There’s no such thing in this world as a happy family. If you are looking for the next destination for family holidays, Croatia might just be the perfect place for you. Stick around and we’ll explain to you why. The same goes if you have been to Croatia with your family before but this time you want to try something different and make your family holidays in Croatia a much more pleasurable experience.
We’re locals and we run an adventure agency in Croatia for a long time now before we shifted our Life and Ventures project into what it is today – Croatia travel and outdoor portal. As we look back to the times when we were organizing our adventure tours we remember we had many families joining them. And they all seemed quite coherent and happy with children enjoying and actively participating in all the activities.
And we were talking to them, talking about the rest of their Croatia family holidays, what they love about it, what other places are they going to visit, what other adventure activities to try, and so on. And now that we run this website we decided to write a dedicated article for families visiting Croatia. We aim to be an ultimate guide to help you plan your best family holidays in Croatia from before you even reach Croatia until the end of your vacation. Whether you have toddlers or teenagers, Croatia has something for everyone.
This guide will help you plan a memorable family vacation in providing you with essential tips, highlights, and recommendations.
Why Croatia Is a Perfect Destination for Family Holidays
So why do we believe Croatia might just be the best place for your family holidays? First of all, it’s a really beautiful country with a lot of things to do. Yes, we know this comes from a local and you might regard us as biased, but ask anyone else you know who visited Croatia. They will all probably say the same.
Croatia as a rather small country offers a unique blend of stunning landscapes, rich culture, and family-friendly activities. All this makes it an ideal location for you and your family. It’s easy to reach Croatia, it’s easy to travel through Croatia, it has activities your children will love, it has 8 equally beautiful national parks and much more.
Here’s why Croatia stands out as a great place for family holidays:
- Safe and Welcoming: Croatia is one of the safest European countries, what more can you ask for when visiting a foreign country with your family
- Diverse Attractions: From beautiful beaches and national parks to historic towns and interactive museums, there’s something for everyone and all ages
- Compact Size: Traveling between different destinations in Croatia is easy, making it convenient to explore multiple regions during your Croatia family holidays.
- Outdoor Adventures: Opportunities for hiking, kayaking, and cycling abound, keeping kids and adults entertained. Children love outdoor activities and they are a great way to bond with a whole family.
- Affordable Options: Croatia offers a range of accommodations and activities to suit every budget. It’s even cheaper than some other famous European destinations
Our pick of the best adventure tours for families
Here’s our pick of some of the best adventure tours you can enjoy during your family holidays in Croatia. Keep in mind that not all of the mentioned activities are great for all ages so think about it when booking your perfect family adventure in Croatia.
The Best Season for Family Holidays in Croatia
First of all, you need to choose the best season for your Croatia family holidays. And we will be short here. The answer is summer either way you look. Most of the families visit Croatia in summer simply because of the school holidays. Although Croatia can be visited throughout the year not all the seasons are equally stunning. We have to be honest here. If you visit Croatia as a family during November or February, you probably won’t have a good time.
Summer is the season with the best weather in Croatia. Everything is open, and all the bars, restaurants, and attractions your kids will love. No need to think about it further, summer is the best time for your family holidays in Croatia.
There’s just one small and easily solvable thing when it comes to summer. If you don’t like crowded beaches and lots of people overall, consider avoiding the peak season and that would be the period from the 15th of July to the 20th of August. Everything out of that means fewer people and more space with equally nice weather as in previously mentioned periods.
Beginning of the September would be a great option for you, the weather is still warm and everything is like in the middle of the summer, just the crowds are gone.
- Spring (April to June):
- Mild weather, fewer crowds, and blooming nature.
- Ideal for outdoor adventures like hiking and national park visits.
- Summer (July to August):
- Perfect for beach holidays and water activities.
- Busy season, so book accommodations and activities in advance.
- Autumn (September to October):
- Warm seas, lower prices, and fewer tourists.
- Again, great for exploring historical sites and outdoor adventures.
- Winter (November to March):
- Peaceful and affordable but very limited activities.
- Excellent for exploring cities like Dubrovnik and Zagreb, especially during Christmas Markets
Plan Your Trip Together
There’s nothing better than a family planning their vacation together. For sure, older members of the family will be in charge of most things, but your kids would love it if you were going to share your ideas with them. And they would love you to consider their ideas too.
It’s a family holiday so everyone needs to be included. That way, you’re going to have good quality family time even before your family holidays in Croatia begin. And you can have different tasks for every family member. Your son could be in charge of finding the best family adventure in Croatia while your daughter might be in charge of planning the camping evening.
After everybody does their search, you gather together and discuss it. It can be really fun and it can make a difference for everyone. You can even spend some quality family time discussing and planning your family holidays in Croatia together.
- Destination Choice:
- Discuss preferences for activities (beaches, history, adventure) to choose the right locations where to stay in Croatia and what places to visit during your holiday
- Itinerary:
- Balance relaxation and activities so you have time to rest and time to have fun. Balance is the key here. Tired children mean more time for relaxation for parents.
- Packing Checklist:
- Let kids pack their essentials to build their excitement and responsibility. Let them be their own boss. Of course, you can overlook them so they don’t forget anything important but this way they will learn useful behaviors.
Go on a Family Adventure
One of the best things you can do during your family holidays in Croatia is to go on a mutual adventure. And there is a ton of these in Croatia. You can choose between zip lines, rafting, kayaking tours, cycling trips…
We suggest you choose something in which everybody will participate and all of you will be together. If you are a large family, you can have a whole raft just for you. Family rafting, how cool that sounds. If you are a smaller family, kayaking is a good option. Most of the kayaks offered are often 2 seated ones so you can pair up and have water fights along the way.
What about a hiking adventure? Croatia is full of mountains and if you want to introduce a healthy way of living to your children, then hiking might be a good option. You can choose between one-day hikes or multi-day hiking adventures.
- Water Sports: Kayaking, snorkeling, and paddleboarding in clear Adriatic waters.
- National Parks: Explore Plitvice Lakes and Krka waterfalls with family-friendly trails and breathtaking scenery.
- Island Hopping: Take short ferry rides to islands like Hvar, Brač, and Korčula for unique experiences.
- Cycling: Rent bikes to explore scenic coastal paths or countryside trails.
Choose the Right Accommodation
Your Croatia family holidays won’t be as good as they might be if you choose bad accommodation. Imagine booking an apartment in a house with 7 other apartments. Then you come to your vacation and you need to listen to other guests all the time. Not a dream holiday, right?
Choose a remote vacation house instead. Croatia is full of these. Smaller ones, larger ones. With pools, saunas, trampolines. In this kind of accommodation, you and your family will be alone, far from others and you have a lot of content at your disposal. Overall, you’ll spend more quality time than in other accommodation types.
When it comes to price, these vacation houses tend to be more expensive but are a perfect fit for families and we believe that it’s the best accommodation choice you can make. You can even choose a special accommodation type such as tree houses or secluded mountain cottages.
- All-Inclusive Resorts: Convenient for families who want everything in one place. Your kids will love it.
- Holiday Homes: Offers flexibility, privacy, and a kitchen for preparing meals.
- Camping Sites: Affordable and fun, with many sites offering pools, playgrounds, and organized activities.
Croatia Family Holidays Are Best When Traveling Around
Holidays are made for traveling around and your family holidays in Croatia will be a little bit boring if you choose to stay at the same place all the time. You need to travel around and explore cool places with your family.
Maybe they won’t be so boring to you, but your kids would love to experience as much as possible. They’re just children and as such, they are very curious so go on an exploration together and satisfy their curiosity. It’s a great way of bonding too and you’ll speak about your travels for a long time, even after your Croatia family holidays are over.
- Self-Drive Tours: Rent a car for flexibility and explore places like the Makarska Riviera, Istria, and Dalmatian Coast.
- Public Transport: Use buses and ferries for eco-friendly and cost-effective travel.
- Family Road Trip: Create a custom itinerary to visit a mix of cities, beaches, and countryside. Again, include every family member in deciding what places to visit during your family holidays in Croatia.
Happy children, happy family
This tip is maybe a little bit of a general tip, but it should be. We don’t know your children or your family, you know them the best. So it’s you who knows what works for your family and what choices to make for your family holidays in Croatia to be the best ones.
But one thing we know that is, when the children are happy, everybody else is happy too. So try to think about things your children like and make them jump around with joy.
- Interactive Museums: Visit places like the Museum of Illusions in Zagreb or the Maritime Museum in Split. Choose places your children can interact with
- Theme Parks: Fun for all ages, like Dinopark in Funtana or Aquapark Istralandia in Istria.
- Local Festivals: Participate in kid-friendly events or cultural festivals to create lasting memories.
- Escape Rooms: Great games for the whole family, definitely one of the best activities for family holidays in Croatia
Consider Camping for at Least One Night
We are outdoor types of persons and we always promote tours and trips in nature as the best way to spend family holidays in Croatia. Time in nature is always a time well spent. So the only logical thing to recommend to you at this point is to take your family camping in the wilderness. At least for one night.
Spending time in nature is a healthy habit, especially when you become a bit older. Maybe your Croatia family holidays are just the right time to teach your children how good can a time in nature be. Just imagine you and your family around the campfire telling the ghost stories and enjoying the overall experience.
We assure you that it’s an experience your family will never forget and they will tell all their friends once they return back to school.
- Family-Friendly Sites: Campsites along the Adriatic offer facilities like swimming pools, playgrounds, and organized activities.
- Night Under the Stars: Experience the serenity of nature and teach kids about outdoor living.
- Top Campsites: Consider Kamp Straško on Pag Island or Camping Polari in Rovinj.
Must-Visit Family-Friendly Destinations
Let’s talk about some of the most famous more urban destinations you can visit with your children during your family vacation in Croatia. All of these cities mentioned below include many other great places to experience in them or near them.
- Dubrovnik: Walk the medieval walls and explore the Old Town.
- Zadar: Visit the Sea Organ and Farewell Sun installation.
- Rovinj: Enjoy its picturesque streets and family beaches.
- Split: Stroll through Diocletian’s Palace and take day trips to nearby islands.
Best Outdoor Activities for Families
Since we had an adventure agency of our own for a long time. Let’s talk a bit about the best activities you can try as a family visiting Croatia. We already gave you a list of actual tours we roccommend when visiting each of the regions in Croatia. Let’s talk about activities in general now.
- Kayaking and Snorkeling: Explore hidden beaches and bays with your family.
- Nature Walks: Discover trails in Plitvice Lakes and Krka National Parks.
- Island Picnics: Pack a meal and enjoy a family day out on an island.
- Dolphin Watching: Join a boat tour to see dolphins in their natural habitat. If you are lucky to spot them, your children will have memories for a lifetime.
- Horseback Riding: Experience a countryside adventure in places like Baranja, Istria, or Dalmatian hinterland.
Best Outdoor Locations for a Family Vacation in Croatia
As we get to the end of this article, let us list some of the locations we believe will be perfect to visit during your family holidays in Croatia. As you travel through Croatia, try visiting at least one of them, we’re sure your family will love it.
- Plitvice Lakes National Park: A UNESCO World Heritage site with easy trails, wooden boardwalks, and breathtaking waterfalls. Most famous national park in Croatia.
- Krka National Park: Famous for its waterfalls and swimming areas, perfect for families. Similar to Plitvice Lakes National Park but yet different.
- Makarska Riviera: The best beaches in Croatia and a variety of activities, including paddleboarding and cycling.
- Brač Island: Enjoy family-friendly beaches like Zlatni Rat and visit old traditional villages.
- Istria Peninsula: Explore coastal towns, vineyards, and the famous Dinopark in Funtana.
- Kornati Islands: A perfect spot for a family boat tour and snorkeling adventure.
- Zrmanja River: Great for kayaking trips suitable for beginners and children. I was a kayak guide there for a season before we started our own adventure agency in Croatia and this river is an absolutely must-visit place.
- Neretva River Delta: Best place for kitesurfing in Croatia and place with a long sandy beaches suitable for families.
Tips for a Stress-Free Family Holiday
One last thing before you go. Few more tips that we believe could be helpful.
- Book Early: Secure accommodations and activities to avoid disappointment. Some of the activities are booking pretty fast during the peak season.
- Pack Smart: Include sunscreen, hats, swimsuits, and comfortable shoes. Sun can be harsh so avoid sunburns.
- Keep Snacks Handy: Always have healthy snacks for kids during excursions. They will soon get hungry, we guarantee it.
- Flexible Itinerary: Allow time for rest and for some spontaneous adventures you may never planned for.
Before you venture into your family holidays in Croatia
And that’s it for now. This Croatia family holidays guide will be updated regularly, as soon as we get new insights about new activities or accommodation options. Explore the rest of our Croatia blog to get more familiar with some of the locations we are talking about in this article. We are uploading new content daily and we are sure it will help you in planning your vacation in Croatia.
Enjoy your family holidays in Croatia and have a great time visiting our beautiful country.