Find Out Why Croatia is the Ultimate Base for Europe

We love our life on the road. Since we started traveling we’ve visited ancient ruins in Turkey; we’ve hiked the mountains of Lake Como in Italy; and we’ve experienced Golden Autumn in Poland. But a life of full time travel isn’t easy. We’ve had our share of Airbnb rentals gone wrong, cancelled flights, lost luggage — the list goes on. 

We are definitely planning to keep traveling for a few more years. But we’re also on the lookout for which country might make a good home base for us. Every time we land somewhere new, we ask ourselves: Could this be a good home for us? And Croatia is one of those countries that might just make the list.

We spent almost three months in Croatia and just fell in love with the place. It’s a country with some prime coast on the Adriatic, just across the way from Italy. We started with a month in Dubrovnik, spent six weeks in Split and finished off with a week in Zagreb. As soon as we arrived in Croatia, we started discovering all the reasons why it could be a great place to settle long term. 

Lots to discover 

There is so much in Croatia to see and do. Of course, any stay there should really include the city of Dubrovnik. There’s a reason why it’s on so many bucket lists. When we first saw it, we were amazed by this beautiful, perfectly preserved city. It was like something out of a fairy tale. And then when we did the walk on the top of the walls around the city, it was even more impressive. 

But don’t stop there…there’s so much more in Croatia to discover. Another jewel is the city of Split, which grew up in and around a former Roman emperor’s palace. So as you walk through the city, you’re actually walking through the former palace grounds. And of course there are very modern areas in Split as well. The main waterfront has been turned into a pedestrian promenade. This is where locals come to see and be seen. It has lots of international dining options and a very buzzy atmosphere in general. And then there’s Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It’s got all the international dining and shopping you’d expect plus lots of historic charm.

Beyond these well-known centres, there’s a seemingly endless number of places to discover. We didn’t even have an opportunity to make it to Istria, a region full of historic towns and beautiful countryside.

Natural beauty 

Which brings us to the stunning landscapes in Croatia. We love spending time outdoors and we were just blown away by all the natural beauty. The mountains and coastline seem to go on just forever. During our time in Dubrovnik, we hiked up Srd mountain for an incredible view over the whole region. In fact, we didn’t just hike up there for the view. We also heard that there was a really good restaurant in the next village over. We had more amazing views during our drive from Dubrovnik to Split along the Adriatic highway. This was a half day of driving along the coastline with mountains and cliffs the whole way.

Croatia is also full of national parks to explore. We spent a day in Krka Park and saw more waterfalls there than we’ve ever seen in our entire lives. We didn’t even get to Plitvice National Park so that gives us a good reason to come back. 

Lifestyle

If you’re looking for a very pleasant lifestyle, Croatia really delivers, especially on the Dalmatian coast. We found that there’s a real emphasis on enjoying waterfront living, whether it’s the cafe culture or having a dip at the beach. We noticed this during our time in Split but there are many coastal towns that offer a relaxed lifestyle, like Makarska or Sibinec. Croatia is a beautiful country and the locals really take the time to enjoy it.

Local integration 

If you are planning to stay somewhere long term, you want to feel like you can connect with people and build community. This should be pretty easy in Croatia where English is widely spoken. In fact, it’s taught as a second language in school. In Split and Dubrovnik just about everyone we met spoke English and certainly all the young people do. This makes it a lot easier to get to know locals. 

Of course, if you plan to settle somewhere ideally you’ll make some effort to learn the local language. But in Croatia, you can get pretty far on English alone. 

Base for Europe  

Our fifth reason is that Croatia offers amazing access to the rest of Europe. You can get to the surrounding countries like Slovenia and Serbia in less than half a day by train. And of course, once you’re on a train in Europe, you can pretty much get anywhere on the continent. For a faster hop by air, the major centres like Zagreb, Split and even Dubrovnik are well connected. And you can even take a ferry to Italy from the major ports on Croatia’s coast.

Beyond the ease of travel, another bonus is that Croatia is currently outside the Schengen Zone. For those who aren’t familiar, a majority of the countries in Europe are part of the Schengen zone. This is an area with no passport controls. So tourists can travel freely between countries — for up to 90 days. If you spend 90 days in Italy or Spain or France then you need to spend the next 90 days in a country outside the zone — like Croatia. 

Those are a lot of reasons to love Croatia. But there are a few considerations. 

Reality check

This country is far from being the hidden gem that it used to be. So there’s a lot of competition to see the best sights. We had a rare experience of going to top sights like Dubrovnik during the pandemic when no one else was around. Normally the old towns and beaches are just overrun with tourists. 

Of course, along with tourists come higher prices. Which brings us to cost of living. There was a time when Croatia was considered a low cost destination but not so much anymore. Of course, cost is all relative. Croatia is definitely less expensive than many places in Europe, like France or Italy. We would say that it’s on par to the costs we experienced in Greece. Certainly the cost for accommodations in major tourist centres like Split or Dubrovnik can be sky high. That said, if you’re renting long term, you’ll definitely see some savings versus tourist prices.

Also, if you want to be in a bathing suit year round, Croatia may not be the place for you. It does have absolutely perfect hot weather through the summer. But once the winter rolls around, even on the coast, it still gets pretty chilly. You’ll still see some locals in Split in the water in December. But we personally felt that the swimming season was over. And, of course, once you head to Zagreb, it’s a full on snowy winter. That said, If you don’t mind a mild winter around 10 C or 50 F, then the Dalmatian coast of Croatia could be a good pick.

So, does Croatia make it onto our list of future homes? It’s a big yes. We loved all the great hiking; we loved being part of the cafe culture in Split and we really loved walks by the sea every single day. However we might prefer to be based in Croatia in the spring and fall so we can avoid the tourists but still get the nice weather. That’s right, we’re still trying to dodge winter.