Everyone knows Dubrovnik, Hvar and Plitvice – and in summer you'll mostly see other holidaymakers there. But Croatia has more than a thousand islands and a vast interior. Here are places that aren't (yet) overrun: car-free islands, hill villages, quiet coves and nature parks. To be honest, hardly anything is truly secret any more – but at the right time you'll have these places almost to yourself.
Quiet islands
Silba car-free, captains' houses, Šotorišće sandy cove – ideal for small children
Olib one village, many coves, hardly any cars
Zlarin & Prvić car-free islands 30 minutes from Šibenik, coral tradition and Faust Vrančić
Lastovo remote nature park, off-limits to foreigners until 1988
Dugi otok with Sakarun Caribbean-style sandy beach and Telašćica Nature Park
Villages and small towns
Lubenice (Cres) stone village on a cliff 378 m above the sea
Hum and Grožnjan (Istria) the "smallest town in the world" and an artists' hilltop town
Bale (Istria) medieval village near Rovinj, far quieter
Vrbnik and Stara Baška (Krk) a wine village on a rock and coves that feel like another island
Skradin harbour town at the gateway to Krka National Park
Rastoke mill village with waterfalls near Slunj
Nature beyond the classics
Instead of only Plitvice, consider Risnjak National Park in Gorski kotar, Vransko Lake Nature Park near Biograd and the bird paradise of Kopački Rit on the Danube. Inland, Samobor and Zagorje with castles and spas offer a calm contrast to the coast.
How to keep it quiet
The most important tip is timing: in June and September even famous places are relaxed and small islands feel deserted. Early morning or late afternoon, viewpoints and beaches are almost empty. And booking a holiday rental direct from the host often gets you the best coves straight from a local.
Silba, Olib, Lastovo, Zlarin and Prvić are among the quietest inhabited islands – some without any cars at all.
When is Croatia least crowded?
From May to mid-June and from mid-September to October – the sea is often still warm enough for swimming.
Note: To protect the personal rights of people shown and to respect third-party copyright, some images on this page are AI-generated. They show typical impressions and may differ in detail from how the places actually look.
