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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.

New for Croatia in 2025 - An aerial view of Rovinj in Istria
An aerial view of Rovinj in Istria

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.

Balance Croatia

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.

New for Croatia in 2025 - The Isolano Hotel, Cres
Creski Beach Bar at the Isolano Hotel (Credit: The Isolano Hotel)

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.

Pullman Zagreb
Pullman Zagreb (Credit: Pullman Zagreb)

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.

Kotor in Montenegro

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.

New for 2025 – Balance Croatia Festival, 8-11 August

Very exciting news for all keen Croatian festival goers – there’s a brand new festival on the calendar for 2025! Taking place in one of the best festival venues in Croatia, The Garden Tisno, the Balance Croatia Festival will be held 8th to 11th August 2025. This new electronic music festival will take place over three days and three nights over three stages, with fifty-plus artists and five thousand revellers – will you be one of them?!

Balance Croatia 2025

About Balance Music and Balance Croatia

Balance Croatia is being brought to you by the Australian label Balance Music, who will next year celebrate 25 years in the music business under the visionary leadership of director Tom Pandzic. In that time they’ve gone from humble beginnings to become a global music presence in independent electronic music, shaping and documenting progressive dance music, fully deserving its status as a scene cornerstone.

The label’s iconic Balance Series mix compilation albums are truly spectacular, featuring legends such as Hernan Cattaneo, Danny Tenaglia, Nick Warren, Guy J, and Joris Voorn. Balance Music and sub-label Dawn till Dusk have also nurtured quality EP releases from both upcoming and established artists, fully showcasing progressive, melodic and organic house sounds.

The festival will be collaborating with leading brands The Soundgarden, SkylineEvents and Super Progressive to maintain the high level of music programming always associated with Balance!

After 25 Years at the helm of Balance, I thought it was time to celebrate our illustrious history! The Balance Croatia Festival will be a unique gathering of passionate music lovers, unlike anything seen previously. We will honour 25 years of memories, and the times when music meant more. We’ve invited over 50 world-class artists to soundtrack the weekend on Croatia’s stunning Adriatic Coast in Tisno… Under the sun, on the beach, with you. We are also excited to be partnering with TheSoundgarden, Skyline Events, and Super Progressive for the inaugural Balance Croatia Festival.

Balance Music Director Tom Pandzic

Balance Croatia Line-Up

The first phase of artists playing at Balance Croatia will be revealed on 21st November, so mark your calendars for that date! However, you can be sure that the best progressive and melodic acts will be appearing, from legends to the next generation of artists.

Tickets and Accommodation for Balance Croatia

Pre-sale tickets will be launched on 28th November so set your alarms! You can however sign-up to register for early bird tickets NOW on the website: www.balancecroatia.com.

Attendees to Balance Croatia can make use of many of The Garden Tisno’s accommodation offerings, including apartments, glamping tents, mobile homes and airstream trailers. There is also the official Balance Hotel (Hotel Miran) and beach cabins that can sleep 2 to 5 people.

Balance Croatia 2025 at The Garden Tisno
The Garden Tisno

About The Garden Tisno

Home to some of the most famous summer events in the country – such as Love International, Defected, Dimensions and Dekmantel – The Garden Tisno offers all partygoers a stunning festival venue and then some. Set around beautiful beaches next to crystal-clear water, there are three stages that will take Balance Croatia to the max.

At the heart of the site is The Yard Stage which dazzles with stunning visuals crafted for maximum vibes; it is surrounded by bars, food shacks, and all the essential festival facilities. The Beach Stage meanwhile provides breathtaking views and an extraordinary backdrop for all-day partying. And the Olive Grove, shaded by trees and conveniently located near the beach and amenities, serves as the perfect spot for both daytime lounging and nighttime raving.

And if you’ve ever attended The Garden Tisno before, you’ll know all about the famed Barbarella’s Discotheque. It’s just the place to dance all night under the stars.

More info

Full details about the festival can be found at www.balancecroatia.com. Do also keep tuned to their Facebook and Instagram pages for all the latest news.

Balance Croatia
8th – 11th August 2025
The Garden, Tisno
www.balancecroatia.com

New Flights to Croatia 2019

Here we are at the end of March already – a time when quite a few airlines start their regular ‘summer’ flights to Croatia! A great opportunity to look and see what new flights to Croatia – and other changes – there are for 2019.

New Flights to Croatia 2019

New flights from Ireland to Croatia

There’s some excellent news for our Irish friends with plans to visit Croatia this year. Ryanair have two new routes this year – from Dublin to Split and Dubrovnik. Both routes will operate four times a week (on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays to Split; and on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays to Dubrovnik) from the beginning of June through to the end of October.

Aer Lingus continue to fly the above two routes as well, but have also introduced a new one for 2019. They will fly from Cork to Dubrovnik twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays) from 11th to 28th September.

London to Zadar with Easyjet

Zadar is a stunning town, so it’s great news that there’s more and more flights to this Dalmatian airport each year! Easyjet have flown from London Luton to Zadar for a couple of years and will now also fly to Zadar from London Gatwick. Flights will operate twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays) from 30th April to the 26th October.

Another London airport for flights to Split

London is of course spoilt for choice when it comes to flights to Croatia – with plenty of flights from Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.

But British Airways will now add another airport into this mix – London City Airport. Flights from here will operate three times a week (on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays) from 21st June to 6th September.

British Airways have also increased frequency of flights from London Heathrow to Split – in peak summer (from 20th May onwards), the airline now has seven flights a week on this route. (Daily apart from Saturdays, with two flights on Sundays.)

New flights to Rijeka with TUI

01/04/19 Note: We’ve been informed that TUI have cancelled their Manchester to Rijeka route – before they’ve even started operating it! They will now NOT fly from Manchester to Rijeka this year. See changes below.

TUI have introduced two one new route for 2019 to an airport in Croatia they have never serviced before, Rijeka.

They will fly from London Gatwick and Manchester to Rijeka once a week (Thursdays) from 23rd May to 10th October.

But TUI don’t just stop there in terms of new flights! There’s also good news for Welsh visitors to Croatia – for the first time, there is now a direct flight from Cardiff Airport to Dubrovnik (operates on Thursdays from 2nd May to 31st October).

And the airline also have two more new routes – from Doncaster Sheffield to Pula (operates on Saturdays from 4th May to 5th October) and from Leeds Bradford to Dubrovnik (operates on Thursdays from 2nd May to 31st October).

However, there’s one route that TUI have dropped for 2019 – they are no longer operating flights from Newcastle to Dubrovnik.

Flybe no longer fly to Croatia

Flybe have dropped all of their flights from the UK to Croatia. They used to fly from London Southend to Zadar and Dubrovnik.

More flights per week with Jet2.com

There’s no new flights with Jet2.com this year. (The airline has introduced a number of new routes to Croatia in the last couple of years, so we’ll forgive them!) They are, however, increasing frequency on some of their existing routes. There will be three flights a week in peak season (15th July to 22nd September) from London Stansted to Split, and five flights a week in peak season (27th May to 22nd September) from London Stansted to Dubrovnik.

However, they have reduced frequency on their East Midlands to Split and Edinburgh to Split routes for 2019 – both will only fly once a week this year.

New flights from America to Croatia, too!

Although this post largely covers new flights from the UK and Ireland to Croatia, we couldn’t help but also mention a new route from America to Croatia as well! (Mainly because it’s the first route directly connecting the U.S. and Croatia in decades!)

American Airlines will fly from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik three times a week (on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays) from 7th June to 21st September. Flight time will be nine hours and 15 minutes.

More on new flights to Croatia 2019

Check out our Flights to Croatia page for full details of all routes from the UK and Ireland to Croatia for 2019, as well as their frequency and dates of operation.

Happy flying!

Sonic Festival Dubrovnik

The first Sonic Festival to take place in Dubrovnik’s stunning Lovrijenac Fortress this September

A new name on Croatia’s impressive music festival scene comes to Dubrovnik this September. Sonic Festival’s Sonic Sunset Session is to be held in the mighty Lovrijenac Fortress in Dubrovnik on 8th and 9th September 2022 – electronic music fans will delight in partying it up in this amazing location, the first time it will be used as a festival site.

Sonic Festival Dubrovnik

About Sonic Festival

Sonic Festival’s first edition is being presented as the Sonic Sunset Session to provide revellers with an unforgettable experience of both the location and the entire event. And some of the top names in the house and techno scene – both internationally and locally – are on the bill for this first edition: Italian producer and DJ Marco Faraone; one of Ibiza’s go-to DJs, Jamie Roy; and regional acts such as Danijel Čehranov, Dea Tosh, NEROA, Brigitta & MattButt.

Hailing from Tuscany, Marco Faraone grew up immersed in music – his father was a DJ in the 80s, and his initial foray into DJing was dominated by the many hip-hop records that comprised his then-modest collection. Marco then graduated to playing drum ‘n’ bass, before settling on a discerning techno vibe for which he is best known today. Marco became a resident at Florence’s globally-renowned Tenax club and quickly graduated from being a ‘crafty up-and-comer’ to one of modern techno’s most recognised and respected names. Marco’s productions have graced some of the scene’s most respected labels such as Drumcode, Defected and Rekids as well as his own much-respected UNCAGE imprint.

Jamie Roy is someone who lives and breathes underground electronic music culture in all its forms. It’s therefore no surprise that Jamie quickly became one of Ibiza’s go-to DJs in 2019 when he held a residency at the legendary Ushuaia for Nic Fanciulli’s ‘Dance Or Die’ events. As a producer, he has landed on the likes of Repopulate Mars, Trick, Unsound, Saved, Kaluki and Under No Illusion. With each and every new EP, Roy shows a subtle evolution of his sound while staying true to his roots. Whether playing an intense club set at places like Studio 338 or La Terrazza Barcelona, or
laying it down for huge crowds on main stages at BPM Festival Costa Rica or Elrow in Glasgow, Roy always knows exactly what record to reach for to make the best connection with his crowd.

Danijel Čehranov, the owner of Last95 Records, is one of Belgrade’s most sought-after DJs, as well as one of the most successful regional music producers. He has played at the amazing Dance Arena at Exit Festival, the Main Stage at the Sea Dance Festival, and also in New York, Moscow, Istanbul and the entire region.

Tickets for Sonic Festival

Tickets for Sonic Festival are planned to go on sale on 1st July 2022, and will be available on Entrio.

More Info

Take a look at Sonic Festival on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news on the festival.