Croatia combines a long Adriatic coast with areas deep inland in the mountainous Balkans, so its weather and climate are as diverse as the country is in every other sense.
Generally speaking, the coastal areas, Dalmatia and Istria with their islands, have a Mediterranean climate, with mild weather even in winter and moderate to hot dry summers, while the inland features a proper continental climate with quite harsh winters, moderate to hot summers and a fair amount of precipitation. As our Croatian tours are currently limited to the Dalmatian Coast, this page is about the weather there and in Zagreb, the charming inland capital city.
Dalmatia and the Dalmatian islands
Dalmatia is a region of contrasts – but not for us. The inland part of its narrow coast features mountains and a climate that can be harsh and continental, but the coast and islands, which is where we travel, present a different story. Rain is limited to winter and spring and summer temperatures are fairly mild, rarely ranging over 30°C (86°F).
The area is the European record-holder for sunlight hours: Hvar Town on the island of the same name averages at over 2,700 hours of sunlight per year. At the same time, unusually for the Mediterranean Coast, humidity is quite low, making the summer heat less heavy than it might appear elsewhere.
See our Dalmatia Coast cruises for more information.
Zagreb
Zagreb, Croatia’s capital, is inland, separated from the shore by mountain chains and set on the Pannonian Plain. As a result, its climate is continental: winters are cold and bring frost especially in January and February (skiing is an option nearby), rain is common from autumn to spring. Summer temperatures are moderate and rarely reach even near the 30°C (86°F) given above.
If you work better in Fahrenheit, please visit this temperature conversion page
If you would like to check what the weather is currently doing in Croatia, please take a look at a Croatian weather forecast.
