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Croatia Holiday Essentials 2024

25th June 2024/0 Comments/in Travel advice, Travelling to Croatia

Oh, what a time of year! The countdown to your long-awaited summer holiday is ON with only a few weeks – or maybe even a few days – left to go. You’ve packed your swimming costumes, shorts, summer dresses and sandals (and probably some other things that don’t begin with the letter S), re-read your airline’s baggage allowance three times and checked if your passport is where it normally is ten times. But what have you forgotten…? Here, I’m going to round up some Croatia holiday essentials to help make your holiday the best one ever!

Croatia Holiday Essentials – Before you go

Passports

Firstly, make sure to check your passport…and I don’t mean “check where it is”! If you’re a Brit, since the country left the EU, some passports have fallen foul of EU passport rules meaning some travellers were denied boarding their holiday flights.

In a nutshell, your passport needs to have been issued within the last ten years. And for Brits and ALL non-EU travellers, your passport needs to have three months left on it after your departure from Croatia.

I explain it all here: UK Passport Requirements for Croatia.

Travel insurance and EHIC/GHIC

There’s no two ways about it – you must get travel insurance. If you don’t already have travel insurance (perhaps on an annual policy, or via your bank, for example), get it now. Like, right now. It’s a small cost to help cover anything that might go wrong, be it travel delays, illness or (unlikely) an accident.

And if you’re travelling from Europe or the UK, you definitely need to obtain a GHIC card prior to your travels as well. A GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) replaces the previous EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) – in some cases, you may still have a valid GHIC card which you can use until it expires.

The GHIC card can be used to obtain free medical care on the same basis as being at home in the UK. It’s an invaluable little thing – really, just present it at the doctors or hospital when you’re there and you’ll get treatment for free.

Money

Obtaining money for Croatia is of course super easy these days, with the country now having the Euro as its currency. Whilst you can buy some Euros before you go from your favourite money exchange place (be it a bank, the Post Office, or M&S…or Uncle Dave who’s got some notes leftover from his holiday to Malaga) I believe it’s easiest to just use your own bank card.

Check with your bank before you go about exchange rates, or possibly even consider getting a special travel bank or debit card for use abroad.

Mobile Phone Usage

Check before you travel about your home network’s travel allowance for the EU. You may find that it’s included in your current deal.

Alternatively, you may find you have to buy a top-up or a special pack for a small price. My tip – buy it before you go so you don’t have to faff around with finding wifi when you land to try and buy it then.

Or, consider getting a sim in Croatia! (See below.)

Croatia Holiday Essentials for when you arrive

Money

First things first, head to the ATM at the airport to withdraw some Euros!

Sim Cards in Croatia

If you prefer to get a local SIM card to use in your phone rather than using your home network, that’s certainly possible.

The three main mobile networks in Croatia all offer SIM cards for “tourists”:

They are all established companies and their prices are similar. The sim cards are available from newsstands and supermarkets, so your choice of what to get may depend on what you can find.

Croatia Holiday Essentials for the Beach

Have you seen the beaches in Croatia? My word, aren’t they stunning? But, for the most part, they’re pebble beaches – and whilst that means the sea water is stunningly clear, it can make for hurt feet when walking on the beach and in and out of the water.

That’s where beach shoes are essential. Try the Bravover Water Shoes (from £8.66) which come in a range of colours and sizes for adults and older children. Flexible and comfortable, they’re also quick drying so they will dry out in the sun before you know, ready for your next beach adventure.

If you can’t find suitable beach shoes for younger kids, perhaps just stick to their regular sandals (providing their waterproof enough) or flip flops or Crocs. Just watch out for shoes floating away! (Although with the calm Adriatic, that’s not too much of a problem.)

Croatia Holiday Essentials for the Heat

It’s hot in Europe. Like, really hot. As I write today it’s 30C/86F in both Split and Dubrovnik. So you’ll need plenty of items to cope with the heat.

Sun Cream and a hat

Sun cream is an absolute must. You will likely already have your own favourite brand, but Boots Soltan can’t be beaten for value and quality (all of their items offer 5* UVA protection). The kids’ sun cream that is part of their range is top notch too and they have different bottles with different applicators – meaning they come as a cream, a spray or a roll-on. The last one is sold in a mini size which is great to pop in your bag for a day by the pool or on the beach. And older ones can also use it to apply sun cream themselves.

Don’t forget to pack your favourite hat!

Portable fan

Gone are the days when a fan for the heat would mean some giant clunky thing that sits in the corner of your hotel room, pushing hot air around. These days, you can carry a fan in your hand! Like the Rafada Handheld Fan (£14.99) which also has its own base – so you can set it down on a table – and comes with a lanyard to be worn around your neck. Best of all, it’s rechargeable via a USB cable so you won’t have to carry a vat of batteries with you.

Croatia Holiday Essentials for the Little Ones

Many beaches in Croatia now offer beach furniture rental – sun loungers or chairs, sun umbrellas and similar. Many beaches are also located next to a small forest, usually of pine trees, which offer some shade.

Pop Up Tent

But for very little ones, keeping them cool is highly important, and you’ll need as much shade as you can. That’s why something like the Active Era Pop Up Beach Tent (£28.99) is a must to protect babies and toddlers from UVA and UVB rays. The design also allows for air to flow through the tent, so no overheating either!

Portable High Chair

The availability of high chairs was something I found a bit hit-and-miss for babies in restaurants in Croatia. Family hotels of course have them – usually quite nice ones – but restaurants not so much. So something ultra-portable that you can take with you like Munchkin Baby Seat (£34.99) is a great solution. This one is super light and folds down to become a bag of sorts, so you can easily sling it over your shoulder or in the bottom of your pram.

Croatia Holiday Essentials for the Not-So-Little Ones

Pool Toys

The last hotel-based family holiday in Croatia I went on (you can read about it here: Visit Croatia Review: Amadria Park Resort) had an amusing area in its stairwell that was literally (and I am using literally correctly here) full to the brim of water inflatables of every size, design and colour.

I’m totally late to the game with inflatables – who knew they were so trendy and a must for kids and adults on every summer holiday these days?

I mean, you could go for your regular lilo, but these days the bolder and more fabulous the design the better. Kids can’t help but go for unicorns, which is why this JOYIN Inflatable Unicorn Pool Float (£16.99). I mean, it’s glittery too!

A ring is always fun, and you know what’s even more fun? One that’s designed to look like a giant donut! Very much like this one – Bestway Inflatable Donut Lounger Tube (£7.49).

If you have water babies who jump in the pool at 9.01am and climb out at 5.59pm each day, you’ll need to get them some diving pool toys for swimming practice. This Skillmatics Seek & Splash Diving Gem Toys (£17.99) is for ages 6 and up and helps with maths whilst they’re diving to the bottom of the pool. As nonsensical as that sentence seems, it really does! The bunch of waterproof game cards offers challenges to collect particular numbers from the bottom of the pool.

Oh and goggles are also a must. Zoggs is a great brand for all sorts of water-based toys for kids, so their goggles are good quality, fit comfortably and offer UV protection. They also come in all sorts of fun colours, and I know your children will love picking the colour they like best! Zoggs Children’s Panorama Junior Swimming Goggles (£12) Top tip – as soon as you get these, into the suitcase they go. Because goggles are always being forgotten at home, aren’t they?

Best Package Holidays to Croatia 2024

17th June 2024/0 Comments/in Travel advice, Holidays in Croatia, Travelling to Croatia

Seeing as we’re already in June, you may have booked your summer holiday to Croatia (or could it possibly be another destination?!) long ago. But if you’re anything like me, you’re probably simultaneously opening up 23 different tabs on your laptop’s browser, trying to compare the best holiday deals. If the destination you’re typing into your browser is Croatia, this page is for you – as I look at the best package holidays to Croatia 2024.

Savings on Package Holidays to Croatia

Now, seeing as we’re already in summer, prices will of course be higher. We’re in peak season, after all. But if you’re able to jet off on holiday soon (how about this week?!) and before the school summer holidays start, you may well be able to grab yourself a bargain. Alternatively, consider looking at dates in September. The ninth month of the year is normally an excellent time of year to visit Croatia!

For extra cost savings, try to travel during mid-week (for example, a Tuesday to Tuesday holiday). You can often also make savings by booking a holiday that’s not a standard 7- or 14-night duration. I’ve just seen an 8-night stay that was cheaper than a 7-night one! (That sounds crazy, but it’s true!)

Benefits of a Package Holiday to Croatia

If you scroll down further on this page, you’ll see I talk about putting together your own holiday to Croatia. And that’s largely what Visit Croatia is for – presenting advice for independent travellers to plan their own trips.

So why would I recommend a package holiday? Well, it’s certainly an easy way of putting together a holiday. Just plug in the destination, enter your dates, type in your credit card details and (almost) away you go – you’ve got everything you need for a week (or two) in the sun. Flights, accommodation, transfers, some meals (or all) and even excursions have all been sorted out for you. That’s ideal for people who don’t want to think too hard about putting together a holiday…something that’s certainly attractive when we’re all so busy these days with our lives.

Perhaps you don’t want to do too much research about a holiday – you just want to look at some pictures, decide on a room type and make a decision.

Other benefits come from booking the holiday. You can easily compare prices of different hotels (and other accommodation types), departure airports, and destinations when making your decision.

You can also very easily use the package holiday companies’ websites to narrow down your holiday type – whether you’re booking a holiday as a couple or for a family.

Jet2 Holidays

Visit Croatia is a big fan of Jet2 Holidays…and I promise I’m not being paid to say that! Take a look at my Jet2 Holidays review of a family holiday to a hotel close to Sibenik. It wasn’t just the destination and accommodation offered that made the holiday; the actual booking process made a big difference where I could easily compare prices for different departure dates and add in any extras (or take them off) that I wanted. Free child places are also certainly a big draw!

Jet2 Holidays presently offers holidays to the Dubrovnik Riviera (17 resorts here), which essentially means Dubrovnik itself and the other little towns and villages nearby, and locations in central Dalmatia (20 resorts here) – in and near Split. From summer 2025, they will also be offering holidays to Istria, from a selection of 9 resorts here.

I like the look of 7 nights at the Hvar Places Hotel by Valamar (departing 27th June) for £2,338 total for two adults. This hotel is part of Jet2 Holidays’ Vibe collection – places that are perfectly located for going out and having a bit of fun. And with this hotel “new for 2024”, you can be one of the first guests to stay there.

Package Holidays to Croatia - Hvar Places Hotel by Valamar — Hvar Places Hotel by Valamar (Credit: Valamar)

From their Luxe collection, you can have 7 nights at the 5-star Hotel Le Meridien Lav in Split (also departing 27th June) for £2,604 for two adults. Go on, pamper yourself!

An excellent deal is 7 nights at the Marko Polo Hotel by Aminess on lovely Korcula island (departing 27th June) for £1,356 for two adults.

If you’re holidaying with kids, take a look at 7 nights at the Amadria Park Apartments Trogir (departing Saturday 27th July – in the summer holidays) for £2,604 for two adults and two children. Or if you can travel on Tuesday 30th July, the price drops to £2,265 for all four of you.

At the moment, Jet2 Holidays is offering a saving of £200 on all summer holidays, plus an extra £10 per person if you have a myJet2 account. They’re also Which magazine’s travel brand of the year for 2024!

Note: all prices above are based on departures from London Stansted. Please don’t hate me, non-London people!

TUI

TUI is often a name that holidaymakers turn to when they’re booking a package holiday and with the vast destination network and a trusted brand, it’s easy to see why.

TUI offers holidays to Istria, the Split region (including islands) and the Dubrovnik region (also including islands) – and city breaks to Zagreb too.

If you can pack your suitcase quickly to go off on holiday in the next week or so, there are definitely some good deals to be had. 7 nights at the Rubin Sunny Hotel By Valamar in Porec in Istria (departing 25th June) can be had for just £1,196 in total for two adults – that’s on a half board basis.

A more luxurious option would be 7 nights at the 5-star Hotel Ambasador in Opatija for £1,734 in total, departing on Tuesday 2nd July.

For families? There are plenty of options in Istria at resorts such as Porec, but what about 7 nights at the relatively new Grand Hotel View on the island of Brac for £3,376 in total for 2 adults and 2 children? That’s for a departure on Thursday 15th August with return flights with Easyjet from London Gatwick.

TUI are currently running a number of promotions including savings of up to £250 on holidays and an extra £10 off if you use their app.

Easyjet Holidays

“Cheap holidays” proclaims Easyjet Holidays’ own website when you look them up. And, as with the above companies, they also offer holidays to Istria and the Split and Dubrovnik regions.

One of the cheapest holidays I could find for 2 adults in the next few weeks was 7 nights at the 4-star Hotel Mimosa – Lido Palace in Rabac in Istria for £1,346 in total. That’s for a departure on Friday 28th June from London Gatwick to Pula. This same holiday costs £1,248 for 7 nights if departing from Bristol on Thursday 27th June.

More high-end is 7 nights at the 5-star Hotel Melia Coral for Plava Laguna in Umag for £1,984 in total for 2 adults. This holiday also departs on Friday 28th June from London Gatwick.

Families might want to take a look at 7 nights at the Royal Palm in Dubrovnik for £3,698 for 2 adults and 2 children, departing on Tuesday 30th July from Bristol. That’s not a bad price for a luxury king suite in a five-star hotel; in fact, this price includes a saving of £218 off the full price.

Package Holidays to Croatia - Royal Palm Dubrovnik — Royal Palm Dubrovnik (Credit: Royal Palm Hotels & Resorts)

Adventure holidays and specialist holidays

Maybe you’re after a package holiday but anything but the norm – no lying on a beach sunbathing day in and day you for you!

Take a look at our Tour Operators page which lists all sorts of companies offering holidays to Croatia – including travel for solos, coach and rail travel, green travel, kayaking, hiking and horseback riding, walking holidays, swimming adventures and more.

Sailing holidays

Do you know what Croatia’s got lots of? Islands. Which means it has a relatively long coastline and rather calm waters. All in all, it is ideal for sailing which, in turn, is an ideal way of exploring Croatia’s islands.

Check out our Sailing Holidays in Croatia page. As well as some tips, you’ll find details of companies that offer sailing package holidays in Croatia.

A DIY Holiday?

No, not a holiday that involves you packing a hammer, a screwdriver and a cordless drill.

Seeing as Visit Croatia has all the advice for you to put together your own holiday (and if you can’t find any answer, I’m here to help you!), you may well find that putting together yourself – in other words, a do it yourself holiday – is actually preferable to you.

We’ve got all the answers for how to plan your own holiday to Croatia, from finding flights, accommodation, transfers, tours and more.

You may well find that you make a slight cost saving in putting together your own holiday. Or you may find that by putting together your own holiday, you really will get the perfect holiday to Croatia; whether it’s a specific destination, departure point, activity or other thing that’s making it perfect.

I hope you’re able to book a wonderful holiday to Croatia this summer!

UK Passport Requirements for Croatia

2nd April 2024/0 Comments/in Travelling to Croatia, Travel advice

Much has been made in the UK press over the last few days about travellers having problems with their passports when travelling to the EU. Could this be an issue when you’re travelling to Croatia? And what, specifically, are the UK passport requirements for Croatia? We will reveal all on this page.

UK Passport Requirements for Croatia

Croatia is of course part of the EU and is also now part of the Schengen Zone. As such, Croatia’s passport requirements fall in line with the requirements for the rest of the EU.

There are two very important requirements:

Your passport must have been issued within the previous 10 years
Your passport must be valid for three months after your departure date from Croatia

Let’s take a look at these two requirements in more detail.

Ten-year passport issuance rule

The confusion on the first part – that your passport might have been issued more than 10 years ago – lies in the fact that when UK passports were previously renewed (before October 2018) any unused months on your old passport would be added to your new passport. At a maximum, your passport could be (or could have been) valid for ten years and nine months.

From October 2018, all new adult passports that are issued are valid for exactly 10 years. So if your passport has been issued or renewed since then, you don’t need to worry.

Do note that your passport CAN be valid for more than 10 years – that in itself is not the problem. If your passport was issued on 1st May 2015 and is valid for 10 years and 4 months, you can use it to travel to Croatia as it HAS been issued within the last 10 years.

Three months left on your passport

This one’s a little more straightforward. You need to have three months left on your passport AFTER your departure date from Croatia.

What about passports from other countries?

If you are NOT an EU citizen

Generally, few other countries issue passports that are valid for more than 10 years. So if you hold a passport from another country, you are unlikely to fall foul of this “ten-year rule”. But please check your passport dates anyway, to be on the safe side.

If you ARE an EU citizen

Well then, lucky you! None of these rules apply to you. And in actual fact, you don’t even need a passport to travel to Croatia – you can travel with your personal ID card.

So what should I do?

Please check your passport’s issuance and expiry dates now! Like, right now – go and get your passport and check the dates inside it. Should there be a problem, you hopefully will have enough time before your travels to rectify the problem. Which would involve renewing your passport – and if you’re travelling soon(ish), you might need a fast-track renewal.

Do not leave checking your passport for the day before you travel, or on the way to the airport! As the recent press coverage has shown, travellers are being turned away from boarding their flights. Don’t be that disappointed traveller that gets turned away!

Even if you haven’t booked a holiday yet, it would be a good idea to check your passport anyway now. Because although your passport may be fine for travel now, by the time you go on holiday (let’s say you’re planning an August getaway) that might not be the case. And now you have plenty of time to renew your passport.

Do I need a visa for Croatia?

UK passport holders do NOT need a visa for Croatia. Citizens of countries such as the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile and others also do not need a visa to visit Croatia. Check on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

UK travellers will need to obtain an ETIAS visa waiver when this comes into effect. It is expected to start in mid-2025.

Do also take a look at our Visa Requirements for Croatia page for more info.

More info

You can check passport regulations and visa requirements for Croatia on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Do also take a look at the UK Foreign Office – Croatia – Entry Requirements page. Although that page states the same info as I’ve written above, you may glean something extra from there.

Now go check your passport!

Plan Your Perfect Holiday to Croatia 2024

22nd March 2024/0 Comments/in Travel advice, Travel research, Travelling to Croatia

If you’ve never taken the leap to holiday in Croatia but have decided that this year will be your year, this page is for you! Alternatively, perhaps you’ve been to Croatia a number of times before and would like to try something a little different this year or need a bit more guidance. Either way, let Visit Croatia help you plan your perfect holiday to Croatia 2024!

Step 1 – Decide when to go and how long for

Most people approach holiday planning by deciding when they’d like to go away – summer holidays for a week or two break? Half-term hols with the kids? A weekend city break in late Spring or early Autumn?

Think about when you’re able to take a holiday abroad, or perhaps need to if you’re constrained by school summer holidays. Then take a look at When to Go to Croatia page to see if it tallies up with your plans.

All in all, there’s no bad time of year to visit Croatia – but it really depends on your plans. You can’t sit by the Adriatic sipping a fruity cocktail in January whilst you won’t get peace and quiet on Dubrovnik’s pretty cobbled streets in August!

Perhaps you also need a little convincing to go to Croatia. (Erm…why?) If so, we set our Why you should go to Croatia as well.

You will need also to have in mind how long you wish to travel for. A week or two? (Or ten days?) A short break? The whole summer? Give it some consideration – and then look at our guides for itinerary advice.

Step 2 – Think about your budget

Of course, another major issue to keep in mind is your holiday budget. Are you going to blow the budget or keep it as low as possible? If it’s the latter, take a look at our How to do Croatia on a Budget for some cost-saving ideas. At the other end of the scale, our Luxury Hotels in Croatia page might tempt you into something very special indeed.

If you’re not sure, perhaps skip this step for now and do some further research – on flights and accommodation – to see what you can come up with and how much it will cost.

Step 3 – Decide where to go

“Oh, sure”, you’re thinking, “why are you getting me to do the difficult stuff?! Is that what Visit Croatia is for?!”

Well, yes! We absolutely can tell you where you should go on holiday in Croatia. How? Take a look at the following pages:

Step 4 – Book your flights (or get yourself a package deal)

Now that you’ve decided where in Croatia to go, you’ll need to…get there! Take a look at our Flights to Croatia from the UK & Ireland page to see which airlines fly where. We’ve got full timetable information of all scheduled flights to the country from (what’s now) a very wide range of UK and Irish airports.

As you will see, although there are some year-round flights to the country and some flights only operate from June to September, a very good number of flights fly from the end of March to the end of October.

If you’re not flying from the UK or Ireland, see our pages on U.S. to Croatia Flights and Flights from Asia to Croatia for details of flights from these regions.

Or simply check out our pages on Getting to Zagreb, Getting to Split, Getting to Dubrovnik, Getting to Istria, Getting to the Kvarner Riviera and Getting to North Dalmatia for information on flights to these places from all over Europe.

Alternatively, you might prefer to go for a package holiday to Croatia which includes flights and accommodation (and usually transfers) all as one deal. This sort of thing is just the thing if you’re after a particular type of holiday – one that’s good for kids, one that’s adults only, a holiday that’s super luxe, for example. We recommend Jet2Holidays (and no, we’re not being paid to say so) as a package holiday operator although other companies, such as TUI Holidays, are of course available.

Step 5 – Book your accommodation (or…get yourself a package deal)

Okay, so if you’ve got yourself a package deal then you’re sorted for accommodation!

If not, you’re best to head to one of the accommodation booking portal websites, such as Booking.com, to peruse what sort of things are available for your chosen destination.

Or take a look at our Accommodation in Croatia section which shows hotels, apartments, villas, campsites and more in all destinations in Croatia, large or small.

Step 6 – What day trips will you make?

Now, are you the kind of person who likes to alternate lazing by the pool with lazing by the beach when you’re on your holiday? Only pausing to chow down on a leisurely lunch, order another cocktail or perhaps a refreshing iced cocktail? Or will you be trying to cram in as much sightseeing and experiences as you can when you’re on holiday in Croatia?

If you’re the latter, it’s worth researching what day trips are possible from your destination. Take a look at some of our guides below. You’ll find that some day trips may be a short bus (or boat) hop up or down the coast whilst others may be whole-day affairs. You could even consider hopping over the border to Slovenia, Italy, Bosnia & Hercegovina or Montenegro – to which country obviously depends on where you’re staying!

If you’re a planner, you may even like to book some day trips before you go. This would be especially beneficial if you’d like to “timetable” your holiday days with specific activities set out for each day and then some days devoted to taking it easy.

Guided tours are available for all sorts of sights in Croatia, but you can also rely on public transport to make the trip yourself – for example, taking a 1-hour catamaran from Split to Hvar Town, or one of the small ferry boats from Dubrovnik to the Elafiti islands.

Alternatively, you absolutely can leave booking for day trips once you’re in Croatia. Just pop along to a local agency (many set up stalls in the main promenades in towns and cities during the summer) to see what’s available.

Do also take a look at GetYourGuide’s guide to some of the best-rated tours in Croatia:

Step 7 – Countdown to the big H – holiday!

Now that you’ve got everything sorted in terms of booking your flights, accommodation and day trips, mark it up on your calendar (or 21st-century version: in your smartphone) and start counting down the days to your holiday to Croatia 2024).

Then make sure to tell all your friends and family that you’re off to Croatia this year. No doubt they’ll say “ooh, wow, how nice” and some might even say “can I come?”. (We’ll leave it up to you to decide whether or not to say yes.)

New Flights to Croatia 2024

19th March 2024/0 Comments/in Flights, Travelling to Croatia

Now that we’re approaching springtime and the time of year – the end of March – when many more flights to Croatia start taking to the skies, let’s take a look at what new flights to Croatia 2024 have so far been announced.

New Flights to Croatia 2024 – Flights to Zagreb

A couple of new long-haul options

Most intriguing to long-haul visitors to Croatia, especially those from Asia, is a new thrice-weekly service from Seoul in South Korea with T’Way. Flights will commence on 18th June 2024 and the outbound leg to Zagreb will require a stopover in Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan due to restrictions that prevent flying over Russian airspace. The return leg from Zagreb to Seoul will fly direct.

Much less long-haul than Seoul but certainly useful to those travellers travelling from lands far away is the launch of flights from Istanbul to Zagreb with Pegasus Airlines. Flights are already in operation this week, flying twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays with the route in operation until 24th October 2024. As one of the busiest airports in the world, Istanbul would certainly be a suitable place to fly to for a stopover (especially if travelling from the Middle East or Asia) to ultimately reach Zagreb and Croatia.

Three new Croatia Airlines routes

Croatia Airlines has planned a bunch of new routes to Zagreb this year, with flights from Tirana in Albania, Berlin and Stockholm all on their schedule.

Of course, Ryanair ups the game

Zagreb was introduced as a Ryanair base back in 2021 and its routes to Croatia’s capital city grow in strength all the time. 2024 is no exception! Ryanair will operate new routes from Marseille in France; Pisa in Italy; and Alicante, Girona and Palma de Mallorca in Spain. These routes will all start operating in the next few weeks on either Sunday 31st March 2024 or during the first week of April.

New Flights to Croatia 2024 – Flights to Dubrovnik

Another new Ryanair base

I’ve already written about the exciting news that in next month – April – Dubrovnik Airport will become another of Ryanair’s bases in Croatia, after Zadar and Zagreb. This means a whole heap of new routes emerging to Croatia’s southernmost city.

For UK and Irish travellers, this means new flights from Manchester, London Stansted and Dublin airports. The latter two routes are intended to be year-round flights and both will operate with a very high frequency during peak months. There will be six flights a week from London Stansted when the route starts in April and daily flights from Dublin from 31st March.

Other new Ryanair routes to Dubrovnik include flights from Berlin Brandenburg, Dusseldorf Weeze, Memmingen and Karlsruhe / Baden Baden in Germany; Rome Fiumicino and Milan Bergamo in Italy; Krakow, Poznan and Wroclaw in Poland; from Vienna in Austria (which should also become a year-round route); Paris Beauvais in France; Brussels Charleroi in Belgium; Oslo Torp in Norway; Stockholm Arlanda in Sweden; and Helsinki in Finland.

Other new flights to Dubrovnik

Volotea is also adding a couple of new routes for 2024 with new services from Lille in France and Bari in Italy. The latter route is perhaps unusual in that there’s a direct ferry (with Jadrolinija) from Bari to Dubrovnik as well – so now travellers can choose between a 45-minute flight or an 8-hour ferry journey!

New Flights to Croatia 2024 – Flights to Split

There’s a handful of new routes heading down to Split this summer, the most intriguing of which is Play‘s route from Reykjavik in Iceland. This route will operate once a week from Tuesday 28th May 2024, running until 29th October 2024. Some of our North American visitors may perhaps consider Reykjavik as a potential stopover point when trying to reach Split.

Spanish low-cost airline Volotea will commence new routes from Athens, Strasbourg, Bari and Naples to Split this summer.

Ryanair of course gets in on the action with a new route from Vienna which will start flying three times a week from Sunday 31st March 2024.

And another of Croatia Airlines‘s new routes for 2024 will service Split this year, with direct flights from Istanbul that will start operating on 7th May and fly three times a week. As I’ve mentioned above, Istanbul is a great “European” airport to fly to to reach so many other destinations, so this new Istanbul – Split route may well open up Split as a destination to visitors from Asia.

New Flights to Croatia 2024 – Flights to Zadar

New flights to Zadar for 2024 are a little thin on the ground (or rather, in the…air?) so after everything I’ve said above would it surprise you that it’s Ryanair that comes to the rescue with new flights to its north Dalmatian base? (I’m sure the answer is no, it doesn’t surprise you!)

Irish travellers will no doubt be pleased with a new route from Cork to Zadar which starts flying twice a week from the 3rd June 2024.

Other new Ryanair routes to Zadar include flights from Barcelona; Bordeaux; Copenhagen; Frankfurt Hahn; Kosice in Slovakia; Eindhoven in the Netherlands; and Kaunas in Lithuania.

New Flights to Croatia 2024 – Flights to Pula

The only new route to Pula for 2024 (that has so far been announced, that is) is a new Ryanair route from Memmingen in Germany. These flights will commence on 1st June 2024, operating on Tuesdays and Saturdays until 28th September 2024.

This page is all about 2024, of course, but let me interrupt myself to tell you about some planned new routes to Pula for 2025 – yes, that’s right, next year. Jet2 Holidays will launch Istria as a new destination for summer 2025, which will mean new Jet2 flights from London Stansted, Birmingham and Manchester.

New Flights to Croatia 2024 – Flights to Rijeka

Just the one!

A new Ryanair from Vienna will launch on 3rd June 2024, flying on Mondays and Fridays until 30th September 2024.

More info

Do take a look at our individual pages on Getting to Zagreb, Getting to Dubrovnik, Getting to Split, Getting to Istria and Getting to the Kvarner Riviera for details of all flights to these destinations.

New Ryanair base in Dubrovnik from April 2024

4th December 2023/0 Comments/in Flights, Dubrovnik, Travelling to Croatia

New ways of getting to Croatia is always exciting news, and a major airline opening a new base in Croatia is doubly so! As of April 2024, there will be a new Ryanair base in Dubrovnik which is fantastic news for all travellers hoping to visit this exceedingly charming Croatian city in summer 2024…and even later in the year. (Read on for more details of that!)

New connections to the UK and Ireland

Travellers from the UK will be delighted with the fact that as of 2nd April 2024, Ryanair will be running no less than six flights a week to this southern Croatian city. Flights will operate from Tuesday to Sunday each week and at present are bookable up until the end of October. However, this route is intended to operate year-round which is fantastic – a wonderful way of opening up Dubrovnik to visitors during the late autumn and winter, for it is a delightful city year-round.

Ryanair’s Manchester to Dubrovnik route will also commence in April, on Thursday 4th. This route will fly twice a week – on Mondays and Thursdays – up until 24th October.

And there will be flights from Dublin aplenty too! With a couple of flights a week from 19th March (on Tuesdays and Wednesdays), things start in earnest on 31st March when the airline will be operating daily flights to Dubrovnik. Again, these flights are currently bookable up until the end of October, but the Dublin – Dubrovnik route is also intended to be a year-round one.

Flights from Germany to Dubrovnik

Ryanair will also be launching a number of connections from various German airports to Dubrovnik in April.

Flights from Berlin Brandenburg airport will operate twice a week from 3rd April 2024, flying on Wednesdays and Sundays. From Dusseldorf Weeze Airport, they will also operate twice a week – this time from 2nd April 2024, flying on Tuesdays and Saturdays. These flight details will also be the case from Memmingen Airport, whilst from Karlsruhe / Baden Baden there will also be twice weekly flights, commencing on 5th April 2024 and operating on Mondays and Fridays.

Connections from Italy to Dubrovnik with Ryanair

Despite the physical proximity between Italy and Croatia – it’s just the Adriatic Sea between them, after all – many travellers are thankful for the existence of flight connections between the two countries to make the journey over just a short hop. And here’s a couple of new Ryanair connections that will help!

There will be five flights a week from Rome Fiumicino Airport from 3rd April 2024, with flights operating from Wednesdays to Sundays. Milan Bergamo will see twice-weekly flights from 2nd April 2024, operating on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

More flights from Europe to Dubrovnik

The flights mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg!

There will be a fantastic three connections from Poland to Dubrovnik with Ryanair. Flights from Krakow will commence on 2nd April 2024, flying on Tuesdays and Saturdays, whilst from Poznan there will be flights on Mondays and Thursdays starting from 4th April 2024. From Wroclaw it’s a case of twice-weekly flights as well – from 3rd April 2024, running on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Vienna will be connected with Ryanair flights to Dubrovnik four days a week from 31st March 2024, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The Vienna – Dubrovnik route is also intended to be a year-round one. Great news for our Viennese pals…but how about combining a Christmas visit to Vienna and Dubrovnik in winter 2024? How lovely would that be?

Paris Beauvais Airport will see two Ryanair flights a week to Dubrovnik from 5th April 2024, operating on Mondays and Fridays.

Flights from Brussels Charleroi Airport to Dubrovnik will commence on 4th April 2024, operating on Mondays and Thursdays.

Our Nordic friends won’t be missing out! There will be flights two times a week from Oslo Torp and Stockholm Arlanda to Dubrovnik from 3rd April 2024, whilst flights from Helsinki to Dubrovnik will commence on 5th April 2024.

More info on the new Ryanair base in Dubrovnik

Head to Ryanair‘s website for more details of these flights…and to book your tickets too, of course! To welcome these new flights to Dubrovnik, flights are currently being offered from €29.99 one-way.

Do take a look at our Flights to Croatia 2024 page for details of all flights from the UK and Ireland to all over Croatia, and also our Getting to Dubrovnik page for details of flights from Europe and further beyond.

You may also find taking a look at Dubrovnik Airport‘s website helpful in planning your travel to the city.

Winter Flights to Croatia 2023/2024

10th October 2023/0 Comments/in Flights, Travelling to Croatia

If you’re planning on travelling to Croatia for the rest of this year or early next, here are the winter flights to Croatia you can utilise.

Winter Flights to Croatia from the UK

Zagreb is the best-connected airport from the UK this winter (in fact, in all winters!) with several airlines flying to there.

Excellently, Ryanair continues to maintain a year-round, daily connection from London Stansted to Zagreb. This is excellent news for travellers and allows a certain amount of flexibility in booking (usually) very reasonably priced flights. Zagreb is a Ryanair base, of course – as you will see further down the page, they now have a rather expansive flight network to Zagreb from all over Europe.

Ryanair will also fly four or five times a week from Dublin to Zagreb throughout winter.

As ever, Croatia Airlines will maintain a service from London Heathrow to Zagreb, flying three times a week – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. British Airways will also operate flights four, five or six times a week – depending on the month – from London Heathrow.

Winter Flights to Croatia from Europe

To Zagreb

It’s no surprise that Zagreb is the best-connected Croatian city when it comes to flights in winter.

As we’ve mentioned further up this page, Zagreb Airport is now a Ryanair base and so there is a fantastically long list of cities in Europe from where you can fly to Zagreb in winter. These include Dusseldorf Weeze, Frankfurt Hahn, Karlsruhe/Baden Baden and Memmingen in Germany; Milan Bergamo, Naples and Rome in Italy; Malaga and Lanzarote in Spain; and Basel, Brussels, Eindhoven, Gothenburg, Malta, Oslo, Paphos and Paris. That’s some list!

As Croatia’s national carrier, Croatia Airlines will of course also connect the country’s capital with flights to Europe this winter. They will fly from Vienna, Brussels, Mostar and Sarajevo, Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Munich, Rome (via Split/Dubrovnik), Skopje, Amsterdam and Zurich.

There are some further flight connections with other airlines too. Air Serbia will continue to maintain a service from Belgrade during winter, whilst Turkish Airlines offer flights from Istanbul. LOT will have flights from Warsaw and there will be a direct connection from Amsterdam with KLM.

Lufthansa up the already great flight schedules from Germany with flights from Frankfurt and Munich, as will Eurowings – they will operate flights from Cologne/Bonn, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart.

Wait! There are still two more connections to tell you! Alongside Croatia Airlines, Air France also fly from Paris to Zagreb whilst Austrian Airlines flies from Vienna.

Winter Flights to Croatia 2023/2024 - Zagreb Airport — Zagreb Airport

To Pula

There’s just one international connection to Pula this winter – from Zurich with Croatia Airlines.

To Rijeka

For such a small and relatively less popular airport, Rijeka is served reasonably well with flight connections this winter. As long as you want to fly from Germany, that is!

Croatia Airlines will maintain a connection from Munich, as will Lufthansa.

To Split

Again, it’s Croatia Airlines serving most of the winter flights to Split Airport too. They will operate flights from Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Munich, Rome and Zurich during these months.

Eurowings also gets in on the action with flights from Dusseldorf and Stuttgart. There are also some direct flights from Hamburg and Berlin in mid to late December and early January – essentially, over the festive period.

To Dubrovnik

Germany again leads the way with connections – to Dubrovnik, you can fly from Frankfurt with Croatia Airlines and from Munich with Lufthansa.

To Osijek

Even eastern Croatia gets a look in…although you may sense a similar pattern here with our next sentence! Croatia Airlines operates year-round flights from Munich to Osijek.

Winter Flights to Croatia from elsewhere in the world

It will be Zagreb you’ll be able to reach in the winter months if you travelling from certain parts of the world.

Qatar Airways have flights from Doha and Turkish Airlines have winter flights from Istabul.

Other Ways of Getting to Croatia

If you don’t see a suitable flight route from your home country mentioned above, there are of course other ways of getting to the country during the late autumn and winter months.

The first option would be to fly to Zagreb and then make use of Croatia Airlines‘ internal winter flights – see our Flights in Croatia page for more details.

Alternatively, you could fly to a neighbouring or nearby country to Croatia and make your way over by other methods of transport – such as ferry or bus. For example, Jadrolinija operate their Ancona – Split ferries all year round; you could fly to Rome, for example, take a train to Ancona and then a ferry over to Split.

October in Croatia: The best events and more

1st October 2023/0 Comments/in Travel advice, Events, Travelling to Croatia

September seems to have whizzed by and we’re already on the doorstep of the tenth month of the year. If you plan on visiting Croatia in the next few weeks, take a look at our guide to October in Croatia to make the most of your visit to the country.

Getting to Croatia in October

If you’re travelling to Croatia from the UK and Ireland, there are still plenty of flights this month. And we do mean plenty!

British Airways operate their London Heathrow to Zagreb flights year-round, and will also fly from Heathrow and Gatwick to Dubrovnik until the end of October.

Simiarly, Croatia Airlines fly from from London Heathrow to Zagreb year-round, and this year will also continue their flights from London Heathrow to Split until early January 2024. They also fly from London Gatwick to Split until mid-October.

Easyjet will continue to fly from London Gatwick to Pula and Rijeka until the end of October, and from the same airport to Split until early November, and to Dubrovnik until (amazingly) the end of November. They will also fly from London Luton to Split; from Bristol to Pula, Split and Dubrovnik; from Manchester to Split and Dubrovnik; from Edinburgh to Dubrovnik; and from Glasgow to Split. All of these flights will continue until the end of this month.

Ryanair from London Stansted and Dublin to Zagreb year-round, with the former route operating daily – great news for those aiming to reach Croatia’s capital. They will also fly from London Stansted to Osijek and Manchester to Zagreb until the end of October, and from Dublin to Split until early November.

Wizzair have extended their service from London Luton to Split and will now operate it until the end of October.

TUI will operate flights from London Gatwick, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds Bradford to Dubrovnik until mid-October.

Jet2 meanwhile continue their strong flight network to Croatia into October too! They will have flights from London Stansted to Split and Dubrovnik until the end of October; from Birmingham to Split also until the end of October and to Dubrovnik until early November; from East Midlands to Dubrovnik until the end of October; from Manchester to Split until the end of October and to Dubrovnik until early November; from Newcastle to Dubrovnik until the end of October; from Leeds Bradford to Split until the end of October and to Dubrovnik until early November; and from Edinburgh to Dubrovnik until the end of October. Phew!

What to do in October in Croatia

Well, aside from eat (see the events section below – you’ll see what I mean), there’s plenty to enjoy in Croatia in October. Most amenities will still be fully open although some (such as waterparks) close for the season at the end of September. You will likely still be (just about) able to swim in the sea, particularly if you visit early in the month,

Other attractions become cheaper to visit in October, which is undoubtedly good news for visitors. For example, entrance to the Plitvice Lakes National Park is €23.50 for adults in October, compared to €40 during summer.

Having said that, Plitvice actually celebrates a special promotional week in early October every year – this will happen from 1st to 8th October 2023. Celebrating the 44th anniversary of becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site, tickets will cost just €10 for adults, €6.50 for students and €4.50 for children aged 7 to 18 years old. More details here: Promotional October Week In Plitvice Lakes National Park!

Best Events in October in Croatia

Gastro Delights

October is essentially gastro month in October! There’s a whole heap of wonderful food-based festivities taking place this month, particularly in the region of Istria. One of the best-known events is Truffle Days which takes place every weekend in October, starting on 30th September and 1st October. Centred around Livade just north of Motovun in Central Istria, Truffle Days is brought to you by the team behind Zigante Restaurant and offers a wide range of truffle-rated fun – as well as plenty of opportunities to taste this spectacular food item and other truffle-based products. To really immerse yourself in this delicacy, board the truffle train to Motovun forest (that sounds rather fantastical, but it’s real!) to take part in some truffle hunting yourself.

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If they’re not celebrating truffles in Istria in October, they’re celebrating chestnuts! The 48th Marunada Festival takes place in Lovran on the eastern side of Istria from 13th to 15th October, as well as in the wider region on subsequent weekends. As you will expect, all sorts of sweet chesnut treats will be on offer for you to try, from cakes to liquer event to chestnut beer! There will also be live music as part of the celebration and kids events too.

In inland Croatia, in Ivanic-Grad to be precise (which is southeast of Zagreb), the 19th Bucijada Pumpkin Festival will be held from 6th to 8th October. October is of course pumpkin month for many of us thanks to Halloween…aside from that, it’s pumpkin month because it’s harvest time! Again, there will be all manner of pumpkin and squash related foodstuffs to try, including cakes and pies and (the obligatory) beer. Live music abounds too, and this event includes plenty of fun activities for children for children too. I think the pumpkin-kremsnite eating competition sounds like fun!

Let’s take a look at what you can treat yourself to in Dalmatia now, There will be an amazing offering at Dubrovnik’s Good Food Festival (9th to 22nd October) including special menus at participating restaurants, wine tastings, dessert workshops and more. Enjoy a “bottomless bubbles brunch” at Park Orsula or a rose wine tasting at Love Bar; learn more about Croatian baking with workshops on pastries, baked goods and desserts; have dinner with a Michelin-starred chef…all of these experiences are amazing! For general fun, head to Dubrovnik Beer Company on either Saturday or the first Sunday for good food, beer and live music, or to Stradun on Saturday 21st October to sample all manner of food items and wine (€6 for a good voucher, €3 for a wine one). Take a look at the programme on the Good Food Festival event page for full details of the line-up, and to find out how to book certain events.

And even more amazing Croatian food is on offer at the Taste the Mediterranean Festival in Split from 4th to 8th October. It’s a slightly more specialist event with many items on the programme being invitation only, but we can’t not include it here!

Events for active types

In sports and activities are more your sort of bag – or perhaps you want to get your heart rate going after sampling all that fine food – there are a number of active events taking place in October too. One of the best known is the 31st edition of the Zagreb Marathon which will hit the city’s streets on 8th October. Baska on the island of Krk, will host the Baska Outdoor Festival from the 13th to 15th October; this event includes a variety of activities for active types (such as running, climbing, cycling, and hiking) aimed at different levels of ability. That weekend (on the 15th October) will also see the Ironman Triathlon event take place in Porec.

Other events

Many cities in Croatia host a film festival, and October sees two such events take place.

Split’s Film Festival will be on from 12th to 21st October with both Croatian and international films being screened. Meanwhile, the Dubrovnik Film Festival will be on from 19th to 22nd October; you can take a look at the films that will be screened here.

Live music lovers will be delighted by the Zagreb Jazz Festival taking place in the city throughout the month; take a look at the website to find out which concerts will be taking place.

Finally, the 25th Biograd Boat Show is on in the town from 25th to 29th October; this is Croatia’s largest boat show.

The weather during October in Croatia

Of course, what the weather is like during October in Croatia will affect the happiness of many a visitor – and that’s fair enough! It’s hard to predict the weather for a full month, but general gentle summer temperatures (i.e. not 30C+!) tend to hang on into October. Certainly, it’s been a pretty hot September in Croatia, with temperatures reaching the high 20s Celsius (often more) at times.

The start of October looks to be a few degrees cooler in most places, although that will still bring very pleasant conditions with plenty of sunshine.

Keep an eye on the Croatian Meteorological Service website for 3-day and 7-day weather forecasts for Croatia.

Croatia Airlines unveils winter 2023/24 timetable

26th August 2023/0 Comments/in Flights, Travelling to Croatia

Croatia’s main air carrier Croatia Airlines this week unveiled its winter 2023/24 timetable, which announced the introduction of one new flight route and the continuation of four presently summer-only ones. Read on below to find out where you can fly to Croatia using the airline in the winter months.

London Heathrow to Split to continue in winter

Of most interest to UK travellers is the fact that their once-a-week service from London Heathrow to Split will now continue into autumn and winter, operating until 6th January 2024.

This will be very welcome to UK travellers – or those from in and around London, at least – as all other flights to Split finish operating in late September or late October/early November. Extending the possibility to visit Dalmatia’s main city in November and December – perfect for experiencing Christmas celebrations on the Adriatic coast – will hopefully bring in more off-season visitors.

Of course, Croatia Airlines has operated flights from London Heathrow to Zagreb for years and this route will continue this winter too, operating three times a week. For more options in getting to Croatia during the winter months, flying to Zagreb means travellers can then fly on to Pula, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik airports via internal flights.

However, the airline’s Dublin to Split route will not operate this winter, despite doing so last year.

Other Croatia Airlines winter routes to continue

Similar to the above, the airline will also continue its previously summer-only service from Copenhagen to Split. This route will also continue to fly once a week, on Saturdays, until 6th January 2024.

They will also continue a service from Frankfurt to Dubrovnik, flying three times a week during the winter months on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays until 15th January 2024. This route existed during winter until it was cut during the pandemic.

One more route to be continued for winter is a route that was only (re-)introduced this summer – Mostar in Bosnia and Hercegovina to Zagreb. Flights will be operated three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

A new winter 2023/24 timetable route: Munich to Zadar

On 31st October, Croatia Airlines will launch a new route flying from Munich to Zadar in north Dalmatia. They will operate this route twice a week, flying on Tuesdays and Saturdays, until 13th January 2024.

This new route means that in the winter months, travellers will be able to fly from Munich with Croatia Airlines to five Croatian airports: Zagreb and Split, both daily; Rijeka, Osijek and Zadar, with all of these routes twice a week.

Other Croatia Airlines winter flights

Of course, Croatia Airlines already operates several year-round flights from European cities to destinations in Croatia. Understandably, the vast majority of these fly to Zagreb – aside from those mentioned above, there will be flights from Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, Rome, Sarajevo, Skopje, Vienna and Zurich. All of these flights operate daily.

To Split, they will continue to fly from Frankfurt, Munich and Rome – all daily – and from Zurich twice a week.

To those wishing to reach beautiful Istria, a twice-weekly route from Zurich to Pula will help.

More on Flights to Croatia

Be sure to take a look at our main Flights to Croatia from the UK & Ireland page to see all flight routes to the country for the rest of this year. Or if you’re looking for a bit of inspiration, our Flights to Croatia by Destination Airport and Flights to Croatia by Departure Airport show you where to and where you can fly.

Getting to Croatia from the UK by Train

19th July 2023/0 Comments/in Travelling to Croatia, Train travel

Whilst travel is still very much at the forefront of many people’s minds – it’s such an enjoyable experience after all, and a great way of expanding your knowledge – attempting to use fewer flights every year to lower your carbon footprint is increasingly becoming a concern. Given that Croatia and the UK are in the same continent – if not quite on the same landmass – and train services across Europe are expanding and improving all the time, travelling to Croatia by train should be very doable – right? Right! Here we take a look at the best ways of getting to Croatia from the UK by train.

Now, undoubtedly, travelling by train is not a quick way of getting from the UK to Croatia. Whilst a flight takes just two or three hours, a train takes considerably longer. Which is obviously something you need to factor into your travels. Having said that, travelling by train is very pleasant indeed. In fact, the journey to Croatia will play a big part of your holiday.

Croatia from the UK by Train – Where can I get to?

Firstly, let’s discuss where exactly in Croatia you can reach by train. Croatia does not have the most extensive train network, and Zagreb is the central hub in terms of train travel. You will – whether you want to or not – be reaching Zagreb on your European train travels from the UK.

Once you have arrived in Zagreb, you can then make it to some destinations on the coast by train. Split is absolutely achievable as an end destination by train, as is Rijeka. Having said that, there are now few train services from Zagreb to Rijeka (but there are many daily buses on this route) so if you wish to continue to Rijeka by train you may need to stay overnight in Croatia’s capital city.

Do also note that it is slower to travel by train from Zagreb to Split or Rijeka than it is by bus. For completeness’ sake, you may wish to make your whole journey from the UK to Croatia by train! But we understand if you make the switch to travelling by bus in Zagreb.

Similarly, once you have reached the coastal cities of Rijeka or Split, you will need to switch to travelling by bus anyway (or possibly ferry if you’re heading to an island resort) to get to your intended endpoint.

The wonderful St Pancras International station in London

Croatia from the UK by Train – What’s the fastest route?

Much like driving from the UK to Croatia, this route involves Paris and a German city!

Overall the fastest route takes about 23 hours from departing London St Pancras International to arriving at Zagreb’s Glavni Kolodvor (the main train station), with two changes of train (and one transfer of train station in Paris) and minimal wait time between trains. However, although this is the fastest train route, you may want to pad it out a bit more to include longer stopovers for a break or a meal in Paris and Stuttgart.

There’s no way of getting around it – you will need to get to London first (if you’re not already in London) to start your journey to Croatia. Whether you choose to travel by train from your home location to London is up to you. (But go on, why not?)

From London, there’s only one way of getting to Europe by train – by Eurostar – and you’d need to take this to Paris Nord station. There are numerous daily connections on this leg of the journey. Journey time: 2 hours and 20 minutes

In Paris, you’ll need to transfer – via Metro – Paris Est station for it is from here that you will be making your onward journey to Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof. Again, there are a number of direct connections from Paris Est to Stuttgart Hbf, but the onward journey to Croatia is in the evening, after 8pm so you need to make it to Stuttgart before then. Journey time: 3 hours and 10 minutes

From Stuttgart Hbf, it’s an overnight sleeper service to Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor which gets you in at 10.39am. Journey time: 14 hours and 10 minutes

Overall, the journey looks like this: London St Pancras – Paris – Stuttgart – Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor for a total journey time of 23 hours and 8 minutes.

The following is how you can make this journey in just over 23 hours:

*From*	*To…*	*Departure Time*	*Arrival Time*	*Total journey time to this point*
London St Pancras International	Paris Nord	11.31	14.50	2 hours 19 minutes
Paris Est	Stuttgart	15.55	19.04	8 hours 33 minutes
Stuttgart	Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor	20.29	10.39	23 hours 8 minutes

Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor	Split	15.19	21.40	34 hours 9 minutes

As you can see, we’ve also added an option to continue to Split the same day, but this would involve quite a lengthy stop in Zagreb. Perhaps that’s a good thing – some time to stretch your legs after all that time on trains, and a bit of time to explore the city.

Buying tickets

When it comes to purchasing tickets for train travel to Croatia, the fastest route will not likely be the cheapest! This is something to consider when making your decision about which trains to take to get to the country, and your overall itinerary. (After all, attempting to take an earlier train for one leg to save money on a train ticket may just result in you spending more money on your layover!)

Let’s take a look at some example prices for travelling to Croatia from the UK by train with two weeks’ notice in summer – so, travelling on Wednesday 2nd August 2023 for the above-mentioned route that takes 23 hours and 8 minutes.

*From*	*To…*	*Price for above train*	*Cheapest direct* *train on same day*	*Book tickets on*
London St Pancras International	Paris Nord	€224	€125	Eurostar
Paris Est	Stuttgart	€89.90	€69.90	Die Bahn
Stuttgart	Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor	€111.80	€64.80	OBB
	TOTAL	€425.70	€259.70

Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor	Split	€15.82	€14.94	Croatian Railways
	TOTAL	€441.52	€274.64

Let’s take a look at prices if booking two months in advance – so for travel on 19th September 2023:

*From*	*To…*	*Price for above train*	*Cheapest direct* *train on same day*	*Book tickets on*
London St Pancras International	Paris Nord	€111	€65	Eurostar
Paris Est	Stuttgart	€54.90	€41.90	Die Bahn
Stuttgart	Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor	€29.90	€29.90	OBB
	TOTAL	€195.80	€136.80

Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor	Split	€26.35	€26.35	Croatian Railways
	TOTAL	€222.15	€163.15

As well as your travels to Croatia from the UK by train, if you are considering doing a fair amount of other train travel within Europe in the near future you may want to look into getting an Interrail pass. For example, the Interrail Global Pass has a variety of different options ranging from 4 days in 1 month (which would just about get you there and back from the UK to Croatia) for €194 to a 3 months pass for €711.

Take a look at our page on Interrailing in Croatia for more advice on interrail passes and how to make use of them in getting to and travelling around the country.

Croatia from the UK by Train and Ferry

An alternative route to the above is to travel to Italy from the UK by train and then make your way to Croatia by ferry or catamaran. This route isn’t particularly direct and is quite a long journey that would necessitate an overnight stay somewhere in Europe.

The best port to reach in Italy to travel to Croatia by sea depends on your destination – it’s Venice for locations in Istria; Ancona for Zadar or Split and Bari for Dubrovnik.

Let’s take the example of travelling to Split via Ancona. Here’s a possible route:

*From*	*To…*	*Departure Time*	*Arrival Time*	*Total journey time to this point*
London St Pancras International	Paris Nord	08.01	11.20	2 hours 19 minutes
Paris Gare du Lyon	Milan Porta Garibaldi	12.49	19.40	11 hours 39 minutes
	overnight in Milan
Milan Centrale	Ancona	14.05	17.24	33 hours 23 minutes

Ancona (ferry)	Split	19.45	07.00	46 hours 59 minutes

All in all, not quick at all! But you can choose to split – no pun intended – the journey somewhere along the way, such as in Paris or Milan.

More info

Our absolute top tip for online research on train travel across Europe (and further afield) would be the fabulous The Man in Seat Sixty-One. As well as discussing routes from the UK to Croatia by train, the website also has plenty of useful information and photos regarding train travel within Croatia. We can’t sing the praises of this website highly enough!

The next excellent website that you need to look at the Die Bahn website. As well as looking up timetable