Weather in May - too cold? Please help!
 

Hello everyone

My family is planning a trip from LA to Zagreb - Plitvice National Park or Krka National Park - Split - Hvar - Dubrovnik from May 22 to June 2. I wanted to ask about weather during that time and see if it'll be too cold especially to go into the water as we do want some beach time. I personally get colder than most and in LA need a good 82 degree Fahrenheit to enjoy the beach (hard to go into the Pacific anytime though!). Is the water freezing in Croatia? We would like to go in maybe do some snorkeling if it's available. Would've loved to go in July, but our schedules don't allow and we also don't want things to be super expensive. Please advice as those dates are what work best for us but I definitely wanted a local or informed opinion before booking.

Additionally, are the number of days enough for the places I mention to visit or spend at least a day or two in and is May too slow as it's not tourist season. Also, from Split in my time frame what would be the best island to visit is not Hvar and should we stay or do as a day trip. We like lively bars, beautiful beaches, good food and drinks and nice scenery.

Thank you

Aashna

Hi Aashna. I just wrote bunch of stuff and the reply couldn't be sent :) Oh well. So, May is actually a great time to visit Croatia, since the islands are not so busy with cruise ships and other tourists. 10 days should be enough to visit Split, Hvar and the National Parks. The only problem could be the weather, since it goes from 65 to 85F in May, which is perfect for sunbathing, but the water might be too cold for swimming. If you have other questions, let me know. Hope this helps a bit.

I was in the area from mid-May through mid-June and thought the weather lovely, but I didn’t try going into the water and suspect many people would have found it too cold. YMMV. For good climate data, consult weatherbase.com. And note that ferry schedules usually change on or about June 1, so be sure that you consult the correct ferry schedules.

Whether the time is sufficient depends on what, exactly, you want to see and experience. Your itinerary would be too rushed for my tastes, but you would certainly see some wonderful things.

We've visited Croatia in April and in May and it was mild, certainly not warm enough for us to swim. Just checked old photos and we wore jackets some days, long sleeved tshirts and on the odd occasion a sleeveless top. Mostly we wore layers. Hope that helps a bit.

Kay

Late May is okay for swimming. July would be very crowded. Go without worry.

Hello Aashna. As many have already said, don't worry about going to Croatia in May. Late May is the best time to visit Croatia. Northern part of the country will be a bit colder than the south however. This means you probably won't be comfortable swimming in Split but in Dubrovnik it will be just fine.

Coming in May has a huge advantage especially because you are visiting top tourist sights. Zagreb in May is vibrant and colorful with plenty of things going on. Day or two is just enough time for sightseeing of Zagreb city centre. Split is the place where I would spend the least time. One day is enough to see Diocletian's palace, explore restaurants etc., other than that there is not much to do in Split. If you were coming in July or August I would advise you to choose Korcula island instead of Hvar. However, in May Hvar is still not crowded and you will find much more lively bars and restaurants.

Dubrovnik is where I would spend most of the days. You can use at least two days for sightseeing and the rest for beach time ( Dubrovnik is the southernmost from your list therefore significantly warmer), visiting the islands (Lokrum and Elaphiti islands) or in case weather won't be as good you can do a day trip to Montenegro.

Obviously, it depends on your interests! But FWIW, Split is my favorite city in Croatia and I could easily spend days there without running out of things to do, not counting all the day trips I could take from there. I was unable to see everything I wanted to see in Zagreb with "only" 2.5 days. For me, I had seen and done everything I wanted to see in stunning Dubrovnik in 1.5 days (though of course one can add day trips from there). I would strongly encourage you to think through YOUR priorities before you take any of our personal recommendations to heart.

I am from Split, and personally I am opening swimming season on May 1st and finishing sometimes on late October. I just saw photo from April 29th '12 I was at the beach already. Now, I like when the sea is a bit cold, but warm enough when you get out from the sea. At the moment in Split the sea is ca 58F, but the weather is really bad, rainy and cold for already 10 days now, so my guess is that May will be good. Enjoy in Croatia 😍