Are you going on a cruise and want to see the most beautiful places in Croatia? Then you've come to the right place! In the following compendium of knowledge you will find proven information about ports, islands and other attractions on the Adriatic. You will also learn about the advantages of staying in marinas, anchorages and buoys. We invite you to read.
Croatia for sailors
This beautiful country is sometimes called a sailing paradise and it must be admitted that this opinion is fully justified. Croatia has the most beautiful beaches, islands and coves in Europe. If we add excellent weather conditions, extensive infrastructure and easy access, we get a simple recipe for a successful sailing holiday.
All this wealth of options means that when planning a vacation, it is worth considering in advance what we want to see and in what order. It is also good to read a little about berths in advance, especially since marinas in Croatia are sometimes very crowded, especially those located along the most frequented routes. This means that during the peak holiday season it may be difficult to find a free place, especially if you arrive late in the afternoon.
Of course, each port in Croatia on the Adriatic has its own specifics, however, there are certain guidelines that can be considered common to most locations:
- If we want to stay at a specific marina, it is worth booking a place there by phone or e-mail. Phones in paper guides are usually out of date, so it is better to use social media,
- ACI marinas offer much better conditions than city ports, but their prices can be up to twice as high,
- without a reservation, it is better to arrive at the port no later than 4 p.m.,
- marinas in Croatia are often located some distance from city centers and main attractions. Ports are usually located in the old town.
Choosing how to spend the night is a separate issue - instead of staying in the marina, you can choose one of the alternative solutions:
- stop at the restaurant quay - this requires prior arrangement, prices may vary greatly and you won't necessarily get help with mooring,
- parking on a buoy - there is a small fee, but it only covers the place and garbage collection, without access to utilities,
- anchorage - it is free and guarantees silence, but requires maintaining an anchor watch all night long.
Ports in Croatia – what do you need to know about them?
The Croatians made sure to create favorable conditions for sailors to spend their holidays; over the last three decades, they have been intensively developing the sailing infrastructure, thanks to which today the ports in Croatia have a total of berths for 16,000 yachts.
Let's remember that the most beautiful ports in Croatia are not necessarily the largest ones. It is worth bearing in mind that it is a typical tourist country, which means that each, even a small, town is focused on welcoming guests, and small houses, atmospheric bays and clean beaches can be as attractive as modern ports in top locations.
You will certainly be happy to know that larger or smaller marinas in Croatia can be found for approximately three hours of sailing. Thanks to this, you can freely choose the cruise route and maintain some flexibility - if during the day it turns out that the weather conditions are different than expected, you can easily make changes to your previous assumptions.
The most beautiful ports in Croatia that are certainly worth visiting during your holiday are:
- Marina Mandalina (Sibenik),
- Marina Frap,
- Port in Trogir (it is best to moor here from the side of Ciovo island).
Places in Croatia worth visiting
When planning your cruise itinerary, it is a good idea to reserve some time to visit a few interesting places on land. Particularly worth recommending is, of course, Dubrovnik, considered the most beautiful city in Croatia. The local old town is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and a walk along the atmospheric streets or a cup of coffee in a local cafe will certainly be remembered by your crew for a long time.
Other interesting locations include:
- Pula, located at the end of the Istrian peninsula, offers numerous monuments from the times of the Roman Empire,
- picturesque Rijeka, called the Pearl of the Adriatic and housing the largest port in Croatia,
- Zadar and its wonderful old town with the "Greetings to the Sun" square, where it is worth arriving just before sunset,
- Split with the Diocletian Palace complex.
Of course, cities are not everything - during the cruise you must also see the most beautiful islands in Croatia. Of course, beauty is a subjective matter, because everyone likes something different - but the vast majority of sailors strongly recommend visiting the islands of Żut, Kornat, and Vela Smokvica. It is also worth remembering that all these names on the map will be preceded by the word Otok, which means island in Croatian.
