How to get to Croatia: airports, flights and border crossings

Croatia has three airports that matter for most trips: Zagreb (ZAG) in the interior, Split (SPU) on the central coast, and Dubrovnik (DBV) in the far south. Split is the default for a first coastal trip because it sits between the islands, Trogir and the Makarska riviera, and has the most seasonal flights from the US, UK and Ireland. Dubrovnik works if your trip is the walled city plus Montenegro or Korčula. Zagreb is the year-round hub and the sensible arrival for Istria, Plitvice or a continental route.

Two smaller airports help in summer. Pula (PUY) serves Istria and Rijeka (RJK) the Kvarner coast, but both have thinner schedules and fewer US connections. Zadar (ZAD) has grown as a low-cost base for the northern Dalmatian islands. If your dates are fixed and the fare difference is small, take the airport closest to your first two nights rather than the cheapest one — the bus or transfer from a distant airport can cost more than the saving.

Book a multi-city ticket rather than a return. Flying into Split and out of Dubrovnik, or into Zagreb and out of Split, removes a long backtrack at the end of the trip and usually costs little more than a return.

From the UK and Ireland, direct flights to Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar and Pula run in summer, with Zagreb and Split served year-round. Expect roughly 2h 30m from London to Zagreb or Split and a little longer to Dubrovnik. From Germany, Austria and Italy the network is dense and fares are low outside July and August.

From the US and Canada there are no nonstop flights to Croatia. The usual routes are one stop through a European hub — Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris, London or Istanbul — with a total of about 9–11 hours from the East Coast and 12–15 from the West Coast. Some travellers fly nonstop to a hub and take a separate low-cost flight onward; leave a long connection if you book the legs separately, because a missed budget flight is not protected.

From Australia and New Zealand, plan one or two stops through the Gulf, Istanbul or a European hub, with total travel of about 22–30 hours. Fares are lowest for travel in the shoulder months of May, June, September and October.

Croatia joined the Schengen area in 2023, so most Western passport holders enter under the 90-days-in-any-180 rule and cross from Slovenia or Hungary without a border check in the old sense. Crossings from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro still involve a passport check, and queues build at Neum and at the Debeli Brijeg coast crossing in summer. Carry your passport, not a copy.

By train, the practical routes are from Ljubljana and from Budapest or Vienna via Zagreb; the network is thin on the coast, so buses do the heavy lifting. Long-distance buses connect Zagreb with Ljubljana, Budapest, Vienna, Munich, Sarajevo, Belgrade and Kotor, and Split with Sarajevo and Mostar. Book seats ahead in July and August.

By sea, ferries and catamarans link Italy with Croatia: Ancona and Bari to Split and Zadar, and Venice or Ancona to Dubrovnik, Pula and Rijeka depending on the season. These are foot-passenger and car services on different operators, so check the timetable for your exact date. Arriving by sea is a good option if you are combining Italy with Dalmatia.

Croatia uses the euro, so there is no currency exchange on arrival and cards are accepted almost everywhere. Check your passport validity against the Schengen rule — most travellers need at least three months beyond their planned departure from the area — and confirm your own visa position before booking, since rules differ by passport.

Buy travel insurance that covers the activities you plan, including boat trips and any hiking, and keep the policy number offline. A local eSIM or a EU roaming plan covers most of the country, though signal on the islands can be patchy. If you arrive late into Split or Dubrovnik in summer, pre-book a transfer or confirm the last airport bus, because taxis at peak times are expensive and sometimes scarce.