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What are the crowds like this spring in Croatia

What are the crowds like this spring in Croatia

Old May 18th, 2022, 07:33 AM
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What are the crowds like this spring in Croatia

Hi,
My partner and I will be in Croatia from May 28 - June 16, and I am wondering if someone might be able to give me some sense of the crowds so far this season. I am hoping they are still a little less than in typical years, but I realize this may seem selfish - and overly optimistic. Specifically, we are hoping to walk the Dubrovnik city walls our first full day there (May 28) and I am wondering if we really have to hit the walls right at 8 AM to avoid the terrible crowds (I suffer badly from jet lag, so I am already dreading an early wake-up the first day). There will be no cruise ships in port that day, so I'm hoping that might help reduce the crowds. Would we just be crazy to start the walls at 9:00 or 10:00?
Thanks!
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Old May 18th, 2022, 07:53 AM
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While I don't know what it's like currently, for what it's worth, I did the city walls first thing in the morning when I went. Comparing my notes to people who went at later times in the day, I saw significantly less people and while it should only be 80F/26C, you can avoid the relative heat that comes later in the day as well. Are there any other dates after where the ships aren't in port? I think the time changes to opening at 8am once you get to June as well, may be worth considering depending on how long you're staying in Dubrovnik (re: adjusted to jet lag).

Ultimately it depends on you - do you want less people / how important is the no cruise ships in port for your view / pictures or are you okay with it being more crowded? How do you fare in hotter temps? If none of those things matter, then go whenever you like. If they do, then yes, go very early in the morning. Hope this helps!
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Old May 18th, 2022, 08:05 AM
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Thank you very much for your response! This will be our only full day in Dubrovnik (we planned around the cruise ship schedule). While we certainly don't expect the walls to be crowd-free, we will want good views and good photos, so maybe I will just need to suck it up that morning! You mentioned that in June, the walls open at 8:00. When do they open in May? I didn't realize there was a difference. Thanks again!
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Old May 18th, 2022, 08:09 AM
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In May they open at 9am, in June-mid September they open at 8 (to allow people to go earlier due to it getting hotter).

I don't have enough posts to include a link to the source, but here are the hours I found:

City Walls Working Hours

1 January - 28 February - 10.00 am - 3.00 pm
1 March - 31 March - 9.00 am - 3.00 pm
1 April - 31 May - 9.00 am - 6.30 pm
1 June - 31 July - 8.00 am - 7.30 pm
1 August - 15 September - 8.00 am - 7.00 pm
15 September - 31 October - 9.00 am - 6.00 pm
1 November - 31 December - 9.00 am - 3.00 pm

Additionally, you can look up the 'Dubrovnik Card' as depending how many total days you are staying, this may be useful to you for access purposes.

Last edited by my2credits; May 18th, 2022 at 08:11 AM.
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Old May 18th, 2022, 08:27 AM
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Thank you so much! I should have realized this. Since the bulk of our trip is in June, I hadn't thought to check "off-season" times. So silly. But this will help with my early-morning dilemma 9:00 AM start-time is much more tolerable than 8:00 AM.
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Old May 18th, 2022, 08:32 AM
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Happy to help. If you have other Croatia related questions, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to help. I've been to several cities there!

Also, if it's not already in your itinerary, I hope you're able to make time to go to the national parks as they are gorgeous!
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Old May 18th, 2022, 11:41 AM
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We were there in July of 2019 and walked the wall late afternoon or mid day and there were no crowds. Have a wonderful trip!!
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Old May 19th, 2022, 04:50 AM
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Deladeb - that is encouraging! I hope we are as lucky as you were with crowds.

My2credits - we will have three weeks in total, and will spend time in Dubrovnik (with day-trip to Kotor), Mostar, Split (with day-trips to Hvar, Trogir, Salona, Klis, Sibenik), Pakostane (with day-trips to Paklenica NP and Lake Vrana), Zadar (with day-trips to Krka NP and Pag), Plitvice NP, Istria, Risnjak NP, Cigoc / Lonjsko Polje, and Zagreb. Whew! My partner is a "birder" and a nature enthusiast, so we have tried to create a good mix of nature along with all the old city sights. I am always grateful for advice, so if you have any tips, I would welcome them!
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Old May 19th, 2022, 07:42 AM
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Three weeks is fantastic! I think 2, absolute max of 3 nights in Dubrovnik is appropriate. I would not do a day trip to Kotor. Montenegro is gorgeous and you should spend more time there (2 nights minimum). Your nature loving partner would absolutely love a tour that includes a lengthy stop at Rijeka Crnojevića. See if you can find one that includes a cruise (and if you're lucky, swim) in the river itself - to this day I would say that tour was the best tour I've ever been on (combination of what we did + tour guide being incredible). If you like hiking and views, the views at the top of the Kotor fortress are also incredible. All in all, you could easily spend 2-3 nights there.

I agree on all your NP stops. From what I saw of Zadar, I really liked it, but wish I could have spent more time there. I went to Krka from Split (and Klis later that afternoon via bus), but Zadar will serve you just fine for that as well. I have heard great things about Sibenik, but have not been. I can't speak to some of the other spots on there, though.

Hvar is more of a party spot than a day trip - could be a nice pitstop if you're into that kind of thing. I was backpacking and ended up extending my stay as I really enjoyed the company I was with when I went - however, that was a pure impulse move. If you're doing a day trip, the view from the top of the fort is nice.

Plitvice is huge and I would recommend staying in Korenička so that you don't rush through it. You could literally spend all day (and more) at the park if you wanted to.

While you're in Istria, I would try to make it over to Rovinj for some stunning views and food. You can also go to Pula to see the coliseum.

Considering your time, I think you will be fine packing this all in - however, one suggestion, assuming you are departing from Zagreb, is to see if you can find a way to fit in a 1 night stay at Ljubljana (old city) and Lake Bled (nature) in Slovenia, since you'll be close by. I would even go so far as to say I would do that over Mostar. It's great, and you may enjoy kayaking at Vodopad Kravica, but compared to everything else on your list, it's the one thing I would omit to suggest something else.

I hope this helps!
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Old May 20th, 2022, 07:32 AM
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These are such great suggestions! I wish I had been able to talk with you before I put together our itinerary, but I will definitely see if I can make some tweaks
We are spending a night near Plitvice, so we will have a full day to enjoy the park. We will be staying in Rovinj for four nights, and will do a day trip to Pula, and a day trip to Porec (and into Slovenia for some birding), and a day-trip to the hilltowns. We did consider Lake Bled and Lublijana, but my partner found some birding spots he wants to check out in Croatia instead, so those won out this time. So many wonderful things to see in the area - we will just have to plan another trip soon!
Thanks again for all your help!
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Old May 29th, 2022, 10:04 AM
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I was there 3 weeks ago. Crowds pleasant, meaning they gave life to Rijeka, Pula, Rovinj were I stayed for about 4-5 days each. Of course headed out to towns around for sightseeing. July and August are the only seasons in Croatia according to all of those I spoke to as that is when the water is the warmest. Rome, Florence and Venice were FRANTIC.with people, cruisers, tour groups and school trippers-almost boarding on the unpleasant and since had been in these cities multiple times, almost wished I had skipped them.
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