Where to stay in Croatia on a budget

Brian Parsa was enjoying a vacation in Europe last month with his girlfriend when, suddenly, everything fell apart.

The first time I went to Croatia was in 2017. I was on a week-long winter break trip before I would return to London to start my final semester of university. My friend and I stayed in the capital, Zagreb. We hiked through snow-capped trees, went to markets in the city center, and even took a day trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia’s largest national park and a UNESCO site. After that trip, I knew I had to visit the country again.

In Croatia, it’s common to see clotheslines hanging between the streets and much to the confusion of the locals, there’s nothing tourists love more than photographing their laundry. The ancient walls and ruins along the Dalmatian coast tell the story of the past, but the clotheslines tell the story of the city’s living inhabitants.

Travel website, Trippy, has put together an awesome infographic showing prices for food, beer, taxis, and hotels in the most and least expensive countries. And the best part is that it updates daily, so you can see the average price of something when you’re planning a trip or once you’re in the destination.

Croatia is an endlessly appealing destination with sun-drenched beaches, picturesque hilltop towns and atmospheric streets.

With Mediterranean beaches galore, a delightful mix of cultural sights, family-friendly adventure parks and playgrounds aplenty, Croatia is a have-it-all destination for those traveling with babies, children and teens.

There’s much more to Croatia than its glittering Adriatic coast.

You don’t need to jet off to Croatian islands like Hvar and Brač to see the country’s best beaches. Coastal towns run the length of Croatia, and while they may not look like the coastal destinations in Mexico or surf havens in California that you typically equate with a beach town, they bring European charm and elegance to the concept of a town that’s centered on a stretch of coast, and whose identity is in some ways shaped by that fact. For scenic beaches accompanied by stunning architecture and non-sunbathing activities ranging from hiking to bar-hopping, these are the Croatia beaches and beach towns to visit on your next trip to Croatia.

Croatia has vibrant cities, tumbling waterfalls and rolling vineyards.

With its glittering Adriatic coastline, 1244 islands, endlessly fascinating cities and extraordinarily dramatic landscapes, Croatia has been steadily making its way up people’s must-go list. 

With 2500 miles of coastline and close to 1200 islands, Croatia's sun-drenched credentials are impressive – and that's before you add its troves of Roman and Venetian-era architecture, Unesco sites of cultural and natural heritage, and gorgeous nature parks, mountain ranges, lakes and rivers.

In the first week of July, the earth smashed records for the hottest days ever recorded. In Europe, temperatures are soaring above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, wildfires have been raging throughout Greece, and certain parts of southern Italy saw record-breaking temperatures of 117 degrees on July 19. Temperatures for the weekend ahead are forecasted to hit 111 degrees in certain parts of Europe.