Croatia Cruise Ports
The country of Croatia has developed itself as a leading tourist destination in the south east of Europe thanks to its historic towns and cities, its beautiful coastline and it warm and sunny weather and arguably the best way to mix the absolute best of the country is by enjoying a cruise to Croatia.
Located to the east of Italy on the Adriatic Sea, thousands of British holidaymakers head to the country to enjoy its beautiful beaches whilst many head there to enjoy the great historic cities on offer including the likes of Split and Dubrovnik whilst plenty visit to see attractions such as the stunning Plitvice Lakes and many head to the country to see its historic islands.
If you choose to fly to Croatia for a land based holiday you may get to take in one or 2, perhaps even 3 of those reasons to visit but on a cruise you can not only take in all of those aspects but you can take in a range of its great much see cities and attractions.
The country border Slovenia to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, both Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the southeast and has a long coastline on the Adriatic Sea where most of the countries leading towns and cities are found and the great news from our point of view is that most of those destinations features cruise ports with a wide range of cruise lines visiting them.
The tourist destinations of Dubrovnik and Split are the most popular cruise ports and both offer the chance to start your holiday in the country and explore all that is on offer in Croatia.
Cruises To Croatia
Cruise Holidays To Croatia
If you are wanting to visit the country of Croatia on a cruise holiday, the great news is that there are lots of options including your cruise destination, the cruise line that you sail with and the cruise ship that you sail on.
Ports up and down the coast of Croatia feature on many itineraries of Mediterranean cruises, cruises of the Adriatic and Aegean Sea cruises with some offering a mixture of the above as well.
If you prefer not to fly on holiday, it is possible to visit Croatia directly from the United Kingdom although if you want to do a round trip, most cruises will be of around 19-21 nights and have a premium cost with them.
It is possible to take advantage of some repositioning cruises that start in the UK and sail to the country before allowing you to fly back from Croatia or a nearby port and there are some that start in the region and sail back to the United Kingdom to mean that only 1 flight is needed but these are infrequent.
The most popular way to enjoy a cruise of the region and to visit Croatia is to fly to one of the great departure ports in the country that allow to not only explore the Adriatic Sea region on your cruise but you also get to spend time on land before or after your cruise and take in much more of the country itself.
The port of Dubrovnik offers the widest choices of cruises from the country and is a fantastic place to spend some days before your cruise exploring the ancient walled city and the surrounding area whilst Split is also another option for starting your cruise from.
It is also possible to fly to other ports nearby including tourist destinations such as Corfu, Venice, Athens and Malta to enjoy a short break either side of your cruise.
It is also possible to enjoy an organised Fly Cruise where you fly, transfer from the airport to the ship and then cruise all on the same booking to simplify things.
Croatia Cruise Guide
If you are currently researching cruise ports of call in Croatia to decide whether to stop in the country on a cruise of the region or which cruise port(s) are the best ones for you to spend time on shore, our port guides bring you all of the information that you need to make an informed decision.
If you have already booked your cruise of the region and are looking for information on your chosen ports, our guides bring you all of the information that you need to make the most of time on shore and to make the best of your cruise holiday to Croatia.
Popular Ports
The great news for those looking to visit Croatia is that there is a wide range of cruise ports located up and down the coast of the country and whilst the ports of Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar offer the widest range of cruises, all of the below feature on a selection of cruise itineraries for holidaymakers to enjoy.
The historic city of Dubrovnik is not only one of the country’s leading tourist destination but it is also the country’s leading cruise port offer a wide range of holidays starting in the city and many that call in as part of a cruise of the Adriatic.
There is lots on offer including a cable car to the top of Mount Srd which offers stunning views of the city including its ancient walled old town which its narrow, winding streets that make for a great day of exploring.
The beautiful city of Split is located in the north of the country and offers lots for visitors to enjoy but it is also the gateway to the stunning Plitvice Lakes, a stunning UNECO World Heritage site full of lakes and waterfalls.
Zadar is a city located on the beautiful Dalmatian coast which is famous for its Roman and Venetian ruins which make for a highlight of a Croatian cruise.
Rijeka is a port city located on Kvarner Bay that is known as the gateway to the idyllic Croatian Islands although there is lots on offer in the city itself including a beautiful promenade and a hilltop castle.
The beautiful island of Hvar is a popular summer resort whilst the walled town of Hvar is a great place to explore with highlights including a hilltop fortress and the Renaissance-era Cathedral of Hvar.
The town of Korcula on the island it gives its name to is known as ‘Little Dubrovnik’ due to its medieval squares, places, houses and churches all of which can be easily explored on foot.
Sibenik is a coastal city that is famed for its large natural harbour and for been the gateway to the Kornati Islands but there is lots to explore in the historic city itself including a beautiful 15th century Cathedral, the Princes Palace and a large fortress with stunning vies out over the Adriatic Sea.
The fishing port of Rovinj is located on the Istrian peninsula where the old town is perched on a headland and offers a tangle of cobbles streets just waiting to be explored on foot where you will come across such sights as a hill top church, historic squares and a beautiful bay.
Popular Cruise Lines
As a popular cruise destination on the western end of the Mediterranean and close to the Greek Islands, it will be no surprise that cruises of the Adriatic and to Croatia are hugely popular and are offered by a wide range of cruise lines, with some of the world’s biggest and newest ships calling into the country whilst smaller and more luxurious ships offer more port intensive cruises of the region which can often include number stops in the country.
Amongst the lines to offer the widest range of itineraries visiting Croatia include MC Cruises, Marella Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), Costa Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line (Hal) and P&O Cruise with Marella Cruises offering lots of cruises from Dubrovnik with easy flights and transfers.
Croatia
Location: South-Eastern Europe / Adriatic Sea
Capital City: Zagreb
Currency: Kuna
Language: Croatian
Demonym(s): Croatian
Top Ports:Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar
The history of Croatia is a long and storied one that has seen plenty of periods of prosperity, periods of struggle and perhaps even more periods at war but that has come together to create a fantastic modern day country full of historic sites of interest and historic walled towns that are now a popular tourist destination.
The countries relatively narrow nature along the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea makes it almost perfectly designed for a cruise holiday and thanks to the seafaring nature of the country, there are lots of great ports of call to visit.
No matter which port you choose, you can be assured of lots of points of interest and attractions to visit all whilst never been far from a stunning beach and incredible views out over the Adriatic towards Italy.
Best Time To Visit
The relative warm all year around weather enjoyed in the region makes Croatia a great all year around destination although to make the most of walking around the historic cities or enjoying the areas of outstanding natural beauty, it is arguably best to visit in the summer months when it is drier.
During July and August it is incredibly busy throughout the ports of call on offer with holidaymakers and with the historic nature of the towns and cities available, they are simply not designed to host so many visitors which leads to crowds everywhere you go.
With that in mind, it is probably best to visit in May, June, or September if possible.
Here at CruiseHols.co.uk we bring you all of the information you will ever need to choose the right cruise destination for you and your family.
Cruises From UK
If you would like to visit the country of Croatia on a cruise holiday directly from the United Kingdom, you can do as whilst it is not the busiest cruise route out there, there are a few options available to you.
On the plus side of things, there are a few lines that offer itineraries sailing from the UK to Croatia but due to the distance to travel to the Eastern Mediterranean and to Croatia in particular, you will need plenty of time and a decent budget.
Most cruises heading there will be between 19-24 nights and take innumerous ports around both the Eastern and Western Med.
Cruises From Southampton
To visit one of the great cruise ports of Croatia from the UK, the chances are that you will need to set sail from the UK leading cruse port of Southampton that has a number of lines allowing you to sail to a number of Croatian cruise ports.
Our destination guides include everything from ports to attractions and excursion to the positives and negatives of the destination.
