Waymark

Croatia travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Plitvice Lakes National Park
Plitvice Lakes National Park. Photo: Zysko serhii, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
2h 15mflight from London
Eurocurrency
No visafor UK passports
Type C, Fplugs

Turquoise lakes, island hopping and Dubrovnik's walls

Don't miss

  1. Dubrovnik
  2. Plitvice Lakes
  3. Hvar
Good forBeachesIslandsHistory & ruins

Best time to visit Croatia from the UK

Best value: Apr–May, Sep. May–Jun and Sep: warm sea, fewer crowds. Busiest and priciest: Jun–Aug.

-0.8 C-1°J1 C1°F5.6 C6°M11 C11°A15.7 C16°M20.3 C20°J22.8 C23°J22.4 C22°A16.6 C17°S11.1 C11°O5.6 C6°N0.5 C0°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Zagreb, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Zagreb for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: May and SeptemberThe warmest of the best-value months (16–17°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Jun–AugUsually 20–23°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Oct–MarAround -1–11°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, but cold, so pack layers.
  • Warmest: July (23°C) · coolest: January (-1°C)A 24°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
-0.815.61115.720.322.822.416.611.15.60.5

Festivals and events

  • Rijeka Carnival Feb · Rijeka
  • Dubrovnik Summer Festival Jul–Aug · Dubrovnik
  • Advent in Zagreb Dec · Zagreb

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 2h 15m
Distance
1,359 km
Main airport
ZAG

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Croatia to your bucket list Search flights to ZAG

Practical info and travel guidance

EuroCapital: Zagreb
Type C, F · 230VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
112
EmergencyPolice, fire, ambulance
Tap water safeAcross the country
  • VisaNo visa neededUp to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area
  • HealthcareGHIC acceptedYour UK GHIC covers necessary state healthcare. Still take travel insurance.
  • LGBT+ travellersLegal and broadly accepted
  • Women travellersFCDO warns of sexual assault or harassmentTake extra care at night and with drinks.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Croatia, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 11 August 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Croatia before you book and again before you go.

Open Croatia on the map Log it as visited, drop pins for the places you went, or plan it as your next trip.