy. Clearly Split hadn’t received the shoulder season memo, evidenced by cruise ships, tour buses, crowded streets and attractions.
With some of our Croatia travel locked in to previously booked plans and a meet ups with friends, we worked around that, and then adjusted as necessary.
Our travels took us around Central Dalmatia, including Split and the islands of Hvar, where we spent considerable time, and Vis, plus Northern Dalmatia’s Krka National Park, Sibenik and Pag Island – also where we chose to spend quality time. We avoided the popular two week circuit of Split to Debrovnik, island hopping Brac, Korcula and Hvar simply because it had become so popular.
Our plan for things to do in Croatia included going deeper in places with fewer tourists.
Places to go and things to do in Croatia
Here’s our top picks for places to go and things to do in Croatia
1. Split
As one of the 10 million summer arrivals, you’re likely to have either Split or Debrovnik as your airport or port of entry. With Split being a major ferry terminal, for both Croatian island ferries, but also an international ferry port from Italy, plus a cruise ship dock, arrivals by sea are also significant.
Split is a great place to see Dalmatian life as it is really lived. Forever buzzing, this city is a balance of tradition and modern. Step inside Diocletian’s Palace, a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the world’s most impressive Roman monuments, and you’ll see bars, shops and restaurants amid the atmospheric old walls where Split has been thriving for thousands of years.
Split has the dramatic coastal mountains as a backdrop to its turquoise Adriatic Sea harbor. It’s both a tourist town and a working town, with its historical center and thoroughly lived in high-rise apartment suburbs.
While not the fantasy land that Debrovnik is, its Old Town and history is fascinating.
Be warned though, it is a mecca for tourists and the souvenir trappings that go with that. So adjust your expectations and go with the flow. Spending at least a day and overnight in Split is a must. And if crowds don’t put you off, stay longer and go deeper. A walking tour of Old Town is a great way to get acquainted with the city and its history.
Golden Gate entrance to Split’s Old Town and Diocletian’s Palace
Split tours
Check out Split tour options with GetYourGuide here. Splitwalkingtour.com leads tours in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French. It departs at the Golden Gate at set times during the day. For the “do it yourself types, Lonely Planet’s Croatia book has an excellent interpretive guide and map (plus a bunch of other valuable content about Croatia). Order your copy here.
Grgur Ninski – rub his toe for good luck
Highlights include: Chapel of Arnerius, Grgur Ninski statue and a stop to rub his toe for good luck, the Golden Gate grand entrance to the palace, the Perestil ceremonial court, Cathedral of St Domnius, the Vestibule, the maze of streets and medieval buildings that house Split’s best bars, the Iron Gate, Ciprianis-Beneditti Palace, Split’s main civic square Narodni trg, and Vjenica – the Old City Hall. The tour starts at Chapel of Arnerius and can be covered in about one hour.
Cathedral of St Domnius
Diocletian’s Palace
If you’ve got a couple days booked in Split, you may also wish to venture out to Trogir on a day trip, linked by bridges to both the mainland and Ciovo Island. Or use Trogir as an alternative base to the big city, since it is on the other side of the airport heading out of town.
Touring tip
After touring Diocletian’s Palace during the day, be sure to return in the evening. Absent of tour groups, cruise ship guests, and others busy dining on the promenade or in the alleys, the evenings turn pleasantly quiet and serene, offering the opportunity to capture moody night shots of this 4th century palace, built of lustrous white stone transported from the island of Brac.
Head to the beach
If after you have toured around Split, you need to cool off, or just escape the tourist scene, be sure to leave the ancient city and head for the beach. The beach might still be crowded in high season, but it’s more likely to be locals. Kasjuni has a greenbelt surrounding it and beach bars, Bacvice is the busiest, lined with restaurants, bars and night clubs. Ovcice is the next promenade past Bacvice and less busy while still offering a beach bar. And Firule is a horseshoe cove with cliffs and pine trees as a backdrop.
Where to stay
Staying right in Old Town will allow you to immerse yourself in the Split vibe and nightlife. Otherwise we would recommend staying within easy walking distance of the harbor, or closer to the ferry terminal if you’re catching a ferry to one of the islands on a following day. Alternatively, use this link and search terms Split, Croatia to find accommodation options for your planned travel dates.
2. Sibenik
Located north of Split, Sibenik is a lovely Old Town city with a medieval heart, set against the turquoise waters of the Adriatic in its bay. The inner city is a stone labyrinth of backstreets and alleys, that is a delight to explore. Sibenik is also a good place to base yourself as an access point to Krka National Park.
Unlike many Dalmatian coastal communities, Sibenik was not founded by Greeks or Romans, but by a Croatian King in the 11th century. It was conquered by Venice in 1116, tossed between Venice, Hungary and Bosnia until Venice took control in 1412. The Ottomans attacked the town in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the Austrians ruled it until 1918.
A fun fact? A hydro-electric plant on the Krka River built in 1895 allowed Sibenik to become the third city in the world with an AC street-lighting system. Take that torch and extinguish it!
Sibenik fell under attack in 1991 from Yugoslavia federal forces. The city was liberated by the Croatian army in 1995, but smaller villages in the area from Sibenik to Zadar incurred massive bombing damage.
It’s worth a drive through Zemunik Donji, not far from Sibenik, to witness damage still evident. Due to the way homes are built using blocks, it was easier to rebuilt beside former homes if space allowed, than to attempt repair. As a result you can still see homes with missing roofs and stone walls of homes with holes blasted through. It’s a relatively recent war reminder of what happens when civil unrest and hatred boil over into conflict.
Bombed house in Zemunik Donji
There’s a army tank memorial roadside in Pokrovnik, noting the historical significance of the Pakovo Selo Battle on September 20, 1991 where the Yugoslav People’s Army and the rebelled Serbs executed an attack in an attempt to surround the city of Sibenik and divide Croatia into two parts.
Where to stay
We stayed in the medieval heart of Old Town. But if you have a rental car, this might be less convenient, since parking options close by are limited or hourly and expensive. There is a paid day lot however, about a 10 minute walk away north west of the old town, which worked fine. Check out accommodation in and around Sibenik below. Alternatively, use this link and search terms Sibenik, Croatia to browse accommodation options available during your planned travel dates.
If you’re looking for cheap day/overnight parking, use this map as a locator. Most accommodation in the Old Town area of Sibenik will be within a 10 minute walk of this park lot.
3. Krka National Park
Krka National Park spans from the Adriatic near Sibenik inland to the mountains of the Croatian interior. It’s a magical place of waterfalls, gorges and cliffs with a river running through a karstic canyon. The park has five main entrances: Lozovac (the main one), Krka Monastery, Burnum and Roski Slap.
But there are actually two sides of Krka National Park – the one you’ll read about in all the tourist books, where the famous Krka waterfalls are photographed, and where all the tour buses flock to, accessed by the Lozovac entrance.
And then there’s the other side, Roski Slap waterfalls in all its natural beauty, at the north end of Krka National Park, with few tourists. Guess which one you’ll want to experience?
tips
We did a day trip to Krka National Park from Sibenik, entering first at the Lozovac entrance. We arrived early trying to avoid tour buses, and hiked the trail down to the park, rather than accepting the tour bus shuttle included in our ticket. This also allowed us some exercise and to start at our own pace, rather than with an entire bus load.
Entrance compared to Canadian or American National Parks was expensive at 40 Euro each ($60 Cdn), but we shrugged it off in anticipation of a great experience. Unfortunately the Lozovac entrance has exceeded its ability to handle the deluge of tour bus guests and what I came to call “the march of the penguins” ambling along a wood boardwalk through the waterfall features in an endless parade people, with little opportunity to pause easily or pass. Jockeying for photos with out-stretched selfie sticks and a few broadcasting influencers put me over the edge.
The surroundings were beautiful but it had been completely oversold. When I later voiced my disappointment to a park attendant, after an initial defense, she too admitted it was a shame. Then to my delight though, she offered an alternative tip – to go further north in the park and visit Roski Slap, an area where the waterfalls originate in a natural setting, and cut through a canyon, and more importantly, where locals go and tour buses are not allowed.
Read more about navigating over tourism at Krka National Park in this post, “Croatia Waterfalls: how to avoid the crowds at Krka National Park and Plitvice Lakes”.
4. Pag Island
We ended up on Pag Island as part of a plan B, aborting our plan to visit Plitvice Lakes National Park, after the over tourist experience at Krka National Park. Reading the tips for how to navigate the crowds – coming early, leaving and returning once the tour buses left, left us exhausted contemplating a repeat of the morning at Krka.
Pag Island is in Northern Dalmatia, away from the hubbub of the Split-Debrovnik city and southern islands circuit. We absolutely loved Pag.
Pag Island is like something from a 1950s broody black and white Italian Antonioni film set. It is barren, rocky and sepia colored, with vast, empty landscapes. The Adriatic is a steeling blue around Pag with karstic rock forming a moonscape defined by two mountain ranges, patches of shrubs and a dozen or so villages and hamlets. When the sky is stormy, the island is the most dramatic looking place in the whole of Croatia.
Unplanned delivers delight
Sometimes the best experiences happen unplanned, so when you purposely leave room in an uncommitted schedule, you can take advantage of unexpected opportunities. That’s what we did on Pag and had a glorious five days exploring the island and its charms, based out of Simuni at the lovely Olive House Apartments by the Sea. Link here to search for availability. While I would encourage you to link to the full article, “Croatia Vacation: enjoy the less touristy charms of Pag Island.” Here is just a sampling of what you’ll find. Expedia
What to see & do on Pag Island
1. Tour the Gligora cheese factory. Pag Island is where Paski Sir (Pag cheese) is made. Paski Sir is on of Croatia’s most celebrated culinary exports. Tours of the Gligora factory in Kolan take place daily. Be sure to buy some cheese and pair it with a local wine.
2. Sea Salt production. Pag Island is where Solano Pag salt is harvested from the sea and produced. Solano Pag is the largest sea salt producer in Croatia and Pag salt is among the highest quality salt in Europe and the world. Check out tours, and pick up some salt to bring home.
3. Visit Pag Town. Split and Debrovnik may get all the historic attention to the south, but Pag Town earns its 14th century stripes with a side serving of salt – the salt business being what prompted its construction centuries ago.
4. Pag Lace Gallery. While Hvar, to the south on the Island of Hvar is perhaps best known by tourists for the lacemaking traditions in Croatia, Pag Town is the original center. Housed in the historic Ducal Palace in Pag Town, the Pag Lace Gallery museum showcases some remarkably intricate designs.
5. Sample Pag Island wines. Pag wines gain their character from the sandy soil and harsh conditions they are forged from. The gegic brand was revived 15 years ago and is now served at many restaurants. Book a wine tasting tour in Novalja or the Town of Pag
Beyond cheese, salt, lace and wine
6. Explore the beaches of Lun. The town of Lun towards the tip of Pag lists 49 official beaches, but in addition to those along the boardwalk, a number of them are on Rab Island, accessible by boat. You can rent a boat in Lun for the day too. (5hp can be rented without boating license). During shoulder season Lun beaches were virtually empty.
7. Visit the Olive Gardens of Lun. Check out the 1600 year old trees and centuries old walls held together with mortar, bordering the olive tree fields.
8. Simuni beaches and Simuni village harbor. In addition to being the last fishing village on Pag, you can buy fresh fish right off the boat daily when fisherman return to harbor in Simuni. Simuni’s beach, on the other side of the harbor seemingly stretch forever. The water is pristine, and in the shoulder season the crowds are sparse.
9. The village of Madre waterfront, harbor and beaches. Yet another coastal hamlet with endless pebble beaches to explore.
10. Discover Pag’s Bermuda Triangle. This bizarre phenomenon was discovered in 1999 on a deserted hill of Pag’s road 106. The three-sided formation of unusual stone patterns stretch 30 meters across. The stone patterns and the stones themselves differ significantly in shape and character to the millions of rocks across the Pag landscape. UFO investigators, those interested in alternative forms of energy, and curious tourists willing to make the trek are rewarded for their sense of adventure.
Where to stay on Pag
Alternatively, link here using Pag Island, Croatia in your search terms, to check for availability throughout the whole island on your planned travel dates.
5. Hvar Island
We went to Hvar initially for three days, with the intention of touring the town, doing a boat cruise to Vis, and to celebrate a friend’s birthday. We ended up extending our stay to a full week to enable exploring the island more deeply. For a full run down on Hvar, what to see and do, and how to avoid the crowds, be sure to check out this post, Things to Do in Hvar.
Here’s a sample of what you’ll find
1. Hvar Old Town. The island’s hub and busiest destination draws around 20,000 people a day in high season. Even in shoulder season we found it busy, but particularly so on days that cruise ships had anchored off the harbor. The towns 13th-century walls surround ornamental Gothic palaces and traffic-free marble streets.
2. Hvar Fortress. With a golden glow at night, and looming high above the town, this medieval castle occupies the site of an ancient Illyrian settlement dating from 500 BCE. The views over town and the Pakleni Islands are magnificent and well worth the hike up the hill. Although you can visit during the day, we recommend going up later in the afternoon or early evening and staying for sunset.
You can venture to the fortress, through the gardens leading up the hill, and view it from the outside for free. But you will need to pay an entrance fee to tour the interior. Be sure the check out the stairs down to the dungeon cells for a sobering view of what it was like to be a prisoner.
HVar beaches
3. Mlin Island within Paklini Islands. If hiking out to a beach is not your thing, you can grab a taxi boat to the Pakleni Islands. There are taxi boat lines that service Jerolim, Stipanska, Zdrilca, Mlini, Palmizana-Vinogradisce and Vladka. Of those, Mlini is one of the nicest, and closest. We visited Palmizana on the return of our day boat trip to Vis. It was beautiful, but busy, and definitely a destination for the expensive yacht crowd.
4. Pokonji Dol beach. A 30 minute walk south and then east from the town center of Hvar will bring you to the largest of the pebbly beaches. The beach can be accessed by a footpath over the hill from a residential area in Hvar, or by the seawall road Ivana Vuvetica. Limited parking is available just south of the beach. During peak season, a taxi boat line also services this beach. As you’re walking along the road be sure to eye up a few of the public access walkways down to rocky swimming and sunning areas, which could be an alternative to the beach on busy days.
5. Mekicevica Beach. If you’re in search of a more secluded beach, keep hiking past Pokonji Dol for 25 minutes via a scenic rocky path to Mekicevica. Since this beach can only be accessed by those who hike in, it is much less busy, and you might even have it to yourself during shoulder season. Running shoes rather than just sandals are a good idea. Much of the path is rocky. Bear in mind though, during peak season a taxi boat line also services this beach.
Boat tours and beyond town
6. Boat tour for the day to Vis and Blue Cave. Together with friends we chartered a boat for the day to visit the Island of Vis, and toured the Green Cave. Something to be mindful of if you want to see the Blue Cave is that you need to go with a licensed operator. Guest numbers per boat will be limited to 12, and there is an entrance fee collected per person. Strong winds, particularly those from the south, prevent boats from entering the cave, so you may want to be flexible with your plans.
Town of Vis, on the Island of Vis
Vis spent much of its recent history as a Yugoslavia army base, which meant that foreign visitors were not permitted up until 1989. The isolation preserved the island from development, but that also became its draw as a tourist destination for people seeking authenticity and quiet. The isolated vibe is long gone, but the island is still beautiful and an attraction for ABBA fans, since Momma Mia Here We Go Again was filmed on the island in 2017.
Stiniva beach is Vis’ picture perfect sheltered cove and white pebble rock beach, accessible only by boat, or hiking down a steep hill if staying on the island.
7. Malo Gradlje. Malo Grablje is a beautiful, abandoned ghost-like village, located 10km out of Hvar, close to Milna. The people living in the village were winemakers and olive growers who left the village in 1960 when a vine disease wiped out much of their grape crops. It is an outstanding example of Mediterranean rural settlement.
Explore the mysteries of Malo Grablje
Surrounded by agriculture plots, vineyards and olive groves, the first mention of Malo Grablje was in 1539. The settlement had a grist to grind grapes and olives, a school, town well, cistern and church and a community oven. When the community was abandoned in 1960, many gravitated to the fishing village of Milna out on the coast. It’s a really cool experience exploring the remains of the town slowly being reclaimed by nature, after thriving for centuries. During shoulder season you’re likely to encounter few if any other visitors, making it almost a voyeur experience examining the remnants of a previously vibrant community.
After exploring the town up in the valley, we walked back to Milna and followed the coastal trail path along the ocean all the way back to Hvar – with stops at secluded beaches along the way. It was a fabulous day exploring. Hitchhiking on Hvar seemed very safe, and we got a ride within five minutes, with some cars passing us pointing apologetically that they were turning off soon.
8. Milna and hike back along coastal trail. Milna is a 20 minute bus ride out of town from Hvar, an hours walk along the highway (not recommended if its hot), or an easy hitch hike – which is what we did. We learned that locals are quite open to picking up people looking for a lift. Our ride was gracious, friendly and more than happy to share stories and history about the island with us. We combined the trip to Milna with a visit to Malo Gradje (see above) and a coastal hike back to Hvar by the sea.
Coastal trail from Milna to Hvar. Location of Malo Grablje shown with arrow.
Renting a scooter or e-bike helps you see more of the island
9. Rent a scooter and tour Hvar Island. You can rent a 50cc scooter with a regular class 5 car license. This will allow you to do some touring on the island, but will limit you to smaller secondary roads closer to Hvar. If you have a motorcycle class 6 license, you can rent a 200cc scooter, capable of traveling all the roads, highways and tunnels on the island.
Scooter ride in vineyards by Stari Grad
Being able to tour the entire island by scooter was fantastic. We got a much better appreciation of all the little villages, quiet beaches, typography and beautiful scenery – especially along the coastal roads, through switch backs, and the decent back into Hvar Town
10. Rent an e-bike on Hvar Island. If scooters aren’t your thing, perhaps renting an e-bike would be a better choice. E-bikes can be rented by the day and give you the opportunity to see a lot of the island. We met people touring from Hvar Town to Stari Grad and Jelsa. You’ll be limited to roads without tunnels, but there are still other options that accommodate bikes. Check out rental options, self-guided and private e-bike tours here.
Stari Grad and Jelsa – historical old towns on Hvar
11. Stari Grad. Stari Grad is the more cultured and quieter version of Hvar Town. The region just outside of Stari Grad is where wine on Hvar is predominantly grown and produced. You’ll witness fields of vines seemingly forever in the valley. “Stari Grad” literally means “old town”, a reference to the fact it was founded in 384BC by ancient Greeks. The town has deep narrow lanes, old town quarters, a monastery founded in 1482 and St Stevens church built in 1605.
12. Jelsa. Jelsa is a small harbor town, surrounded by thick pine forests. It lacks the Renaissance buildings of Hvar Town, but is a pleasant place to wander the waterfront.
Drive the Pitve tunnel if you dare!
13. Pitve Tunnel. This old Yugoslavia Army tunnel is something to be experienced! Plitve Tunnel has no lights. It is 2.3 meters wide and 2.7 meters high, limiting it to single lane, alternating traffic. It is also quite long – 1.4km, so when you enter you don’t immediately see light on the other end of the tunnel. Fun fact: prior to a red light/green light system being installed, drivers would just watch for oncoming headlights, and if there was nothing, they would enter!
Riding through it on bikes or a 50cc scooter is prohibited. But motorcycles and cars are OK, and a 200cc scooter is the same power as a motorcycle, plus it requires a class 6 license, so we interpreted that as good to go. We did however have a German lady roll down her car window and reprimand us on the other side. We’re pretty sure she didn’t know the difference between a 50cc scooter and 200cc scooter/motorbike, but when you’re told off in a language you don’t understand, you somehow still get the message! Other locals seemed unconcerned though, offering a congratulatory wave at us on the other side.
Where to stay on Hvar
Alternatively, link here using the search term Hvar, Croatia to check for availability throughout the whole island for your planned travel dates.
Things to do in croatia: Debrovnik, Brac, Korcula and a whole lot more await
We acknowledge a visit to Debrovnik, Brac and Korcula as other worthy stops on your list of things to do in Croatia. Not to mention a more in depth exploration of Inland Croatia, Isteria and Kvraner regions. As noted at the beginning of this article, our focus was on Northern Dalmatia, Split and Central Dalmatia. And even at that, we only scratched the surface in some areas.
Debrovnik, photo: Rachel Claire
We hope this has inspired you to plan your travel from selected areas, while exploring more deeply in your search for things to do in Croatia. Take the time to savour and search out lesser known sites. You’re bound to encounter fewer crowds in this increasingly popular destination. And if you can, plan your travel to Croatia during shoulder season.
If your Mediterranean fantasies feature balmy days by sapphire waters in the shade of ancient walled towns, Croatia is the place to turn them into reality.
More Croatia content
Croatia Vacation: Enjoy the less touristy charms of Pag Island
Croatia Waterfalls: Avoid the crowds at Krka and Plitvice Lakes
Things to Do in Hvar: Top 16 list
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