Costa dálmata, stone cities and islands a ferry away.

What is the Dalmatian coast?

The Croatian stretch of the Adriatic between Zadar, to the north, and Dubrovnik, to the south, with the islands in front of it. It is the central and most visited part of the eastern Adriatic coast: a line of limestone mountains falling to the sea, a road hung above it and, opposite, long islands such as Brač, Hvar, Korčula or Vis. Historically, Dalmatia was a Roman province and then, for centuries, land of Venice, except Dubrovnik, which was an independent republic under the name of Ragusa.

The cities resemble each other in their material, the region's white stone, and in their layout of narrow streets descending to the harbour. Four of its sites are World Heritage: Diocletian's Palace in Split, the old town of Trogir, the cathedral of Šibenik and the Stari Grad plain on Hvar, as well as Dubrovnik.

How do you get there and get around?

From Spain there are direct flights in season to Split and Dubrovnik, and sometimes to Zadar. The most practical thing is to arrive at one and leave from the other.

By car, the A1 motorway runs down from Zagreb to Zadar, Šibenik, Split and continues towards Ploče, tolled. From Zadar to Split it is about 160 km, under two hours. From Split to Dubrovnik, since the Pelješac Bridge of about 2.4 km opened in 2022, you go without passing through the Bosnian Neum corridor, in about two and a half hours. The coast road, the D8, is slower and very pretty, especially on the Makarska riviera.

Without a car, the bus links all the coastal cities with good frequency, and the city bus runs from Split to Trogir and from Dubrovnik to Cavtat. You go to the islands by boat: Jadrolinija car ferries and passenger catamarans leaving mainly from Split, Makarska and Dubrovnik. To Hvar, for example, the car ferry reaches Stari Grad in about two hours and the catamaran drops you at the town quay.

What to see from north to south

Zadar has a Roman and medieval old town on a peninsula and, on the seafront promenade, the sea organ, which plays with the waves. Nearby are the Paklenica national parks, for climbing and walking, and Kornati, an archipelago of almost bare islands visited by boat. Šibenik holds the cathedral of St James, built entirely of stone, and is the base for Krka National Park, with waterfalls and boardwalks; swimming has been banned since 2021. Trogir, on an islet joined by bridges, is seen in half a day from Split.

Split lives inside the palace that Diocletian built around the year 300 and is the main port for the islands. To the south, the Makarska riviera brings together pebble beaches beneath the Biokovo mountain. Facing Split are Brač, with the Zlatni Rat beach at Bol; Hvar, with its Venetian town and lavender fields; and Vis, the farthest, closed to foreigners until 1989 because it was a military base.

Further south, Korčula has a walled town laid out in a herringbone pattern, and Mljet, a national park with two saltwater lakes. On land, Ston has long walls that climb the hill and oyster farms in its bay. Dubrovnik closes the coast with almost two kilometres of wall and the island of Lokrum ten minutes away by boat. Inland, the Plitvice Lakes can be reached in under two hours from Zadar.

When to go and what changes in each season

May, June, September and early October are the best months: good weather, frequent ferries and prices below the peak. The sea is warm from June to September. July and August are hot and crowded: the catamarans fill, parking is scarce and Dubrovnik receives cruise ships daily. From November to March the cities remain lively, but the islands close a good part of their hotels and restaurants and the boats reduce schedules.

How many days and how to divide them

With a week, a balanced option is two nights in Split, three in Hvar or Korčula and two in Dubrovnik. With ten days you add Zadar or Šibenik with Krka at the start. With a long weekend, choose a single city and an excursion: Split with Trogir, or Dubrovnik with Lokrum and Cavtat. Avoid changing island every day: each boat transfer takes up half a day.

What it is worth knowing before you go

Croatia uses the euro and has been in the Schengen area since 2023. If you take a car to the islands in summer, buy the ferry ticket in advance or arrive early at the port. The old towns are pedestrian and parking nearby is expensive; in Split and Dubrovnik the car is superfluous. To enter Montenegro or Bosnia with a hire car, ask the company for authorisation. In Dubrovnik, the streets fill up mid-morning when there are cruise ships: get up early to see the wall. The Dalmatia page compares the bases in more detail.