Things to do in Croatia

20 places worth the trip in Croatia, grouped by what they are. Every guide explains what to see, the best time to go and the practical details, checked against official sources. Best time to visit Croatia: May–Jun, Sep.

Heritage (8)
Cities (3)
National parks (3)
Mosques & temples (2)
Landmarks (1)
Beaches (1)
Islands (1)
Viewpoints (1)

Heritage in Croatia

Aerial view of Dubrovnik Old Town's walls, orange rooftops and old harbour on the Adriatic Sea

Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik-Neretva County

Dubrovnik Old Town

A compact, car-free old city of pale limestone streets, churches and palaces, ringed by medieval walls and listed by UNESCO in 1979. Once the capital of the Republic of Ragusa, it is the heart of any visit to southern Dalmatia.

Granite columns and arches of the Peristyle in Diocletian's Palace with the cathedral bell tower above, Split

Split, Split-Dalmatia County

Diocletian’s Palace, Split

Built for Emperor Diocletian from around 295 AD, the palace still forms the core of Split, with homes, shops and a cathedral set inside its Roman walls.

Dubrovnik's stone city walls running along a sheer limestone cliff above the waves of the Adriatic

Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik-Neretva County

Dubrovnik City Walls

An unbroken circuit of stone walls, about 1,940 m long and up to 25 m high, built mainly between the 13th and 17th centuries. Walking the ramparts gives sweeping views over the Old Town's roofs and the open Adriatic.

Korčula Town on its peninsula, with red roofs, the cathedral bell tower and Pelješac's mountains across the channel

Korčula, Dubrovnik-Neretva County

Korčula Town

A compact walled town on the island of Korčula, built on a peninsula facing Pelješac. Narrow stepped lanes branch off a central spine in a herringbone pattern, climbing to St Mark's Cathedral.

Mali Ston harbour with a round stone tower, waterfront houses and moored boats beneath green hills

Ston, Dubrovnik-Neretva County

Ston & the Pelješac Walls

A 5.5 km system of medieval walls and towers built by the Republic of Ragusa across the neck of the Pelješac peninsula, linking Ston with Mali Ston and protecting valuable salt pans that are still worked today.

Trogir's palm-lined Riva with moored boats, red roofs and the cathedral bell tower beyond

Trogir, Split-Dalmatia County

Trogir

A small historic town on an islet between the mainland and Čiovo, with a street plan dating back to Hellenistic times, a cathedral with Radovan's 1240 portal and a Venetian fortress.

The arched limestone outer wall of Pula Arena on a sunny day, with visitors walking along the street below

Pula, Istria County

Pula Arena

A Roman amphitheatre from the 1st century AD, described by Istria's tourist board as the sixth largest surviving in the world, with an intact outer wall and an underground exhibition on Roman olive oil and wine.

Motovun's stone houses and bell tower on a green hilltop, with vineyards in the foreground under a blue sky

Motovun, Istria County

Motovun and the Istrian Hill Towns

A walled medieval town on a 277-metre hill above the Mirna valley and its truffle forest, on UNESCO's tentative list, and the best base for exploring Grožnjan, Hum and Istria's other hill towns.

Cities in Croatia

Aerial view of St Mark's Church and its patterned tiled roof amid the red rooftops of Zagreb's Upper Town

Zagreb, City of Zagreb

Zagreb Upper Town (Gornji Grad)

Zagreb's historic hilltop quarter, home to St Mark's Church with its patterned tiled roof, the Lotrščak Tower and its noon cannon, and the seats of Croatia's parliament and government.

Aerial view of Rovinj old town on its peninsula, with the bell tower of St Euphemia and the blue Adriatic around it

Rovinj, Istria County

Rovinj

A pastel-coloured old town on a former island on Istria's west coast, topped by the Baroque Church of St Euphemia and its 62-metre bell tower, with forest park and islands close by.

The Maiden with the Seagull statue on a rock in the sea, with Opatija's seafront buildings and hills in the background

Opatija, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County

Opatija

Croatia's historic seaside resort below Mount Učka, where Villa Angiolina began local tourism in 1844, and the 12 km Lungomare promenade links Volosko, Opatija and Lovran along the Kvarner coast.

National parks in Croatia

Veliki Slap and cascading waterfalls flowing into turquoise pools surrounded by forest at Plitvice Lakes

Plitvička Jezera, Lika-Senj County

Plitvice Lakes

Sixteen named lakes stepping down a forested karst valley, joined by travertine barriers and waterfalls and explored on wooden boardwalks, electric boats and panoramic trains.

Veliko jezero lake framed by forested hills, looking towards the wooded Isle of St Mary and its building

Mljet, Dubrovnik-Neretva County

Mljet National Park

Proclaimed in 1960, Croatia's island national park covers western Mljet: dense pine woods around two saltwater lakes, Veliko and Malo jezero, with a medieval monastery on an islet in the larger lake.

Wide travertine cascades of the Krka River spilling into a clear green pool among trees

Skradin / Lozovac, Šibenik-Knin County

Krka National Park

A protected stretch of the Krka River with seven waterfalls, including the broad travertine cascades of Skradinski buk, plus island and riverside monasteries reached by park boats.

Mosques & temples in Croatia

Elevated view of the cathedral's dome and stone roof among red rooftops beside the blue sea channel

Šibenik, Šibenik-Knin County

Šibenik – Cathedral of St James

Built between 1431 and 1535, Šibenik's cathedral is made entirely of stone, with a vaulted roof and dome of interlocking slabs and a frieze of carved human faces.

Dome and slender minaret of the Zagreb Mosque under a blue sky

Borovje, Zagreb, City of Zagreb

Zagreb Mosque and Islamic Centre

The Islamic Centre in Zagreb's Borovje district, completed in 1987, combines a mosque with a 51-metre minaret, a madrasa, a library and community facilities for Croatia's Muslim community.

Landmarks in Croatia

Two silhouetted visitors on the Sea Organ waterfront in Zadar, looking out to sea at sunset

Zadar, Zadar County

Zadar – Sea Organ & Greeting to the Sun

Two installations by architect Nikola Bašić at the tip of Zadar's old town: stone steps that sound with the waves, and a glass solar circle that lights up after sunset.

Beaches in Croatia

Zlatni Rat's pale pebble spit reaching into turquoise water, framed by pine branches

Bol, Brač island, Split-Dalmatia County

Zlatni Rat, Brač

A white-pebble beach about 2 km west of Bol that juts almost half a kilometre into the sea, its tip shifting with waves, currents and wind.

Islands in Croatia

Hvar town harbour full of yachts and the Pakleni Islands at sunset, seen from the fortress walls

Hvar, Split-Dalmatia County

Hvar Island

A 68 km-long island off Split known for its Venetian-era harbour town, lavender and vineyards, the UNESCO-listed Stari Grad Plain and the wooded Pakleni Islands just offshore.

Viewpoints in Croatia

A Dubrovnik cable car cabin on its cable high above the walled Old Town and the old harbour

Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik-Neretva County

Mount Srđ & Cable Car

The limestone hill rising 412 m behind Dubrovnik, topped by a stone cross and the Napoleonic-era Fort Imperial. A cable car or a steep footpath leads to panoramic views of the walled city, Lokrum and the Adriatic.

Croatia holiday packages

Aerial view of Dubrovnik Old Town's walls, orange rooftops and old harbour on the Adriatic Sea

BeachCulture

Croatia · 9 nights4★ Boutique

Dalmatian Coast & Islands

Dubrovnik walls
Hvar & Korčula
Split old town

Includes accommodation · private transfers · daily breakfast · guided sightseeing

Indicative from

$2,258 pp

Veliki Slap and cascading waterfalls flowing into turquoise pools surrounded by forest at Plitvice Lakes

FamilyNature

Croatia · 8 nights4★ Hotel

Croatia Family Adventure

Plitvice Lakes
Sea kayaking
Krka waterfalls

Includes accommodation · private transfers · daily breakfast · guided sightseeing

Indicative from

$1,908 pp

Croatia travel overview Plan a Croatia trip

Croatia travel guides