Croatia Solo Travel Guide - Backpacking around Croatia

You have the opportunity to stay with local families who will take you under their wing, teach you a few Croatian words, try the traditional dishes, a good way to really experience the culture and it is much easier to do this in Croatia if traveling solo as local people are interested in you joining in on their way of life.

Accommodation for Solo Travellers:

The best option for travelling solo in Croatia is staying with a family. This is easy to do, very cheap and enhances your experience of the country. Women usually wait at areas where tourists arrive via bus, train or ship. They will be holding signs up with 'Zimmer' or 'sobe'. Once you agree on a price they will take you back to their house where you will be able to rent a room from them.

This option would be recommended over staying in a hostel if you want a real Croatian experience. Also note that the hostels are more expensive than staying with a family. Some of these families have been doing this for years so their English is quite good and they are very generous to their guests, even more so if travelling inland more where there are less tourists and more poverty.

There is also the option of hiring a studio apartment which is very cheap and is usually above a families house (similar to a granny flat), but this way you don't really get to converse with the owners and their family. Although, it does give you the option of cooking your own meals if you are sick of eating out.

Budget for Solo Travellers:

Accommodation is fairly cheap, about 80 kuna (which is roughly $12US) to hire a room from a family or approx. $20US to hire a studio room and $25US or more for a hostel depending whether you are on an island in mainland.

Transportation costs such as ferries to the islands can add up to a small fortune so you are best to get an island hopping ticket if you are planning to visit several off them. If you want to save money you can take the ferry to the islands rather than the hydrofoil. Local buses along the coast are the best way to travel and see the beautiful Adriatic waters. It is more expensive to take the train and not as safe as the bus when travelling solo.

Beautiful seafood meals in restaurants along the coast line vary in price, but are generally around $8-10US for a main and a bottle of pivo (beer) or glass on vino.

A budget of $45US a day is sufficient to eat well, explore and take part in the fun activities!

Trips and Activities for Solos:

There are facilities along the coast to go sailing and exploring the Adriatic sea or if that is too adventurous, you can sunbath and swim near the shore. Many of the islands are only a 2-5 hour ferry ride away and there is some great exploring to fill the day up with.

A highlight would be Mljet, which is an island consisting of a National Park. You can hire a mountain bike and cycle around the island and take a boat trip in the middle on the lake. There are also national parks in-land such as Plitvicka Jezera and Lonjsko Polje with beautiful waterfalls and opportunities to go whitewater rafting and rock climbing.

These are great activities to get involved in if you want to meet other people also as they organize group trips to these places because they are hard to get to via public transport. The towns of Dubrovnik, Split, and Trogir are historical and it is worthwhile spending some time in these exploring and attending the history museums. There is a lot to be learnt about the war of last century if that is of interest also.