If you’re wondering if it’s worth it to spend winter in Croatia – our answer is a resounding yes!
From the Zagreb Christmas Market (arguably one of the best in the Balkans) to the ski resorts of Gorski Kotar to the quiet, tourist-free beaches, there are countless things to do in Croatia in winter – we’ve listed just 13 of them.
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Where to Stay in Croatia
Here are our recommendations for where to stay in Dubrovnik. We’re in the process of creating comprehensive guides on where to stay in other Croatian cities, but for now, we recommend checking out Booking.com as early as possible since this is a popular time to visit. These are some of the places we suggest you check.
Budget: Apartment Larica Miha Pracata is a historic building in the heart of Dubrovnik Old Town. You can easily leave your apartment and instantly be at some of the best architectural and historical attractions Dubrovnik has to offer. Check out prices and availability at Apartment Larica Miha Pracata.
Mid-range: Soleil Luxury Rooms offers some of the most modern amenities you will find in the Old Town of Dubrovnik. Check out guest reviews, prices, and availability at Soleil Luxury Rooms Old Town.
Luxury: Boutique Hotel Stari Grad showcases elegant style and you can see plenty of designer accents all over the hotel. The interiors and arrangement of all furniture are well-executed, creating a comfortable and cozy place to stay in the Old Town of Dubrovnik. Check out guest reviews, prices, and availability at Boutique Hotel Stari Grad.
Things to Do in Croatia in Winter
Get festive at the Zagreb Christmas Market
The Zagreb Christmas Market is one of the best and most beloved Christmas markets in Europe – it was voted three times as the best, beating out some pretty stiff competition.
The main festivities are centered around Ben Josip Jelačić Square, where you’ll find an enormous Christmas tree, a festively lit-up fountain, live music, and a heated and covered public area serving deliciously Christmassy food and beverages.
You’ll also find smaller but equally cheery branches of the Advent celebration at the European Square, King Tomislav Square, and Zrinjevac Park.
This year, the Zagreb Christmas Market runs from November 29, 2021, to January 2nd, 2022 — so you have over a month to do all your shopping, eating, and exploring.
>> Read Next: Plan a Flawless Visit to the Zagreb Christmas Market & Advent Festivities <<
Catch a beautiful, people-free sunset
Bundle up warm, grab a Thermos full of hot tea or coffee (or mulled wine if you prefer!), and have a picnic on the beach watching the sunset for a magical and private moment.
One of the best things about visiting Croatia off-season is that you can avoid the crowds that normally come part and parcel of being a country that sees roughly 20 million tourists a year.
While you certainly won’t want to swim in the winter, with water temperatures being around 13-16°C/56-59°F in January, that won’t take away from the beautiful sunsets you can witness entirely people free.
Ski your heart out at one of Croatia’s winter resorts
There are several wonderful ski resorts in Croatia that are suited for virtually every kind of traveler, from luxury seekers to families to active adventurers.
The largest number of ski resorts can be found in Gorski Kotar – the “green lungs” of Croatia which turn into a snowy wonderland each winter – but you can combine a Christmas-market focused city break with some ski fun by visiting the ski resort of Sljeme, just about 15 kilometers or a 30-minute drive away from Zagreb.
>> Read Next: Planning a Trip to Croatia: Your Travel Checklist <<
See an otherworldly icy landscape at Plitvice National Park
While Croatia’s national parks are beloved (and exceedingly crowded) in the summer, don’t discount visiting in the winter — especially if the weather has been cold enough lately to make the waterfalls freeze, which is a magical sight. I still remember the first time I saw frozen waterfalls up in the far north of Sweden – it was truly breathtaking.
Croatia has many waterfalls, but Plitvice National Park will probably have the most beautiful landscapes due to its higher elevation and taller waterfalls.
The combination of turquoise blue water that looks like a gemstone, pale baby blue frozen waterfalls, and white untouched snow is incredible: I can hardly think of another winter landscape more beautiful.
Escape Dubrovnik’s usual crowds
While Dubrovnik can be borderline hellish in summer, with insane crowds, sky-high prices, and cruise ship tourists clogging the streets during the daytime, winter in Dubrovnik is another story entirely.
While winter won’t magically turn Dubrovnik tourist-free, you will hardly see crowds and prices should come down significantly. The weather is also rather mild in winter, with average highs roughly around 12°C/54°F and average lows around 7°C/45°F — hardly bikini weather, but also not heavy coat and boots weather!
If you are lucky enough to visit Croatia near Christmas, don’t miss the Advent celebrations in Dubrovnik! While not quite as grand as what you’ll see in Zagreb, it’s worth a visit.
The dates for this year run from November 29, 2021, through to January 6, 2022, so you have quite a big window of available dates to celebrate and get festive.
>> Read Next: How to Visit the Dubrovnik Christmas Market & Dubrovnik Winter Festival <<
Visit snow-covered castles
Many people don’t realize how many beautiful castles there are in Croatia, focusing instead on the old towns, islands, waterfalls, and beaches — but there are many castles in Croatia well worth visiting.
You’ll find most of the castles in the north of the country, in the Hrvatsko Zagorje region that borders Slovenia. One of the most beautiful is the Varazdin Castle pictured above, though Trakošćan is also extremely beautiful.
Soak up the winter nature in Gorski Katar
Even if you’re not skiing at one of the many ski resorts in the Gorski Kotar region, there is plenty of beauty to soak up that makes a stay in this region in winter worthwhile.
The area around Lokvarsko Lake is particularly gorgeous, and there are plenty of opportunities for winter hiking or snowshoeing if you want to get active outdoors in the winter.
Photograph your way across winter cityscapes and landscapes
If you’re a huge lover of photography, traveling Croatia winter provides several benefits: fewer crowds, more interesting subjects, and plenty of opportunities to play with long exposure, composition, and aperture.
We’ve listed our favorite Instagram spots in Zagreb and the top photography locations in Dubrovnik already to get you started, but that’s just a taste of what you’ll be able to capture in Croatia this winter.
Shop for marvelous Croatian souvenirs
There are so many beautiful Croatian souvenirs that are worth shopping for – especially if you’re visiting Croatia in December and you need to do some Christmas shopping!
We’ve listed our favorite Croatian souvenirs here, but a few to note are licitar hearts, local food products, and hand-carved wood figurines and ornaments.
Sightsee beautiful churches and museums
If you’re traveling to Croatia in winter, you’ll want to have a full itinerary with plenty of stops in churches and museums to warm up and get a break from the cold. Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik are all wonderful cities with plenty of museums and culture.
If you’re lucky and visit Croatia in January or February when they host their yearly Noć muzeja (Museum Night), the entrance fee to virtually all museums in Croatia will be free and the hours will be extended.
Museum Night is usually on the last Friday of January, but this year, it was a digital-only experience on 29th January 2021. In a normal year, museums, galleries, and other similar institutions open their doors to the public – for free – from 6 PM to 1 AM. The 2022 date hasn’t been announced yet, but you can find updated info here!
Warm up with some delicious Croatian food & drinks
While people generally think of seafood when they think of Croatian food, the cuisine is a lot more diverse than just that! I typically don’t crave seafood in the winter, and my stomach is focused on hearty, soul-warming fare.
Think of snacking on fire-roasted chestnuts and powdered-sugar flecked fritule (mini doughnuts) as you wander around beautiful old towns, then tucking in for hearty stews and roasted meat for dinner!
Winter Weather in Croatia
While the weather will be very different throughout Croatia – with cities in the north like Zagreb and mountain resorts being far colder and cities in the south like Dubrovnik being a good deal warmer – we’ll use Split as our example, as it splits (pardon the pun) the difference between Zagreb and Dubrovnik.
Winter in Croatia is not so cold, but you’ll want to be prepared anyway with layers and proper clothing. The winter weather in Croatia is pretty stable, usually around 7° C / 46° F daily in Split.
Average lows dip down to just above freezing, around 4° C / 39° F, so you’ll want a jacket, but you may also experience a few warm-ish days up to 12° C/ 54° F.
If you plan to sightsee, keep in mind that you should dress to feel much colder since you will be outside for long periods!
What to Pack for Croatia in Winter
We have a full Croatia packing list here with winter sections for men and women, but here’s the quick version!
A Guidebook – While travel blogs are great, we also definitely see the benefit of having a good paper guidebook in hand to refer to in your on-the-ground travel. We recommend the Lonely Planet Croatia book.
Winter accessories: Bring a winter scarf like this one (women’s) or this cashmere scarf (men’s) to help block out the wind. We recommend women’s gloves like these which are compatible with your smartphone (for a men’s version, check these). You also lose a lot of heat from the top of your head and ears, so a fleece-lined knit hat (women’s) that you wear tight, like a beanie, is a fantastic choice. Pick a colorful one for cute photos! Here’s a men’s version as well.
An ultra-light down jacket: You can wear this on its own or pair it with a warmer jacket for colder days. This rolls up and packs easily in your day bag so it’s good to bring along – I have one similar to this (women’s) but there’s a men’s version as well. If you want to be warm, or if your trip is mostly focused on Zagreb, the mountains, and northern Croatia, I recommend a winter jacket like this North Face parka which I’ve owned for years and years.
Winter boots: It can be snowy any icy throughout Croatia even at times in the south, as it can snow in Dubrovnik and even get below freezing. For snowy days and super cold weather when you still want to be comfortable, I love these knee-high waterproof Blondo boots and have owned them for over a decade. For men, I suggest a waterproof boot with good traction, like these Timberlands.
Motion sickness pills: Great for bus rides if you’ll be visiting any mountains – I buy these non-drowsy ones. You can also try these natural motion sickness bands which use acupressure to reduce nausea – they work pretty well.
More Croatia Travel Resources
Headed to Croatia? We have some great travel resources to help you with your trip. First read our guide to planning a trip to Croatia, which covers visas, budgets, vaccines, and much more. We also have a Croatia packing list with a detailed winter section.
Traveling to Croatia and have no idea how to get into town? Why not booking this convenient transfer service from the airport to the city center, it’s safe and affordable!
Check out our Balkan currency guide which explains how money works in Croatia and local tipping customs.
If you’re still putting together your itinerary, here’s a great list of places to visit in Croatia, our Croatia national parks guide, and Croatian waterfalls guide to help you choose. We also have a day trip guide for Dubrovnik, if you’re visiting there as well.
Next, you’ll want to read our guide to shopping in Croatia so you know which souvenirs are truly local gems.
If this will be one of your first trips in the Balkans, check out our massive list of things to know before traveling the Balkans as well as our Balkan bus, road trip, and itinerary guides.
We publish new content nearly every day! Bookmark our pages on Croatia and the Balkans so that you don’t miss out on any new info or resources that we publish before your trip!
Don’t Forget About Travel Insurance!
I’m sure you’re aware that travel insurance is a good idea for traveling in Croatia (or really, any part of the world)! Steph and I have both been paying customers of World Nomads for the last three years. We love the peace of mind it gives us in case of emergencies, accidents, illnesses, theft, or trip cancellation or disruption.
While the Balkans are perfectly safe to travel around, there’s always a risk inherent in everyday travel – especially during the winter! – so it’s better to play it safe.
>> Get a travel insurance quote for your trip here <<
Pin This Croatia Winter Travel Guide!
Where to Stay in Croatia
Here are our recommendations for where to stay in Dubrovnik. We’re in the process of creating comprehensive guides on where to stay in other Croatian cities, but for now, we recommend checking out Booking.com as early as possible since this is a popular time to visit. These are some of the places we suggest you check.
Budget: Apartment Larica Miha Pracata is a historic building in the heart of Dubrovnik Old Town. You can easily leave your apartment and instantly be at some of the best architectural and historical attractions Dubrovnik has to offer. Check out prices and availability at Apartment Larica Miha Pracata.
Mid-range: Soleil Luxury Rooms offers some of the most modern amenities you will find in the Old Town of Dubrovnik. Check out guest reviews, prices, and availability at Soleil Luxury Rooms Old Town.
Luxury: Boutique Hotel Stari Grad showcases elegant style and you can see plenty of designer accents all over the hotel. The interiors and arrangement of all furniture are well-executed, creating a comfortable and cozy place to stay in the Old Town of Dubrovnik. Check out guest reviews, prices, and availability at Boutique Hotel Stari Grad.
Things to Do in Croatia in Winter
Get festive at the Zagreb Christmas Market
The Zagreb Christmas Market is one of the best and most beloved Christmas markets in Europe – it was voted three times as the best, beating out some pretty stiff competition.
The main festivities are centered around Ben Josip Jelačić Square, where you’ll find an enormous Christmas tree, a festively lit-up fountain, live music, and a heated and covered public area serving deliciously Christmassy food and beverages.
You’ll also find smaller but equally cheery branches of the Advent celebration at the European Square, King Tomislav Square, and Zrinjevac Park.
This year, the Zagreb Christmas Market runs from November 29, 2021, to January 2nd, 2022 — so you have over a month to do all your shopping, eating, and exploring.
>> Read Next: Plan a Flawless Visit to the Zagreb Christmas Market & Advent Festivities <<
Catch a beautiful, people-free sunset
Bundle up warm, grab a Thermos full of hot tea or coffee (or mulled wine if you prefer!), and have a picnic on the beach watching the sunset for a magical and private moment.
One of the best things about visiting Croatia off-season is that you can avoid the crowds that normally come part and parcel of being a country that sees roughly 20 million tourists a year.
While you certainly won’t want to swim in the winter, with water temperatures being around 13-16°C/56-59°F in January, that won’t take away from the beautiful sunsets you can witness entirely people free.
Ski your heart out at one of Croatia’s winter resorts
There are several wonderful ski resorts in Croatia that are suited for virtually every kind of traveler, from luxury seekers to families to active adventurers.
The largest number of ski resorts can be found in Gorski Kotar – the “green lungs” of Croatia which turn into a snowy wonderland each winter – but you can combine a Christmas-market focused city break with some ski fun by visiting the ski resort of Sljeme, just about 15 kilometers or a 30-minute drive away from Zagreb.
>> Read Next: Planning a Trip to Croatia: Your Travel Checklist <<
See an otherworldly icy landscape at Plitvice National Park
While Croatia’s national parks are beloved (and exceedingly crowded) in the summer, don’t discount visiting in the winter — especially if the weather has been cold enough lately to make the waterfalls freeze, which is a magical sight. I still remember the first time I saw frozen waterfalls up in the far north of Sweden – it was truly breathtaking.
Croatia has many waterfalls, but Plitvice National Park will probably have the most beautiful landscapes due to its higher elevation and taller waterfalls.
The combination of turquoise blue water that looks like a gemstone, pale baby blue frozen waterfalls, and white untouched snow is incredible: I can hardly think of another winter landscape more beautiful.
Escape Dubrovnik’s usual crowds
While Dubrovnik can be borderline hellish in summer, with insane crowds, sky-high prices, and cruise ship tourists clogging the streets during the daytime, winter in Dubrovnik is another story entirely.
While winter won’t magically turn Dubrovnik tourist-free, you will hardly see crowds and prices should come down significantly. The weather is also rather mild in winter, with average highs roughly around 12°C/54°F and average lows around 7°C/45°F — hardly bikini weather, but also not heavy coat and boots weather!
If you are lucky enough to visit Croatia near Christmas, don’t miss the Advent celebrations in Dubrovnik! While not quite as grand as what you’ll see in Zagreb, it’s worth a visit.
The dates for this year run from November 29, 2021, through to January 6, 2022, so you have quite a big window of available dates to celebrate and get festive.
>> Read Next: How to Visit the Dubrovnik Christmas Market & Dubrovnik Winter Festival <<
Visit snow-covered castles
Many people don’t realize how many beautiful castles there are in Croatia, focusing instead on the old towns, islands, waterfalls, and beaches — but there are many castles in Croatia well worth visiting.
You’ll find most of the castles in the north of the country, in the Hrvatsko Zagorje region that borders Slovenia. One of the most beautiful is the Varazdin Castle pictured above, though Trakošćan is also extremely beautiful.
Soak up the winter nature in Gorski Katar
Even if you’re not skiing at one of the many ski resorts in the Gorski Kotar region, there is plenty of beauty to soak up that makes a stay in this region in winter worthwhile.
The area around Lokvarsko Lake is particularly gorgeous, and there are plenty of opportunities for winter hiking or snowshoeing if you want to get active outdoors in the winter.
Photograph your way across winter cityscapes and landscapes
If you’re a huge lover of photography, traveling Croatia winter provides several benefits: fewer crowds, more interesting subjects, and plenty of opportunities to play with long exposure, composition, and aperture.
We’ve listed our favorite Instagram spots in Zagreb and the top photography locations in Dubrovnik already to get you started, but that’s just a taste of what you’ll be able to capture in Croatia this winter.
Shop for marvelous Croatian souvenirs
There are so many beautiful Croatian souvenirs that are worth shopping for – especially if you’re visiting Croatia in December and you need to do some Christmas shopping!
We’ve listed our favorite Croatian souvenirs here, but a few to note are licitar hearts, local food products, and hand-carved wood figurines and ornaments.
Sightsee beautiful churches and museums
If you’re traveling to Croatia in winter, you’ll want to have a full itinerary with plenty of stops in churches and museums to warm up and get a break from the cold. Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik are all wonderful cities with plenty of museums and culture.
If you’re lucky and visit Croatia in January or February when they host their yearly Noć muzeja (Museum Night), the entrance fee to virtually all museums in Croatia will be free and the hours will be extended.
Museum Night is usually on the last Friday of January, but this year, it was a digital-only experience on 29th January 2021. In a normal year, museums, galleries, and other similar institutions open their doors to the public – for free – from 6 PM to 1 AM. The 2022 date hasn’t been announced yet, but you can find updated info here!
Warm up with some delicious Croatian food & drinks
While people generally think of seafood when they think of Croatian food, the cuisine is a lot more diverse than just that! I typically don’t crave seafood in the winter, and my stomach is focused on hearty, soul-warming fare.
Think of snacking on fire-roasted chestnuts and powdered-sugar flecked fritule (mini doughnuts) as you wander around beautiful old towns, then tucking in for hearty stews and roasted meat for dinner!
Winter Weather in Croatia
While the weather will be very different throughout Croatia – with cities in the north like Zagreb and mountain resorts being far colder and cities in the south like Dubrovnik being a good deal warmer – we’ll use Split as our example, as it splits (pardon the pun) the difference between Zagreb and Dubrovnik.
Winter in Croatia is not so cold, but you’ll want to be prepared anyway with layers and proper clothing. The winter weather in Croatia is pretty stable, usually around 7° C / 46° F daily in Split.
Average lows dip down to just above freezing, around 4° C / 39° F, so you’ll want a jacket, but you may also experience a few warm-ish days up to 12° C/ 54° F.
If you plan to sightsee, keep in mind that you should dress to feel much colder since you will be outside for long periods!
What to Pack for Croatia in Winter
We have a full Croatia packing list here with winter sections for men and women, but here’s the quick version!
A Guidebook – While travel blogs are great, we also definitely see the benefit of having a good paper guidebook in hand to refer to in your on-the-ground travel. We recommend the Lonely Planet Croatia book.
Winter accessories: Bring a winter scarf like this one (women’s) or this cashmere scarf (men’s) to help block out the wind. We recommend women’s gloves like these which are compatible with your smartphone (for a men’s version, check these). You also lose a lot of heat from the top of your head and ears, so a fleece-lined knit hat (women’s) that you wear tight, like a beanie, is a fantastic choice. Pick a colorful one for cute photos! Here’s a men’s version as well.
An ultra-light down jacket: You can wear this on its own or pair it with a warmer jacket for colder days. This rolls up and packs easily in your day bag so it’s good to bring along – I have one similar to this (women’s) but there’s a men’s version as well. If you want to be warm, or if your trip is mostly focused on Zagreb, the mountains, and northern Croatia, I recommend a winter jacket like this North Face parka which I’ve owned for years and years.
Winter boots: It can be snowy any icy throughout Croatia even at times in the south, as it can snow in Dubrovnik and even get below freezing. For snowy days and super cold weather when you still want to be comfortable, I love these knee-high waterproof Blondo boots and have owned them for over a decade. For men, I suggest a waterproof boot with good traction, like these Timberlands.
Motion sickness pills: Great for bus rides if you’ll be visiting any mountains – I buy these non-drowsy ones. You can also try these natural motion sickness bands which use acupressure to reduce nausea – they work pretty well.
More Croatia Travel Resources
Headed to Croatia? We have some great travel resources to help you with your trip. First read our guide to planning a trip to Croatia, which covers visas, budgets, vaccines, and much more. We also have a Croatia packing list with a detailed winter section.
Traveling to Croatia and have no idea how to get into town? Why not booking this convenient transfer service from the airport to the city center, it’s safe and affordable!
Check out our Balkan currency guide which explains how money works in Croatia and local tipping customs.
If you’re still putting together your itinerary, here’s a great list of places to visit in Croatia, our Croatia national parks guide, and Croatian waterfalls guide to help you choose. We also have a day trip guide for Dubrovnik, if you’re visiting there as well.
Next, you’ll want to read our guide to shopping in Croatia so you know which souvenirs are truly local gems.
If this will be one of your first trips in the Balkans, check out our massive list of things to know before traveling the Balkans as well as our Balkan bus, road trip, and itinerary guides.
We publish new content nearly every day! Bookmark our pages on Croatia and the Balkans so that you don’t miss out on any new info or resources that we publish before your trip!
Don’t Forget About Travel Insurance!
I’m sure you’re aware that travel insurance is a good idea for traveling in Croatia (or really, any part of the world)! Steph and I have both been paying customers of World Nomads for the last three years. We love the peace of mind it gives us in case of emergencies, accidents, illnesses, theft, or trip cancellation or disruption.
While the Balkans are perfectly safe to travel around, there’s always a risk inherent in everyday travel – especially during the winter! – so it’s better to play it safe.
>> Get a travel insurance quote for your trip here <<
Pin This Croatia Winter Travel Guide!
Originally from California, Allison has been living in Bulgaria for the last two years and is obsessed with traveling around the Balkans. She has been published in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, Matador Network, and the Huffington Post. She loves befriending dogs, drinking coffee, geeking out about wine, and cooking food from around the world.
