Why Croatia’s ‘second summer’ is the perfect time for a crowd-free break

Words: Lucy Thackray

A long sliver of Mediterranean coast with a rich hinterland, Croatia has long been a rising star of Europe’s summer scene. Blessed with honeyed, historic towns and the clear shallows of the Adriatic Sea, you may know it as an island-hopping paradise – a compact route of gorgeous towns with Roman, Byzantine and Venetian history and architecture, with trips inland to see verdant national parks or emerald lakes. But as the peak holiday weeks wane, the extended summer of balmy September and October brings a pleasant, breezier warmth that’s ideal for exploring. This is the time to immerse yourself in Croatia’s authentic culture. Visiting smaller towns, villages and inland landscapes, you’ll taste the harvest and delve into truly ancient history, as well as some lesser-known folklore. Here’s how to prolong that summer feel into a more peaceful, crowd-free autumn.

Serene sightseeing

While Croatia holds its own among Europe’s top beach destinations, its rich history and ten Unesco World Heritage sites are just as alluring to visitors year-round. Come late September and October, you’ll find treasures such as Split’s Diocletian’s Palace (one of the world’s largest, best-preserved Roman palaces) mellow and crowd-free, while the cobbled alleys and elevated city walls of Dubrovnik’s mediaeval old city become serene, with a comfortable trickle of walkers and photographers revelling in the daytime highs of around 23℃. Don’t miss the more under-radar cultural stops: Solin, the old Roman capital of Dalmatia, lies 5km from Split, with impressive amphitheatre ruins and pretty churches; while Porec, in the northern region of Istria, is home to the sixth-century Euphrasian Basilica with immaculately preserved mosaics, and Trogir’s postcard-perfect old town hosts a stunning Romanesque Cathedral, Venetian palaces and atmospheric cobbled streets. It’s all heaven for shoulder-season explorers. 

Culinary adventures

This part of the Mediterranean is blessed with fabulous produce, from porcini mushrooms and sweet chestnuts foraged from the oak forests around Zagreb, to grapes and olives harvested from vineyards and groves along the Pelješac Peninsula. But in autumn, it’s all about the truffles: palm-sized nuggets of both the black and white variety that nestle in the fertile soil of the Motovun Forest. Taste them in Istria, the triangle-shaped region up near the Italian border, where you can spend a charming day at a truffle farm, strolling into the shaded woods with an experienced truffle hunter and a small pack of dogs, helping to sniff out and dig up buried treasure. These sought-after tubers are worth up to €5,000, but you’ll enjoy them in their simplest form: shaven over a plate of fresh scrambled farm eggs, or tossed into buttery pasta, accompanied by a jug of white Malvasia wine. As the wine harvest kicks in, take wine tours from Istria or into Dalmatia from cities such as Split, tasting distinctive grapes such as Graševina and Plavac, or raising a glass at a wine festival. Further inland, around the capital and the lakes, Croatia’s meaty countryside cuisine flourishes as the weather cools, so dig into štrukli, baked dough with cream and cheese, and peka, a veal or lamb meat with potatoes baked under the bell. 

Cultural flair

Alongside its history and architecture, Croatia has many layers of culture and heritage that are easy to delve into outside of peak summer season. Start in the relaxed capital, Zagreb, where the Museum of Lost Tales brings the Croatian tradition of oral storytelling to life through six intriguing rooms curated by an artist. The city’s Museum of Naive Art also tells a story of rural life through its folk art paintings, from farming tableaux to depictions of remote villages and family homes. Outside of town, the gentle sunshine warms festivals including Vinkovačke Jeseni, a celebration of Slavic culture and folklore that comes to the eastern region of Slavonia each September; and the Marunada chestnut festival in Lovran in October, where desserts, soups and ice cream made of the local sweet chestnut showcase local cuisine, and music performances and food stalls create a festive feel.

Find out more at croatia.hr and book flights here.