There are more reasons than ever to head to Croatia after the summer crowds have gone home, and this year it will be even easier and more fuss-free thanks to the  Croatian National Tourist Board's brand-new virtual experience, helping you to  create your bespoke holiday of a lifetime  as well as allowing you to create your own postcard and keep count of your steps! Download this fantastic app in the Google Play Store or Apple Store or at Explore Croatia app.

Sustainability News

Croatia has made significant progress in its sustainability program, as announced by the Nikolina Brnjac, Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sport in her presentation on the second Croatian Voluntary National Review on the implementation of the United Nations program for sustainable development, which took place at the high-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development held under the Economic and Social Council - ECOSOC. 

In her speech, Minister Brnjac noted: 'According to the global Sustainable Development Report for 2023, Croatia ranks high in 12th place out of 166 evaluated countries, and great progress is visible in just one year, as it was in 23rd place just last year. According to the same source, Croatia has made progress in 14 [out of 17] sustainable development goals.'

She pointed out that in its assessment of Croatia's progress, the European Commission concluded that Croatia is making timely progress in achieving almost all sustainable development goals, and that in eight goals it is above the EU average. 

'This is particularly important information, since as many as nine EU member states are among the 10 countries with the best results for 2023, and we are extremely pleased that Croatia, as the youngest EU member state, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary of membership, is in a high 10th place among EU members according to the results of the global report on sustainable development," said Brnjac.

SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER IN THE REGIONS

Istria (truffle image credit: Ivo Biočina/Croatian National Tourist Board)

This peninsula famed far and wide for its truffles takes you on an underground quest for the 'black gold' with its Kova experience and its many celebrations of truffles, Teran wines, local olive oil, honey and lots more. You can also cycle and sail in this landscape of hills, rivers, sea and forests, and discover historic cities offering eco experiences embedded in the Istrian DNA. 

All this is topped with the hotel opening of the year, Petram Resort & Residences, which boasts the world's second-longest infinity pool (heated in the shoulder months) and a nearby golf course immersed in the mesmerising Mediterranean landscape. 

Dubrovnik and its region

In the southernmost Croatian region, Dubrovnik dazzles as a sun-soaked art-filled destination – this late summer and autumn featuring an exhibition in the Gothic palazzo of the Museum of Modern Art showcasing an impressive collection on loan from the prestigious Slovakian Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art. 

The city's foodie offers are also irresistible, with the Dubrovnik Good Food Festival offering food for thought from 9 to 22 October in the form of inventive fine-dining Mediterranean menus, delicious local wine, mouthwatering street food, gourmet tours and authentic dishes served at a 300m-long table running the entire extent of Stradun street. 

Further afield into the region, the shoulder season includes festivals of salt, light and even sand, plus the Korkyra Baroque Festival showcasing music, cultural heritage and the island itself in intricate halls, churches and palazzos from 1 to 17 September. You can pair it with adventurous horseback-riding in the Adriatic Sea and retreating to a brand-new four-star on the Dionysian Peljesac peninsula, the eco-friendly Hotel Crystal.

You can also run a marathon next to Ston saltworks, the oldest active salt mines in Europe, and across the second longest defensive walls in the world, Ston Walls in the Peljesac neighbourhood.

Neretva Valley

This unchartered region of the Croatian south offers visitors the chance to hop aboard an indigenous trupica boat and meander through the narrow river branches of the delta, which is dotted with waterlilies and the legends of underwater towns – as well as producing incredibly delicious mandarins. October is the best time to explore this 'Croatian California', without the heat or crowds. 

Central Dalmatia

A mere two-hour drive across the new-in-2022 Peljesac Bridge to Split, central Dalmatia welcomes you with developments including the AC Hotel by Marriott Split, which opened in mid July. This urban hideaway is nestled within the tallest Croatian skyscraper, the 'Dalmatia Tower' 'with its Adriatic views, and includes a wellness area, indoor pool and characterful restaurant all within 10 minutes of the vibrant and historic city centre of Split. 

Also new here this summer has been the Cora Hotel, oozing luxury, mindfulness and the best rooftop views over the city. Great things to do from here are descending into the forested Marjan in an electric bus, zigzagging across lovingly preserved nature effortlessly and sustainably.

Split parties well beyond the high-summer months. From 4 to 8 October, superb masterclasses led by some of most revered three-Michelin starred chefs are the focal point of the Taste the Mediterranean festival. You can also seize the sunny days by joining in September's Split Cycling Race or the Summer Colours of Split stretching into late September, with free concerts. And the Summer of Magical Classical Music elevates September evenings with concerts in the atmospheric Diocletian's Palace.

Meanwhile, Sibenik with its two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than 24 churches and four ancient fortresses hosts a series of regattas, including Latin Sails  and the Apple Regatta, plus the adrenaline-fuelled Sibenik Outdoor Festival with its trail running, free climbing, SUP paddleboarding, kayaking and bike racing. Cyclists in Sibenik image: Ivan Šardi/
CNTB

Zadar

In northern Dalmatia, this revamped coastal oasis whets appetites with its Zadar Street Food Festival between 22 September and 1 October, featuring local specialities by local chefs.  You can make a fantastically affordable city break of it in the Hotel Miramare, which opened in April 2023.

This region makes for a particularly awe-inspiring backdrop in the milder autumn months. From 23 to 24 September, it hosts the Zadar Outdoor Festival, with kayaking, SUP and climbing. The lush pine-scented island of Ugljan with its centuries-old tuna farming, famed olive oil and uninterrupted views of Zadar coast is also a natural sporting haven.

Kvarner 

The flavours of the Kvarner region are so authentic and divine that they have taken over the in-flight menus of Croatia Airlines – offering the most underrated foodie region in the Adriatic a time to shine well into November on its Croatia-bound flights. It's the perfect way to get a taster of this candidate for European Region of Gastronomy 2026, as well as to discover or rediscover Rijeka, a former European Capital of Culture.

Zagreb

Venture inland into, the pocket-sized capital, now complemented by the newly opened Grand Hotel Zagreb with wellness amenities, Zonar Hotel with its panoramic views, and Met Boutique Hotel overlooking the Cathedral. This shoulder season also see the opening of the Art'otel Zagreb with its signature art and roof terrace. It will form a perfect synergy with the 'art therapy' event Artupunktura in October.

Međimurje

This northernmost part of Croatia is one of its most green destinations – one where eco-consciousness dances to the rhythm of music and centuries-old wine making – as at the Međimurje blues festival at the thermal resort of  Sveti Martin in September. You can also walk the Međimurje wine road.

Nature Park Lonjsko Polje

In Krapje in Croatia's capital of storks, you can celebrate the wine season by tasting the local Voloder wine paired with delicious stews and jovial tamburitza music, and by exploring unspoilt rivers by solar-powered boat and finding Croatian zen in Posavina's traditional dwellings. 

Osijek, Varazdin, Vukovar, Koprivnica and Virovitica 

In the east lie unspoilt lush floodplain forests, dreamy river islands, green shores, arms and inlets, as well as these five cities steeped in history and tradition. Here you'll find remnants of the Roman Empire, ornate Baroque buildings, steadfast fortresses, picturesque villages with communities rich in cultural heritage, culinary delights and mor  top-quality wines. 

You can switch island-hopping plans for wine-hopping festivals in the lively easternmost region dubbed the 'European Amazon', discovering wine treasures in Kutjevo Trezor and Fisijada fish-themed feasts and signing up for Papuk Trekk&Trail on the sunny and serene slopes of Papuk at an altitude of 260m. 

Another Dionysian experience worth waiting for is HeadOnEast on 6 and 7 October, with limitless craft beer, wine and wholesome food at the newly revamped Osijek Fortress - Tvrđa with its artistic installations in the 1700s military construction. Make a toast to Slavonia in the historic fortress winery and promise to return for the grand opening of Golden Slavonia Winehouse later in the year. 

At the very epicentre of the biosphere is Kopacki rit Nature Park, one of the largest wetlands in Europe, which you can explore on two wheels along more than 1,000km of cycling trails crossing into the wine kingdom of Ilok, brushing shoulders with deer, beavers, otters and the largest population of white-tailed eagles in all Europe. Direct Ryanair flights from London Stansted to Osijek until 31 October make this region all the more accessible.

For more information contact:

Rhonda Carrier: rcarrier@aviareps.com. Ivana Shiell  ivana@croatia-london.co.uk 

About The Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB)

The Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB) is a national tourist organisation founded with the aim of creating and promoting the identity and reputation of Croatian tourism domestically and internationally. CNTB activities include both planning and implementing the promotional strategy, as well as proposing and implementing promotional activities that are of common interest to all entities in tourism, and raising the level of quality of the entire Croatian tourist offer.

The Croatian National Tourist Board is headquartered in Zagreb but also has 19 representative and branch offices globally: Frankfurt (Germany), Munich (Germany), Vienna (Austria), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Milan (Italy), Prague (Czech Republic), Bratislava (Slovakia), Warsaw (Poland), Paris (France), London (United Kingdom), Budapest (Hungary), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Brussels (Belgium), Stockholm (Sweden), Moscow (Russia), New York (USA), Los Angeles (USA), Shanghai (China), Seoul (South Korea).

For high-resolution images and logos please contact: croatia.uk@aviareps.com

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