The Easiest Way for Coming to Croatia: By Air, Land, and Sea

by Welcome Center Croatia | Last updated Mar 1, 2022 | Published on Mar 1, 2022

Depending on where you are arriving from, coming to Croatia is possible via air, land, or sea. The easiest and often most cost-efficient way is to fly into one of the Croatian international airports. The most popular destination airports are Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, and Pula, which handle most air traffic. Still, other airports like Rijeka, Osijek, and Brač may also be a good option for reaching Croatian land.

Let’s take a look at the easiest ways to arrive in Croatia.

Coming to Croatia from Europe

Aside from coming to Croatia via air, which we mentioned as the quickest and most convenient travel method, there are other options like buses, trains, or cars.

If you opt for trains, there are daily connections with Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Serbia, as well as transfer connections with other European countries. This way of traveling is slower but will provide you with beautiful sceneries you will enjoy.

A car trip to Croatia will get you more flexibility, although it may be a long ride, depending on your start destination. Croatia has a high-quality highway infrastructure, and due to its geographical position, it is a significant traffic corridor. Remember that if you enter Croatia with a motor vehicle with a foreign registration or an EEA registration, you must have a valid international motor vehicle insurance policy valid in the territory of the EU or some other proof of the existence of such insurance.

A bus is also an alternative option for coming to Croatia. Many operators offer daily tours to Croatia, and all major cities within the border are connected with bus lines.

Coming to Croatia from Overseas

Coming to Croatia from the United States, Australia, or other overseas countries is a job for airlines. Although the majority of flights will have one or two layovers, Croatia has some direct overseas flights, such as from New York to Dubrovnik, meaning that you can enjoy Croatia in less than nine hours of flying.

If you are coming from a country that requires a visa to come to Croatia, check our article about everything you need to know about entering Croatia on a tourist visa.

Coming to Croatia by Sea

Croatia has a number of ports available all year round for international traffic, entry of foreign passenger vessels and boats for sport and leisure, where you can go through all customs formalities. These are Umag, Poreč, Rovinj, Pula, Raša-Bršica, Rijeka, Mali Lošinj, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Korčula, Vela Luka, Ubli (Lastovo), Ploče, Metković, and Dubrovnik.

In addition to these ports, there are also seasonal ports working only during the summer season (from 1 April to 31 October): ACI marina Umag, Novigrad (Istra), Sali, Božava, Primošten-Kremik, Stari Grad (island of Hvar), Hvar (city port), Vis, Komiža, and Cavtat.

Ferry lines and fast ferry lines regularly operate between Croatia and Italy (Zadar - Ancona, Split - Stari Grad - Ancona, and Dubrovnik - Bari).

To fully experience Croatia, once you get to the most convenient airports, you can use different means of transportation to take advantage of the season and natural beauties fully. Most local and public transport companies enable bookings online, so you can plan ahead and prepare for your stay in Croatia.

Welcome!