For a general advice on booking a holiday in Croatia, see our Croatia summer activity guide. These are our top picks for summer activities in Croatia.
1. Cycling in Istria
With dramatic landscapes and quiet back roads, Croatia is an up-and-coming cycling destination. Cycling Croatia offers guided and self-guide tours in both Dalmatia and Istria. Its Istria Wine and Gastro Cycling tour will take you from Pula up to Rovinj, Porec and Umag on the west coast, and then veers inland to the hill-towns of Groznjan and Motovun, before returning to Pula.
Cycling in Istria – CREDIT: ALAMY
En route you will enjoy gourmet dining, wine tasting, and sample local truffles and oysters. Accommodation is in 4 – star hotels and your luggage will be delivered each evening. Cultural highlights include Pula’s Roman amphitheatre, the golden mosaics of the Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč, and Motovun’s medieval fortifications.
2. Swimming in Dalmatia
Founded up by the incredible Slovenian marathon swimmer Martin Strel (who holds Guinness World Records for swimming the Danube, Mississippi, Yangtze and Amazon rivers), Strel Swimming Adventures runs one-week tours around the Sibenik archipelago in Dalmatia. You’ll be based at the four-star Hotel Spongiola on the car-free islet of Krapanj, and swim on average 4km daily.
Swim Your way through Dalmatia – CREDIT: ALAMY
Routes will depend on weather and wind conditions, and the swimming abilities of group members, but highlights should include exploring the rocky islets and turquoise waters of the Kornati National Park (kornati.hr) and plunging into the thundering waterfalls of Krka National Park. Safety escorts include 3 boats and 2 swimming guides, who will also give swimming coaching and provide equipment such as wetsuits.
3. Tennis school in Umag
Umag hosts the ATP Croatia Open (croatiaopen.hr) each year in July. It’s also home to a tennis academy, running programmes of various lengths, for adults and children, from beginner to professional level, with lessons covering on-court exercises, tennis strategy, match tactics, and condition training.
Tennis academy with Goran Ivanišević
“Fun” courses daily have 2hours of tennis, and “Intensive” courses four hours, while the Pro-Camps, supervised by the 2001 Wimbledon men’s champion Goran Ivanisevic, have four hours of tennis and one and a half hours of condition training daily. The centre has 26 clay courts, fitness centre, sauna, massage rooms, and a recreational zone with trim paths.
4. Family fun in Paklenica
For peer pressure of the best variety, a Neilson holiday will entice preteens into joining the vast array of activities on offer. The preserve of active families, the new-this-year Alana Beachclub is an all-activity-inclusive holiday: the price includes lessons in waterskiing, wakeboarding, tennis, fitness, yoga, mountain and road biking, sailing and windsurfing – so cries of “Mum, I’m bored” are impossible. Alana and Baia del Mori Beachclub in Sardinia are new this summer and offer activities similar to those in the popular Messini Beachclub, in Greece.
New Beachbar – Alana
5. Adventure sports in Split
Split is believed to have more international-level sports people per capita than any other city in the world. Besides football (soccer), basketball, water polo, athletics and tennis, locals excel in extreme sports.
Explore hidden coves by kayak – CREDIT: ALAMY
Book apartments nearby Split, in Makarska Riviera here.
