Best places to visit in Croatia: Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar, Plitvice and the places tourists skip, with 2026 prices

Short answer: the best places to visit in Croatia for a first trip are Dubrovnik, Split and the island of Hvar on the coast, plus Plitvice Lakes inland. If you have more time, add Krka, Zadar and Zagreb, which is where the travellers below say they found the Croatia that most tourists miss.

Croatia is long and thin, and that shape is the real planning problem. So the list below follows the map, with the 2026 prices and seasons for each.

The Dalmatian coast

Dubrovnik. The Old City of Dubrovnik is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and walking its city walls is the classic thing to do. The walls are run by the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities, which sells tickets through its official webshop; the ticket also covers Fort Lovrijenac, and under 7s go free. I couldn't confirm the 2026 adult price from the official site itself, so check it there before you budget.

Split. The Historical Complex of Split grew inside the Palace of Diocletian, built by the Roman emperor around the turn of the 4th century, and people still live and run restaurants inside its walls. Split is also the main ferry hub for the central Dalmatian islands, and the best base for day trips to Krka, Trogir and even Plitvice.

Hvar. The island most people reach from Split. Jadrolinija's direct catamaran (line 641) costs €25 one way (extra bags €5) and takes about an hour and five minutes, per its 2026 timetable. But note the dates: that timetable ran only from 13 May to 11 October 2026, with departures from Split at 10:10 and 14:30 (16:00 between 19 June and 13 September). If you're travelling now, in late October, check what's running before you plan an island day.

Zadar. North of Split, with the Sea Organ and the solar-powered Greeting to the Sun on its waterfront. It's about an hour and a half's drive from Krka, so it works as a base for the park too.

Inland: the lakes, the waterfalls and the capital

Plitvice Lakes. Plitvice is a UNESCO-listed chain of lakes joined by waterfalls, and the one place in Croatia where the season changes the price a lot. The park's 2026 price list gives these one-day adult prices:

The ticket includes the electric boat and the panoramic train on your chosen route, and it's tied to the entrance you pick when you buy. A two-day ticket costs €15, €39 or €60 for adults in the same seasons. Under 7s go free.

Krka. A national park of tufa waterfalls between Split and Zadar, easy as a day trip from either. The park publishes its 2026 prices as a PDF on its site, but I couldn't open it from here to check, so I've left the numbers out.

Zagreb. The capital, a two-hour drive from Plitvice and a short train ride from Ljubljana in Slovenia. It's not on the sea, which is exactly why it feels less touristy.

What travellers wish they'd known

These are the creators' own experiences and advice, credited to them. The links go to their full videos.

Camden David, who spent a couple of months living in Croatia and got married in Dubrovnik, says the biggest thing to know is that the country stretches a long way north to south and there's no good train network linking the coast. He'd rent a car rather than rely on buses, especially for Plitvice and Krka. He found Sundays very quiet, with many businesses closed, so he'd use them for a day trip or the beach. He says to stay as central as you can, the opposite of his advice in other countries. And he rates Zadar as the most underrated stop and Split as the most overrated: to him it felt the most touristy and commercialised. Dubrovnik is his must-visit.

CORR Travel Europe Your Way, from a solo trip to Split, says April, May, September and October are the best months: long days, warm water and fewer people than in the June to August peak. Getting in from Split airport, 23 km out, the guide quotes about €6 for the airport shuttle and about €25–30 by Uber or Bolt (around €30 by taxi). It also says Split's centre is walkable, with ferries from the port to the surrounding islands, and that a hostel dorm can start at about €15 a night and a private room at about €45.

Wolters World, filmed on Hvar, warns that most beaches are stone or pebble, so bring water shoes, especially with children. It also says journeys take longer than the map suggests because of the mountains and the islands, and that ferries run less often in winter. One correction: this video is from 2018 and tells you to pay in kuna. That's out of date: Croatia switched to the euro on 1 January 2023.

Booking tours: GetYourGuide lists boat tours from Split (Hvar and the Blue Cave are the usual ones), day trips from Split to Krka and Plitvice, and day trips from Dubrovnik. If a tour's price includes the Plitvice or Krka ticket, compare it with the official prices above for your travel month.

Entry rules and money

• Indian passport holders: Croatia has been in the Schengen area since 1 January 2023, per the European Commission, so you need a Schengen short-stay visa. The fee is €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to under 12, per the European Commission. If Croatia is your main destination, apply to Croatia.
• UK and US travellers: no visa for short stays, but you're registered in the EU's Entry/Exit System at the external border. ETIAS is not running yet, so there's nothing to apply for or pay.
• Money: prices are in euros. Camden David found Croatia relies on cash more than other European countries, so carry some for small places.

My take

I haven't been to Croatia. This verdict is built from the official prices and timetables above and from the people who've travelled it, so weigh it that way.

For a first trip of a week, I'd do Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik on the coast and Plitvice inland, and I'd go in May, June or September. That's when the island catamarans are running and the crowds are smaller than in July and August. In May, the Plitvice ticket is also €23 instead of the €40 it costs from June to September.

I'd rent a car for the inland parts. With no coastal train line, Plitvice and Krka are much easier by car, as Camden David found. In Split itself I wouldn't bother with one: the centre is walkable, and CORR Travel says a rental car there isn't worth the cost of parking.

I'd give Zadar or Zagreb a night instead of a third night in Split. Camden David's view that Split is the most overrated stop is one person's opinion, but the trade-off he describes, more local life and fewer crowds, is the reason I'd split the nights.

And I'd ignore any old advice about kuna. Croatia has used the euro since 2023, so plan your budget in euros.