Visiting Croatia with kids: all you need to know to plan the perfect trip. The best places in Croatia with kids, best kid-friendly attractions, family travel tips.
Croatia is an excellent family destination for a summer vacation with kids.
Blessed with a stunning coastline, crystal clear waters, beautiful nature and historical towns, Croatia is super family-friendly in terms of atmospheres and welcome. In addition, it has great hospitality facilities that make a family vacation here easy, as well as fun.
If you follow this site, you may already know that our favorite family vacations are those where we can mix sightseeing, outdoor fun, days at the beach and some fun activities just for the kids.
Croatia offers all this and more!
This is our list of the best places to visit in Croatia with kids.
Table of Contents
Why visit Croatia with kids
There are many reasons why we recommend Croatia as a family destination.
Croatia has over 12,000 Km of stunning coast and has some of the most beautiful beaches and waters in the mediterranean, perfect for a family sun holiday.
Croatia has beautiful Unesco World heritage towns, perfect for little explorers.
The nature of Croatia is stunning and varied: as well as the sea, you find here the beautiful Plitvice lakes, one of the most beautiful national parks in Europe.
Croatia is easy to reach and explore – Croatia is well connected to the rest of Europe by air, water and land and has a good network of roads and
Croatia has great tourism facilities.
Croatian people love kids and will make them feel welcome every step of the way.
Challenges
The main challenges you may find, when visiting Croatia as a family are;
Transport – by far, the best way to see Croatia with kids is by renting a car.
While bus services are connecting especially bigger and more touristy center, the distances can be long and a bit of a drag for kids. Driving your car is, on the other hand, easy enough.
Cobbles – If you have small kids who need a stroller, old Croatian town centers can be challenging as they are often paved with cobbles.
As a Rome mama, I am not fazed by cobbles, and I would never let something like this impact my choice of destination. However, it is good to be prepared!
If you can, opt for a buggy with sound, large wheels and also bring a carrier for some of the most awkward historical sites.
Crowds – July and August are the best time to visit Croatia with kids for a sea and sun vacation, but they are also the busiest.
Make sure you book accommodation and transport well in advance and consider mixing more popular with lesser-known locations for a bit of respite from the crowds.
Documents to enter Croatia – official resources
You can find official rules and regulations to enter Croatia here.
The best places to visit in Croatia with kids
Dubrovnik with kids
Dubrovnik is one of the most popular destinations in Croatia and a delight to visit with kids.
Located on the Southern part of the Croatia Coast, Dubrovnik is perched on a beautiful stretch of the Dalmatian Coast.
It has a historic city center that earned it a place in the list of Unesco World heritage sites and it so scenic, it is one of the famous filming locations of Game of Thrones!
The best things to do in Dubrovnik with kids are a mix of sightseeing and time on the beach.
Old town Dubrovnik has a long history dating back to the XIII century and mighty protective walls still surround it.
The walls are fantastic to visit with kids, especially older ones who can handle steps.
The walk along the walls will allow them to see what a real fortified town was like, complete with fortresses and turrets and the view from the walls are spectacular.
From the bastion walk, you can see a sea of red tiled roofs, the blue Adriatic sea and the green island of Lokum: it’s the perfect Mediterranean postcard!
Inside the walls, the town is a maze of pretty streets, churches and squares and it also has many cafes and restaurants that make it easy for kids and parents to take a break and rest whenever needed.
Other fun things to do in Dubrovnik with kids include a trip up the mountain above the old city with the cable car (avoid it if you suffer from a fear of heights!) and a morning at Dubrovnik Aquarium.
The town also has nice playgrounds that work as fantastic pit stops for kids while sightseeing!
As well as a historical town center, Dubrovnik has lovely beaches that are great for kids.
For example, Banje beach is immediately outside Dubrovnik Old town and offers stunning views of the city walls: a pebbly beach with shallow waters, perfect for kids and one of the best beaches in Dubrovnik for mum and dad too!
Top tip! Just in front of Dubrovnik lies the beautiful Lokrum Islands, which is a treat for kids! Here, as well as nice beaches, you find wild peacocks and something older kids and parents are likely to love: the iron Throne from Game of Thrones! The ferry ride from Dubrovnik only takes 15 minutes, so this is an easy stop to weaver into your itinerary.
Split with kids
Split is the second-largest city in Dalmatia and a fantastic place to visit for families for things to do, charm and facilities.
Spit was the capital of this area during ancient Roman times, and it is still a treat for history lovers nowadays.
The old town developed around the ancient Palace of Emperor Diocletian, who called Split home.
The Palace is huge and stunning and it is exhilarating for kids as they experience it as little but like a maze of alleys and covered passageways. In medieval times, private homes developed inside the Palace, which now feels like a mix between an archaeological site and a village.
The Palace is one of the best-preserved examples of Roma architecture in the world and should not be missed!
Immediately outside, you have many pretty streets and churches worth seeing and the fantastic Riva, aka Split’s seafront.
The promenade is fantastic for kids: here you have the sea, many cafes, street performers, souvenir stalls and parents will be happy to heat this area of the town is flat and stroller friendly!
Hvar Island with kids
Hvar island is immediately in front of Split and a very popular destination for a day trip from the city.
Hvar is one of the sunniest islands in the Mediterranean and it is indeed a great place for a day on the beach with little ones or as a place to call home for a few days.
Things not to be missed here are Hvar town, the pretty village of Jelsa and nearby Mina, one of the best family-friendly, sandy beaches on the island.
Hvar is also famous for having some of the best fields of lavender in Europe.
In summer, the island celebrates the lavender festival, which is a fun time to visit the islands since it includes workshops and events for children and adults.
As you can see, there are lots of interesting and fun things to on Hvar island, for kids and grown ups alike!
Brac Island with kids
The island of Brac is in front of Split and a fantastic place for families thanks to its intimate atmosphere, stunning vegetation and the sandy beaches Lovrečina e Vela Luka, family favorites!
Brac has several pretty towns and it is perfect as a day trip from Split or to spend a few days relaxing and embracing slow travel.
Trogir with kids
Trogir is a delightful historic town in central Croatia with a charm no adult no child car resist.
The old town center is on a tiny island connected to the mainland by two bridges and it is so beautiful and significant, it became Unesco World Heritage Site in 1997.
The original layout of the town dates back to hellenistic times and, over centuries, the town acquired stunning Romanesque and venetian style buildings of great beauty and charm.
Trogir is perfect for spending an afternoon getting lost in its maze-like alleys, but and it is special for children as it is entirely car-free, so they can run and explore to their heart content!
Sibenik with kids – Top pick!
Sibenik is one of the most family-friendly places in Croatia.
Kids are not only welcome here, but they are at the center of a fantastic summer event called The International Children festival!
Each yeat, between the end of June and the beginning of August, Sibekin becomes the stage for kids’ events and shows that attract families near and far.
This is a fantastic opportunity to visit this pretty town and mix with locals as well as international tourists.
Even if you miss this event, you will be spoilt for choice regarding things to do with kids.
As well as a pretty town center, Sibenic is close to Dalmatia Aquapark Water Adventure, a dream water park for kids and Krka National Park, one of the most spectacular areas of natural beauty in Croatia (think waterfalls, lakes, rivers!)
Zadar with kids – great town in Croatia for families with toddlers
Zadar is a very popular family destination in Croatia, well equipped with plenty of family friendly accommodation options and things to do for kids.
Unlike other towns in Croatia, Zadar is flat and stroller friendly, fantastic for toddlers and babies, and it has many beaches that are safe for kids and equipped with sand playgrounds and climbing frames.
There is, however, more than play areas in Zadar: the city is fantastic for adults too!
As well as the beautiful center, things you’ll love here are the Sea Organ and the so called Sun Salutation: these are two monuments in Zadar that are mind-blowing for kids as they use the sun and the sea to create incredible sound and light effects!
The best time to see them at works is the evening, your kids are guaranteed to want to come here every night!
Plitvice Lakes with kids
Plitvice Lakes are a stunning natural feature in the National Park by the same name.
The lakes grew in popularity exponentially after Instagrammers shared their incredible colors and they are not one of the most famous and most visited places in Croatia.
Plitvice Lakes National Park comprises 16 interconnected lakes and more than 90 waterfalls. The place is magical for kids and adults!
The parks is crissed crossed by several paths and boardwalks: they connect different areas of the park and have different lengths, so that you can pick the one that is best suited to the age and walking ability/willingness of your kids.
The park is mostly suited to older kids who can walk safely on their own. The boardwalks are scenic but uneven and slippery especially in certain areas so, if you have toddlers, you need to be extra careful.
What to pack for visiting Croatia with kids
What to pack for a family vacation in Croatia depends on the time of your visit.
The most popular time to visit Croatia is the summer. In this case, you want your packing list to be beach and hot weather ready!
You can find here >>> our complete beach vacation packing list for families
If you are traveling with a baby, I recommend you bring a summer baby carrier. It will be perfect for the least accessible towns and area and will help keep you and your baby reasonably cool in hot weater.
You can find here >>> my recommended baby carriers for hot weather
Croatia has lots of cobbled towns but a stroller will come in handy! You can find here >>> my recommended strollers for cobbles streets
If you are heading to Croatia outside of the summer, you want to pack layers. In fall and winter especially, you need to have good coats and especially be ready for rain.
In all seasons, make sure you pack great walking shoes. The ones I recommend for Croatia are the same ones I recommend for Italy and that you can find here.
Tips for Visiting Croatia with Kids – pin this!
