Cheap flights to Croatia from $728

More than 1,000 islands dotted about the sparkling Adriatic Sea, charming old cities, timeless landscapes, national parks and an easy pace. It’s little wonder that the Croatian tourist board uses the slogan: “the Mediterranean as it once was”. Travellers taking cheap flights to Croatia will discover that it has all the beauty, weather and relaxed way of life of other Mediterranean countries, but without the Eurozone princess.

Zagreb, in the centre of Croatia, is the capital, a charming red-roofed and cobble-stoned city with two Old Towns. Along the Dalmatian Coast, Croatia’s cities are strung out like pearls, each more beautiful than the last.

At the southern end of the country lies Dubrovnik, a charming, cultured and chocolate-box pretty city with a World-Heritage listed Old Town. Shelled during the Croatian War of Independence in the early 1990s, it was rebuilt perfectly.

Split, further north, is Croatia’s second-largest city. The stand-out attraction here are the remains of an imperial palace built for Diocletian, the Roman Emperor, at the start of the 4th Century AD.

In Pula, the largest town on the Istrian peninsula in the north of Croatia, stands one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world. It sported a red neck tie, briefly, in 2003, to pay tribute to the birthplace of the tie.

Off the coast, the islands are gems; Hvar, Korcula and Brac are the most popular.

Croatia climate

There are three climate zones. Along the Adriatic coast, the climate is Mediterranean. Summers are hot and dry and winters are mild and wet. The interior gets a moderate amount of rainfall. The high ground has a forest climate with snow in the wintertime.

Getting around Croatia

Croatia Airlines flies from Zagreb to several cities including Dubrovnik, Split, Pula and Zadar. The train system is fairly well developed – it doesn’t extend to Dubrovnik for example – but buses are the cheapest and most popular form of public transport. You’ll need to rent a car – an expensive option in Croatia – only if you wish to get out into the countryside. 

There are several ferry lines that operate between the islands. Jadrolinija is the state-owned line. A sample journey – Dubrovnik to Sobra, on Mljet – costs from $10.

What is good to know if travelling to Croatia?

• Trogir is a Unesco World-Heritage site. It is known as the “museum city” due to the many churches, towers and palaces that date from Greek, Roman and Venetian times. 
• Zadar is the main city of northern Dalmatia. A walled city, its heritage is Roman, but one of its major attractions is in the Benedictine Convent of St. Mary. The Gold and Silver Museum houses a treasure trove, that was guarded by the Benedictine nuns during World War II. 
• The Zagreb Card offers unlimited travel on public transport and discounts at tourist sites. It’s valid for 24 or 72 hours and costs between $11 and $18. 
• The must-try Croatian dishes are octopus cooked in an ispod peke (a traditional bell-shaped oven) and brudet, a fish stew. Salted sardines with olive oil, bread and salted capers is a popular tourist snack. 
• Our pick for Croatia’s most beautiful beaches is Zlatni Rat in Bol (on Brac). It, like many of the beaches, is best described as shingle, rather than than sand. 
• Croatia is the birthplace of the neck tie. In the 1600s, Parisians adopted the neck gear of Croatian mercenaries fighting for Louis XIV of France. The word “cravat” derives from “cravate”, a corrupt French pronunciation of “Croat”. 
• Zagreb’s most exclusive shopping street is Ilica, but for a different experience go to Hrelic, the flea market by the Sava River, on a Sunday morning, or to Dolac, the farmers’ market. North of Jelacic Square, the market opened in 1930 and sells vegetables, fruit, meat and fish (Fridays and Saturdays). 
• Sljeme Medvednica is a short tram ride north of the city. Most of the mountain is a nature park, but there is skiing – day and night – too. Go midweek to avoid the crowds.