Ask A Local: Croatia

At Sim Local, our team is spread out across the world, giving us a unique insider perspective in lots of places arounds the world. This series shares tips you won’t find in guidebooks—straight from the people who live there. Set sail with us—this week, we’re island hopping through Croatia’s best sailing spots with Tech Lead Gordan Krešić!

Did you know that around 40% of the world's nautical charter fleet is located in Croatia, one of the smallest European countries?

While surprising at first, it makes a lot more sense once you look at the map: Croatia lies along the north-eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea—a closed, shallow, and thus quite calm body of water scattered with hundreds of islands, many of which are inhabited.

Its latitude plays a role too, putting it in a sort of "nautical Goldilocks zone": for most of the year, it's neither too cold nor too hot, with just enough wind to properly enjoy easy sailing. Put all that together and you get a perfect playground for what locals call "đita" (pronounced "ji·ta")—meaning "sailing without any particular destination, island hopping".

Pick your starting port, plan something based on the weather forecast, and get lost for a week.

The best part is that you can start from pretty much anywhere on the Adriatic, as the coastline is more or less uniform from the Istria Peninsula in the north all the way to Dubrovnik in the south.

And while the southern Adriatic—with its large islands (Šolta, Brač, Hvar, Vis, Korčula)—is by far the most popular nautical destination during the peak season in July and August, I’d like to recommend something a bit different.