Summary

The provided content offers three key recommendations for travelers planning to visit Croatia, based on the author's personal honeymoon experience: avoid traveling during peak summer months, bring water shoes for rocky beaches, and explore beyond the coastal cities to fully appreciate the country's beauty.

Abstract

The author shares insights from their honeymoon trip to Croatia, emphasizing the importance of timing, proper gear, and a comprehensive itinerary. They recommend visiting outside of the crowded summer months, particularly July and August, to enhance the enjoyment of popular attractions like Plitvice Lakes National Park and Dubrovnik. The author also suggests packing water shoes to comfortably navigate the sharp rocks found on many Croatian beaches. Furthermore, they encourage travelers to venture inland, highlighting the beauty of Plitvice Lakes National Park, Zagreb, and Krka National Park, in addition to the well-known Adriatic Coast. The article serves as a guide to maximize the Croatian experience by learning from the author's firsthand account.

Opinions

The author believes that despite the beauty of Croatia, the summer months are too crowded, which detracts from the experience.
They express that having water shoes is essential for enjoying beach activities without discomfort due to the rocky terrain.
The author holds the opinion that Croatia's inland attractions, such as Plitvice Lakes National Park and the cities of Zagreb and Krka National Park, are as worthy of exploration as the famous coastal areas.
They assert that their trip to Croatia was enhanced by these insights and would approach a future visit with the same considerations in mind.

3 Things to Know Before You Visit Croatia

Make the most out of your experience

My husband and I were privileged to visit Croatia on our honeymoon this summer.

It was an incredible trip.

You can read our complete itinerary here:

A Week in Croatia

An itinerary across a country of incredible beauty.

medium.com

Here are three things we learned from that trip.

Avoid the summer

Croatia is an incredibly popular holiday destination, for good reason.

Because of that, peak travel times can become incredibly crowded. This is particularly the case for July and August in this country.

We were in Croatia for a week in August. If I had had the choice I would have avoided that period but, unfortunately, my husband doesn’t get to choose his holiday dates so this was what we had to work with.

I do not regret going. But, if I had to go back, I would pick a different period.

The main attractions of Croatia, Plitvices Lakes National Park and Dubrovnik were incredibly busy.

In Plitvice, we had to queue regularly and for long periods of time to see the park. It was particularly bad when it came to the free boats and buses used to navigate the park and avoid taking very long loops around the lakes.

We still had a magical experience. But it would have been more enjoyable if there weren’t as many people around.

I believe that Spring and Fall would be great times to visit Croatia. The weather would still be nice and it would be much less crowded.

Bring water shoes

We did not go to a lot of beaches in Croatia and I know that there are some incredible sandy beaches at different places in the country.

However, a lot of beaches, including the ones we went to, are made of sharp rocks.

Rocky beaches on Lukrum (island near Dubrovnik) (photo by author)

We had bought water shoes specifically for this trip but of course forgot them on the one day we actually needed them.

So learn from our mistakes. If you are planning on going swimming in Croatia, you should bring some water shoes with you, which will make walking to and from the water a lot less painful.

Don’t simply stick to the coast

Of course, Split, Dubrovnik, and the whole Adriatic Coast are incredible. When people picture Croatia, they often imagine the deep blue water overlooked by historical cities.

But that is not all that Croatia has to offer.

Plitvice Lakes National Park (photo by author)

As I mentioned above, Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to, despite the crowds.

It’s impossible to describe how blue the water is and to truly grasp the majesty of the hundreds of waterfalls without seeing it.

If you go to Croatia, you have to make Plitvice a part of your itinerary.

We also loved Zagreb and Krka National Park. They are not as grandiose as Plitvice or the Adriatic Coast but they are definitely worth taking the time to explore.

Croatia was a beautiful surprise. We loved the week we spent there and hope that we’ll be able to come back in the future.

If we do, we’ll definitely go at any other time than July or August, bring water shoes if we intend to swim, and make sure to take the time to explore the whole country, not just the beautiful coast.