New for Croatia in 2025
As we’re now well into March and fast approaching proper Spring time – both weather-wise and on the calendar – let’s take a look at what’s new for Croatia in 2025. This post will round up the new flight routes, hotel openings, transport links and events on the calendar that are all new for Croatia in 2025. As you can see, there’s lots to get excited about this year!
New for Croatia in 2025 – Flights
From the UK and Ireland
Jet2 has been operating flights to Croatia for a number of years now but this year they are to fly to a new destination (for them) – Pula in Istria! From May, the airline will fly there from London Stansted, Birmingham and Manchester airports. Their sister company, Jet2Holidays, is also launching holidays to Pula and the Istrian Coast this year.
In other airline news, Easyjet has a new route for 2025. They will operate flights from Liverpool to Split, flying twice a week (on Mondays and Fridays) from 9th June. The same airline has also already started operating some of their routes for the year, which is unusually early. Their London Gatwick and Manchester routes started flying in the last week of February. That means you can make it there right now to take advantage of the pleasant early spring weather.
Don’t forget to take a look at our Flights to Croatia from the UK and Ireland page for details of all flight routes to Croatia this year!
From Europe
There are a number of new flight routes to Dubrovnik for this summer. Easyjet will introduce flights from Bordeaux, whilst Ryanair also has a new French route to Dubrovnik – from Marseille. The same airline will be adding flights from Katowice in Poland and Gothenburg in Sweden. FInally, Swiss airline…er…Swiss will begin flights to Dubrovnik from Zurich.
Aside from the new Easyjet route from Liverpool (mentioned above), it’s just one new route to Split that’s so far been announced and that’s from Porto.
For Zadar, Easyjet will begin flying from Lyon whilst Ryanair is adding two new Italian connections – from Bari and from Rome Fiumicino. The same airline is also to begin flying from Bratislava in Slovakia to Zadar, whilst Edelweiss Air will begin to operate flights from Zurich to Zadar.
Tiny Rijeka Airport doesn’t get a lot of love (or flights, to be honest) but at least for 2025 it will see two new routes! Ryanair will start operating flights to Rijeka from Frankfurt Hahn and from Wroclaw in Poland.
For Pula Airport, Play are introducing flights from Reykjavik. Seeing as the airline also operates flights from U.S. cities such as Boston and New York to Reykjavik, you could potentially consider using them to reach Istria or Croatia via a stopover. There’s also another new Scandinavian connection to Pula for this summer – from Gothenburg in Sweden with Ryanair.
Finally, Croatia’s capital city Zagreb will see the most new flights this year with six new routes starting up. The country’s national carrier, Croatia Airlines, will be introducing most of these new routes with flights from Prague, Hamburg, Milan, Bucharest and Madrid providing some excellent new connections. As a Ryanair hub, that airline also has a new route – from Palermo on the Italian island of Sicily, meaning they now have 31 (31!) routes from all over Europe to Zagreb.
From elsewhere in the world
At the time of writing, there are unfortunately no new flight routes to Croatia from beyond Europe. Nevertheless, take a look at our U.S. to Croatia Flight and Flights from Asia to Croatia pages to see what airlines do fly from these continents.
New for Croatia in 2025 – Festivals and Events
Who loves a brand-new festival in Croatia? That’s right, everyone! This year it’s the turn of Balance Croatia which will take place in one of Croatia’s main festival destinations – The Garden in the small town of Tisno in central Dalmatia – from 8th to 11th August. The electronic music event is coming to Croatia’s shores thanks to Australian label Balance Music and will see some truly fantastic acts perform including Dave Seaman, Danny Howells, Guy Mantzur, Sasha & John Digweed and many more. Further details: Balance Croatia Line-Up Phase 1 Revealed + Ticket News.
New for Croatia in 2025 – Hotels
New hotel openings keep coming thick and fast for Croatia all the time, and 2025 is no exception.
One of the best new hotel openings must surely be The Isolano, an Autograph Collection Hotel on the very much off-the-beaten-track island that is Cres. Billed as an adults-friendly resort (only welcoming guests aged 12 and over), this luxury five-star hotel has a stunning outdoor pool and is just metres from the nearest beach.
In a similar vein, the Hotel Preko on tiny Ugljan island is a Curio Collection by Hilton property. Opening on 15th July 2025, this expertly furnished hotel is close to beaches and really provides a slice of relaxation for guests.
Another luxury hotel opening is the Hyatt Regency Zadar. Also a sumptuous five-star property, the hotel is in an excellent location within walking distance of Zadar’s Old Town – home to many top sights – as well as beaches and Zadar Marina.
Actually opened at the end of 2024, it’s also worth mentioning the new Pullman Zagreb, the first Pullman hotel in Croatia. This contemporary, four-star hotel is located in Novi Zagreb and relatively close to Zagreb Airport; an ideal place to stay if you’re looking for accommodation near the airport.
Future hotel openings
Obviously not opening this year, some of you may be interested to hear that the large abandoned Kupari resort near Dubrovnik may finally be redeveloped. You can read the interesting back story to this resort and future plans here: Holidays at a one-time Communist luxury beach haven? Yugoslav resort built for Tito to rise from ruins.
New for Croatian in 2025 – Ferries and Catamarans
In the Dubrovnik region
Following on from the launch of a new catamaran connecting Dubrovnik and Budva last summer, the same ferry operator – Adriatic Lines – will commence operating a service connecting Dubrovnik and Kotor at the start of June 2025. This new catamaran service will allow you to enjoy a day trip in historic Kotor and see its stunning bay, giving you five hours there before the return boat to Dubrovnik departs.
Read the full details of this catamaran including timetable information and ticket prices on our blog post: New Dubrovnik to Kotor Catamaran for 2025.
In the Istrian region
Announced a few months ago, this summer will see the return of ferry services from Trieste to destinations in Istria, such as Porec and Rovinj, and the island of Mali Losinj as well. (There will also be a stop in Piran in Slovenia along the way.) Timetable details – or indeed that of the ferry operator – have yet to be announced, so this is definitely a case of watching this space. Visit Croatia will absolutely keep you updated as soon as I hear anything!
New for Croatia in 2025 – Entry Requirements
There are no new entry requirements for Croatia or the EU per see, although the introduction of ETIAS and the new Entry/Exit System for the EU and the Schengen Zone keeps hovering in the background!
The latest news on this front is that the Entry/Exit System is that it is expected to start in October 2025. This new system will see travellers have their passport details registered when entering the Schengen Zone – essentially, have your fingerprints scanned and your photo taken. The word expected is doing some heavy work there, as the scheme has already been postponed from last autumn. I’d suggest keeping an ear out for news closer to October to see if it does in fact come into existence.
Another new EU entry requirement that’s fairly imminent is ETIAS. This visa waiver scheme for the EU will act much like ESTA does for travellers to the U.S. However, the introduction of ETIAS has now been pushed back to the last quarter of 2026, so you still have some time to go before you start concerning yourself about that.
The above requirements all relate to those travellers who can visit Croatia either visa-free or on short-term visas. Take a look at our Visa Requirements for Croatia page for general entry rules.
