Visiting Croatia in October 2021

Summer may have finished, by visiting Croatia in October is still possible…and highly recommended! We take a look at what you can see and do this month in Croatia, as well as what you need to know for travelling there.

Travelling from the UK to Croatia in October

Negative tests NO LONGER REQUIRED for double vaccinated travellers from the UK

Latest update As of 24th October, fully vaccinated travellers returning to England from Croatia (or indeed, from anywhere else) can book a cheaper lateral flow test or a PCR test for the required day 2 test. See Travel to England from another country during coronavirus on the GOV.UK website for more details – and to check the rules for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Latest update As of 1st October, double vaccinated travellers from the UK no longer need a negative test to enter Croatia…great news! Obviously, if you are not fully vaccinated and/or cannot prove you have had covid in the previous 365 days, you do still need a negative test to enter the country. Full details of this here: Double vaccinated UK travellers to Croatia no longer need a negative test.

New travel rules for England from 4th October

On Monday 4th October at 4am, the travel rules for England change. The green and amber lists are being combined into one ‘safe list’ whilst the red list remains…red. Croatia is currently on the green list, so will definitely be on the new safe list from this date.

The rules for travelling back from a safe list country – including Croatia – from 4th October vary depending on whether you are fully vaccinated or not.

If you are fully vaccinated, to travel back from Croatia to England, you need:

book and pay for a day 2 PCR test (a test to get back into England is no longer required) – we recommend Randox
complete the passenger locator form in the 48 hours before returning to England
do the day 2 test

If you are NOT fully vaccinated, to travel back from Croatia to England, you need:

take a pre-departure test in the 3 days before returning to England
book and pay for day 2 and day 8 PCR tests – we recommend Randox
complete the passenger locator form in the 48 hours before returning to England
quarantine at home/your place of stay for 10 days
do the day 2 and day 8 tests

This is a change as, up until 4th October, non-vaccinated and vaccinated had to do a pre-departure test to return to England…and non-vaccinated travellers did not have to quarantine for 10 days.

Travelling from elsewhere to Croatia in October

As well as the major change mentioned above – that double vaccinated travellers from the UK no longer need a negative test to enter Croatia – there have been some additional rule changes as of 1st October 2021:

If you are entering Croatia using a vaccination certificate, the second dose of your vaccine (or single dose in the case of single-dose vaccines) must have been administered within the previous 365 days. (This number of days has changed – it was previously 270 days.)
If you are entering Croatia using a positive test result from a previous covid infection (at least 11 days must have passed the test result!), this is valid if the test has been taken in the previous 365 days (also previously 270 days)

Take a look at our Croatia Travel Restrictions page for other regulations, and do also take a look at the rules posted on the Ministry of the Interior website.

Flights from the UK & Ireland to Croatia in October

There are still plenty of flights to Croatia if you fancy an October break! They include:

To Zagreb

British Airways 5x then 4x/week from London Heathrow for the rest of the year
Croatia Airlines 3x/week from London Heathrow for the rest of the year
Croatia Airlines 2x/week from Dublin for the rest of the year
Ryanair daily from London Stansted for the rest of the year
(Note: Ryanair will start flying 2x/week from Manchester, and 3x/week from Dublin from 2nd December)

To Pula

Easyjet 1x/week from London Luton until 30th October
Easyjet 2x/week from Bristol until 30th October
Ryanair 3/x week from London Stansted until 28th October

To Zadar

Ryanair 5/x week from London Stansted until 30th October
Ryanair 2/x week from Manchester until 30th October
Ryanair 2/x week from Edinburgh until 27th October
Ryanair 2/x week from Dublin until 27th October

To Split

Easyjet 3x then 2x/week from London Gatwick until 30th October
Easyjet 4x then 3x/week from London Luton until 31st October
Easyjet 5x/week from Bristol until 30th October
Easyjet 2x/week from Manchester until 30th October
Easyjet 2x/week from Glasgow until 24th October
Easyjet 5x/week from Belfast until 30th October
Ryanair 3/x week from Dublin until 29th October
Wizzair 2x from London Luton until 30th October
TUI 2x/week from Manchester until 8th October
Jet2.com 1/x week from London Stansted until 31st October
Jet2.com 1/x week from Birmingham until 31st October
Jet2.com 3x then 2/x week from Manchester until 30th October
Jet2.com 1/x week from Leeds Bradford until 16th October

To Dubrovnik

British Airways daily from London Heathrow until 31st October
Easyjet 3x/week from London Gatwick until 30th October
Easyjet 2x/week from Bristol until 31st October
Easyjet 2x/week from Manchester until 9th October
Easyjet 2x/week from Edinburgh until 6th November
TUI 1x/week from London Gatwick until 24th October
TUI 1x/week from Manchester until 24th October
Jet2.com 3/x week from London Stansted until 31st October
Jet2.com 1/x week from Birmingham until 30th October
Jet2.com 3/x week from Manchester until 31st October
Jet2.com 1/x week from Newcastle until 31st October
Jet2.com 2/x week from Leeds Bradford until 31st October
Jet2.com 2/x week from Edinburgh until 24th October
Aer Lingus 3x/week from Dublin until 30th October

That’s a lot of flights! Take a look at our Flights to Croatia from the UK & Ireland 2021 page for the full schedule.

Events in Croatia in October

There’s absolutely loads on in Croatia this month! Take a look at some of the highlights below:

Autumn is truffle season in Istria! Zigante Truffle Days actually stretches out from 18th September to 14th November 2021; this year, it’s primarily centred around Restaurant Zigante in Livade in northeastern Istria
The Zadar Street Food Festival is on now (until 3rd October) – take your pick from food stalls offering delicacies from local restaurants
The annual professional road cycling CroRace is on from 28th September to 3rd October; there are six stages taking place across the country, from Osijek in eastern Croatia to central Dalmatia, to Istria and then finishing in Zagreb on the final Sunday. Pop along if you’re in one of these regions to watch the cyclists whizzing past (or watch it on TV for lovely scenes of Croatia!).
Northern Croatian town Koprivnica hosts the Podravski Motivi / Podravina Motfis on 2nd & 3rd October, showcasing items typical from the region (such as naive art) as well as young wine and chestnuts
Dubrovnik’s Triathlon will be taking place on land and in the waters around the city on 2nd October – there will be different races for experienced triathletes as well as first-timers
In a similar(ish) vein, the 29th Zagreb Marathon will be hitting the streets of Croatia’s capital on 10th October
Dubrovnik Film Festival is on from 14th to 17th October
On the island of Krk, the Baska Outdoor Festival offers outdoor adventures for all abilities and ages over a weekend in mid-October (15th to 17th)
Held all over Croatia, Restaurant Week (Tjedan Restorana) is on from 15th to 24th October – participating restaurants (check the website!) offer menus for a special price
The Biograd Boat Show, the largest such event in Croatia, is taking place from 20th to 24th October

Weather in Croatia in October

The weather forecast is looking exceedingly lovely for the first part of October – along the coast (and the further south you go, the better your chances of warm weather) in places such as Split and Dubrovnik, you’ll find temperatures of low to mid-20s Celsius every day. There are occasional rain showers forecast, yes, but most days will see plenty of sun. The long-range forecast for October is the same. Further north up the coast temperatures will be similar if a few degrees less; inland likewise also with more mixed weather (more rain).

Take a look at the Croatian Meteorological Service website for forecasts.

What to See and Do

October is the month that straddles the seasons in Croatia – whilst the early part of the month may well be very pleasant indeed (see under “Weather” above!) the temperature slowly declines. On the coast you’ll enjoy plenty of sunshine although it will probably be a little too cold for sea swimming; hitting the pool, meanwhile, should be okay! We would certainly recommend heading to destinations in and around Split and Dubrovnik, as well as Istria, for a holiday this month. The islands, however, will be a bit on the quiet side…so we’d suggest leaving these for another trip next year.

October is traditionally the month that ‘tourist facilities’ (restaurants, bars, cafes and similar catering to visitors) start shutting up shop towards the end of the month before the cold months set in, so you’ll still be able to enjoy these.

This October is Croatian Tourism Month (unfortunately, the website appears to be in Croatian only!). Some tourist services, facilities and venues – including accommodation, restaurants and cultural attractions – across the country are offering discounts of 35% off.

Do be aware that ferry/catamaran schedules (i.e. Jadrolinija‘s) change from high season to low season ones in early October, so take this into account if you’re planning on travelling around. Bus schedules will also see fewer buses on long-distance routes, but you’ll still have plenty of choice.

Plitivice Lakes in autumn — The Plitvice Lakes in autumn

October is a great month to make the most of some of Croatia’s top experiences – without all the summer crowds – particularly with the country taking on an autumnal hue. If you’re able to do, we’d certainly recommend a trip to one of Croatia’s national or nature parks, such as Plitvice or Krka.

Zagreb is an excellent choice for Croatia in October – there’s plenty to explore (sights, restaurants, experiences, even shopping) and it’s a very easy city to navigate.

We hope you enjoy Croatia in October!