A week in Croatia with kids
 

Hello! I'm in the early stages of planning a trip to Croatia in August. We're a family of four, our boys will be almost 3 yrs old and 10 months old by then. I would like to stay beachside somewhere and be close to restaurants and bars and stuff. What are some cities we could stay in? We're not too keen on taking a lot of road trips, since it might be hard with the kids. But I think the lakes and some national parks are a must-see right? And what about the islands? Should we spend the week in Istria, Split or Zadar? Gahhh I'm so confused! Please help!!

I'd certainly look at Split as a great destination I'd also look at Trogir, Hvar (old town on an island) or Bol on another. Each of these towns is smaller and smaller as you go down my list, are easily linked to Split and its airport and each comes with benefits and downsides. The islands are linked by hydrofoil.

August is high season, prices go up, it gets d@@n hot and the places fill up with tourists. With a ten month old you will need air-con. Make sure it is included in the deal.

Istria is ok, I've only been once and it is spread out and can get a bit crazy.

Zadar, don't know.

Noting that I have no experience with children...

I agree that Split is well worth considering. It's my favorite city in Croatia (although not everyone sees it as positively); has a lot of options for restaurants and bars and interesting things for adults; is a great base for day-trips that don't require a car (the magnificent Plitvice Lakes National Park, Sibenik & the Krka National Park, Zadar, Hvar, etc.); and has some things that IMO make for delightful strolling -- a great seafront, delightful market, lots of public squares in astonishingly different styles (from Roman through Renaissance).

Trogir is just a 1/2 hour bus ride away from Split, so if you want a quieter place, you could also stay there. It is decidedly charming, but unless things have changed very much since I was there, it shuts down for the night far earlier than the university city of Split, and even during the height of the evening, you wouldn't have the same range of options for restaurants or bars as in Split.

Much as I enjoyed Rovinj, it doesn't sound to me like a good destination for you -- for anything more than a day or two, one would really need (I think) to have a car and plan for day trips -- and since Rovinj is basically car-free, that would add to the complications of using it as your base. There just isn't that much to see in Rovinj -- or at least that was my impression.

And Zadar isn't that convenient either, IMO -- driving on streets in the main part of Old Town is limited to those who live there, and although I've heard of a few exceptions made for visitors, that is, I believe, the exception rather than the norm. IIRC, a walk of a mile or more from an interesting place to either public transportation or one's car was not atypical. And while Zadar is connected to other parts of Croatia by bus, it wouldn't provide the same ease of access as Split.

BUT, of course, it all depends on what YOU want to see and experience.

Hope that helps!

Thank you so much for the wonderful advice!