If you’re a Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon fan, or simply a history buff, chances are you’re already familiar with Croatia’s ancient walled cities, imposing fortifications backed by rugged mountains, and turquoise Adriatic shoreline.
In recent years, places like Split and Dubrovnik have soared in popularity, drawing in millions of travelers for their jet-setting appeal and timeless character. If you’re asking us, it was long overdue that their parent country got the recognition it deserved.
Now, sun-drenched Croatia has been named the best destination to visit for 2025, surpassing fellow European competitors Italy, France (and even Spain):
Croatia Is Crowned This Year’s Best Destination
This year, Croatia has ranked atop Europe’s Best Destinations list of Top 10 Countries.
If you’re wondering about the ranking’s relevance, EBD has been publishing charts since 2009, as well as conducting Europe-wide Travel Awards and events that promote tourism across a wide range of cities.
They also claim to be the ‘most visited’ website dedicated to travel and culture in the Old Continent. For the first time this year, they’ve featured the coastal Balkan gem as their yearly highlight, based on the opinion of a ‘massive panel of travelers’ from over 185 countries.
The experts have called it, and as travel enthusiasts ourselves, we’re ready to get behind them on this: Croatia is indeed stunning.
It’s A Lot More Culturally Diverse Than You Think
For starters, it is a lot more diverse than it gets credit for.
Though it is largely known for the resort-lined Dalmatian Coast, where temperatures are warmer year-round, its offbeat inland capital, Zagreb, is, in fact, best paired with Vienna and Budapest for a Central European getaway.
Zagreb has beautiful Austro-Hungarian architecture, and its cobbled historic center is packed-full of medieval landmarks and cozy eateries––it’s often bypassed by beach bums altogether, though we’d argue no visit to Croatia is complete without ticking off its main city.
Over in Istria, a peninsula bordering Slovenia dotted with Roman-era towns, there are Italy vibes throughout, and it’s not for nothing: many centuries ago, this part of Croatia was under Roman and later Venetian rule, and it’s retained much of that Augustan charm.
For a different side to Croatia most tourists are not expecting––more Eastern European than Southern, per se––Osijek near the Serbian border has a picture-perfect Old Town dotted with Baroque edifices and dominated by Tvrđa, a monumental riverside citadel.
Dalmatia Is Just The Dream Mediterranean Getaway You’ve Been Hoping For
Secondly, Croatia is one of the Mediterranean’s most awe-inspiring destinations:
Boasting 3,626 miles of scenic coastal drives and 78 islands, it has the natural beauty of Greece, the cultural wealth of Italy, and the laid-back appeal of Spain.
Speaking of Greeks, they were among the first ones to settle Hvar, an island off the Dalmatian Coast, and a summer paradise fringed by turquoise seas––the Stari Grad Plain, an agricultural landscape set up by these Hellenes settlers in the 4th century BC, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On the mainland, the port city of Split evolved out of the ruins of a palatial complex built for a Roman Emperor, and within palace walls, you’ll now find a maze of narrow alleys lined by stone houses and cozy, locally-run eateries serving fresh seafood.
Of course, let’s not forget Dubrovnik (or King’s Landing, to GoT fans): a fortified medieval settlement, with walls and bastions that are hugged by a crystal-clear Adriatic, it’s almost as if it was extracted straight from the cover of your favorite storybook.
Croatia Is Incredibly Safe For Tourists
Croatia’s safety compared to its Mediterranean competitors is yet another big plus:
Unlike France, it’s not currently plagued by fast-spreading gang activity, nor is Croatia relevant enough a country geopolitically on its own to draw the attention of religious extremists, and if you’re wondering what are the chances you’ll get sprinkled with water by angry locals as you enjoy your dinner alfresco…
This is not Barcelona.
Tourists feel a lot safer in general in Croatia than they do in other parts of Southern Europe, and there are a handful of reasons why:
The levels of irregular border crossings and the presence of high-risk individuals and criminals are lower, and social cohesion across Croatia remains high, with no significant assimilation problems typically noted between (the handful of) newcomers and Croatians themselves.
On top of that, pickpocketing and other forms of petty and violent crime across the national territory are infrequent, not to say extremely rare, even in large urban centers:
Whether you’re lounging by the beach on a remote Dalmatian island or exploring Old Zagreb on foot at night, chances are you won’t be bothered by scammers or ill-intentioned passersby.
The Main Downsides Are…
On the topic of affordability, Croatia has definitely gotten pricier over the years, and it’s no longer the budget-friendly destination it set out to be before it was discovered by the masses and when the shadow of Yugoslav-era communism was still far-reaching.
It’s since swung full West, joining the European Union and eurozone, and price-wise, you can now hardly tell the difference between Croatia and an overpriced Italy these days:
According to Budget Your Trip, tourists will spend an average of $889 in a single week in Dubrovnik, the major tourism hotspot.
In Split, it’s an even-pricier $930, including hotels, meals, and transportation. Zadar-bound travelers should budget around $805, and those heading to Rijeka, an up-and-coming leisure destination famous for its Ancient Roman heritage, will spend an estimated $879.
There are less expensive destinations in Croatia, such as Zagreb, where everything from food to accommodation is much cheaper due to the absence of mass tourism ($652 for the week), but in general, we’d advise you to come a little prepared as costs have been rising year after year after year.
Overtourism has become an equally noticeable downside recently, particularly in Dubrovnik, where authorities have moved to forcefully curb visitor numbers by banning larger cruise ships and even restricting short-term rentals.
If you’re visiting Croatia in 2025, you should know its prices are largely on par with Western Europe these days. If big crowds are a big no for you, opting to go in the off-season gives you a better shot at avoiding them.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
