Croatia: coast, islands, Plitvice, best time to visit, getting there and costs 2026

Croatia suits you if you want to combine a beach holiday on the Adriatic with old towns and national parks. Ten sites in the country are on UNESCO's World Heritage List (as of September 2026). Tourism is concentrated on the coast: in 2025, 94.3% of all overnight stays in commercial accommodation were in the Adriatic region (statistics office DZS).

A change is coming for tolls: according to ADAC, digital payment without stopping is planned, gradually from September 2026 and across the whole country from 1 March 2027. For the time being you still pay at toll stations with barriers.

Croatia suits you less if you want to go to the sea in winter: only 204 passengers flew from Germany to Zadar in January 2025, against 50,287 in August (own analysis, Destatis). If you do not cope well with heat, avoid July and August. Then the mean daily high in Split is 31.0 and 30.9 °C (WMO normals 1991–2020).

Getting there from Germany

From the 22 main German airports, exactly 1,432,391 passengers whose last known destination was in Croatia departed in 2025, rank 14 among 211 destination countries abroad. Connecting passengers abroad are not counted. Most went to Zagreb (474,847) and Split (422,051), followed by Zadar, Dubrovnik, Pula and Rijeka. The most important departure airports were Frankfurt (339,633) and Munich (269,793), followed by Berlin (142,437) and Weeze on the Lower Rhine (101,465). The source is the Federal Statistical Office, year 2025; totals, ranking and breakdown are own analysis.

Zagreb (ZAG): shuttle bus for €9

It is 17 km from the airport to the centre. According to the tourist board, the Pleso Prijevoz shuttle takes 35 to 40 minutes to the bus station and costs €9.00; children under 7 travel free. According to the timetable it leaves between 6:00 and 22:30. Later, until 1:00, it is timed to the landings of Croatia Airlines and leaves 30 to 40 minutes after them (as of September 2026).

Split (SPU): Platanus shuttle for €10

From the airport in Kaštela it is 20 km to Split and only 6 km to Trogir. The Platanus shuttle times its departures to the arrivals. It sets off about half an hour after landing, without stopping, and takes around 30 minutes to the bus station. The single journey costs €10, the return €15, and children under six pay nothing (as of September 2026). The bus station is right by the railway station and the ferry port, and it is around five minutes on foot to the old town.

Zadar (ZAD): scheduled bus for €5

From the airport, which according to the operator is 8 km from the town, the Liburnija scheduled bus takes about 20 minutes to the peninsula in the centre. The journey costs €5.00 with luggage, and with the same ticket you can change to the city bus within 90 minutes (as of September 2026).

Dubrovnik (DBV) and Pula (PUY)

Dubrovnik airport is 22.5 km from the town. In summer the drive into the town can take an hour, otherwise 30 to 35 minutes on average. With the Platanus shuttle (single €10) you are at the Ploče Gate of the old town after about 30 minutes, and the terminus is Gruž bus station. In Pula, a shuttle for €6 takes you to the bus station 30 minutes after landing (as of September 2026).

Regions and destinations at a glance

Overnight stays: statistics office DZS, year 2025. Passengers from Germany: own analysis (Destatis, year 2025). Prices and times: as of September 2026.

Istria accounted for 29.9% of all overnight stays in the country in 2025, 40.4% of them at campsites. Guests from Germany accounted for 10 million overnight stays there. No place recorded more overnight stays than Rovinj and Dubrovnik, which were level at 4.2 million each (DZS, year 2025).

Central Dalmatia has three World Heritage Sites: Diocletian's Palace in Split (since 1979), the old town of Trogir (1997) and the Stari Grad Plain on Hvar (2008). The ferries to Hvar, Brač and Šolta leave from next to Split bus station.

The 1,940 m long city wall of Dubrovnik includes six bastions, three fortresses and 16 towers. It is closed only on 25 December, and Lovrijenac Fortress is included in the wall ticket (as of September 2026).

Plitvice has been a national park since 8 April 1949, the oldest in the country, and at just under 300 km² it is also the largest. Seven routes are available for the lakes. Entrances 1 and 2 are around 3 km apart and are currently open from 7:00 to 19:00, with the times changing according to the season (as of September 2026). Trips on the electric boat and panoramic train cost nothing extra (2026 price list).

Best time to visit

WMO climate normals 1991–2020, reported by Croatia to the WMO: mean high and low and precipitation per month.

In Split only 24.6 mm of rain falls in July, and the sun shines for 359 hours. Over the year Split records 2,698 hours of sunshine, Zagreb 2,026. May, June and September bring highs of 23.4 to 28.1 °C in Split. The wettest month in Split is November, in Zagreb September.

Getting around the country

Rail and bus

The Zagreb–Split railway line measures 429 km, and there is an overhead line only as far as Oštarije. According to the HŽPP timetable (valid until 12 December 2026), the express train B 523 takes just under eight hours: from Zagreb 13:49, arriving in Split 21:47. In July 2024 HŽPP ordered six electro-diesel trains for the line. According to the schedule at the time, they will replace by the end of 2026 the tilting trains that have run there since 2004.

According to the Dubrovnik-Neretva Tourist Board, there are bus connections between the country's large towns every day. For buses and boats, it is best to reserve a few days ahead in summer. From Zadar and Biograd, 17 inhabited islands can be reached by ferry, catamaran or fast boat (as of September 2026).

Car and roads

Croatia has no vignette: on motorways you pay at toll stations, and expressways currently cost nothing. A car up to 1.90 m in height pays €26.40 from Zagreb to Split, €17.60 to Zadar-Centre and €10.10 to Rijeka (as of September 2026). You can pay in cash, by card or with an ENC device. With the device (€15 according to ADAC) you save 21.74% all year round, according to HAC. You drive over the bridges to Krk and to Pelješac without a toll.

For cars, the limits are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 outside them, 110 on expressways and 130 on motorways. 0.5 per mille is permitted; anyone under 25 must stay at 0.0. From the beginning of November to the end of March, dipped headlights are compulsory in the daytime too. A high-visibility vest must be on board, and your German driving licence is enough (ADAC, as of September 2026).

Domestic flights

Croatia Airlines flies domestically between Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula, Brač and Osijek. A one-way flight from Zagreb in the Fly Easy fare costs from €53 to Pula and from €57 to Split, Dubrovnik or Brač. Airport charges are included, and the seats at these prices are limited (as of 26 September 2026).

Money and costs

Since 1 January 2023 you pay in euros in Croatia. In hotels, supermarkets and the towns, paying by card or phone usually works. According to ADAC, you should still carry cash, for example for trips into the countryside, small shops and restaurants (as of September 2026).

The tourist tax is set by each county itself, in Zagreb by the city assembly, in each case within state lower and upper limits. In the town of Korčula in 2026, for example, it is €1.90 per person and night from April to September and otherwise €1.40 in commercial accommodation other than campsites. Private landlords pay an annual flat rate per bed instead.

Practical information

Croatia observes the same time as Germany all year round, and the official language is Croatian. The free emergency number 112 also takes calls in German and locates the caller; you can additionally reach the fire brigade on 193. The HAK motoring club provides breakdown assistance around the clock on +385 1 1987. According to ADAC, you do not need a travel adapter, as the mains supply is 230 volts and 50 hertz. Because Croatia is part of the EU, your phone costs you nothing extra there thanks to “Roam like at home” (as of September 2026).

Public holidays include Statehood Day on 30 May, 22 June, 5 and 15 August and 1 and 18 November. In 2026 Easter Monday falls on 6 April and Corpus Christi on 4 June (own calculation).

What applies on entry, safety and health is currently set out by the German Foreign Office.

Who Croatia is not for

• Anyone looking for peace and quiet in summer: In 2025, 94.3% of overnight stays were on the Adriatic. In July 2025, with 209,834, the most passengers flew from Germany to Croatia (own analysis).
• Anyone who does not cope well with heat: In Split the mean high is 31.0 °C in July and 30.9 °C in August (1991–2020).
• Anyone who wants to go to the coast in winter: Only 119 passengers flew from Germany to Pula in January 2025. In Plitvice most restaurants close in the winter half-year.
• Anyone travelling by car in summer: ADAC warns of waiting times at the toll stations, and from Dubrovnik airport into the town it can take an hour.
• Anyone who wants to shop on Sundays: The shops are in principle closed.
• Anyone who wants to swim in the national park: Swimming is prohibited in Plitvice.