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May Half Term in Croatia

14th May 2024/0 Comments/in Family Holidays, Travel advice

We’re just under two weeks away from the end of May which, for some people, means better weather, more time outside and longer days. For others, it means the dreaded…no sorry…much anticipated May half-term holiday break (certainly for school kids in the UK) which is a great time to jet off for a week-long holiday in Europe. This year, why not consider May half-term in Croatia?

Is the end of May a good time to go to Croatia?

Absolutely, yes! What are you waiting for, start booking your holiday straight away!

To expand on that slightly, the end of May is a really lovely time to visit Croatia. The weather is near-perfect – low to mid-20s Celsius (the scorching temperatures of the summer have yet to arrive) and there will be sun sun sun practically every day. (Head to the Croatian Meteorological Service website for a more technical forecast than what I’ve written here.)

Will it be warm enough to swim in the sea? Probably. It has to be said, sea temperatures will probably only hit 19/20C which is a little on the cooler side, especially for younger family members. But more hardy souls – and kids that just don’t care and will happily splash about, whatever temperature it is – will be fine.

Generally, most amenities (accommodation certainly, but also restaurants and similar) and sights are fully open by the time the end of May rolls around. The one exception will be waterparks – but Istralandia does in fact open for the season for that last week of May.

Where to go for a May half-term in Croatia

If you’re heading on a May half-term holiday, there’s no two ways about it – you’re holidaying with the kids. In this case, you’ll most appreciate a specific family hotel of which there are many in Croatia. These hotels normally have multiple pools (including a kids’ pool), are usually close to a beach, offer a kids’ club and other children-focused entertainment (as well as entertainment for all ages), have buffet-style meals so your kids can pile their plates high with pancakes at every opportunity and provide other items that are generally helpful if travelling with kids. (I’m thinking baby cots, bunk beds, high chairs and similar.)

So where specifically should you go? The answer is…

Istria

A family hotel in Istria would be my top recommendation to you. As well as lots of hotel options available in this part of Croatia, there lots of family-friendly activities such as water parks, adventure parks, (mini) theme parks and similar.

The Valamar Tamaris Resort in Porec is located right on the beach and offers multiple pools, a large play zone, family-friendly rooms and there’s a kids’ club too. Also in Porec is the Hotel Park Plava Laguna which has excellent family rooms, pools with splash areas, sports facilities and kids’ clubs.

Meanwhile, the Maistra Select Family Hotel Amarin in gorgeous Rovinj is a smart hotel with excellent play facilities for kids indoors and in their expansive outdoor area too. Of course, that’s for when your children aren’t enjoying one of the hotel’s seven (seven!) pools.

May half term in Croatia - Hotel Amarin, Rovinj — Hotel Amarin, Rovinj (credit: Hotel Amarin)

Or what about Dalmatia

Here are Visit Croatia we’re really big fans of the Amadria Park resort near Sibenik. This large-scale resort contains several different hotels (and a campsite) including the family Amadria Hotel Park Jakov and the kids-focused Amadria Park Hotel Andrija. Sadly, the neighbouring Aquapark Dalmatia will only open in June after extensive refurbishment and expansion, but the multiple pools, long beach, numerous catering establishments, kids’ clubs and more will definitely keep everyone occupied.

Another recommendation to you would be one of the Valamar hotel group’s options in Dubrovnik, such as the Club Dubrovnik Sunny Hotel, the Valamar Tirena Hotel or the newly-refurbished for 2024 Valamar Lacroma Dubrovnik Hotel. All three offer excellent family accommodation and are next to Maro World which offers 1,800 square metres (yes, really!) of fun for kids of all ages. There are indoor and outdoor play areas, trampolines, soft play rooms, toys, games rooms and more.

May half term in Croatia - Valamar Lacroma Hotel in Dubrovnik — Valamar Lacroma Hotel, Dubrovnik (Credit: Valamar Lacroma Hotel)

A city break half-term

Alternatively, perhaps you’re actually not looking for a beach-and-sea holiday or maybe you have older kids who need a little more stimulation than just lazing by a pool all day. In that case, you might consider somewhere like Split, Dubrovnik or Pula which would give you a perfect combination of city life with plenty to see and do – from sightseeing to museums, shopping and more – plus nearby beaches should you still need some sunbathing time.

Or, what about Zagreb? Not Adriatic Sea here at all, of course, but it’s a really excellent place for a city break with so much to see and do, excellent restaurants, cafes and bars, lots of lovely parks, unusual museums and experiences…the list goes on! Take a look at our guide to Z a greb to get the lowdown on all this fantastic city has to offer.

More options

Please take a look at Visit Croatia’s guides to Family Hotels in Croatia and Family Holidays in Croatia for many more options and ideas of where to holiday in the country.

What to see and do

Perhaps you’re not too minded about your specific destination for a May half-term in Croatia, but instead are interested in experiences and specific kid-friendly sights. Here are some of the top activities to do that will please all (or most!) of your family:

Zipling There are a few zipline sites in Croatia, but amongst the best is Zipline Croatia situated near Omis, high above the Cetina River canyon. The total zipline track length comes to 2,100 metres!
Adventure The same location – the Cetina River and nearby – provides all sorts of adrenaline-filled activities, including river rafting.
Nature One of Croatia’s nature or national parks will delight all ages, so head to Plitvice Lakes (and stay in a nearby treehouse at the Plitvice Holiday Resort!) or Krka National Park to gaze in amazement at the stunning waterfalls and lakes.
Boat trips This actually isn’t area specific, for day boat trips can be done practically anywhere along the coast, and who doesn’t love being out on the sea? Families will have fun on a pirate boat trip (from Split), for sure!
Semi-submarine tour This involved going a short way out onto the Adriatic on a semi-submarine (so, you are not fully submerged) and watching aquatic life from the glass-bottomed boat. Take a look at this semi submarine tour from Korcula.

How to book for May half term in Croatia

The easiest option would be to opt for a package holiday. Look up your favourite operator, be that Jet2 Holidays, TUI, Easyjet Holidays, British Airways Holidays or other and see what deals you can take advantage of to get your whole family gang jetting off to Croatia for the half term.

Alternatively, plan the whole holiday yourself. Use the advice here regarding location, and then book your flights and your accommodation in Croatia and you’re good to go!

Good to know

Take a look at our Travelling to Croatia with Babies and Toddlers page for advice on how best to make your holiday with the really littlest ones easy.

For peace of mind, do also look at our Safety and Healthcare in Croatia page for “things that are good to know” before you travel.

Plan Your Perfect Holiday to Croatia 2024

22nd March 2024/0 Comments/in Travel advice, Travel research, Travelling to Croatia

If you’ve never taken the leap to holiday in Croatia but have decided that this year will be your year, this page is for you! Alternatively, perhaps you’ve been to Croatia a number of times before and would like to try something a little different this year or need a bit more guidance. Either way, let Visit Croatia help you plan your perfect holiday to Croatia 2024!

Step 1 – Decide when to go and how long for

Most people approach holiday planning by deciding when they’d like to go away – summer holidays for a week or two break? Half-term hols with the kids? A weekend city break in late Spring or early Autumn?

Think about when you’re able to take a holiday abroad, or perhaps need to if you’re constrained by school summer holidays. Then take a look at When to Go to Croatia page to see if it tallies up with your plans.

All in all, there’s no bad time of year to visit Croatia – but it really depends on your plans. You can’t sit by the Adriatic sipping a fruity cocktail in January whilst you won’t get peace and quiet on Dubrovnik’s pretty cobbled streets in August!

Perhaps you also need a little convincing to go to Croatia. (Erm…why?) If so, we set our Why you should go to Croatia as well.

You will need also to have in mind how long you wish to travel for. A week or two? (Or ten days?) A short break? The whole summer? Give it some consideration – and then look at our guides for itinerary advice.

Step 2 – Think about your budget

Of course, another major issue to keep in mind is your holiday budget. Are you going to blow the budget or keep it as low as possible? If it’s the latter, take a look at our How to do Croatia on a Budget for some cost-saving ideas. At the other end of the scale, our Luxury Hotels in Croatia page might tempt you into something very special indeed.

If you’re not sure, perhaps skip this step for now and do some further research – on flights and accommodation – to see what you can come up with and how much it will cost.

Step 3 – Decide where to go

“Oh, sure”, you’re thinking, “why are you getting me to do the difficult stuff?! Is that what Visit Croatia is for?!”

Well, yes! We absolutely can tell you where you should go on holiday in Croatia. How? Take a look at the following pages:

Step 4 – Book your flights (or get yourself a package deal)

Now that you’ve decided where in Croatia to go, you’ll need to…get there! Take a look at our Flights to Croatia from the UK & Ireland page to see which airlines fly where. We’ve got full timetable information of all scheduled flights to the country from (what’s now) a very wide range of UK and Irish airports.

As you will see, although there are some year-round flights to the country and some flights only operate from June to September, a very good number of flights fly from the end of March to the end of October.

If you’re not flying from the UK or Ireland, see our pages on U.S. to Croatia Flights and Flights from Asia to Croatia for details of flights from these regions.

Or simply check out our pages on Getting to Zagreb, Getting to Split, Getting to Dubrovnik, Getting to Istria, Getting to the Kvarner Riviera and Getting to North Dalmatia for information on flights to these places from all over Europe.

Alternatively, you might prefer to go for a package holiday to Croatia which includes flights and accommodation (and usually transfers) all as one deal. This sort of thing is just the thing if you’re after a particular type of holiday – one that’s good for kids, one that’s adults only, a holiday that’s super luxe, for example. We recommend Jet2Holidays (and no, we’re not being paid to say so) as a package holiday operator although other companies, such as TUI Holidays, are of course available.

Step 5 – Book your accommodation (or…get yourself a package deal)

Okay, so if you’ve got yourself a package deal then you’re sorted for accommodation!

If not, you’re best to head to one of the accommodation booking portal websites, such as Booking.com, to peruse what sort of things are available for your chosen destination.

Or take a look at our Accommodation in Croatia section which shows hotels, apartments, villas, campsites and more in all destinations in Croatia, large or small.

Step 6 – What day trips will you make?

Now, are you the kind of person who likes to alternate lazing by the pool with lazing by the beach when you’re on your holiday? Only pausing to chow down on a leisurely lunch, order another cocktail or perhaps a refreshing iced cocktail? Or will you be trying to cram in as much sightseeing and experiences as you can when you’re on holiday in Croatia?

If you’re the latter, it’s worth researching what day trips are possible from your destination. Take a look at some of our guides below. You’ll find that some day trips may be a short bus (or boat) hop up or down the coast whilst others may be whole-day affairs. You could even consider hopping over the border to Slovenia, Italy, Bosnia & Hercegovina or Montenegro – to which country obviously depends on where you’re staying!

If you’re a planner, you may even like to book some day trips before you go. This would be especially beneficial if you’d like to “timetable” your holiday days with specific activities set out for each day and then some days devoted to taking it easy.

Guided tours are available for all sorts of sights in Croatia, but you can also rely on public transport to make the trip yourself – for example, taking a 1-hour catamaran from Split to Hvar Town, or one of the small ferry boats from Dubrovnik to the Elafiti islands.

Alternatively, you absolutely can leave booking for day trips once you’re in Croatia. Just pop along to a local agency (many set up stalls in the main promenades in towns and cities during the summer) to see what’s available.

Do also take a look at GetYourGuide’s guide to some of the best-rated tours in Croatia:

Step 7 – Countdown to the big H – holiday!

Now that you’ve got everything sorted in terms of booking your flights, accommodation and day trips, mark it up on your calendar (or 21st-century version: in your smartphone) and start counting down the days to your holiday to Croatia 2024).

Then make sure to tell all your friends and family that you’re off to Croatia this year. No doubt they’ll say “ooh, wow, how nice” and some might even say “can I come?”. (We’ll leave it up to you to decide whether or not to say yes.)