Croatia Tours and Sailing Holidays 2022 & 2023

Oh yes! You simply cannot visit Croatia without exploring the country's most popular destination and all of our sailing holidays, plus the majority of our group tours start or end in the city. Some tours included guided sightseeing to take in some of Dubrovnik's rich history. And in some there is free time for you to head out and explore your way. The walled city itself is quite small and revolves around the Stradun, so you won't get lost - especially if you're walking the ramparts and city walls!

The most popular way to explore Croatia is by boat, sailing between islands to explore picturesque port towns and coastal cities. We offer a number of popular sailing itineraries that start in either Split or Dubrovnik and cover the best-known islands including Hvar, Brac and Mjlet.

If you visit Croatia on one of our Croatia sailing holidays, you'll have a choice of standard or comfort boats with some named boats on certain itineraries.

Standard boats provide mostly twin bunk cabin accommodation, while comfort boats provide more spacious twin or double bedded cabins. Both types of boat come with en suite cabins.

On other Croatia holidays including our Creme de la Croatia tour you can cruise on a premium vessel with extra services included in the tour price. For more information on what to expect of our ships, read our page on Choice of Sail Boats in Croatia.

Our premium and premium plus holidays in Croatia also have added benefits, such as more guided sightseeing. For example, with Highlights of the South Adriatic, Creme de la Croatia and Jewels of the Adriatic, you get an included walking tour in Dubrovnik and other included sightseeing.

This really depends on your own personal preference. The on-deck cabins have windows that open so you can enjoy the cool breeze and not have to rely on air-conditioning. They also offer better views. However, their location does mean that it's noisier, with other passengers and crew walking around the deck. When boats are docked, other ship passengers may also be passing along the deck of your boat.

With a below-deck cabin, things are much quieter as there's not the same footfall. These cabins have portholes for natural light but they cannot be opened. Below-deck cabins are cheaper, so a better option for those on a budget.

If sailing isn't your thing, there's plenty to discover away from the water. Croatia's mainland is home to gorgeous old towns and stunning national parks.

We have a range of escorted tours and semi-independent itineraries that cover mainland Croatia, including Zagreb, Split and the famous Plitvice Lakes National Park. Please browse our full range of tours or contact our reservations team.

If you've opted for a sailing holiday in Croatia, the maximum group size is around 36 passengers with 18 cabins generally on each boat. In the shoulder seasons, it's likely to be a smaller group size of around 20-25. Croatia sailing trips attract a real range of ages from those in their late 20s to those in their 60s. However, you won't find any 18-30 style cruises here.

On our mainland small group tours, the average group size is between 10-15 passengers.

The sailing season in Croatia officially begins in mid-April and runs through to mid-October. However, April and May sometimes bring harsh, chilly winds, which can bring the temperatures down. It's not always the ideal time for swimming so to really get the most out of an island-hopping adventure, book your Croatia tour between June and September. Though beware - this is peak tourist season so expect crowds.

For a more detailed summer of when to visit Croatia, check out our guide.

Our group tours stay in a mixture of 3 - 5 star hotels in central locations, to make it easy for you to head out and explore your destination.

You can find out more information about the hotels we regularly use on each Croatia tour on the relevant webpage. Though we do reserve the right to use different hotels of an equivalent standard if the need arises!

According to the 2022 LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index, Croatia scores a B rating for LGBTQ+ traveller safety, ranking 28th out of 203 countries.

Same sex civil unions or partnerships are legal, and there are constitutional and worker protections in place for people of all sexual orientations. Hate crimes against members of the LGBTQ+ community are criminalized and 26 - 50% of consulted citizens consider Croatia a good place to live for gay and lesbian people. There are no legal punishments for same sex relations. Same sex adoption was legalized in 2021. Most trips for LGBTQ+ travellers to Croatia are trouble-free.

The LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index is designed to provide a good overall picture of attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community in each country and may not reflect the experience of foreign travellers to the country.

As you may know, the region of Croatia that Dubrovnik is located in, southern Dalmatia, is cut off from the rest of the country due to a slither of coastline belonging to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Previously, we have crossed through Bosnia to reach Dubrovnik on our land tours. However, in July 2022 a new bridge opened on the Peljesac Peninsula which will reduce journey times by around 40 minutes and enable us to avoid having to cross the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina. Your Croatia tour will take this new route if departing in summer 2022 or afterward.

Many travellers presume that the Euro is the official currency in Croatia. And while many shops, restaurants, and other businesses will accept Euros, the Croatian Kuna is the country's official currency.

You can withdraw Croatian Kuna locally, from ATMs. We recommend avoiding airport ATMs and currency exchanges, as rates here tend to be significantly worse!