First time going to Croatia, what places are worth the hype?

Posted by Conscious-Mousse4160@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 22 comments

I’m planning a Croatia trip right now and I keep going back and forth on where to spend the most time. Every place looks ridiculously beautiful online, but I know some spots are probably way more touristy than they seem.

Right now I’m looking at Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar, Zagreb, Zadar, Rovinj, and Plitvice Lakes, but I’m definitely not going to have time for all of them.

I’m mostly into nice scenery, beaches, old towns, good food, boat trips, and places that still feel fun even if you’re just walking around with no real plan for the day.

For people who’ve been to Croatia recently, what places ended up being your favorite and which ones would you skip if you went again?

[-]

Content-Type-4295@reddit

I'm from Zagreb and have been to Zadar, Dubrovnik and Plitvice lakes.

Zagreb - definitely less touristy and not as visited as coastal towns, but the old center is very charming and the whole place feels more authentic. Keep in mind some buildings, like the cathedral, are unfortunately under scaffolding because of the big earthquake we had in 2020. There are a lot of great museums and beautiful parks in town, plus some nice traditional restaurants like Stari Fijaker, Magazinska Klet, Didov San or Vinodol. Try our local dish "štrukli" at La Štruk, Esplanade hotel or see them made by hand at Štrukli To Go. Also, don't miss out on our beer from Medvedgrad brewery. You can also take a day trip to Samobor and try their famous "kremšnite", or go hiking on Medvednica (you can also take the cable car).

If you're interested, I actually made a detailed post about what to see and do in Zagreb here: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/1t8n3wo/what_to_do_in_zagreb_in_7_days_plus_some/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Zadar: Absolutely my favourite town on our coast that I've visited so far. Watching the sunset by the sea organ is just amazing. It's less touristy than Dubrovnik, for example, but it can still get a bit crowded in the summer. Still I'd say it's absolutely worth the visit. I recommend Slatka Tajna café for their pancakes. The Museum of Ancient Glass was also very interesting. You can also take a 10 minute ferry ride to island Ugljan. Places like Preko and Kali (a fishermen village) are so cute and charming, have some great beaches and almost no crowds.

Dubrovnik: I thought Dubrovnik would be overrated. Boy was I wrong. The place feels unreal, it's just so breathtaking and beautiful. There's a reason it's so popular and expensive. My advice is to get the Dubrovnik Pass because you get tickets for almost all museums in town, bus tickets (I recommend the Ethnographic and Maritime museum), tickets for the city walls and discounts for some restaurants. I also recommended going to mount Srđ with cable car for great views. You can do a day trip to Cavtat by bus or ferry, it's a charming little town and I definitely recommend visiting the Račić mausoleum and Vlaho Bukovac house while there. If you're into folklore, in Čilipi you have show of traditional dances and music after the Sunday morning mass - highly recommend. Some other places I'd recommend in the area are Konavoski Dvori (there's also a restaurant on the river there and the waiters and waitresses wear traditional clothing, I recommend you try the traditional dessert "rozata" there), Sokol fortress, Rector's Palace in Pridvorje (the café there has some breathtaking views), Ombla river source (also has a lovely café by the river) and Lokrum island.

Plitvice lakes: Another breathtaking place. You won't regret visiting them and it's so memorable. I recommend getting there early in the morning to avoid crowds, because they can kinda ruin the experience. Keep in mind they're as expensive as Dubrovnik in the summer and you have to buy a ticket ahead. But just like Dubrovnik, it's worth every penny, in my opinion. I also recommended stoping by Rastoke on your way there, a small traditional village on waterfalls.

Can't say anything for Rovinj, Split and Hvar since I haven't been there yet.

Some honorable mentions (that I've been to): Pula and Poreč - lovely towns in Istria that have a lot of amazing history, less crowded than the rest of this list. Istria in itself is an amazing region to explore, but I recommend perhaps making it a second trip.

[-]

stojrma@reddit

I definitely recommend Sibenik area with Sibenik town, Kornati National Park and Krka National Park.

Great places indeed and not badly crowded as other parts of Croatia.

[-]

Ok_Development1777@reddit

I dont see that anyone has mentioned pula. I really liked it there. Can take a day trip to rovinj by bus.

[-]

Content-Type-4295@reddit

+1 for Pula!

[-]

Hour-Promotion-2496@reddit

Lol nobody from the Balkans goes to Croatia. Too expensive

[-]

FuckTheCake@reddit

it’s not too expensive your wages are just too low

[-]

Wonderful-Bat-5897@reddit

you never went then. so many bosniaks serbs slovenes…

[-]

Odd_Bodybuilder_4772@reddit

Yes some tourist centers are expensive, but expensive for a reason. Balkan isn’t really a target audience for Croatia. They can charge much more to americans, english, australians or germans.

[-]

backhand_english@reddit

As a local from Zadar, my recomendation, and this is the only one that matters, is you save up a bit of money, grab 5-6 friends so you can split the expenses, and charter a sailboat with a captain for a week. Go all over the place. Islands 95% of the time, coastal cities 5%. Rovinj, Pula, Opatija, Zadar, Šibenik, Trogir, Split, Omiš, Makarska, Dubrovnik are all fiiiiiine, but are all shiiiiit also.

Islands is where it's at.

[-]

paranoidtrader@reddit

What's the price for that?

[-]

backhand_english@reddit

Depends on the time of season, number of people on board and boat itself. From 2000€ upwards. Thats the price per week. When divided amongst friends its not that much...

[-]

paranoidtrader@reddit

Thnx for the info. Was often there but never considered something like this. Which now seems obvious lol wtf I'm at the sea.

[-]

Selfie_2026@reddit

All the places you listed are worth seeing — Croatia is one of those countries where it’s genuinely hard to go wrong. But they all have very different vibes, and some are definitely more enjoyable depending on what you like.

For your interests favorites would probably be:

• Hvar — especially Hvar Town + Pakleni islands. Super beautiful, great boat trips/swimming, amazing sunsets, lively atmosphere at night. Yes, touristy, but still really fun if you stay a few days instead of rushing through.

• Split — one of the most fun to actually be in. The old town is alive all day/night, great food, ferries everywhere, beaches nearby, and it’s an amazing base for islands/day trips. A lot of people underestimate Split before going and end up loving it.

• Rovinj — probably the most romantic/prettiest town in Croatia. Smaller, slower, amazing sunsets and seafood. Feels very Mediterranean/Italian. Perfect for relaxing.

• Plitvice Lakes — insanely beautiful in real life, not overhyped at all. But I’d only do 1 night max there because it’s more nature-focused than “fun town to hang around in.”

• Zagreb — nice city, good cafes/restaurants, but it is not near the sea

• Zadar — cool place, especially sunsets/sea organ

• Dubrovnik — absolutely stunning, probably the most visually impressive old town in Croatia… but also by far the most crowded and expensive. Worth seeing once for 2 nights maybe, but I wouldn’t spend a huge chunk of the trip there unless you’re a massive history/Game of Thrones fan.

If I had 10–14 days personally, I’d probably do something like:
Split → Hvar → Dubrovnik → Rovinj (and Plitvice on the way)

That gives you islands, beaches, old towns, boat trips, nightlife, scenery, and a more relaxed Istria vibe too.

One thing people often underestimate in Croatia is how much time ferries/transfers take, so fewer places with longer stays is usually WAY more enjoyable than trying to see everything.

[-]

Vivid-Cry5245@reddit

My boyfriend’s mother is from Ogulin, a really charming town in Karlovac. It’s always a pleasure to visit! The countryside is beautiful and it’s not very touristy yet.

If you love nature, waterfalls and wide open green spaces, go for it.

[-]

Shot_Independence274@reddit

I loved the cities upwards of zadar.

Rijeka, Porec, Rovinj.

[-]

Vivid_Pond_7262@reddit

Istria 👍

[-]

sajkoterrapefft@reddit

Those places are obnoxious during tourism season.

If you're going there during the height of tourism season I'd suggest go hiking on Velebit, Pakleni Kraj, go to Istra, try the smaller places between the big ones, like any coastal town you never heard of is probably better than Dubrovnik.

Go to Dubrovnik one day, just as a daytrip, you'll hate it.

[-]

Smooth-Lie-3906@reddit

I reside in the US (NY) but have Balkan roots (Albania) and Croatia has been my go to place for the summer vacation, this year will be the 4th time in a row going there, usually spend about a month on the coast line, specifically near the town of Sibenik bc it’s less touristy then the others and I just fell in love with the area (cobble stone streets, castles, people, coffee shops, fav restaurants and it’s in between other places I love to visit and ofc the beaches) and it feels like you're a local vs a tourist.

With that said, I’ve been to all of the places on your list multiple times with the exception of Rivinj (it's on the list to visit this year), so here's my take on those places:

Dubrovnik - Worth the visit, it's beautiful and breathtaking but it is super crowded of course, more expensive then most other places other than Hvar and the main beach gets crowded quickly, so you'll need to go early. Restaurants are geared towards tourists so the food will be ok but not great, I highly recommend you take a taxi up the mountain and visit Konoba Dubrava or Restaurant Panorama if you want a more authentic food experience.
Split - Amazing coastal town with a beautiful views, beautiful inner streets and old town feel. It gets very touristy very quickly and you tend to feel like you're part of the herd vs having the local feel. It is pretty expensive for anything and the food/prices are geared towards tourists and the food is ok to sometimes just bland, especially at the waterfront restaurants, I recommend eating/drinking in the inner street restaurants/coffee shops. IMO it's worth a visit as a first time but I could definitely skip it.
Zadar - Probably one of my favorite places to visit when I'm there, lots of beautiful inner streets with cobble stones, lots of things to see and some great museums if you enjoy that, and great shopping. You're surrounded by water so wherever you go it's beautiful, and the Seahorn that is worth visiting )(sitting down & listening to it and watching the water/sunset). It does get busier as later in the day and can be crowded by the waterfront but I will say the sunsets there are just fucking amazing so I highly recommend going later in the day to enjoy the sunset and at night the whole place comes alive, defining worth going.
Hvar - Hard not to go as your first time bc it's a beautiful island but honestly it's overrated IMO, you end up overpaying for everything bc they can (it's Hvar after all), the food is generally good but a lot of the restaurants are geared towards tourists, lots of famous ppl go there so you'll end up seeing someone famous at some point or another. Because it's one of the more popular and expensive islands the tourists are more snobby so your interactions with ppl can be annoying. IMO it's a pass if you're looking for an authentic experience but also hard to pass bc you must visit it at least once if you're in Croatia.
Zagreb - Beautiful city definitely worth visiting, old town feel combined with modern amenities and the local food markets are worth visiting. A lot of things to see here, including some great museums. There is a combination of tourist food places with more authentic spots but generally the food here is more authentic (read reviews and go to places 4.5+ stars). The crowd can get big at times but it depends on when you go but generally you'll see more locals here so you'll feel like you're a local enjoying a day out in the city. Worth the visit IMO
Plitvice Lakes - This place is 1000% worth the visit, I've been to a bunch of different wonders around the world and Plitvice Lakes is definitely one of my favorites, there is nothing like it until you see it with your own eyes, it's just breathtaking and you'll catch yourself saying WOW! throughout the whole walk. I highly recommend you go when it's not too hot though, as the walk can be a bit brutal in the sun, there is shade throughout the way but most of it is unshaded, so bring lots of water. There are multiple paths for walking through the lakes and spots to stop for lunch/drinks/coffee etc.. midway through most of the paths. Be prepared though to spend your whole day here, the paths are quite long and can take anywhere from 4-8+hrs to get through, depending on which one you choose.

A few places you didn't mention that I think are worth the visit as you'll have the local feel, especially since you enjoy coastal towns (I also love coastal towns when on vacation, especially beach towns):

Sibenik, Makarska, Baska Voda, Primosten (One of my fav. beaches to visit while in Croatia), Pirovac/Murter and Brac (The Golden Horn beach here you have to visit at least once while in Croatia, it's just incredible). Also do a day trip on a private boat if you can afford it, it's so worth visiting the random islands and being there on your own, bring a speaker with you and defining some Karlovacko beer 😄

You'll love Croatia no matter where you go really, especially the coastal towns. Goodluck mate, let me know if you have any more questions and let us know how you enjoyed it when you get back!

[-]

insanecorgiposse@reddit

Hvar and Dubrovnik but your trip timing is critical otherwise the crowds will be overwhelming. I just returned yesterday from Italy and Croatia. By their standards the crowds were pretty light but for me personally, any more and it would have been miserable, especially with the sudden extreme heat dome over Europe. Hvar is a gorgeous island so you have use ferry service as does nearly everyone and waiting lines can be long. Dubrovnik is a cruise ship destination and you need to plan around the disembarking of day tripping passengers. From what I saw the early morning is best or early evening after the ships pull out. Appearently they limit the number of ships at any one time but in the old days they could suddenly have 20,000 people a day show up which would be absolutely unbearable if you ask me. Everyone speaks English and are very friendly especially in Hvar.

[-]

Wonderful-Bat-5897@reddit

Konzum, Emmezeta, pijaca, kladionica (a place where a lot of money is spent every year). you re welcome

[-]

CommunicationNo4547@reddit

For me Dubrovnik wasn't worth it, but Split yes. Istria is beautiful but you could spend a whole week there. How much time do you have?

[-]

CmdrJemison@reddit

I have family in Zadar and traveled to it very often.

It's a beautiful city, but next time I tend to go towards Split since I visited Trogir once, which was also very beautiful.

If you go to Zadar i can also recommend to go to Nin. I'll add a picture of Nin from my vacation in 2025.

If you need a place to stay it's probably more expensive in the cities itself but there are a lot of apartments in between which are more affordable.

Dubrovnik is an outstanding classic, but also comes with a price.

I was in Šibenik once and can also recommend this.

And yes. If you can then visit Plitvička Jezera. That's a must to see.